I suggested Recursion as the new book for book club, and it was selected so I felt a certain responsibility when I started reading it. I had bought it earlier this year after all the praise it received and also because I really like Dark Matter which I read some time ago.
Going in, I thought I had the story sorted early on. A detective who comes across Fake Memory Syndrome – where people remember entire lives they have never let; and the scientist who develops groundbreaking technologies around memories. However, at the point I thought I had it figured out, it twisted and turned and I had been completely wrong. For fear of spoiling anything – which would be a waste – I will not say more about it.
Let me just say that this was a very fast past thriller of a ride which covers many difficult subjects but – I thought – in a rather accessible way. Yes, Recursion will need your undivided attention to connect all the dots and keep on top of the story, but it is totally worth it. It might spiral a little bit out of control near the end, but nevertheless I enjoyed it a lot.
Recommended!
Recursion – Blake Crouch
Url Phantomhive 
I find myself yelling “no, don’t do it!” when a thriller sounds interesting because no matter what I always end up giving them two stars… this sounds so interesting ;;__;; might have to add it to my tbr. Maybe since it’s a sci-fi thriller I’ll like it more? Thanks for the review ♥
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I think in its genre it is really good, but several members of my book club (who don’t normally read either Sci-Fi or thrillers) have already reached out to say that they were missing from it. And the story does spiral a little out of control in the end.
So, I am a bit conflicted to whether or not to recommend it specifically to you. Maybe, try to get a library copy? However, if you do try it, let me know what you thought of it!
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I flew through this book! I’ve read two Blake Crouch books (this and Dark Matter) and this is definitely my favorite of the two. I’m glad I went into it not knowing anything about it – it was a wild ride!
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Yes, indeed. These books are best entered with at little knowledge about them as possible. I have read Dark Matter also (but the details from that one are a bit fuzzy and I kept my review purposefully vague so as not to spoil anything), and another book called Abandon which is not sci-fi at all, but rather a “oh, look where did the entire village go”-kind of mystery.
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Glad that crouch works for you. He certainly doesn’t for me. I view him as “still alive” Michael Crichton but with 50% more recycled old info from the 90’s 😀
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Ah, maybe it is because I never read Michael Crichton and not a lot of 90s fiction (since I was only learning to read back then 😉 ).
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Hahahahaa!
Back in MY day, I had to grow the trees that our school books were written on! 😉
Actually, most of Crouch’s ideas seem to parallel such tv shows as Sliders, Star Gate SG1 and one or two other explicitly SF shows from the 90’s. But it is still the same issue for you, you didn’t watch them.
Feth, this is making me feel old…
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Don’t be.
I feel like I missed out on a lot of things I would have really liked. But probably I would not have even watched the shows had I been older then, as I don’t think many of them were broadcast where I grew up. It’s only since the internet became popular that everything is within reach…
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