Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this digital ARC. Release date is 6/11/19

A widespread affliction called False Memory Syndrome is terrifying people with memories that don’t belong to them. NYC cop Barry Sutton is investigating and soon becomes more personally involved.
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Meanwhile Helen, a neuroscientist, is working on a groundbreaking new device that would let people relive their fondest memories.
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But neither of them realize all that they’re really up against or just how dangerous things will become.
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This book switches between Barry’s perspective and Helen’s perspective. One tip: keep an eye on the dates/time frames at the beginning of each chapter and keep them in mind.
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Sci-fi and thriller in one. What’s not to love?! How Blake Crouch came up with this brilliant, mind-bending storyline I’ll never know! So many times while reading this I stopped to imagine the things in this book happening in real life and it was just mind boggling. Such an immersive story.

I say that I am not a fan of science fiction, but Blake Crouch has made me wrong about that for the second time. It was only because I liked Dark Matter so much that I was interested in reading another novel by Crouch.

One thing that caught my attention about the book is that one of the main characters works on trying to find a way to help Alzheimers patients retain their memories. Alzheimers is a disease that hits close to home for many (my family included) so naturally it captured my interest.

Helena, a neuroscientist whose mother suffers from Alzheimer’s, has an opportunity to develop her device with unlimited funds. Once she proves that it’s a success, things go horribly awry because not everyone involved in the program is ethical.

Helena teams up with Barry, a NYC police officer, and they work together to stop people from using the device in ways it was not intended. This results in a nightmarish version of ground hog day or de ja vu moments, only on a more accelerated level.

Recursion is fast-paced and full of action. Don’t pass this one up because it’s science fiction. It’s also an engrossing thriller from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

From the author of Dark Matter, this is another Timey-Wimey thriller. It’s a good thing that I couldn’t put this fast-paced book down, because I’m not sure I could keep track of what was going on if I had. Crouch has become a must-read author for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Blake Crouch and Crown Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Barry Sutton is a NYPD officer who lands upon a devastating phenomenon that the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome; a disturbing condition that is driving people crazy by giving them an entire set of memories from a life that they’ve never lived. Helen Smith is a neuroscientist who has worked her whole life to try to some day make a chair that will help her mother keep her memories that are slowly fading from Alzheimer’s. As Barry is searching for the truth, he stumbles upon something he could have never imagined. A force that attacks the very fabric of the past and can change someone’s life in an instant. Only Barry and Helena working together can solve the problem of this force and what others want to do with it.

Wow guys! I picked this one because it sounds so completely different from all the thrillers I have been reading and I am so glad I did! I loved the characters and the completely different premise behind this one! I found almost every moment fascinating; the only problem I had with this novel was that the ending seemed to take forever to come around and I felt like it dragged a little. But I enjoyed the ending thoroughly and the characters were perfection! I would definitely recommend going into this one mostly blind and just letting the book speak for itself!

Out June 11th!

I had pretty high hopes for this book but it moved pretty slow for me & just seemed so repetitive. I struggled to get through it but have a major issue not finishing books with the hopes they will get better.

I love Blake Crouch. While Recursion was a fast read, it took work for me to really follow some of the plot and the time warps, as well as getting involved with the characters. I think it will play well to a screen adaptation, as it moves quickly. I loved the concept of time and memory "rethinking" and how it was done, very intriguing. Would I be willing to live my life over again - kept coming up in my thoughts as I read. Well done, a little fast paced for my liking with a deep concept, but very good read.

I absolutely loved this book, I read it in one sitting! I loved Crouch's previous book too, Dark Matter, so I was super excited to read this one and it did not disappoint!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blake Crouch is a wonder. Seriously, the man has good ideas - great concepts... AND, he knows how to execute them. I loved Wayward Pines and Dark Matter, and Recursion follows in a similar vein.

Can you imagine a world in which the construct of time - that keeps us sane, and our lives and minds in order - has been circumvented? Well, Blake did, and he wrote about it and knocked it out of the park. This thrill ride of a novel starts a little slow and then rockets to the ending. It's kind of like Aerosmith's Rock 'N' Roller Coaster at Walt Disney World. The first bit, you're loading into the ride vehicle, pulling around to the waiting area, and sitting there for a few minutes waiting for the ride to start. A countdown happens, and BAM, you shoot off at 60 miles an hour, race through the darkened coaster ride, until the ride comes to a skidding halt. You get off, stumble around for a minute as you catch your breath and your balance, and then proceed to jump back in line to ride it again. That's this book. So much fun!

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 mind-boggling stars

This latest release from Blake Crouch, author of the mind-bending, ‘Dark Matter’, is another one of those, “Wait, what just happened?” type of books. It’s a bit trippy. I had to really concentrate to follow the logic, and sometimes I still think it eluded me once in awhile. The ride was fantastic though! This is could be categorized as a time-travel book that has simply been wrapped in a memory re-do storyline. What if you had a chance to pick a time in your past to travel back to, and make different choices? Would you do it?

At first blush I think that most folks would gladly go back and make different choices. But as Barry Sutton and Helena Smith soon find out, those different choices could have unforeseen consequences not only for themselves, but potentially for all of humanity. The book is told primarily in dual storylines. Barry is a New York City police detective. He’s trying to understand if this newly identified ‘False Memory Syndrome’ could have induced a woman to jump her death despite his offer to help her. Helena Smith is a neuroscientist who is working on how to help save memories for Alzheimer’s patients.

As the story unfolds we learn about Barry’s hunt for the location that might be involved in implanting false memories. Or are they false memories? What exactly IS happening? From the other side of the world, we learn about Helena’s research and how it may have been misappropriated for less than idealistic purposes.

The book moves along at a break-neck pace in the beginning, but it flagged a bit towards the end, or perhaps it became too convoluted at the end. I had to slow my reading speed, and really try to process what was happening in the scenes as I got deeper into the book. The technology of the memory ‘jump’ process was fully explained. I suspect die hard Sci-Fi fans (which I don't really consider myself to be) will enjoy all the technical discussion. For me it sometimes got in the way of the story once in awhile.

This was a suspenseful ride that surprised me on several levels. It also made me pause and wonder about the choices I’d made, and their long-term effects. This is another stellar writing effort from Blake Crouch.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Crown Publishing; and the author, Blake Crouch; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not a fan of sci-fi, but I loved Dark Matter and am fascinated by issues involving memory. So this one was a no brainer to read. In 2007, Neuroscientist Helena Smith is devoting her life to creating a technology to preserve our memories. Meanwhile, folks in 2018 are suffering from False Memory Syndrome, an affliction in which a person literally has memories of living an entirely different life. Barry Sutton is a detective that attempts to save a woman from suicide when she is suffering from FMS.

This book just grabbed me from the get go. It really makes you think. “There are so few things in our existence we can count on to give us the sense of permanence, of the ground beneath our feet. People fail us. Our bodies fail us. We fail ourselves, he’s experienced all of that. But what do you cling to, moment to moment, if memories can simply change. What, then, is real. And if the answer is nothing, where does that leave us?” OMG, that had my mind in a whirl. Because, really, if you take away our memories, then just who the hell are we?

This one totally messes with you. Initially, it is very fast paced and you have to work to keep on top of everything. This is a thriller with a capital T. Woosh, woosh, woosh. But it’s a thriller that asks some interesting questions about what makes us human, is progress always good, should we attempt to play God? It drags a little toward the end, a little too Groundhog Day for my taste. But I liked the finish and how it finally plays out. Overall, it’s one I can recommend.

Thanks to netgalley and Crown Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

I was thrilled to receive an uncorrected, electronic copy of this book to read! Thank you to Crown Publishing Group and NetGalley for approving my request.
I am a huge fan of this author and Recursion did not disappoint! It is a fast paced book dealing with quantum physics and time. If you enjoyed Dark Matter, which dealt with different dimensions, you will love this new book.
The story is told between alternating points of view: NYC cop Barry Sutton in 2018 and neuroscientist Helena Smith in 2007. In 2018, the public becomes aware of False Memory Syndrome. Without warning, some people find that they have their expected memories plus memories of a completely different life, perhaps a different spouse, different career, a child where they had none. What is causing this? Can it be fixed?
This book will be released on June 11. I recommend it highly!

Blake Crouch can write some damn sci-fi, I tell you what...

This one is about an inventor who invents something incredible, The Chair, only for it to fall into the wrong hands and Ruin The World.

It's got everything: time travel, people who recognize the evil they've done and even they want to fix it, love stories, do-overs, multiple lives.

The narrative is not linear. It made more sense for *me* to read it in chronological order until it merged timelines. Which is difficult, because of course there are multiple timelines thanks to The Chair.

ALL OF THAT is to say it is highly recommended for anyone that is a fan of smart sci-fi. Note: the characters are not very diverse, but it's still a good story.

Words can't describe how much I enjoyed this book. It was fun, fast-paced, and thrilling. There were genuine edge-of-your-seat, laugh-out-loud, "Oh my God!" moments aplenty. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because, 1 ) there are moments that are too steeped in the science of things that made me skip through it; 2) there are timelines that seem to exist just to make the book longer, and thus, could have been skipped to make the book a little breezier; and 3) we don't get to see how the love story that takes center stage unfold, and we're basically told to root for the couple "just because".

Outside of those things, it doesn't detract to the point of disliking it. Obviously you need a deep level of suspension of disbelief when it comes to takes about time travel, because of you think about things too much, you'll find lots of plot holes. But Crouch crafts such a rollercoaster ride of a story, you're willing to overlook them. Definitely read this one!

NYC detective Barry Sutton begins looking into a mysterious ailment that has been dubbed False Memory Syndrome where the victims suddenly remember whole lives that seem to have never happened. Meanwhile, neuroscientist Helena Smith has dedicated her life to creating technology that will allow us to preserve memories. As reality and the past seems to be shifting all around them, Barry and Helena must work together to stop Helena's technology from falling into the wrong hands and to protect everyone's future.

Admittedly, I"m not a big science fiction reader, but I read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch a couple of years ago after seeing it everywhere and it was one of the best books I read that year. When I saw that Crouch had a new book coming out later this year I knew I wanted to read it.

Like with Dark Matter, the premise that Crouch is able to create and flesh out in Recursion is remarkable. He has a great ability to create worlds and technology that play on questions that have haunted many -- what exactly is time and memory? What would you do to relive a special moment or to change the past? Crouch manages to weave intricate science, interesting characters and ethical dilemmas all into one.

Unfortunately despite all of this, I found it a little difficult to get into this one. I found the book started a little slow as it was working to set everything up but then picked up in the middle as things started to fall into place. While the end was thrilling to see what would end up happening, I felt it dragged on a little bit longer than I would have liked. The pacing is the main thing that dropped it down a half-star from 4 stars for me.

Overall, Recursion is a interesting read that will make you think, which is always something I can enjoy out of a book. I definitely recommend this one for those interested in sci-fi and who have enjoyed Crouch's other books.

3.5/5 stars

I loved Dark Matter so I could not wait to read Crouch’s newest novel. I was not disappointed! There were so many twists and turns that I did have to re-read a couple of chapters, but it was definitely worth it. This book was an easy 5 stars for me.

Spoiled by having read Blake Crouch's Dark Matter. This book just isn't as good. BUT, it IS still good.

It's science fiction in the sense that Black Mirror or Michael Crichton's books are science fiction. Nothing that can happen currently in the real world, but plausible enough for the future. And the book makes you think! It's a book that, instead of not wanting to put down, you intentionally put down at times just so you can take some time to think about the ideas in it.

Author Blake Crouch has delivered another mind-bending sci-fi thriller, Recursion, that had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. Wow, was all I could think to say when I first finished reading. I enjoyed Dark Matter a lot and was expecting a lot from this new book and Crouch has totally delivered. I am predicting this book will be in my top 5 at the end of the year. I just don’t see it going any other way.
Barry Sutton is a NYC detective and he has just arrived on scene at a NY building where a woman is threatening suicide by jumping from the forty-first floor. As he attempts to talk her out of jumping, he discovers that she is suffering from FMS or False Memory Syndrome. She recounts in detail a life where she was married and has a nine-year-old son. Then suddenly, about a month ago, she claims she just woke to find herself single and an investment banker with a new set of memories.
The CDC does not know what causes FMS or if it is contagious. So far, there are just a few cases; but, in a majority of the cases the person afflicted is usually driven mad by the false memories. As Blake contemplates the suicide, he is not able to prevent, his detective instincts push him to investigate. He follows the only lead he has. The husband, Joe Behrman, the suicide victim says she was married to in another life that now lives in Montuak.
Barry’s meeting with Joe just leaves more questions unanswered. Joe insists he does not know the victim, but all Berry’s instincts says he is lying. Something is not right and then Barry suddenly has a complete separate set of memories. No one every jumped from the forty-first floor of the NY building three days ago, and there is someone watching him.
The answers to understanding everything lies in the past with Helena Smith, who years prior has invented a “chair” that she hopes will help Alzheimer patients like her mother recover some memories. This “chair” is so much more than just a device to capture memories. It has the ability to alter time with devastating consequences as we soon find out. Only Barry and Helena working together can hope to stop the very fabric of space and time unraveling.
There are so many things I loved about the book. For me, the best part was the characters. Crouch did such a good job with the character development. Usually in thrillers I feel like the action was the main character. Not here, I totally got Barry and Helena and by the end I felt I had known them for years.
The way Crouch described the science made the story seem plausible. This element of realism elevated the plot, resulting in more tension. It was just so well done and not many authors can pull this off so seamlessly. Many kudos!
I highly recommend this book to lovers of thrillers and sci-fi. It is a ride you will never forget!
I received a free copy from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

Another fast-paced sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch that is smarter and more tense than most of what you’ll find out there. Did I understand all of it? Definitely not but still a quick and enjoyable read that reinforces once again why we shouldn’t mess with memory mapping and time travel.

I truly liked this book. It was a sci-fi page-turner almost from the start. You are first introduced to Barry, the NY police detective trying to prevent a suicide and soon after (yet a decade earlier) Helena a scientist facing funding issues. Their stories and those of others intersect on the way to... a danger I certainly did not see coming until just before it arrived (you guessed it, that would be a spoiler). And this just gets you to the middle of the book!
The characters are nuanced and believable. They have lives that truly matter to them and the story (thus to the reader). Because of this, I enjoyed it much better than Dark Matter (by the same author). There was some trepidation leading into this book because of that, but I can honestly say it surpassed and made me forget those earlier worries.
If you like sci-fi with good internal logic (even if the science is not fully sketched out) and a fast moving plot, I would happily recommend this book.


Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a prerelease copy of this book.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

Signature Crouch story, full of mind bending and time warping events. As I read, I kept seeing this book playing out like it was written specifically for the big screen. The techie talk did drag me down a bit but over-all, a good book.

3.25☆