Wow, what did I just read!? This sci-fi thriller by the author of Dark Matter is a fast-paced, mind bending page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover.

The novel begins with two alternate timelines: Barry Sutton, a New York Police Detective in 2018 and Helena Smith, a neuroscientist in 2007 who has dedicated her life to creating a memory chair, a technology for Alzheimer's patients that will allow mankind to preserve its most precious memories.

Barry begins to investigate a dangerous disease dubbed "False Memory Syndrome" or FMS which leaves the sufferer with vivid memories of a life that never actually happened. Those with FMS not only have memories of their "real" life, but they also have parallel memories of a completely different life. Unable to distinguish real memories from FMS memories, the suicide rate has skyrocketed as people struggle to grasp reality.

Helena, whose research funding is about to run out, is given the chance of a lifetime when Marcus Slade, a wealthy inventor and business magnate offers her unlimited resources to build her ground breaking technology. As she works to perfect the technology of the memory chair, Helena suspects that Marcus Slade may have ulterior motives for hiring her. She soon realizes that her invention is much more than it seems.

Barry and Helena's timelines eventually intersect and this, readers, is where the real (or is it FMS?) fun begins. I won't even begin to pretend that I was able to follow all of the scientific aspects of this book, but I was determined to keep up! Without going into too much spoiler-y detail, Blake Crouch really is the master of fusing sci-fi with the thriller genre. He expertly blends neuroscience, quantum physics and time travel with gripping, heart pounding scenarios that had me flipping the page as quickly as I could. Recursion is a heavily plot based novel and I would love to see Crouch's notes from when he was drafting this book (how did he keep everything straight?). There were so many times that I had to stop and think about what I just read because my goodness, this plot was mind-boggling! Recursion begs the question, if you were given the chance to do your life over, would you?

Publication Date: June 11, 2019

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Blake Crouch has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I love stories that make the impossible seem plausible, and he does that very well. A machine that records memories and allows people to time travel. Helena accidentally builds such a machine while trying to help cure her mother’s Alzheimer’s. Then spend the rest of her long life trying to correct the horrible impact this machine has on mankind. I loved it, Mr. Crouch, please continue.

This is a crazy ride of a story. It's a bit of Fringe and a bit of Quantum a bit of Memento.

Our characters invent a machine that let's them go back into time and "do over" parts of their life. Unfortunately, at some point everyone gets hit with all the memories at a point in their lives. This is devastating for most people and many choose to kill themselves. Our heroes go back again and again trying to fix the problems of these technology. Be ready to be confused. That said, this book grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I had a hard time stopping to go to sleep. Highly recommended.

(I read an ARC of this novel provided free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Netgalley!)

Recursion is about a detective who is investigating a suicide related to a new "disease" called False Memory Syndrome, in which people suddenly remember entire lives that didn't happen. Except that's not what it is at all. A neuroscientist who was trying to invent a way for her mom to retrieve her memories lost to Alzheimer's finds someone to fund everything she can imagine, and things get...interesting.

And that's all you get for a summary because you seriously need to read this book. It's dystopian sci-fi if that helps. Years ago, I read another novel of Crouch's, Dark Matter, and I LOVED it. I also remember marveling at the number of plot holes but not caring at the end because it was SO GOOD. As soon as I heard about this one, I looked it up on Netgalley, got a copy, and DEVOURED it. This time I didn't let myself think so hard about it because I'm pretty sure it has a similarly holey plot. What matters here is that it's SO GOOD.

Right after I finished this one, I discovered that Crouch wrote the Wayward Pines series, and I immediately jumped on board. I'm enjoying those books as much as these. Crouch definitely is not a one-hit wonder, and I'm totally looking forward to whatever he comes up with next.

tl;dr: You'll like Recursion if you like dystopian sci-fi or if you've read anything else by Blake Crouch and liked it.

The author of Dark Matter returns with another adrenaline rush of a sci-fi novel.
While investigating a case tied to the recent epidemic of FMS (False Memory Syndrome) suicides, NYC cop Barry Sutton teams up with scientist Helena Smith, who reveals that these instances of people "remembering" lives that never occurred is a symptom of a problem that could destroy the entire world unless the two of them can find a way out- or back.
An absolute blast of a book!

What a thrill ride of a book! This novel is hard to put down and will have your brain working in knots to keep up. I have to admit, some of it gets repetitive and predictable at towards the end but it is still a super fun ride! This novel reminded me in some ways of the old Robin Cook novels that were so popular during the 80s. Crouch blends sci-fi, action, and even romance into a truly unique take on time travel by means of human memory. If you enjoyed Dark Matter, you will not be disappointed by this title. Enjoy!

Wow, I needed time to put together all of my thoughts on this book. As always, Blake Crouch proved that he is a master of the genre. He is so good at creating suspense with is writing. The timing was impeccable and left me turning the pages until I found that I had finished. I absolutely love books that draw me in like this and this was by far one of my favorite books that I've read this year. Without spoilers, I will say that while I would have liked closure in certain aspects, I 100% understand why it had to end the way it did. It left me with a great sense that time is what you make of it. I definitely connected with the characters longing for something and he did such a great job of portraying the characters feelings and motives. I highly recommend this book (and literally everything else by Black Crouch) to everyone.

The walls of this elevator are old, smoke-stained mirrors, and staring into them creates a recursive illusion—an infinite number of Barrys and Helenas in elevator cars bending away through space.



This is not your father’s time travel story. It’s a brand new, updated, complex and mind-bending time travel story that will keep your attention and compel you to keep reading. Recursion is a story of suspense and a bit of sci-fi that has so many twists that it gives a new meaning to the word.

Helena’s mother has Alzheimer’s and her research has led her to the goal of inventing a way to preserve her mother’s core memories so they will be available to her once the disease has progressed. Barry is a detective who’s drawn into this world when he investigates a case of False Memory Syndrome. FMS is when a person has memories of a life that he/she never lived and in some cases, drives the individual mad and possibly to suicide. Working together, Helena and Barry are out to save the world from itself while reality keeps shifting under their feet with an abundance of dead timelines. Both are very likable characters with a very special relationship. I was rooting them on with each and every timeline.

Crouch is a talented writer that knows how to hook a reader and keep them reading. While scientific-sounding in parts, Crouch explains it well enough that it is not distracting and does not diminish the reader’s enjoyment of the story. Recursion delves into the philosophical issues of changing people’s memories and the ramifications it has on their lives. Within the story are discussions about the perception of reality and memories as well as how we experience time (past, present and future). Crouch twists the notion of deja vu into something entirely new and different.

I highly recommend this book. There is something here for everyone — thriller, science fiction, mystery and love story.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Having read Dark Matter last year I was very excited for this book! It took me a few chapters to fully wrap my head around what was going on. It didn't take long though and after a bit I was hooked, loving how the storylines came together. Very well done, with twists in time and consciousness that I never quite knew what was coming next. I admit at times it was almost too much for my brain to comprehend, so putting the book down and closing my eyes making a visual map of the events helped. I love when a book has aspects that I can see or imagine happening in my life, even when the voice of reason says it isn't. This was the case with Recursion. I cant wait to talk about this book! I would give it 10 stars out of 5 if I could!

Aah, Blake Crouch. The master of the sci-fi page turner.

Thank you, Penguin/Random House for an advance copy.

My first thought was to give this 4 stars. I was thinking "not AS great as Dark Matter but up there." I felt certain parts were a bit choppy, were a tiny bit forced...but damnit, I loved it too much to not give it 5 stars. Crouch is an insanely good storyteller.

A little bit Black Mirror, a little bit Inception...there's A LOT going on here. The way he can take a complex and what could probably be described as an overly ambitious concept and weave it together in such a seamless way is a testament to the genius bouncing around inside his mind. Because this IS complex stuff largely based around scientific theory of memory, how the mind works and how we perceive life and it's value in ourselves and in other people...it's very heavy. However, he manages to piece it all together in a way that works so well that it just flows so smoothly from the pages.

His characters are so fleshed out and personable, there is nothing one dimensional about the people he creates. Human beings are complicated and he captures that in spades every single time. Nothing is ever as cut and dry as "this person is good" or "this person is bad." No, no, human beings are never that simple and Crouch never dumbs them down for us. You will experience every emotion here...anger, sadness, love. I could not stop smiling when I read the last page.

It isn't a perfect book but when I think of the work put into it, the complexity of the themes and the concepts Crouch managed to put together in what is essentially an action packed sci-fi love story...I can give this nothing less than 5 stars. Bravo.

Loved this! Like Dark Matter, a page turning thriller that also keeps your mind engaged the entire ride. Compared to Dark Matter, Recursion had more of a focus on relationships which I really enjoyed.

What a ride!

Our main character, Helena, is a down on her luck scientist who specializes in memories. When she's at a dead end, in walks this billionaire - Slade - with an offer she can't refuse. Hoping to create something to help her mother's failing memories, Helena finally creates a masterpiece instrument that ends up with a few nasty unintended consequences.

I found myself reading this book faster and faster as I got deeper into it. I HAD to get to the ending. I need Christopher Nolan to direct this movie, stat.

I thought I wasn't a fan of scifi. But Blake Crouch has cemented himself as my perfect read of thrilling sci-fi that's not kids flying in spaceships fighting woolly mammoths on frozen planets. Wayward Pines was ok. I really liked Dark Matter, but I think Recursion is his best yet! Add this to your to-read shelves, especially if you were a fan of Dark Matter.

Mad props to Crown Publishing for the advanced readers copy. Really enjoyed this.

I received a free copy of this book through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow!!! My mind is so freaking blown right now, I will never find all the pieces! This is the type of book that will keep me up at night, thinking about everything that happened. How am I supposed to go on with my life after reading this book??

I'm not gonna lie it was very confusing in the beginning. We're following two main characters: Barry and Helena. Two POVs, two different time lines and the writing style was not my favorite, which made it hard for me to connect with characters and the story. It's written in 3rd person, present tense and it's overly descriptive of unnecessary things. Such as: he walks to the door, he opens the door, he sees light. It's not the best and that's why I'm giving it 4 stars and not 5.
The first quarter of this story reminded me of that TV show Dollhouse, where people get imprinted with different memories. And I was starting to get disappointed. But then we get to that plot twist and oh my gosh, everything escalates so quickly and it's such a unique interesting concept! It has some butterfly effect vibes. But it's definitely very original and so full of plot twists! Seriously, my mind is all over the place, blown away!
Blake Crouch like to have open endings, just like in Dark Matter, it left me wanting more!
If you love sci-fi, crazy plot twists and something that will make you think outside the box, read this!

Brilliant premise and great characters. Barry and Helena’s love story was complex and complicated and it was challenging for my pea brain to keep everything straight. Blake Crouch has such a way with words as he describes the catastrophic events being experienced.

The first few sections were pretty technical. I enjoyed the parts with Barry the most.

This book is a total mind-bender. Totally addictive and thrilling the whole way through. Some of the gender issues that I had with Dark Matter also appear in this book, but the story is totally compelling.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first half of the story, but the second half fell flat. It's unfortunate because I absolutely love this author. Still looking forward to reading more books in the future by this author.

I’ll bet Blake Crouch filled up at least five large whiteboards with diagrams trying to figure out the plot for this one.

NYPD Detective Barry Sutton tries to stop a woman about to jump off a high rise building, and she tells him that she’s suffering from the rare False Memory Syndrome which has given her the memories of another entire lifetime including a son who doesn’t exist. Barry become intrigued by the woman’s story, in part because he is mourning his own daughter who died years earlier, and he begins to look into her life. In a parallel story set 11 years earlier, Dr. Helena Smith is struggling to get funding for plans to build a machine capable of recording a human memory, and her project seems dead in the water until a mysterious investor steps in.

That’s all I want to say about the plot to anyone who hasn’t read the book, and I’d urge any reader to go in not knowing more than that because what follows mixes a clever sci-fi concept with an engaging thriller that turns the very idea of existence inside out.

To dig into this deeper without giving the ending away….[ I absolutely loved the time travel aspect of this with the idea that reality is shaped by consciousness so it should be possible to go back into our own memory and change things. The fallout from that, with the other memories eventually kicking in for those affected by it, is a terrifying way of expanding the scope that eventually scrambles the eggs of all of humanity. Helena’s chair is a Pandora’s Box that can’t be unopened even with time travel, and that creates a cruel trap. You can’t make this right without using time travel, but every trip back once things go to hell just means that eventually another timeline comes crashing down on everyone. (hide spoiler)]

I was a little worried about the whole ‘sad Daddy’ aspect of Barry having a dead child at first because my complaint about Crouch’s other reality bending book Dark Matter was that it leaned on the trope of a man-doing-it-all-for-his-family, but I was pleasantly surprised with how the book eventually became a much bigger story without ever losing the emotional component of that backstory either.

Overall, this was mind-bending and horrifying page turner with some very cool ideas that had me on the edge of my seat while reading.

Another great fast-paced thriller from Crouch. I'm not a big sci fi reader, but I really enjoy his books. Some of it was over my head, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Really liked the main characters and the plot was intense. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

Dark Matter is one of my favorite science fiction book recommendations to give and ended up making my top ten books list in 2016. To say that I had HIGH expectations for the next Blake Crouch novel would be putting it mildly.

I am so happy to say that this book DID NOT disappoint!

In this story, Barry Sutton is an NYC cop who has been investigating the phenomenon the media has called, "False Memory Syndrome." It is a mysterious affliction that makes its victims mad with memories of a life that they never lived.

Helena Smith is also trying to understand memory and wants to find a way that it can be captured, through her work as a neuroscientist. Inspired by her mother's struggles with dementia, she has decided to study memory and focus on a piece of technology that will allow people to preserve their most precious memories.

As Barry begins searching for the truth, he discovers what happens when we play God with memory and how Helena's technology has helped to create this False Memory Syndrome. While sheltering ourselves from our most devastating memories, by rewriting our history, Barry & Helena begin to realize how altering memories can change our identity, our relationships, and how altering circumstances doesn't always yield the results we are after.

When the technology gets into the wrong hands, they realize how it can destroy the world, as they know it, and they will stop at nothing to get it back, forced to repeat their lives over and over again, to try to change their circumstance.

Once again, Crouch blends science fiction with a thriller pace and a beautiful love story.  His storytelling is masterful and the suspense is so incredibly good in this one. I immediately passed this book on to my husband who loved it just as much as me. I am so glad I got to screen this and feel confident recommending this one to our Dark Matter fans.

If you haven't dipped your toes yet into the science fiction world, I have a feeling you will find this to be a compelling read that will pull you right out of your literary comfort zone. What are you waiting for? Be sure to pre-order this for June!

Online Review Publishing on April 1st- http://www.momadvice.com/category/books

The premise is so fascinating. What if we had the ability to remake memories? What if we could go back in time, knowing all that we know now, and relive things. Would we make different decisions? What would the power of having just general knowledge of the future do to us? I think we’ve all thought about it. As a parent who has lost a child I’ve thought about it probably more than is healthy because I can pinpoint the one decision I made that changed my life for the worse. Perhaps that’s why the second line on the back cover caught me so much. It’s ultimately the reason I requested the book.

“My son has been erased." Those are the last words the woman tells Barry Sutton, before she leaps from the Manhattan rooftop.”

So, yeah, the premise hooked me immediately. However, the writing did not. I nearly walked away from Recursion so many times because I just could not get into it. It felt dry and methodical and there were much more gratifying reads that I was working through. However, Blake Crouch is a much-talked about writer, so I kept pushing through. I was determined to at least make it to the 50% point. I think some of the issue was the fact that there were a couple of people’s timelines to keep straight and that has never appealed to me in a book. I also have a gnat-sized attention span.

Thankfully at the halfway point Crouch finally has the groundwork all laid out and the good stuff begins. Once the action starts, it gets interesting quick. It goes from zero to sixty in an eye-blink and plays out like it’s meant for a movie screen. By the three-quarters mark I was wondering where else he could go. Things had gotten pretty much as insane as they could get. He proves his talent, though, and handles the last bit very skillfully by scaling things back and focusing more on emotion and relationships than absolute batshit craziness.

I truly enjoyed the last half of Recursion. However, it didn’t make up for the first half, so I can’t fangirl about the book.

Blake Crouch is a talented writer, but his style just doesn’t match up well with me. I recommend giving the book a try. Your mileage may vary, but it’s worth at least a look-see.