A fantastical ride from Blake Crouch. Things happen you don't even want to think are possible but seem like they can happen tomorrow.

I you read Dark Matter, you'll enjoy the journey Recursion takes you on. Personally I didn't connect to Recursion as well as I did Dark Matter. The characters just didn't do it for me. But overall a highly enjoyable read.

All across the country people are waking up into different lives and memories than what they fell asleep to. Is it False Memory Syndrome or something else. Barry Sutton begins searching for the truth. Very interesting novel.

I have read a few books by this author, and they are all exciting and thrilling, and this one is no different. It was much better than I was expecting. It hooked me early on and kept me turning pages. I was interested in the characters and the plot and found myself devouring it while losing track of time. Recommended for sci-fi fans and thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy to read and review.

As always, Crouch provides a lot to think about! This was a fast, exhilarating read. I really enjoyed it and was unable to put it down until reaching the end. I believe it could have used some editing for length however. The story would have been just has compelling had there been a few less "recursions."

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year- and did not let me down!

If you could have a redo of your life-what and how would you do it differently?

Fast-paced thriller/sci-fi. This will make you question everything you know about memory, loss, regrets, and love.



(Spoilers Ahead)
A mysterious disease, or so everyone believes is affecting people’s memory -or False Memory Syndrom (FMS). People do not know what is going on- as they have two separate lives of memories. Barry Sutton, NYPD detective tries to uncover what is behind FMS. He ultimately comes face to face with Helena Smith, who we later find out created something that would change the world.

At first, it is a little confusing, as you have no idea what is going on or what is even real in the story; however, bit by bit, it all starts to unfold and nothing could stop me from reading.

All that being said, Crouch has done it again! Another 5 star read for me. I recommend this to anyone who loved his Dark Matter book, interested in neuroscience/memory, or just looking for an exceptional read.

(Will post this review closer to publication)

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to thank Blake Crouch, and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read and review this ARC early.

"What if someone could rewrite your entire life?"

That one line made me want to read this book. I had such high expectations when I started reading this book. For me, it was a followup to the exceptional Dark Matter. I wasn't disappointed.

It's a pretty dark sci-fi novel that explores the question "What if you could relive your life?" The book starts with NYPD detective Barry Sutton trying to prevent a woman from jumping from the roof of a sky rise. "My son has been erased." Those are her last words before she leaps. He begins investigating her case as across the country people wake to new memories of different lives. They seem to be suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived. Or have they? Is something much more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?

In San Francisco, neurologist Helena Smith is developing a technology that would allow us to preserve our most intense memories and relive them. If she's successful, anyone would be able to relive their most important memories, a first kiss, the birth of their child, their last moments with a loved one.

Barry's journey in the search for truth leads him to the discovery that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift- the ability to not just preserve memories but remake them... at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.

Recursion is a thrilling fast read that makes you question your life, memories, time and morality. Like Dark Matter this book too is a mind fuck. I didn't anticipate it being as dark as it was though. As much as I enjoyed it, I found the ending lacking. I felt it could've been better. There just seemed to be something missing throughout the book. It wasn't as captivating as Dark Matter, which I found disappointing. It was a thrilling read, but I felt like it could've been a little bit better.

That said, I do recommend reading Recursion. Blake Crouch is an excellent writer who has put out another winner.

This was an ARC I received from Netgalley in return for an honest return.
4.5/5 stars.

Ever heard of the Mandela Effect? In Recursion, people all across the U.S. are waking up to completely different lives than they remember. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome? Or is something much scarier and widespread happening to the world’s shared reality?

Pros: Crouch is a master at pacing and creating suspense, and this was tricky to do from two different perspectives (we switch back and forth between the two main characters every few chapters.) I enjoyed the exploration of the nature of reality, how your brain perceives your environment, and the effects of dementia. And it got dark and gruesome at times, which was deliciously scary to read.

Cons: The only thing that diminished the story for me was its own complexity. The concept of time travel itself is intricate. As Recursion worked to keep the details of the plot clear, it also kept building and building onto it with more action and twists. Because of this, it does lose a little steam about 2/3 of the way through.

I loved Crouch’s previous novel Dark Matter, so I went into Recursion with high expectations. Recursion is addictive and suspenseful, but it definitely calls for a little patience--and probably multiple readings--to fully work out its puzzle.

If Black Mirror served as a surrogate for Groundhog's Day and Back to the Future, Recursion would be that test tube baby.

This one starts out with a bang, or more like a plunk, as the story opens with a woman jumping from a building to her death, but not before she utters the words "My son has been erased." to Detective Barry Sutton.

What follows is two storylines, one where Barry searches for the meaning behind the woman's final words and one where researcher Helena Smith is developing a means to preserve the memories of Alzheimer's patients, such as her own mother.

"...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?"

Sci-Fi has never been my thing, not even sorta kinda, until I came across Crouch's Dark Matter. He has a way of mixing the sci-fi and thriller genres in a way that makes it accessible to science impaired people like myself.

I found the first half of this book unputdownable...and then my unmethodical brain reared its head leaving me with a permanent perplexed expression.

All of the back and forth and forth and back and back and back and forth and back and forth and forth of the timeline was difficult to follow and often tedious at times. While I understand that it was part of the plot, I still think it could have been handled in a more reader-friendly manner.

Overall I enjoyed this book, not as much as Dark Matter, but certainly enough to continue my mediocre attempt to branch out into this new frontier, with Crouch in the lead.


I received an ARC from Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

A series of duds can leave one craving a quality read and for me Crouch has always been the author to deliver just that. Even before he became properly popular, he always knew how to tell an entertaining story. Crouch is a cross genre writer and his latest ventures tend to veer toward science fiction. In Recursion, his most complex work to date, he tackles time travel and does a terrific job of it too. Now the thing is, time travel has always been dizzying for me (the subject, not the actual thing, although it stands to reason…), something about it just completely discombobulates and disorients my (presumably very) linear brain. I’ve watched the movies, I’ve read the books, I’ve read up on it, but still…it just defies logic in such a complicated way. And having that been said, if I was to (literary) time travel, I’d want Crouch in the pilot seat as it were. He just made it work in this story. Sure, it was dizzying at times, most unconventional motion travel is, but it was so well tethered to reality by such very respectably explained logic and more importantly it was so terrifically anchored down by a really great story…that it just really worked. And when it finally started to overwhelm me, Crouch came in with an awesome save that was the last section of the story and from then on it just barreled toward a feasible resolution and when it arrived the ending was just…wow. So yeah. I wanted a quality read and this was it, above and beyond. The plot of this book is very much along the themes of the dangers of technology outpacing those who control it in both sophistication and application concepts. So it’s a very timely subject and one I often contemplate. If the modern world was given a radical, life altering technology what are the odds of it being used for good? Very slim, I believe. Very slim, the book proves. And so when a genius inventor’s genius invention gets misappropriated and turned into something infinitely more dangerous than a memory retrieval machine, the inventor will do whatever it takes to prevent it. No matter what it takes, no matter how long or how devastating that journey will be. But she won’t be alone for all of it, so it’s actually also a love story, a very epic love story in fact (most epic of all Crouch’s work thus far) and not even remotely cheesy. Throw all those elements together and you get a suspense thriller turn science fiction with an apocalyptic threat that is exciting, compelling and even romantic. In a word, awesome. Very entertaining, original and smart…beauty of a read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

DNF: I was hoping to love this book because I LOVED Dark Matter but I couldnt even get through this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This book is fascinating. It follows two timelines while telling a story about FMS, which stands for False Memory Syndrome. This story is about so much more than just the two timelines though. It asks the question of what or which memories would we change if we had the chance to go back in time to erase and recreate. This book is one that can be reread time and again, bringing about different thoughts. This story goes deep in the area of what is truly ethical if this technology existed. Blake Crouch keeps getting better and better. I enjoyed this book so much and I highly recommend it.

I could not put down this book! So many twists and turns. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. If You liked Dark Matter you will love Recursion. A thriller with a love story!! So good! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this early. Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors!

Loved it, great characters and idea. very well written book, although some of the science behind the story was very in depth, crouch found a way to write it that mad it easy to understand and turned out brilliant.

I think I'm biased when it comes to Mr. Crouch, but I'm giving Recursion 5 stars. Was I really confused at times? Yes. But I was confused while reading Dark Matter and I gave it 5 stars too. I'd compare this book to the way I felt when I read The Martian by Andy Weir. A little overwhelmed with all the details, but loving every minute of it and not able to put it down for a second.

Amazing ideas and a great new twist on an old scifi theme. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the writing, character and plot development were superb. I am purposely avoiding details as to not spoil the surprise of the books premise.

The second half, not so much. New storylines based on theme were started and ended quickly and it felt very scattered and not nearly as cohesive as the first half. The ending was good and wrapped things up as well as you can in the world Crouch created but I would have enjoyed a more cohesive story line throughout without the shotgut of plotlines that was the second half.

This is a bizarrely brilliant little science-thriller, I'd call it. It science fiction thriller? It's excellent executed.and really written perfectly for TV. You really feel the connections and the reincursions as Barry and Helena do and it infuriates you and worries you each and every time. Another great one from Crouch. Can't wait for the show. :)

Thank you to NetGalley, Black Crouch, and the publisher for proving me with this ARC. I was excited to see that Blake Crouch had another book coming out. After devouring and LOVING Dark Matter, I could not wait to immerse myself in this book. For the most part, I was not disappointed. I do feel like I connected with the first half of the book more than the 2nd, but it still remained unputdownable for me. I think the 2nd half started to feel a bit ground hog dayish to me. I loved the mix of sci fi, conspiracy, thriller that this book brings and the topic of what would you do if you could turn back time is immensely fascinating. I liked the main characters Barry and Helena very much and was on tenterhooks to see how their stories ended. I highly recommend this book!

Fantastic story told from the point of views of our two main characters, a scientist and cop. The scientist is working on preserving memories in Alzheimer's patients while she inadvertently discovers a way to cognitively time travel. Meanwhile, the cop stumbles upon a hotel in New York that is using technology to create alternative memory lines. This book was a real page-turner and I read it in one sitting.

Let me just start by saying Blake Crouch's mind-bending, time-twisty books are hard on my brain. This newest story was easier to follow than Dark Matter (for me at least). Helena is a very likeable character, and Barry grows on you. As the story progressed, my empathy for Helena's situation, for the struggle to fix a situation spiraling out of control grew.

[There is an element of 50 First Dates (the sci-fi edition) going on, where every cycle Helena has to reeducate Barry on the situation. Then another reset puts them back to square one. (hide spoiler)]

I think this book is a great addition to the Crouch collection for those who love his writing.

“Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory. There’s no such thing as the past, the present, or the future. It’s all happening now.”

I really enjoyed Recursion. It delivers all the goodness Blake Crouch is famous for: big science, drama, and crazy scientists. Crouch can literally paint a picture, and I feel as if I am there on the ledge, raindrops falling....all the emotions. I loved Helene, and would loved to heard
more of her voice in the text. And the shifting setting again is beautifully depicted!!! Loved views of the desert, mountains, islands.

I read this on Kindle, and to refer to previous chapters to orient myself in time and place. I enjoyed this book, it it felt very close to Pines and Dark Matter.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Everyone pick this up when you are in the mood for an unputdownable story.