As a huge fan of Blake Crouch's previous novel, Dark Matter, my expectations for his latest book were high. Reversion is a smart, fast paced, haunting sci-fi thriller that explores the connections between memory and reality. The story is a pager turner, following an alternating narrative of a seemingly unconnected man and woman, as their lives intertwine and the world begins to unravel in the wake of a momentous discovery that has enormous potential to alter the world and ominous ramifications. Highly recommended!

Crouch has always had a gift for sci-fi. This new book Recursion is the perfect combo of sci-fi and thriller. A new disease has caused peoples memory to see things they have never lived. Barry Sutton is investigating how the False Memory Syndrome is spreading. Crouch always leaves you thinking after you read his books.

Recursion is the latest, and perhaps best, story by Blake Crouch. This book is almost impossible to put down and when you aren't reading this it is still in the back of your mind. Waiting to fall asleep at night you will be thinking "What if?" and "When?" I wish I could give this story more than 5 stars. I was given an early copy to review.

The king of high-concept sci-fi returns with a mind-bending thriller that questions the very notion of reality - or what we perceive as such. Across the globe, individuals are falling victim to a terrifying virus called FMS, False Memory Syndrome. Those afflicted claim to possess impossibly detailed memories of alternate lives lived - experiences and relationships that do not exist yet feel real and, in some cases, preferable to their present existence. Many bemoan the loss of loved ones, wives, even children they once had that have seemingly disappeared in a blink.

For Detective Barry Sutton who investigates one such case, it's the opposite. He has never gotten over the loss of his young daughter, killed by a hit and run driver so many years ago. So when he is struck by FMS and seemingly returns to that tragic night, can he change what happened and craft a new reality? And what would be the results?

Meanwhile, we are offered insight into the origins of FMS through flashbacks focused on neuroscientist Helena Smith who takes up an offer from a mysterious benefactor to pursue research that could help those afflicted with dementia (including her long-suffering mother).

The timelines - two at first, then multifarious - cross and converge, dissipate and reform, stutter, stop, and restart in a challenging, occasionally convoluted, story about humanity's ability to shape its reality. The plot may seem fantastic and far-fetched, but its theoretical grounding makes Recursion truly thought-provoking. And, yes, while it does get damned confusing at times, the pacing never flags and the book is a rewarding read.

Absolutely crazy- the Time Traveler's Wife meets Looper. The science in this went way over my head, but the plot and characters kept me invested.

Recursion
Author: Blake Crouch
Description
What if someone could rewrite your entire life?

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

Deeply unnerved, Barry begins to investigate her death, only to learn that this wasn't an isolated case. All across the country, people are waking up to lives different from the ones they fell asleep to. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious new disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived? Or is something far more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?

Miles away, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing a technology that allows us to preserve our most intense memories and relive them. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

Barry's search for the truth leads him on an impossible, astonishing journey as he discovers that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift--the ability not just to preserve memories but to remake them . . . at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.

At once a relentless thriller and an intricate science fiction puzzle box, Recursion is a deeply felt exploration of the flashbulb moments that define us--and who we are without them.

Blake Crouch has written a very engaging story about the big what-if moments in life. I would recommend this book when you have plenty of time to finish.

As always, Crouch knows how to keep you on your toes and does a great job at mixing thriller and sci-fi genre.

A mysterious disease starts affecting people’s memory, giving them memories of a life they never lived. NYPD detective Barry Sutton is trying to investigated how the False Memory Syndrome is spreading and ultimately will come to face Helena Smith a neuroscientist who invented a device that’s changing the world.

Recursion will make you question time, memory and life.

While the characters and dialogues didn’t grab me from the start, I grew to care about them and their story more and more. By the end, I couldn’t put the book down.

The story also became a lot darker than I expected (which I loved!) and the concepts mentioned were fascinating.

If you’ve enjoyed Dark Matter by him, I recommend you pick up this one.

Can’t wait to see the Netflix adaptation!

One thing is for sure: Blake Crouch can write a mean sci-fi pageturner. Like his superior novel, Dark Matter, Recursion is a fast-paced mindbender that you can get lost in. But, while there were parts that really worked for me, there were also ones that didn’t.

The premise starts with an intriguing question: if you had the ability to give yourself a second shot at life, to change the one thing that has caused you so much pain, would you? What if you could extend that opportunity on a much larger scale, using this power to undo human misery?

Helena Smith has invented a device that helps people relive memories. But when her colleague discovers that the device can be used to actually return people to the past, creating a brand new alternate timeline, he can’t resist playing God.

Of course, the consequences of wielding such power are inevitable, setting Helena and a detective named Barry on a journey through multiple timelines to save humanity.

Recursion was at its strongest for me when it delved into the ethical questions noted above, as well as metaphysical questions about the nature of reality. The technical, scientific aspects of it were a bit harder to follow, and I’ll be honest with you and say that I’m not adequately adept in such topics to determine whether Crouch’s logic regarding time travel, alternate realities and the mechanics of the device are sound. I just kind of went with it, and didn’t always entirely understand how he got from point A to point B.

The convoluted plot was interesting, but did become tiresome. Reading about characters reliving loops of time over and over again can start to make you feel like you’re stuck inside a loop, too.

There’s so much that I’m not even touching upon in this review; such is the nature of a book like this with an ambitious scope. Crouch packs a lot of thought-provoking ideas and plot points into this narrative, which simultaneously keeps things interesting and feels a bit all over the place.

In spite of my ambivalence, I remain a fan of Crouch. There are few writers out there coming out with such smart, imaginative sci-fi that’s so accessible to mainstream audiences. If you want to lose yourself in a mindbender and you’re cool with just going along for the ride, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Another amazing book from Crouch. He's really been on a roll lately with "big ideas" in his novels, from Pines to Dark Matter and now this new novel. Recursion opens in a world suddenly troubled by "False Memory Syndrome," a condition whereby peoples' memories seem to have been overwritten and, in some cases, they can remember very elaborate pasts that don't seem to have actually happened: lives with different spouses, children who may or may not be real, traumatic events, and so forth. For some, this is a catastrophic condition and suicides are on the rise. The story alternates between two points of view set in different time periods. In one, we're following Barry Sutton, and NYPD officer who attempts to talk down a suicidal woman, only to lose her. But their conversation in the interim is enough to set him on the path to eventually figuring out what's going on and finding those responsible. In the other time, we follow Helena Smith, a neuroscientist working on developing a "memory chair" which will help those struggling with Alzheimer's to hold onto their fragmenting memories. As the story alternates between these two characters and time periods, we gradually come to understand just what the heck is going on and when the full implications become clear, the story switches into overdrive. As in Dark Matter, Crouch has developed a really interesting idea here, based in quantum physics, and he proceeds to explore every aspect, every avenue, every possibility, all tied in to a story that has a really touching romance at its center. It's a truly mind-boggling, tour-de-force and a book that had me reading long into the wee hours because I could not put it down. Highly, highly recommended.

I am very uncomfortable writing reviews, because as I’m aging I’m losing my words, and the ability to write what I mean. Such is the case with Recursion. At first read it’s a sci-fi novel about a device that can chart your memories and bring you back to any time you remember from your past. Helena has spent years working on this invention, so she can help her mom with Alzheimer’s remember what she used to know. And when unlimited funding comes from tech billionaire Slade her dream comes true. Her machine works, but of course all is not what it seems.

The plot is brilliant, and there are many great twists and turns. While some of the technical jargon went over my head, it didn’t matter because it didn’t take away any enjoyment. I can stop writing here and tell you it reminds me a little of Station Eleven, and it’s a good read, but it becomes a great read when you factor in love....Barry’s for his daughter, Helena for her parents, but most of all the love and devotion between Helena and Barry over several lifetimes. This made it also an incredible love story that took Recursion to the next level. I highly recommend this book, and know I already want to read it again.

Another mind bending thriller from Blake Crouch. Brilliant and original, Mr. Crouch has done it again. This would be a great addition to the library's scifi book shelves, particularly now that scifi is re-surging like crazy!

This is a fantastic read, as good as (if not better than) Dark Matter. It is a thought provoking page turner and fans of speculative science fiction, suspenseful techno-thrillers, and a good mystery will enjoy reading this. I appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book and am excited for it to come out!

Putting down this book before you get to the end is worse than ending a nicotine addiction. Crouch, who I’ve never read before, has mastered the art of storytelling and, in telling this story, he has breathed fresh life into themes that science fiction writers have grappled with for many decades.

Have you ever experienced deja vu, the sense that you’ve been somewhere or experienced something before? Maybe it’s not your imagination. Maybe something has been at work there you’ve only caught glimpses of.

What is our consciousness? What memories make our selves? Who would we be if things didn’t happen the way they did? If we hadn’t crossed a street at a fateful moment? If we hadn’t walked into that bar on that night - of all the ginjoints in the world? Why did we take the paths we took? Was it fate? Was it preordained? Or was something else at work? Were you meant to do this with your life? Were you meant to be with this person forever? As the great philosopher Yogi Berra said, when you come to a fork in the road, take it. And, perhaps, there’s still time to change the road you’re on?

Crouch’s novel is a science fiction novel, but one easily accessible to all not just sci-fi nerds. It is one that makes you think and wonder and ask the what if’s and how to solve the impossible problem. It is a tender love story but one where the end of all we know is threatened again and again.

Told in alternating chapters between Barry and Helena’s point of view, we see first the twisted results of scientific experiments and wonder as false memories and fractured realities drive people mad -those who have not already lost their minds. Then, we get to see how this breakthrough came to be - perhaps intentionally, perhaps unwittingly. And, of course, how in all of creation can you put this genie 🧞‍♀️ back in the bottle?

Very well-crafted, absorbing, intriguing, paradoxical. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Recursion is nothing like you'd expect from the synopsis. The synopsis gives you a very slight impression of what the book is about, but honestly, I think it would be best to go into Recursion without knowing anything. With that being said, I won't go into the plot. Overall, Recursion had a very interesting scientific concept and the story was compelling and thrilling. There are so many layers and revelations that it's hard to stop reading once you start.

I enjoyed how the novel was structured into parts and chapters that alternated between two main characters. I find it so satisfying to read two characters' separate stories and then see how they end up coming together in the main plot. Blake Crouch also does an excellent job of adding a human element to his sci-fi stories. Barry and Helena were so much more than just a cop and a scientist. They were characters with pasts and troubles that shaped who they were and defined their motivations. This story was enjoyable from a sci-fi aspect, but it also makes you reflect on how humans think and how our actions affect others.

Wow. Do not start this book unless you have a full amount of time to read it cover to cover. Of course it’s going to be amazing (love BC), but I could not put it down. Immediately gripping...

Thank you thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Fantastic!

How many times should I write "wow" before proceeding?

Another mind-bender of a soul-stirrer my biblio-buds are green with envy I've already been able to savor, one I'll be talking about (and up) until (and after) pub date with friends and library patrons alike. (Or: all those people to whom I've handed Dark Matter.) Compelling characters, accessible science, and universe-building that makes it easy to understand how Hollywood's already scooped up the book and making big plans for it. Bravo.

What would you give to relieve the happiest moments of your life? Neuroscientist Helena Smith is working on a project to allow people to do just that, but something goes terribly wrong. People everywhere are waking up to memories of a life they never lived. Called False Memory Syndrome, it’s causing mayhem. After Barry witnesses a woman create suicide after saying her son had been erased, he becomes determined to find out what’s causing the bizarre disorder. I think Crouch has got one of the most unbelievable imaginations in the world. In every book he concocts a story line so bizarre, so cunning that I am always taken by surprise

I was a little concerned at how excited I was for this. I loved Dark Matter, Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town, and was worried I was going to be let down by this one.

But it was AMAZING. I think I liked it more than Dark Matter. There was action, excitement, love, and moments where I gasped out loud. I will definitely be buying this once it is out.

I’ve read a few of this authors books, though I gave up on the Wayward Pines trilogy (too long and drawn out) and Dark Matter (confusing jumble of a mess), this story grabbed and held my attention. Though a bit confusing in the last half, the action and the charachterizations thoroughly held my attention. Though the idea and storyline has been done many times before. Kind of a cross between Connie Willis’ “Doomsday Book”, “Groundhog Day” and Robert J. Sawyers “Flashforward”. The story is not especially about time travel but reliving your memories and trying to restructure and change lives by doing so. Lots of suspense and if the reader is willing to suspend their belief, a fast moving and interesting story.
Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.