515 pages
Published May 3, 2017 by Large Print Press.
One night after an evening out, Jason Dessen, forty-year-old physics professor living with his wife and son in Chicago, is kidnapped at gunpoint by a masked man, driven to an abandoned industrial site and injected with a powerful drug. As he wakes, a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." But this life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife; his son was never born; and he's not an ordinary college professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something impossible. Is it this world or the other that's the dream? How can he possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could have imagined--one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. …
One night after an evening out, Jason Dessen, forty-year-old physics professor living with his wife and son in Chicago, is kidnapped at gunpoint by a masked man, driven to an abandoned industrial site and injected with a powerful drug. As he wakes, a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." But this life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife; his son was never born; and he's not an ordinary college professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something impossible. Is it this world or the other that's the dream? How can he possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could have imagined--one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. --
Of all the “meeting myself from a parallel universe” books I’ve read, this was the first that considered the sheer horror of its potential. Really enjoyed it.
This is gonna be a hard one to review without spoiling because I was mostly checked out on this story until around the 85% mark, where something happened that finally made me sit forward with attention. But lets get the early stuff out of the way first.
In theory I don't need my science fiction to have really elaborate worldbuilding and spaceships and aliens and whatnot. I'll concede that it is possible to tell a compelling story in a contemporary setting that has just one or two elements that give it that ~sci-fi~ spin on it, which is what we get here and we figure that out pretty early on. But when you start playing around with infinities and infinitesimally small chances for certain events to happen, it's gonna feel cheap and unearned when those best-case scenarios... happen.
We have in Jason Dessen what I found to be a …
This is gonna be a hard one to review without spoiling because I was mostly checked out on this story until around the 85% mark, where something happened that finally made me sit forward with attention. But lets get the early stuff out of the way first.
In theory I don't need my science fiction to have really elaborate worldbuilding and spaceships and aliens and whatnot. I'll concede that it is possible to tell a compelling story in a contemporary setting that has just one or two elements that give it that ~sci-fi~ spin on it, which is what we get here and we figure that out pretty early on. But when you start playing around with infinities and infinitesimally small chances for certain events to happen, it's gonna feel cheap and unearned when those best-case scenarios... happen.
We have in Jason Dessen what I found to be a fundamentally unlikable protagonist, and I don't know that the author intended for him to come off that way. He's a chauvinist who has an almost possessive relationship towards his wife that goes beyond mere affection that made me uncomfortable, and for all of his academic accolades (of which we're reminded of frequently), he makes frustrating decisions and just kind of fails upwards and into the right trajectory because why wouldn't he?
This story had the potential for some truly Shakespearean levels of tragedy and copped out for an ambiguous but mostly feel-good ending that felt undeserved. Call me a psychopath, but I just feel that these characters did not suffer enough for my enjoyment to get the wrap-up that they did (holy shit, that sounds insane now that I'm reading that). Anyway, if you want to read something else that also tackles themes of regret and "what ifs", read Militia House by John Milas.
A quick and easy read. It works if you're just looking for some entertainment and nothing more.
Das Buch ist eine Mischung aus Thriller und Science Fiction und hat durchaus ein paar interessante Ansätze zum Thema Multiversum und Zeitreisen. Die Protagonisten kommen aber eher etwas flach daher. Insgesamt kurzweilige Unterhaltung.
He did this to me. No. It's way more fucked up than that. I did this to me.
I went in with zero knowledge of what this book was about and it blew my socks off. I was captivated by the book. I disrupted my routine for several days to read more than I typically would. This book could find itself get upgraded to five stars but for now it's a strong 4.5.
If you strip away all the trappings of personality and lifestyle, what are the core components that make me me?
I like playing with the thought of experiment of what would happen if you woke up with a clone. Would you set them to tasks around the house while you enjoyed your free time? Would you duel to be the only one?
My understanding of identity has been shattered...
Multiverse has been popularized in media over the …
He did this to me. No. It's way more fucked up than that. I did this to me.
I went in with zero knowledge of what this book was about and it blew my socks off. I was captivated by the book. I disrupted my routine for several days to read more than I typically would. This book could find itself get upgraded to five stars but for now it's a strong 4.5.
If you strip away all the trappings of personality and lifestyle, what are the core components that make me me?
I like playing with the thought of experiment of what would happen if you woke up with a clone. Would you set them to tasks around the house while you enjoyed your free time? Would you duel to be the only one?
My understanding of identity has been shattered...
Multiverse has been popularized in media over the years but Blake Crouch didn't assume what the reader knows, or doesn't. Complex theories are elegantly described and get slightly more layered and nuanced as the story picks up. I didn't find the hand holding patronizing and enjoyed how the intricacies of the science was casually inserted in the story.
Even with familiarity in the multiverse I still a shocked face when all successful Jason's continued to find Chicago prime and think they were the eligible Jason to resume the life they walked out on a month ago. I was so engaged with the story I didn't consider this being a possibility and enjoyed how this ramped up the climax of the story.
I can't help thinking that we're more than the sum total of choices, that all the paths we might have taken factor somehow into the math of our identity.
The story is rooted in science but offers plenty of "what if" questions that the reader can wonder about heavier questions like what makes us us.
The box isn't all that different from life. If you go in with fear, fear is what you'll find.
This was a fast paced, extremely engrossing story and will continue to think about it.
"And we're not lost."
We are fucking lost. Literally adrift in the space between universes.
"We're not lost."
Entertainende sci-fi-thriller waar je niet al te diep over na moet denken. Aardig basisidee, tikkie eendimensionale karakters (vooral de vrouwen), cheesy dialogen, niet het fraaiste proza. Maar spannend, met wat leuke twists. Prima vakantielectuur.
Excellent read. Intriguing plot that kept me interested and ready for more.
Спойлеры ай гесс.
Ваша личность определяется чередой решений, которые вы принимаете на протяжении своей жизни, постулирует Блейк Крауч.
Что ж, одно из этих решений — считать ли научной фантастикой очередную книгу, щеголяющую буквальной интерпретацией эффекта наблюдателя в квантовой механике. Да, немалая роль в Dark Matter отводится субстанции, заглушающей очаги формирования сознания в префронтальном кортексе, и помогающей таким образом предотвратить нарушение квантовой когеренции в объектах макроскопических масштабов (да-да, в путешественниках между мирами).
Если у вас после прочтения предыдущего абзаца не начали скрежетать зубы — что ж, Dark Matter удивительно цепкий и крайне компетентно написанный, хоть и достаточно идиотский, триллер-pageturner... где-то первую четверть своего объёма. Далее мне только и оставалось гадать, какой ещё очевидный мысленный эксперимент автор ввернёт в книгу. Парадоксальным образом, это оказалось достаточно увлекательным занятием: читать Dark Matter достаточно интересно, хоть и совсем не по тем причинам, на которые, вероятно, делалась ставка.
Собственно, главная проблема книги для меня — …
Спойлеры ай гесс.
Ваша личность определяется чередой решений, которые вы принимаете на протяжении своей жизни, постулирует Блейк Крауч.
Что ж, одно из этих решений — считать ли научной фантастикой очередную книгу, щеголяющую буквальной интерпретацией эффекта наблюдателя в квантовой механике. Да, немалая роль в Dark Matter отводится субстанции, заглушающей очаги формирования сознания в префронтальном кортексе, и помогающей таким образом предотвратить нарушение квантовой когеренции в объектах макроскопических масштабов (да-да, в путешественниках между мирами).
Если у вас после прочтения предыдущего абзаца не начали скрежетать зубы — что ж, Dark Matter удивительно цепкий и крайне компетентно написанный, хоть и достаточно идиотский, триллер-pageturner... где-то первую четверть своего объёма. Далее мне только и оставалось гадать, какой ещё очевидный мысленный эксперимент автор ввернёт в книгу. Парадоксальным образом, это оказалось достаточно увлекательным занятием: читать Dark Matter достаточно интересно, хоть и совсем не по тем причинам, на которые, вероятно, делалась ставка.
Собственно, главная проблема книги для меня — её математически выверенная эффективность, способность задавать большие вопросы оптом, не останавливаясь ни на секунду чтоб полюбоваться пейзажем. В параллельной вселенной Блейк Крауч мог бы разрабатывать баттлрояль-игры: если у вас есть набор достаточно безотказно работающих простых в применении способов заставить клиента сидеть на краешке стула, то зачем останавливаться и придумывать что-то сверх этого?
Ещё об этом вроде бы не слишком принято говорить, но я не вижу ни одной творческой причины, по которой Dark Matter и Recursion это две разных книги.
Entertaining and fast paced but thought provoking. I guess that’s Crouch’s thing.
Nice story
Book starts with a fairly straightforward premise which I immediately grasped, and it was clear what had happened almost immediately although the protagonist didn't figure it out till much later. But despite what seemed like a predictable start that's been tackled many times in science fiction writing, the inevitable resolution to the protagonist's problem became much more complex and nuanced than any other time I've seen this premise tackled and about half way through the book I couldn't put it down again. If spoilers bother you then I strongly recommend you just read the book without reading any further reviews. But without any spoilers I'll just say the book uses quantum theory to raise some very interesting philosophical questions around regrets for paths not taken, how a person can change based on life choices, and what identity of self really is in the end. I will definitely be thinking about …
Book starts with a fairly straightforward premise which I immediately grasped, and it was clear what had happened almost immediately although the protagonist didn't figure it out till much later. But despite what seemed like a predictable start that's been tackled many times in science fiction writing, the inevitable resolution to the protagonist's problem became much more complex and nuanced than any other time I've seen this premise tackled and about half way through the book I couldn't put it down again. If spoilers bother you then I strongly recommend you just read the book without reading any further reviews. But without any spoilers I'll just say the book uses quantum theory to raise some very interesting philosophical questions around regrets for paths not taken, how a person can change based on life choices, and what identity of self really is in the end. I will definitely be thinking about this book for days still.
Great premise that asks a fundamental question: what could have been? Mr Crouch does a fine job of creating a tense, Michael Bay-type script around the concept, but I was hoping for more. Another layer of introspection, a bit more character depth. For example, the book flips to the protagonist's wife twice, but never spends time there except to make the end sequence more plausible. Amanda, the sidekick, is a one-dimensional and serves only to prop up Jason. The book is a blur of single. sentence. paragraphs. that try to create a sense of pace but are ultimately exhausting. Three stars for a good premise -- and a convincing ending -- but 30% more words and a hair of patience could have really brought this to life.
This is an amazingly good & exciting read. The interplay between basic physics (Schrödinger's cat) and human psychology is quite intriguing. The novel is full of surprises. I'll try to set the stage for the novel with a couple of quotes:
"Don't believe everything you think..." -and-
"Be true to yourself."
I highly recommend this 'thriller'.
Fun book.
I didn't expect to like this book so much.
I've never read anything else by Blake Crouch. I figured this would be a fun, light, thriller. At the end of the first chapter, I figured I knew where the story was going, and I was right. Along the way, though, the book also asks some questions about what defines our personality and what makes us unique in the world.
I usually give 3 stars for books that are good but not great, and four stars for books that I really want to recommend to people. I really almost gave this one four stars. I'm going with three because Crouch's writing style -- lots of short, choppy, sentences -- is annoying. I wish I could give three and a half.
