My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Whew! What a ride! Recursion deserves all of the stars. It’s a perfect sci-if thriller with a surprisingly poignant love story weaves in the middle. I know I’ve said it before, but I think it’s really true, Blake Crouch is the 21st century Michael Crichton. I have no doubt that if you loved Dark Matter you will also love Recursion.
"Life is nothing how he expected it would be when he was young and living under the delusion that things could be controlled."I still hope for control on a daily basis. But it is delusional; even in our own more mundane lives, than in the crazy complex timelines of Recursion. Crouch takes us on a interwoven journey that shows the 'butterfly effect', explains deja vu, draws attention to the Mandala effect, and more. All current scientific theories or concepts, just like in Dark Matter, and Crouch reaches to just the next moment beyond what seems physically or metaphysically possible. It's brilliant the way he is able to root everything so solidly in known science (yes I googled many things while reading this). This solid scientific base allows the reader to believe in everything happening; even when your mind is stretched to the limit of understanding.
"Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory."As I write this it's week 8 (I think) of the COVID-19 'stay at home' mandate in Canada. And time has become less and less relevant as the days go by. With no job to go to, I'm lucky my husband is working from home to keep us on a semi-regular schedule. Routine is an important and valuable thing that most people don't even realize they need until it's gone. In Recursion Crouch proves that humans can do extraordinary things when needed; but he also shows the limits that even the most advanced human brain can handle.
I love the way we experience a jarring event and to the reader it seems exactly as impactful as it does to our lead character; but he sees how it affects others and realizes many humans cannot handle the stress of a sudden wealth of information or traumatic event. This really resonated with me as we continue on with the COVID-19 crisis and have been starting to see the real cracks, not in society, but in the people around us. Recursion portrays this well and could even give you insight into current worldwide events that change the course of history; from Germany invading England to 9/11 to today's pandemic.
One thing is certain about Recursion; you won't want to put it down. The last 100 or so pages had me gripped to the very end. I'm glad I had the time to read this one quickly and not have to break it up too much. If you're in the midst of a reading slump, lacking inspiration or feeling meh about books and enjoy sci-fi, then Recursion is the exact book to pick-up; it worked just like this for me.
A must read for any Crichton fan, sci-fi or thriller lover, and anyone whose ever wondered 'what if I could go back and change something'.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
2 comments:
I read this a few weeks ago. Really enjoyed it and my mind was blown with the whole time theory. I actually listen to it as opposed to reading it, and had to stop off and contemplate what was going on. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.
I haven't read Recursion or Dark Matter yet, but I LOVED the Pines-Trilogy, and if it's anything like that it's going to be amazing! Really looking forward to this.
Post a Comment