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Dark Matter: A Novel

“Are you happy with your life?”
 
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
 
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
 
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” 
 
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
 
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
 
Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

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Published May 2, 2017

368 pages

Average rating: 7.7

1,942 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Dark Matter* by Blake Crouch is a fast-paced, mind-bending thriller blending sci-fi with deep emotional and philosophical themes. Most pr...

Stizstar
Nov 24, 2025
10/10 stars
I loved the style that this book was written in. Contrary to some of other reviews I thought it was different and enjoyed the pauses as they give you time to catch your breath and absorb everything that happens. Time to let you mind play with the ideas and the possibilities; but, I like different. I like weird. I like having my mind tickled by a great story and good author. A mind-bending, gripping read that keeps you turning pages. This one had me reading until 2 AM and I'm excited to see how this translates to film.
jhwarren
Jan 29, 2025
8/10 stars
My first Blake Crouch read. Loved the book; great writing and excellent storytelling. The rating could have been even higher, but I found myself too frustrated with the main character taking so very long to realize his initial situation. This became a significant distraction until the 42% mark where he finally figures it out and we can start enjoying the story.
ajhughes19
Nov 13, 2022
8/10 stars
This book is an unexpected and exciting adventure through time and space. It provokes intrigue and curiosity about how worlds can be different with just one small change as well as how people become different humans with completely different personalities with just one different decision. The story is enticing all the way through and you simply want more when it's finished.
Jan at Lynnwood
Nov 08, 2025
3/10 stars
Not a comfortable book to read. I did not finish it. Jan
KPB
Oct 24, 2025
Gripping! Great science fiction that explores a cool relationship idea. How life is the choices we make.

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