Recursion: A Novel

5 stars for the first 75-80% of the book, then it really gets drawn out at the end.. the ending was…meh.

Blake Crouch has fully establishing himself as one of the dominant science fiction authors of the moment. “Recursion” hits you with a compelling proposition right from the start. Pulling you in faster and deeper than you would expect. And challenging you with existential questions on what it means to avoid acceptance and the larger ramifications of that. At its core, “Recursion” delivers the deep connection that all the best science fiction does; It roots you in a story about love and family set against the backdrop of a technological breakthrough that puts our protagonist at risk. Not just mortal risk, but the risk of severed belonging and attachment. The moral being that some scientific discoveries are a Pandora’s box that once opened only lead to absolute destruction. Crouch also makes a profound statement on what makes the human experience unique and worth living. He achieves this realization using shifting perspectives of our two main protagonist and putting us in their heads as the epiphany of what it all means arrives heavily on them. “Recursion” reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” at moments. I even went and rewatched “Tenet” while reading this. There is an also a little bit of “Edge of Tomorrow” mixed in. As much as I liked Crouch’s “Dark Matter,” I really loved “Recursion.” I hope it gets a TV show much like the former. As a bonus, I have a new favorite research project in DMT which is employed brilliantly in the book.

Love love love this book! This book was absolutely amazing! It was not what I expected but the realness of it made it so interesting and thought provoking! I would highly recommend this book!

4.5, have never been much of a sci-fi reader but this book exceeded my expectations! The premise was super interesting and well thought out. Scary to see how quickly the world went to shit tho

Blake does modern sci-fi right! This book is mind bending and flows really well. It hops back and forth between two characters as they both work together and try to save humanity from their creation in both the present and the past. Although this book definitely had an Inception vibe, and at times felt a little drawn out, I really enjoyed it!