Recursion: A Novel

Wowwwww this book messed with my mind!! I really enjoyed it and liked the ending. Felt a bit redundant towards the middle but such a great read.

“Saint Augustine said it perfectly back in the fourth century: “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.””
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If you’ve been thinking about reading this book after seeing it everywhere.. DO IT NOW! If you think Sci-Fi isn’t your thing.. READ IT ANYWAY! Stepped out of my norm to read this and devoured it! Sci-fi thriller with wonderful imagery that will have you racing through the pages for more. Throughout the entire book, I couldn’t help but think what an incredible movie this would make because I want to see Blake Crouch’s words come to life before my eyes... well, it’s been optioned for Netflix! BUT! READ

3.167

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.