Recursion by Blake CrouchPublished: June 11, 2019
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Memory makes reality.
That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.
That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.
That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.
Thoughts: One thing you can always say about Blake Crouch's books (well, the two I have read anyway) -- they don't sit around and move at a languid pace. The plot kicks into gear quickly, in this case drawing you into a mystery of memory and time. The action jumps between two main characters -- Barry and Helena -- who are involved in the story in different ways at first, but eventually come together.
Like many science fiction novels, someone creates something they shouldn't have, it ends up wrecking havoc upon the world, and our heroes must work to try to stop it. It's actually kind of hard to write a review of this book because I don't want to give anything away about the plot. I knew very little about it going into reading it, and I think that really let me become engrossed in the story in a different way. I didn't have preconceived ideas about where it might be going, but, as with any good story, was able to anticipate where it might be heading while still being surprised by some twists and turns along the way.
When I was a kid, I was really into Michael Crichton's novels, and in some ways Crouch's books remind me of Crichton's -- thrillers set around a scifi core. So, if you like Crichton or Crouch, but haven't read the other, I'd certainly recommend giving it a try. And if you are a fan of the scifi thriller in general, Crouch is certainly a modern author to pay attention to. His books will keep you turning the pages while also making you think.
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