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Recursion
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 11th 2019
by Crown Publishing Group (NY)
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But what do you cling to, moment to moment, if memories can simply change. What, then, is real?
Imagine you woke up one morning and discovered that your entire life - your job, your kids, your friends, all your experiences - wasn't real. It still feels real. You remember it vividly. But you also suddenly remember another life; your real life. And you are told that the life you remember is a result of FMS (False Memory Syndrome)-- an illusion created by your brain.
I don't know about you, but t ...more
UPDATE: IT'S OUT!! Go read it so we can all gush about it!!
(4.5) As always, Crouch knows how to keep you on your toes and does a great job at mixing thriller and sci-fi genre.
A mysterious disease starts affecting people’s memory, giving them memories of a life they never lived. NYPD detective Barry Sutton is trying to investigated how the False Memory Syndrome is spreading and ultimately will come to face Helena Smith a neuroscientist who invented a device that’s changing the world.
Recursion wil ...more
(4.5) As always, Crouch knows how to keep you on your toes and does a great job at mixing thriller and sci-fi genre.
A mysterious disease starts affecting people’s memory, giving them memories of a life they never lived. NYPD detective Barry Sutton is trying to investigated how the False Memory Syndrome is spreading and ultimately will come to face Helena Smith a neuroscientist who invented a device that’s changing the world.
Recursion wil ...more
me: *finishes reading any book by Blake Crouch*
me: what the fuck…..
me: [at dinner] what the fuck…
me: [trying to sleep] what the fuck….
me: [in the bathroom] what the fuck….
me: [breathing] w hAt THe F uCK
me: what the fuck…..
me: [at dinner] what the fuck…
me: [trying to sleep] what the fuck….
me: [in the bathroom] what the fuck….
me: [breathing] w hAt THe F uCK
Congratulations for winning of best sci-fi category from goodreads choice awards 2020! This is one of my favorite books of the year!
Five OMG I’m suffering from brain cells bleeding and explosion of my last standing grey cells, what the hell I just read and who am I ? stars!
I know the drill but let me rephrase one more time! This is not an easy, soft, sunshine and rainbows reading!
In my opinion people who are brave enough to dive into this journey should put themselves an IQ test and discover t ...more
Five OMG I’m suffering from brain cells bleeding and explosion of my last standing grey cells, what the hell I just read and who am I ? stars!
I know the drill but let me rephrase one more time! This is not an easy, soft, sunshine and rainbows reading!
In my opinion people who are brave enough to dive into this journey should put themselves an IQ test and discover t ...more
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
Pink Floyd - Time
I am just going to say it – Blake Crouch is t ...more
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
Pink Floyd - Time
I am just going to say it – Blake Crouch is t ...more
CONGRATULATIONS- Goodreads Choice Awards Science Fiction Winner!
**********************
"Everything will look better in the morning. There will be hope again when the light returns. The despair is only an illusion, a trick the darkness plays."
I'm convinced that Blake Crouch is THE science fiction/fantasy author of our time. You know, the one that readers pre-order their books without reading the description, the one that 50 years from now people are still talking about, dissecting his plot points ...more
**********************
"Everything will look better in the morning. There will be hope again when the light returns. The despair is only an illusion, a trick the darkness plays."
I'm convinced that Blake Crouch is THE science fiction/fantasy author of our time. You know, the one that readers pre-order their books without reading the description, the one that 50 years from now people are still talking about, dissecting his plot points ...more
Jun 17, 2019
Melissa
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Dark Matter
Recommended to Melissa by:
Haley
Creative. Though-provoking. Emotionally-charged. Memorable.
Whether you’re a reader that frequents the sci-fi genre, or one that only occasionally takes a risk when it comes to the suspension of disbelief (hello, that’s me!), recognizing and appreciating the level of creativity behind Blake Crouch’s work takes little effort. Time and again, Crouch has proven just how rewarding it can be to take a chance on something different. Something totally outside of my typical. With Dark Matter (one of my a ...more
Whether you’re a reader that frequents the sci-fi genre, or one that only occasionally takes a risk when it comes to the suspension of disbelief (hello, that’s me!), recognizing and appreciating the level of creativity behind Blake Crouch’s work takes little effort. Time and again, Crouch has proven just how rewarding it can be to take a chance on something different. Something totally outside of my typical. With Dark Matter (one of my a ...more
FIVE MIND-BENDING STARS
Book readers tend to throw around words like “addictive” and “unputdownable”. But, I'm dead serious about those words. And guys, I’m here to tell you, I read RECURSION straight through dinner last night until I finished at three am this morning. What an intelligent and freakin’ addictive thriller!
The first half sets up the rest of the book and it is crucial to read carefully and try to understand the very simple quantum physics necessary to travel around in time. LOL.😂
I fi ...more
Book readers tend to throw around words like “addictive” and “unputdownable”. But, I'm dead serious about those words. And guys, I’m here to tell you, I read RECURSION straight through dinner last night until I finished at three am this morning. What an intelligent and freakin’ addictive thriller!
The first half sets up the rest of the book and it is crucial to read carefully and try to understand the very simple quantum physics necessary to travel around in time. LOL.😂
I fi ...more
Jun 18, 2019
Petrik
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
sci-fi & Dark Matter fans
Recommended to Petrik by:
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
Shelves:
favorites
Recursion has become the first sci-fi standalone to be included in my favorite shelves.
As many readers probably did, my first experience with reading Crouch’s work was for Dark Matter. I was super impressed by it and after hearing that the author has a new sci-fi thriller that’s highly recommended for readers who loved Dark Matter gave me so much joy; it would be insane for me to not take a look at Recursion. Do note that taking a look at Crouch’s novel can be surmised as reading the novel non-s ...more
As many readers probably did, my first experience with reading Crouch’s work was for Dark Matter. I was super impressed by it and after hearing that the author has a new sci-fi thriller that’s highly recommended for readers who loved Dark Matter gave me so much joy; it would be insane for me to not take a look at Recursion. Do note that taking a look at Crouch’s novel can be surmised as reading the novel non-s ...more
3 Stars.
What can I say about Blake Crouch’s new book Recursion? Well, it’s got “a Whole Lotta Crazy Going On!”
Can you say, do-over? Are your memories to be trusted? What happens if your memories are replaced with new ones and you keep re-living your life over and over?
Just ask NYPD Detective Barry Sutton, whose life has been in tatters for the last several years, ever since the death of his daughter Meghan. When he is called to the scene of a potential suicide, he learns of something called ...more
What can I say about Blake Crouch’s new book Recursion? Well, it’s got “a Whole Lotta Crazy Going On!”
Can you say, do-over? Are your memories to be trusted? What happens if your memories are replaced with new ones and you keep re-living your life over and over?
Just ask NYPD Detective Barry Sutton, whose life has been in tatters for the last several years, ever since the death of his daughter Meghan. When he is called to the scene of a potential suicide, he learns of something called ...more
Blake Crouch's latest science fiction thriller is a complex mind messing of a thought provoking read. It is intense, time shifting and asks profound questions of identity, memory, and what it is that makes us human. Just be prepared to find yourself buffeted all over the place. I understand that the novel is going to be filmed, and I am not surprised by this, this is a twisted story that just fizzes with energy and vitality. NYPD police officer Barry Sutton tries but fails to prevent a woman lea
...more
"He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."
- George Orwell, 1984
This was a book I had to sit and think about before writing my review, mainly because I had to let it sink it. What would it be like to live your life over again? What would it be like to go back and change past events? How would this action affect your future? How would it affect the future of others? This book is deep and is thought provoking.
Blake Crouch has written a very ambit ...more
- George Orwell, 1984
This was a book I had to sit and think about before writing my review, mainly because I had to let it sink it. What would it be like to live your life over again? What would it be like to go back and change past events? How would this action affect your future? How would it affect the future of others? This book is deep and is thought provoking.
Blake Crouch has written a very ambit ...more
4.5 stars
“There is no past.”
Recursion is a provocative and mind-bending read about nonlinear time, the fluidity of memory, and the power of love.
In Recursion, a scientific invention allows for one to go back in time and save a life or prevent a tragic event from occurring. But changing the past has serious consequences in the present. False Memory Syndrome emerges resulting in suicides, bombings, and nuclear war. To stop the destruction of the chair, multiple timelines are created, leading ...more
“There is no past.”
Recursion is a provocative and mind-bending read about nonlinear time, the fluidity of memory, and the power of love.
In Recursion, a scientific invention allows for one to go back in time and save a life or prevent a tragic event from occurring. But changing the past has serious consequences in the present. False Memory Syndrome emerges resulting in suicides, bombings, and nuclear war. To stop the destruction of the chair, multiple timelines are created, leading ...more
May 28, 2019
Tucker (TuckerTheReader)
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Tucker by:
Blake Crouch
Many thanks to Crown Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
This book was sent to me by the publisher! If you would like to know how to get ARCs and review copies, feel free to watch my video, Advanced Reader Copies 101!
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[12/10/19] - Congratulations, Blake Crouch, on winning the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction!
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re·cur·sion
/re-ker-zhun/
noun
the repeated application of a recursive procedure or definition.
Have you ever had one of th ...more
A dark, sci-fi thriller that had my mind bending in many directions!
From the author of Dark Matter , which has been on my reading list for some time, but still haven't read it yet.
Would you like a do-over of your life? Hmm, that seems like a loaded question and it is! This was quite an edge of your seat, genre crossover that had me needing answers and quick.
A brilliant neuroscientist Helena Smith, has developed technology that will redefine how we think about time and memory. Play ...more
From the author of Dark Matter , which has been on my reading list for some time, but still haven't read it yet.
Would you like a do-over of your life? Hmm, that seems like a loaded question and it is! This was quite an edge of your seat, genre crossover that had me needing answers and quick.
A brilliant neuroscientist Helena Smith, has developed technology that will redefine how we think about time and memory. Play ...more
Blake Crouch has done it again!!! Recursion was fascinating, confusing and brilliant!
Dark Matter is one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time so I was almost scared to delve into Recursion - nervous it wouldn't live up to my expectations for Crouch. This book was ambitious. Thankfully, I had nothing to fear. Mr. Crouch's brilliant mind hasn't failed us yet.
Recursion deals with memory - preserving memory, and using it to shift our reality. What a roller coaster ride this was. Can you imagine g ...more
Dark Matter is one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time so I was almost scared to delve into Recursion - nervous it wouldn't live up to my expectations for Crouch. This book was ambitious. Thankfully, I had nothing to fear. Mr. Crouch's brilliant mind hasn't failed us yet.
Recursion deals with memory - preserving memory, and using it to shift our reality. What a roller coaster ride this was. Can you imagine g ...more
The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.
That’s an editor’s joke and it always cracks me up; I love how clever it is. Well, with this book, the past, present, and future walked into my head, and it was tense, all right, but not a good tense. It was tense because I was friggin’ confused. And nothing about it cracked me up or made me think it was clever.
Well, I lie. At the beginning I was all gung-ho. The opening scene is a killer—a likeable cop, Barry, is trying to ta ...more
That’s an editor’s joke and it always cracks me up; I love how clever it is. Well, with this book, the past, present, and future walked into my head, and it was tense, all right, but not a good tense. It was tense because I was friggin’ confused. And nothing about it cracked me up or made me think it was clever.
Well, I lie. At the beginning I was all gung-ho. The opening scene is a killer—a likeable cop, Barry, is trying to ta ...more
My thoughts in a nutshell
I chose Recursion to be my first read by Blake Crouch and I definitely didn't regret it. Dark Matter is on my TBR for ages so it will be my next read by him.
I don't read sci-fi nevertheless I was entertained by this one.
At first, the whole book was so confusing. I don't understand anything about it, lol. I read it. I kept going. Then finally, I realized the concept.
I have to tell you this is a brilliant and mind-blowing idea and I totally loved it.
I thought a lot abo ...more
A Neuroscientific Thriller for the record books. I feel like I have just awoken from a fever dream.
Recursion, wow.
What in the actual heck just happened?!
The possibility of this fictional scenario playing out in a future world is utterly terrifying to me. Can you even imagine?
Maybe you don't know what Recursion is about. Honestly, I am not sure I am the person to tell you what it's about, but I shall give it a whirl.
Basically, this novel follows two characters, Helena Smith and Barry Sutton.
Hele ...more
Recursion, wow.
What in the actual heck just happened?!
The possibility of this fictional scenario playing out in a future world is utterly terrifying to me. Can you even imagine?
Maybe you don't know what Recursion is about. Honestly, I am not sure I am the person to tell you what it's about, but I shall give it a whirl.
Basically, this novel follows two characters, Helena Smith and Barry Sutton.
Hele ...more
I have no problems in announcing that this book ought to be a multi-multi-billion-dollar bestseller.
Maybe I'm biased, too, but damn, this guy can write a great novel that tickles all my SF bones and reminds me how much I love well-crafted thrillers. Does this remind you of his Dark Matter? It should.
And if you loved the ideas behind The Butterfly Effect, Flatliners, and Groundhog Day, I'm certain you're going to fall head-over-heels for this novel.
Am I giving too much away? No. Probably not. T ...more
Maybe I'm biased, too, but damn, this guy can write a great novel that tickles all my SF bones and reminds me how much I love well-crafted thrillers. Does this remind you of his Dark Matter? It should.
And if you loved the ideas behind The Butterfly Effect, Flatliners, and Groundhog Day, I'm certain you're going to fall head-over-heels for this novel.
Am I giving too much away? No. Probably not. T ...more
YAY! The proud GR 2019 Choice winner! For once, I'm in agreement with the voting!
Q: “You won’t even recognize me.”
“My soul knows your soul. In any time.” (c)
Q:
“This is some kind of hell,” she says, dark. “Ready to come down to the lab and kill me again, darling?” (c)
Don't let any chairs destroy the world. Even cushy ones.
A bit disjointed but nevertheless engrossing read.
The end... Hmmm, so did they live happily ever after or did the whole rigmarole restart?
Q:
I don’t want to look back anymore. I’ ...more
Q: “You won’t even recognize me.”
“My soul knows your soul. In any time.” (c)
Q:
“This is some kind of hell,” she says, dark. “Ready to come down to the lab and kill me again, darling?” (c)
Don't let any chairs destroy the world. Even cushy ones.
A bit disjointed but nevertheless engrossing read.
The end... Hmmm, so did they live happily ever after or did the whole rigmarole restart?
Q:
I don’t want to look back anymore. I’ ...more
If Black Mirror served as a surrogate for Groundhog's Day and Back to the Future, Recursion would be that test tube baby.
This one starts out with a bang, or more like a plunk, as the story opens with a woman jumping from a building to her death, but not before she utters the words "My son has been erased." to Detective Barry Sutton.
What follows is two storylines, one where Barry searches for the meaning behind the woman's final words and one where researcher Helena Smith is developing a means t ...more
This one starts out with a bang, or more like a plunk, as the story opens with a woman jumping from a building to her death, but not before she utters the words "My son has been erased." to Detective Barry Sutton.
What follows is two storylines, one where Barry searches for the meaning behind the woman's final words and one where researcher Helena Smith is developing a means t ...more
Wow....I didn’t even think I was going to like this book....I’m not a die-hard science fiction fan..... but ‘occasionally’ I’ll take the plunge. I found “Recursion”, fascinating- and it kept me hooked.....
I didn’t expect any of this....this much enjoyment. It got me thinking of things I never do: parallel universes... physics...time....space...energy... Philosophy....the different universes within the multiverse.....and False Memory Syndrome.....(woke-up my imagination neurons)....and all that ...more
I didn’t expect any of this....this much enjoyment. It got me thinking of things I never do: parallel universes... physics...time....space...energy... Philosophy....the different universes within the multiverse.....and False Memory Syndrome.....(woke-up my imagination neurons)....and all that ...more
4.5 stars, rounding up. On sale now! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
A sort of memory chair ...
Recursion begins with a dual timeline in alternating chapters, a familiar literary approach, but then splinters into razor-sharp time shards as the characters deal with the explosive consequences of a new technology relating to personal memory.
In November 2018, detective Barry Sutton attempts to prevent a woman from jumping from the 41st floor of a New York City tower. The woman, Ann, tells ...more
A sort of memory chair ...
Recursion begins with a dual timeline in alternating chapters, a familiar literary approach, but then splinters into razor-sharp time shards as the characters deal with the explosive consequences of a new technology relating to personal memory.
In November 2018, detective Barry Sutton attempts to prevent a woman from jumping from the 41st floor of a New York City tower. The woman, Ann, tells ...more
Helena is a gifted neuroscientist trying to develop a way to preserve memories. It’s personal for her. Her mother has Alzheimer’s. Helen is quickly running out of both time and funding. But at what price is she willing to move ahead?
Barry is a New York City policeman. He’s called to help talk down a woman threatening to jump from a building as she suffers from False Memory Syndrome.
So little is known about this condition. Is it contagious? Is he willing to put his own life at risk to save her?
I ...more
Barry is a New York City policeman. He’s called to help talk down a woman threatening to jump from a building as she suffers from False Memory Syndrome.
So little is known about this condition. Is it contagious? Is he willing to put his own life at risk to save her?
I ...more
I'm looking forward to reading more books by Blake Crouch because I enjoyed Recursion so much. We follow NYPD Barry Sutton and neuroscientist Helena Smith through decades and decades and decades of memories. They know the world is being destroyed due to Helena's invention and they try over and over to stop the destruction, with heartbreaking results, each time.
Helena invented a "memory" chair that was intended to allow a person to save memories for later when they might be suffering from dement ...more
Helena invented a "memory" chair that was intended to allow a person to save memories for later when they might be suffering from dement ...more
oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for BEST SCIENCE FICTION 2019! what will happen?
THIS happened! WINNER! goodreads choice awards best science fiction 2019!
this is the most jonathan carrolly book not actually written by jonathan carroll, once you replace—or at least incorporate—his brand of metaphysics with pure physics. the writing isn’t as graceful and the dialogue doesn’t come near the packed potency of a great carroll-penned conversation, but the concept is deliciously similar, with ...more
THIS happened! WINNER! goodreads choice awards best science fiction 2019!
this is the most jonathan carrolly book not actually written by jonathan carroll, once you replace—or at least incorporate—his brand of metaphysics with pure physics. the writing isn’t as graceful and the dialogue doesn’t come near the packed potency of a great carroll-penned conversation, but the concept is deliciously similar, with ...more
5, WAT WAT WAT WAT WAT. Amazeballs stars!!!
Full review along with a recipe for huevos rancheros featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
So, I feel like I need to start this out with a little caveat. I would put Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter in my top 5 favorite books ever read. I absolutely adored it. Was I confused at times? Yes. Was I also completely and utterly thrilled the whole time I read it? Also, yes. I was both excited and incredibly nervous to read his upcoming novel Recursion because despit ...more
Full review along with a recipe for huevos rancheros featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
So, I feel like I need to start this out with a little caveat. I would put Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter in my top 5 favorite books ever read. I absolutely adored it. Was I confused at times? Yes. Was I also completely and utterly thrilled the whole time I read it? Also, yes. I was both excited and incredibly nervous to read his upcoming novel Recursion because despit ...more
3.5 stars.
This was some crazy s--t.
"What's more precious than our memories? They define us and form our identities."
Blake Crouch's new book, Recursion , is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
Crouch's Dark Matter , which was one of the top five books I read in 2017, blew me away, even though I wasn't 100 percent sure I understood everything I read. But this book? This is a fascinating, albeit confusing, meditation on memory and how crucial what we remember is to our identity. ...more
This was some crazy s--t.
"What's more precious than our memories? They define us and form our identities."
Blake Crouch's new book, Recursion , is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
Crouch's Dark Matter , which was one of the top five books I read in 2017, blew me away, even though I wasn't 100 percent sure I understood everything I read. But this book? This is a fascinating, albeit confusing, meditation on memory and how crucial what we remember is to our identity. ...more
the thing i admire about blake crouch is how he can take a story centred in one particular genre, but make it accessible and enjoyable to everyone. this book is everything that is right in the sci-fi world and is proof that sci-fi can be written exceptionally well and appeal to the masses, regardless of individual genre preferences.
not only is this story living in a dangerously close reality, where scientific and technological advances play a massive role in society (for better or worse), but th ...more
not only is this story living in a dangerously close reality, where scientific and technological advances play a massive role in society (for better or worse), but th ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Procrastinato...: * Recursion (January 2021) Buddy Read Discussion ~ Raviteja & Mina | 21 | 24 | Jan 07, 2021 04:29PM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: "Recursion" First Impressions *No Spoilers* | 52 | 156 | Jan 03, 2021 01:13PM | |
| Goodreads Brasil: Recursão - Blake Crouch (30/11 - 31/12) | 5 | 41 | Dec 29, 2020 04:40AM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: "Recursion" Discuss Everything - *Spoilers* | 99 | 129 | Dec 27, 2020 01:52PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Recursion by Blake Crouch 4 stars | 3 | 13 | Dec 13, 2020 02:03PM | |
| Read With Me!: Recursion | 10 | 14 | Dec 05, 2020 03:52PM |
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Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the T
...more
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“Life with a cheat code isn't life. Our existence isn't something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That's what it is to be human - the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other.”
—
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“He has wondered lately if that's all living really is—one long goodbye to those we love.”
—
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