January Group Read #1: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

[Badseedgirl]

I just made it to page 93. I'm guessing the mystery twist is going to be that

(view spoiler)[Jason A was kidnapped and brought to the alternate world B by Jason B, so he could have Jason A's life of domestic bliss. This is a "The grass is always greener on the other side" cautionary tale (hide spoiler)]

Now I know some of you have finished, so don't tell me, but I just wanted to go on record as that being my guess, as of this point in the novel. I may change my mind after I have gotten further in the book.

[Badseedgirl]

Barb (Boxermommyreads) wrote: "Badseedgirl wrote: "I just got the book from the library, I had to crack it open just a bit, I read the first 3 pages and I'm ready for more. I just have one other book to finish, [book:Chapelwood|..."

I did NOT love the first one, but I thought Chapelwood was better. I hope this is the start of a new series based on "the Quiet Society."

[Katy]

Tim wrote: "Tressa wrote: "For books with these kind of time shifting, twisting plots, I try to understand as much as I can, and other times I just absorb the story and go on the wild ride. So this next questi..."

Yeah, this was a fun one. Lots of different paths, but the same person will eventually make the same choices, at least as far as arriving back at the same spot. (view spoiler)[ But there seemed to be a bit of a variety in the subsequent Jason's, as some were more willing to kill, and then there was the genius who set the whole things off with the original trade. Couldn't he have anticipated what was to come? Give you lots to think about. <\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

113 pages in (Yes- I finally got into my frozen mailbox!) This is not what I was expecting, but it's actually MORE than I was expecting. I am really digging this so far, and I find myself compulsively reading.

Great writing style...although it was a huge shift to go from 1st person/Jason/I style narration to 3rd person/she/Dani's POV. Harsh adjustment to make, and slowed the reading for me around page 67 or so. Anyone else notice this or think this?

[Badseedgirl]

Just finished the book, and WOW. I'm going to need a bit to write my review but. I'm so glad this was our January read or thim book might have gotten lost in my "want to read" list.

[Troy]

Great start to 2017. A gripping, provocative read from start to finish. I probably would not have picked this up without it being a group recommendation, so I'm glad it was suggested.
(view spoiler)[Two shockers for me: When Daniela was shot and killed, even though she wasn't Jason's Daniela, it was sudden and unexpected; and when Jason logs into the chatroom and realizes just how many Jasons have found their way into his world, you begin to wonder how this mess of a situation will be "fixed". (hide spoiler)]

[Josen]

Troy wrote: "Great start to 2017. A gripping, provocative read from start to finish. I probably would not have picked this up without it being a group recommendation, so I'm glad it was suggested.
[spoilers rem..."

Yes I agree with the second part of your spoiler. That was creepy weird.

[Deborah]

Troy wrote: "Yes I agree with the second part of your spoiler. That was creepy weird."

Ditto!

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

I am not sure yet, of course but I have a theory (I am only at page 130 or so, so I might be way off but)....Huh-Well, I will let you know if I am correct, since I am an idiot and do not know how to make a spoiler tag!

[Kasia]

I'm about half way through and hoping to finish tonight, I have some tomato sauce cooking away so I'm reading In my warm kitchen and it's so cozy while the book is a killer :p and I love the gripping intensity, Crouch is always a new discovery with each book, he has great ideas.

[Badseedgirl]

I posted my review for the book, I managed to write a semi-coherent review that did not include any spoilers so it will be ok to read even if you have not finished the book, it was mostly about what a mind bender this book took me on!

[K.T.]

This is an amazing story (I rarely read sci-fi so that means a lot). The author plays with the idea of multiverse travel and it actually makes sense. I couldn't put the book down and was upset when I was finished (like a day later). Awesome read. Entertaining. May read it again.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf)]

I liked the first season of Wayward Pines so I decided to give this book a go. It was interesting and I read it fairly swiftly. I think the twist was obvious (view spoiler)[ I knew from the start of the kidnapping who the abductor was (hide spoiler)] so the reveal later on wasn't a surprise. The last 100 pages of the book were much better than what had gone before. I gave this 4 stars on my review.

[Kenneth]

Afraid I have to disagree with many of the people here.

Like a bowl of popcorn or a bag of potato chips, I ate it up; but, in the end, there were just WAY TOO MANY plot holes for me to ignore. (In particular, there was one I spotted very early on and kept expecting the author to address. He never did.)

I rated it 3 stars initially. But now, after more thought and reflection, would probably downgrade it another half point at least. I'm not sorry I read it; just disappointed it wasn't better.

[Joanne]

looking forward to this one!

[Badseedgirl]

For anyone who enjoyed this book, I would suggest reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. This book is not so similar to Crouch but does deal with a form of multiverse. I could not put it down last year.

[Kasia]

On page 300 and about to finish, I left my book at work by mistake and bought the ebook last night so I can finally complete it. Pretty good but not his best, felt a bit restrained after all those other savage stories I read from Crouch.

[Jenika]

I read this in December and really enjoyed it - it was different to anything I've read before so was very refreshing. My first by Blake Crouch, I'll definitely be reading more.