"Recursion" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Come let's chat about the current champion of scifi thrillers! What do you think? Is this your first book by him?

Please leave all discussion of specific plot points, characters, and anything else not apparent from the first couple pages for the full discussion thread open in a few days!

Content warnings for those who'd like them: (view spoiler)[Alzheimers, loss of loved one, loss of child, suicide. (hide spoiler)]

[Ryan]

I enjoyed Dark Matter, but I didn't think it was amazing. Looking forward to this one, I expect it to be a relatively quick page-turner like Dark Matter.

[Christopher]

Yes, I'm already ready for the spoiler thread as the page-turner-iness of this one was such that I finished it way ahead of schedule.

[Grace]

Whoever is reading please tell me what page you stop from the first time you read it. Lol.

[Ellen]

I had every intention of reading this with the group. My hold from the library came through about 4 days ago. I thought I would just read a couple of pages to get the feel of it. The next day I'm finished. Looking forward to the spoiler thread and to seeing how others react to it.
@Grace I stopped at 164 the first time and that is because it was very late.

[Grace]

Oohhh unputdownable then! Must pick up on a weekend. :)

[Gabi]

Thanks for the CWs, Allison. As it seems I will have to be a bit cautious, but I'll read it anyway, cause I own it (yeah! no additional money spending! :D) I've read the Wayward Pines series by the same author which started good but went mediocre pretty soon. But it was a good popcorn read.

[stefano]

First time reading Blake Crouch. Looking forward to the read. The blurb reminded me a bit of a favourite episode of Black Mirror which i won't mention which in case it counts as a spoiler.

[Grace]

@Ellen

Me: Fast read, must pick up on a weekend
Also Me: Maybe I will just read the sample...
Also Me: Dammit.

[Eva]

Storytel is informing me that 3 other people are currently listening to this alongside myself. Is that you guys? :-D

[Anna]

Eva wrote: "Storytel is informing me that 3 other people are currently listening to this alongside myself. Is that you guys? :-D"

Not me!

[Gabi]

Eva wrote: "Storytel is informing me that 3 other people are currently listening to this alongside myself. Is that you guys? :-D"

It is on storytel? Damn ... was I told and already forget again ...? This makes it a lot easier to get this month's BotMs organized. Yeah!

[E.D.]

I was actually planning to get and read Dark Matter but then noticed this group read at the last minute, so opted for Recursion instead. First Blake Crouch I have read although I did watch the Wayward Pines TV series.

I also finished it quickly (wanted to get into it before starting the 'A Night In The Lonesome October' buddy read, but found I just flew through it).

[Oleksandr]

I've read it earlier this year, was surprised that it got high marks here on GR but wasn't in Hugo nominees (even in broader 16 list)

[Gabi]

I started it and at first had to get over a narrator of the sort I don't like (speeding up the audiobook helps a lot) and your typical cliché detective. Hope there is a reason for that that is relevant to the plot. So far, so la la.

[Eva]

So far (36%), I find it incredibly emotionally engaging, a real page-turner, even though the sciency stuff is obviously fantasy.

[Sabrina]

I recently tore right through this - so agree with the pageturner. Also, I liked it better than Dark Matter.

[David]

Great concept, and I think his writing has improved over the last five novels.

[Jim]

I read this last March & gave it 4 stars. I thought it was really good as an audiobook. It's an interesting take on an idea that had been done to death for me decades ago.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

This is a fantastic plot! Loved it.

[Ed]

For some reason, I can never remember whether I've read this or not. Seriously, over and over I remember I wanted to read this book, but not whether I have read it. Perhaps the "False Memory Syndrome" is affecting me.

[Richard]

I saw it was winning the poll and was on sale on Amazon last month so grabbed it sharpish. Finished it a little while back now.

Only read Dark Matter by Blake before but the style seemed rather familiar, likewise some of the themes.
Definitely a page turner and interesting but also a little meh.

[MadProfessah]

Will make a fantastic movie. Crouch definitely has the whole “page turner “ thing down, along with “clever new take on previously overused SF trope.”

Both “Dark Matter” and “Recursion” still feel awfully “light” in the end. (not that there’s anything wrong with that!!) I agree with whoever said Crouch’s writing (and especially his characterization) is improving as he writes more books...

[Emmett]

Agree with what everyone has said above me, definitely a page-turner. The first chapter was a great opener and pulled me right in.

[Grace]

MadProfessah wrote: "Will make a fantastic movie. Crouch definitely has the whole “page turner “ thing down, along with “clever new take on previously overused SF trope.”

Both “Dark Matter” and “Recursion” still feel ..."


Agree. Recursion seems like it could be a nice B movie or Netflix movie. I read Dark Matter and really liked the strong opening, but was kinda meh with how it wrapped up. (Side question - Rick and Morty anyone?)

Middle of the audio book for Recursion now. Fast pace easy reads consumer paperbacks type of books like this seems suitable to listening (sorry if that offends anyone). It's not bad, it has a use case. Light stuff for between heavy reads. Like most books for me - timing is everything.

[Gabi]

I'm past halfway and I like it a lot better meanwhile. Still struggling with the narrators' somewhat bland intonations and try not to let it influence my opinion of the story itself.

[Anna]

Please let's try to avoid finished reading opinions! This should be a safe space for those who don't read reviews before starting a book.

[Eva]

Since this has been such a fast read for most, maybe we could already open up the "discuss everything" thread? I think maybe people are using this one because it's the only one available.

[Meredith]

This is my first Blake Crouch and I'm enjoying it. I'm almost 20% in. I find the characters have more depth than I was expecting in a zippy scifi thriller.

[Chris]

Just finished. Not bad, not great.

[Grace]

Finished reading. Good the spoilers thread opens Oct 7. That gives me time.

[Lynn]

This is the first book I've read by this author. I'm about halfway through. I'm really enjoying it - it's drawn me in and I wish I didn't have to stop reading periodically to attend to household things!

[Chris]

I saw this video on visualizing time travel timelines and thought Recursion readers might enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zTf...

[John]

Recursion underway!

[Krystal]

I read this one last year - it was my first by this author and I enjoyed it.

[Grace]

Chris wrote: "I saw this video on visualizing time travel timelines and thought Recursion readers might enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zTf..."

Awesome that's great explainer for types of time travel/parallel realities. It doesn't mention schrodinger cat but i think he covered it in the multi branching model.

[Janice (JG)]

I read this before I read Dark Matter. I will withhold my opinions on both until the spoiler thread, but what cracks me up is that the minute I finished Recursion, I couldn't remember what it was about. My husband kept asking me, and for the life of me... like Ed, maybe I have "False Memory Syndrome"?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

LOL Janice!!

[Simeon]

31% and finding it hard going. Good ideas and plot, and characters quite well drawn but I am finding the writing style very disjointed. I also keep expecting stage prompts "Barry enters stage left" every so often. Will persevere.

[Tamara]

I got this yesterday from the library. It's not the sort of thing I'd usually read, but I wanted to participate in one of these group reads, and it seemed like something I could enjoy.
Cons:
- Someone mentioned chapters - chapters?? There are just lines, and books...this makes it hard to choose an easy point to stop reading.
- The swearing
- I didn't realise it'd be set in our present; I assumed, from the problem of the story, that it'd be in the future. This disappoints me, perhaps because I expect SF to always be in the future or past? : )
- The book feels like general fiction, with a science fiction element. The present time setting is part of this. I don't like general fiction, so we'll see how it goes along.
Pros
- I like the cover - it's the UK version; blue and orange.
- It reads well - easily.
- This: (if you're concered about reading something from the book, here's a spoiler tag, although it's not to do with plot) (view spoiler)[ 'Life is nothing how he expected it would be when he was young and living under the delusion that things could be controlled. Nothing can be controlled. Only endured.' p. 17 (hide spoiler)]
- It's about grown-ups ; ). I like this now, because I'm up to grownup ages...

[Raucous]

Tamara wrote: "... I didn't realise it'd be set in our present; I assumed, from the problem of the story, that it'd be in the future. ..."

This surprised me as well. I'm early on (10%) and it can't decide if it's a present-day police procedural or a cutting edge technology story. I'm not finding either very convincing so far. I should give it more time but I keep finding other things to read instead and when I get back to this one I've forgotten what it was about. Bad sign.

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

This was harder to get into than I expected. I read maybe 50 pages initially and the next day restarted it to give the police procedural element another chance.

[Tamara]

Raucous wrote:

This surprised me as well. I'm early on (10%) and it can'..."

I have a feeling, now that I've read a little further (p. 67) that (view spoiler)[ it's not purely set in the present, and there's more science-fictiony stuff involved than at first appears (hide spoiler)]. I've found it getting more interesting as I've gone on, due to that. There's more mystery and suspense going on. Still not convinced and don't love it yet, but it's keeping me reading.

[Anna]

Reminder that spoiler tags shouldn't be used in official BOTM threads, because people using the (iOS) app can't see them.

[Paul]

Just started this and first impression is compelling. A sci-fi crime/thriller should be right up my street. It's my first Blake Crouch

[MadProfessah]

@paul if you like it try DARK MATTER next!

[Paul]

Thanks @madprofessah fell asleep reading this last night. Not because it was boring but because I'd had a long tiring day but needed to keep reading and find out what happens. Suspect, I'll have to backtrack to a point I remember

[Ícaro]

I started this today and thought "I'll just read the first POV." I've read 4 POVs. Engaging concepts, intriguing characters, captivating writing style... This one seems to be a 5 stars so far. Hope it continues this way.

[George]

I started in last night. Finished book 1 this AM. Nice pacing. I really like the characters.

As a hospice grief counselor, I have some experience with the feelings people go through in response to trauma and the author seems to really grasp the realities of overwhelming loss.

[Jacqueline]

Picked it up yesterday to just read a quick chapter or two and made myself put it down on page 48. Not that far in really but more than 2 chapters.

I’m supposed to be spring cleaning the Beach House after 8 months of no use but with all the reading I’ve been doing it’s getting a half hearted clean. Also I had a lot of video calls last night including a group gender reveal. Fun, busy times.