Recursion / *Spoilers* / January 2024

[Shawnie]

Have you read it? Are you planning to read it?

I read this last year and really liked it. I haven't been disappointed by any Blake Crouch book. I love the fast pacing and ideas in his books.

[Christopher]

I loved this one too -- big fan of time travel and this one had an interesting spin on it. Bit of a mix of thriller and sci-fi.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I started yesterday. Very interesting so far. I think Blake Crouch is best enjoyed going in knowing nothing.

[Karin]

I read this, and liked it better than the other two novels I've read by him.

@Audrey, I agree with you about reading Crouch.

[Natalie]

I read this book in November and loved it. The competing views of what is best for humanity and how time is structured were so interesting.
To me, the way it's written, brought up larger questions because of the difficulties changing timelines brings up.
I wondered:
Is our internal nature consistent through changes in time?
How much of our personality stays with us if we have different life experiences?
Are humans essentially good or evil? What are we capable of?
I loved a few quotes in the book, including:
That's what it is to be human—the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other (316).

[Clare]

I read this last year and really enjoyed it. It's fast paced and not overly long. Blake Crouch books have a way of getting into your head, they always have enough science to make you believe the ideas have a chance of really happening, but not too much science that they are confusing and filled with alienating jargon.

[Karin]

Natalie wrote: "I read this book in November and loved it. The competing views of what is best for humanity and how time is structured were so interesting.
To me, the way it's written, brought up larger questions ..."

Those are good questions!

[Melanie]

I was tepid about the last book I read by this author, but I am quite enjoying this book so far.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I really liked it. I liked the discussions of perception and memory and reality at the beginning and at the end realizing that erasing pain from life doesn't work.

[Natalie]

Audrey wrote: "I really liked it. I liked the discussions of perception and memory and reality at the beginning and at the end realizing that erasing pain from life doesn't work."
I agree!

[Hope]

I enjoyed the setup and I found it a quick read. However, I had the same issue with this one that I had with Dark Matter from him as well. About halfway through, the focus shifts from the characters to the cool concept, and begins to get repetitive as the characters flail around and keep doing the same thing over and over (and expecting different results). I do enjoy Groundhog Day types of plots in TV shows, but maybe I just tire of them when it's a longer work.

I did like the different approach to time travel, though. Normally characters either branch off into alternate timelines or the future is set and everything you do to stop it makes it happen. The idea of people remembering the event once you hit the moment the timeline branched as a "dead timeline memory" is a cool new approach to the whole time travel paradox.

[Lel]

I read this a few years back and really enjoyed it, although now im struggling to remember it (ironic isnt it?).

[Shawnie]

Lel wrote: "I read this a few years back and really enjoyed it, although now im struggling to remember it (ironic isnt it?)."

I don't remember either and it was only a year ago! I gave it a 3 but have no recollection why because I'm always excited to try a new Blake Crouch. It's probably because I listened in audio alone where I tend to rate lower because I'm not as immersed?

[Natalie]

I have started taking brief notes (for library books) or highlights on Kindle to help me review what happened in a book, main characters, key terms, etc... It helps so much when I join a book club discussion or want to pick up the next book in a series.
Unfortunately, anything I read before last year I have scant notes or info on my review. It's funny how quickly I can forget about a book I enjoyed. I assume it's because I hope to remember a vast amount of stuff!

[Shawnie]

Natalie wrote: "I have started taking brief notes (for library books) or highlights on Kindle to help me review what happened in a book, main characters, key terms, etc... It helps so much when I join a book club ..."

Great idea, Natalie! I usually only take notes when I'm going to discuss the book in person. I might start for the books of the month.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I found an app (Reading List) that helps you take notes on books you're reading.

[Natalie]

Oh, that looks interesting! I'll have to look into that!

[Shawnie]

I'll look into it as well. Thanks, Audrey.

[Karin]

Hope wrote: "I enjoyed the setup and I found it a quick read. However, I had the same issue with this one that I had with Dark Matter from him as well. About halfway through, the focus shifts fr..."

Yes, Crouch often does this shift, but I had other issues with Dark Matter as well, and this one, but for this one it was primarily the time travel which I am very much over https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... is what I wrote in my review of Recursion, but it's not long. I had more to say about Dark Matter and even had a conversation with a physicist right around the time I read it https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Orlando]

I just finished it and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I'm not an analytical reader, I just went along for the ride. Like others have mentioned, the way time travel occurs is unique. This was my first book by Blake Crouch. I'll have to look into his other works.

[Shawnie]

Orlando wrote: "I just finished it and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I'm not an analytical reader, I just went along for the ride. Like others have mentioned, the way time travel occurs is unique. This was m..."

Good to hear you loved it, Orlando. I liked Pines and Dark Matter better than this one. I really like his creativity and writing style.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Pines was good, then it became a monster/slasher movie in the sequels. Dark Matter was just okay for me. What was the one we read last year? That was pretty good.

[Shawnie]

Last year was Upgrade, I think. I liked it as well. I haven't read beyond Pines. Hm...

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Yes, Upgrade. That was fun.

[Karin]

Upgrade was just okay for me and I gave it 3 stars (which is a like for me, but there are different reasons books get 3 stars since I have no science or method to this)--this is definitely the one I have liked the best of the three I've read by him. I haven't read Pines because the TV show is not something I'd ever watch. However, even the book blurb for Pines tells me it's not something I want to read.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I watched the first season of Pines, which followed the book pretty well until the end. Then it's a major departure. I liked "The Prisoner" vibes I got from it.

[Wolf_Maiden]

Wow, I loved this book! My first 5 star rating in ages. It was such a page turner and I actually cared about the characters (which surprised me in such a fast-paced book). So glad to finally read this.
I actually went and bought Dark Matter and hope to get to that this year.