This year I made a resolution to get back into reading and read one book a month. I used to read books quite often but fell off in my mid twenties. I still read comic books and those totally count, but I wasn't reading as much as I did when I was younger. This year I've read some awesome and not awesome stuff. Everyone on here has professed their love for Project Hail Mary, and rightly so because it is superb.

But this year I feel like I've not only found my new favorite book, but new favorite author. Recursion by Blake Crouch is a masterpiece to me. The way Crouch explores science fiction idea is something that I haven't really seen since Michael Crichton. He doesn't write dense passages. His words flow like a masterful action movie. Reading his books like Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade are like watching thrilling set pieces on blockbuster movies made by people who know exactly what they're doing, like Inception, Mission Impossible Fallout, and Top Gun Maverick.

It's not just thrilling action though. It's intriguing concepts, emotional characters, and mystery with substantial payoff. I've been reading a new book every month but this is the first time I had to go back to a previously read one.

Love.

Recursion.

It's so fun to find that thing that just blows you away, especially when you didn't expect. I literally stumbled across Dark Matter on Libby because I couldn't fall asleep one night. And now I have a new favorite author.

Comments

Constant_Scholar_518 t1_iu2z7cu wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:09 AM

Big fan as well! Dark Matter is one of my favorite books and one I constantly recommend to people!

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu2zmae wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:13 AM

Dark Matter is soooooooo good! I wish I could have the first experience of reading that again. I'm excited for the Appletv show, especially with Crouch helping on it.

Constant_Scholar_518 t1_iu4dypf wrote on October 28, 2022 at 1:50 PM

Me too!!! That experience of being completely mind blown.. so good.

greenappletree t1_iu32d53 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:41 AM

I liked dark matter more.

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu54m3z wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:51 PM

I thought I did for a minute too, but as much as Crouch himself says Dark Matter is a love story, I think Recursion is more a love story than Dark Matter, and so that boosts it ahead for me.

Ostojo t1_iu35ik4 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 5:16 AM

I somewhat randomly grabbed Recursion on Libby on Sunday for the drive home from a weekend trip. I finished it by Tuesday. And I can’t stop thinking about it and told a bunch of people to ready it.

I’m almost halfway through Dark Matter right now. It had a slower start but is picking up.

I’m looking forward to the rest of his books. I am also a big Crichton fan.

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu54rbq wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:52 PM

Dark Matter has a slow start for sure and I almost put it down! But it picks up and goes crazy. Every time I thought I understood where the story was going it shifted gears and surprised me.

AutoModerator t1_iu2tx1x wrote on October 28, 2022 at 3:21 AM

Blake Crouch did an AMA here in /r/books you might want to take a look :) . Here's a full list of our upcoming AMAs

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milesperhour25 t1_iu31ylw wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:37 AM

He’s one of my favorites too. I found him after watching Wayward Pines on Hulu.

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu54ylu wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:53 PM

I did not know that was on Hulu so will not be checking it out. Thanks!

deadly_titanfart t1_iu392e8 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 5:59 AM

I loved Recursion. Wasn't the biggest fan of upgrade, but it's a tough follow with how good Recursion was. I still need to read dark matter

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu551d4 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:54 PM

Upgrade is my least favorite of the three, but I still had a blast with it.

Lil_soup123 t1_iu3i9c2 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 8:05 AM

Recursion and Dark Matter are two of my all time favourite books. I haven’t read the Wayward Pines books, are they similar?

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu553oe wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:54 PM

I haven't read Wayward Pines yet but it's on my list.

rio-bevol t1_iu481pe wrote on October 28, 2022 at 1:04 PM

I loved Recursion! "I'll hold the hope for the both of us." It was a few years ago now, but maybe I'll give it a reread. :)

You may also like: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

mycleverusername t1_iu4mswu wrote on October 28, 2022 at 2:52 PM

Not OP, but thanks for the rec! You should check out "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" by Stuart Turton. Similar themes as recursion, but a different setup.

The US title is "7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" for some reason, FYI.

rio-bevol t1_iu4rk57 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 3:24 PM

Haha, it's maybe to avoid confusion with The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Thank you!

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu54vb3 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:53 PM

Thanks for both of the recs! Will definitely add these to the list.

Woodys_Daughter t1_iu4wd2a wrote on October 28, 2022 at 3:56 PM

Yes! I read all three back-to-back and now kind of wish I had spread them out a little more. Give us more, BC!!

wildflowerafternoon t1_iu6wi0t wrote on October 29, 2022 at 12:33 AM

I loved those books as well! Have you read The Martian or Hail Mary? Not similar books at all but I really loved those too.

kylozen101020 OP t1_iu6zk17 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 12:57 AM

Project Hail Mary was my book of the year until I discovered Crouch. I liked The Martian but actually preferred the movie.

Bittersweetfeline t1_iuakyna wrote on October 29, 2022 at 9:10 PM

I loved his Wayward Pines trilogy more than Recursion and Dark Matter - they're a bit less science dense and a bit more plot. Fantastic series.