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

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

#275,535

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

#276,344

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

#276,401

Replying to Constant_Scholar_518 (#276,344)

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.

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

#276,772

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

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

#276,832

Replying to Constant_Scholar_518 (#276,344)

I liked dark matter more.

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

#277,302

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.

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

#277,760

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

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

#278,896

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

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

#283,014

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

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

#284,278

Replying to kylozen101020 (#276,401)

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

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

#286,122

Replying to rio-bevol (#283,014)

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

#287,176

Replying to mycleverusername (#286,122)

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

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

#288,267

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!!

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

#289,803

Replying to greenappletree (#276,832)

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.

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

#289,823

Replying to Ostojo (#277,302)

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.