Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Dark Matter

I wanted sci-fi but got thriller and… romance? I went into this with no context, which is my fault, because I’m not a fan of thrillers. I think if you enjoy thrillers and want to dabble in some sci-fi elements, you may really enjoy this.

*spoilers from this point on*

Great concepts, dull characters, fine execution. This could also be me being really late to the party here, but I’ve consumed so much media in recent years with the concept of a multiverse that interesting ideas alone can’t do it for me. Here, I think the protagonist was intended to be likable, but I actually found him to be pretty annoying and almost always two steps behind.

I’m also super picky about romance, and the way Jason Desson thinks about his wife is like he loves her as a concept but not as an individual. Exemplified by the fact that he was cool with getting with his wife’s doppelgänger and how he continually fixated on other versions of her knowing they weren’t her. Also why couldn’t he and Amanda be totally platonic?

I would’ve liked to have seen more development of Jason 2 and Amanda. Or maybe his son that he barely thinks about until they’re reunited.

Maybe not my cup of tea, but still a good story and easy quick listen on a long drive.

Content Warnings

annaka's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

Not the best multiverse book I’ve read(that honor goes to Micaiah Johnson and an honorable mention to Claudia Gray), but engaging and difficult to put down. It was interesting to explore the hypotheticals and the various parallel worlds (and ways into them). I felt like the scientific explanations were a bit lackluster but I can see the argument that too much explanation might take away from the pace and main story. It felt like the only character we got to know much was Jason, which I felt was a real loss especially with Amanda and Daniela’s potential characters. I did like the hint of what was to come with one scene with Amanda.

Having him imagine a universe where another him kissed Amanda and stayed with her happily foreshadowed the idea of the other Jasons being created and having to be dealt with at the end. The ending felt uncomfortable to leave all the other equally him Jasons behind, but you can see why he did. Daniela not being given more decision making power seemed like a waste. It seems like having her (or their son) make random decisions would have been even harder to predict than having him make decisions that other hims might figure out. Ultimately I do like that they got to decide what to do and which Jason to choose.

This telling of the multiverse is uncomfortable at times but overall I enjoyed the read. I’m not sure it’s as deeply philosophical and wonderful as Crouch seems to think it is.

Would I read something else by the author? Probably.

Would I re-read this? Probably not. A good one time read.

Would I recommend? Yes, to those who like speculative fiction/multiverse literature but I’d probably recommend Johnson or Gray’s works first.

Content Warnings

lorenmarie7's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

alsira98's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

angorarabbit's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Clarketech: A working Schrodinger’s Cat Box.

Bloophole: Where was the money coming from, and why was it always barely enough?

TLDR: A good thriller for those who are not thriller readers, but not much substance.

The plot was interesting and the story well written. Jason was an fully rounded character. Other characters not so much. Female characters in particular seem to only follow the male character’s wishes. I was mostly satisfied with the ending, though Amanda seemed to get short shrift.

The rest of this review is skirting spoiler territory and nerd ranting.

The many worlds interpretation (MWI) is essential for the plot. However the book seems to theorise that the point that a world becomes real is when a human makes a choice This interpretation makes for exciting reading, but no logical sense.

MWI states that ALL possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realised in some world. So there would be endless worlds where Janson, Daniela, Charlie, their apartment, Chicago, etc. are all exactly the same. Assuming that a Schrodinger’s Cat Box could be made, and that human desires could direct it Jason should have popped out in endless realities where everything he knew and loved was exactly the same. How would he know which Daniela and Charlie were his?

This kept niggling at my brain the whole time, so rather disrupted my enjoyment of a story of a man desperately regaining what he loved and of another man’s attempt to change the consequences of his choices.

Content Warnings

sandysmith's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records. This was the first book I read in 2021, and is what kick started my reading journey having put reading on the back burner whilst bringing up the children, previously being an avid reader. The story of Jason Dessen, who is abducted and sent to a new world. Different worlds for different choices. Its a thriller si-fi suspense love story mash up. Read as a book club choice so wouldn't normally have picked it up. Great stuff

Content Warnings

_david_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Oof to me, every part of this book missed its mark. In general I found everything in the book a bit over the top.

First of all, Jason is supposed to be a genius. Yet it takes him ages to even think of the theory which can be figured out as a reader very quickly. If you've figured it out before Jason, there's not much joy in reading the story until he has figured it out too. You're just waiting and turning the pages until he does and you can finally continue. The way he acts is so hard to relate to. It's very hard to imagine the situations he encounters so it's hard to emphasize with his choices. However, at least after it all goes wrong once you'd think he change his behaviour right?

Secondly, I'd like to discuss the science behind it. To me, it's very noticable that what we're reading has been written by an author who wanted to tell a story and then looked up the physic theories which would fit it best. The logic is not consistent and some of it almost works like magic. Yet the characters in the book use big words and existing theories to clarify the science behind it all. This is a very personal ick, I've barely ever encountered a piece of media that manages to do this well. The only ways I have seen this be pulled off, is to make up your own very clear very consitent rules or just pretend it's magic and do not explain it beyond what is necessary.

My favourite part of the book beyond the very first chapter, in which Jason only talks about his family night and life choices, are the final few chapters. Yet I wish they pushed a little further. Let Jason be a little more selfish or a little more existential. I've read another review which points out a major flaw related to the inconsistent physics which did ruin these last chapters for me as well.

Content Warnings

melaschnie's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Content Warnings

More...