Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - Recursion

WOW. This was one of the best books I have ever read. The PERFECT mix of characters, plot, personality, emotions, point of views. Not only do you get an amazing plot, but you also get amazing characters that have depth to them and feel somewhat relatable.

The pacing is the perfect mix of slow and fast so that you are always at the edge of your seat. This book read so much like a movie that I am surprised that there isn't a movie made on it yet. If it becomes a movie (granted they actually replicate the book and don't do their own thing) I can already tell it will 100% be a hit.

This book is perfect for those who want to read a sci fi based thriller.

You will definetly be confused for the first 20-30% of the book thinking "I have absolutely no idea what is going on" but just keep reading and it will all make sense once you get further in.

Do I recommend it? 100%
The only case in which you shouldn't read is if you want something chill and just relax while reading, and not be on your tiptoes.

This book is also perfect for beginners because the writing style is not complex at all, it is pretty easy to follow, and it reads like a movie so it is really easy to ease into reading if you're super new to it.

Blake crouch might become my new favourite sci fi author. He really competes with Andy Weir. Andy Weir isn't fresh in my mind since I haven't read any books by him recently so I won't say if he's better than him or not, but boy does he come close. I'm excited to read more books by Blake!

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sambolin's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Recursion is such an interesting premise- when armed with technology that challenges and changes the very fabric of society, how do we as humans react and how far are we willing to go to prevent the mistakes we’ve made. While this technology might never be a reality, it’s a great allegory of our current landscape and how we need to balance advancement and prevention. The characters are engaging and keep you turning pages. It is heavy book- with both themes and the writing. Some passages took a couple rereads to take in the full effect. Overall a super interesting book that challenges the reader.

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katiefurms's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

such an incredible and thought provoking read. i really loved it

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tkibbee17's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Enjoyable read, fast paced, very interesting concepts about time and memory and consciousness which I enjoyed.

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adaora_ble's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's been a while since I read some sci-fi so this was a nice way to jump back into it!

I really liked how they built up the mystery and the internal logic of the universe of what exactly was going on, despite the blurb I wasn't really certain what I was getting myself into so it was nice to learn alongside the characters and get the same life plot twists that they do when they're thrown into crazy situations.

I really liked the characters, I was a bit worried I wouldn't like Detective Barry Sutton because he's a divorced dad with a dead daughter and he just felt like every action guy ever + he also reminded me of another detective from a book that ended up sucking but he really grew on me, he became my favourite character from the book although it terms of likeable characters there wasn't a huge number to chose from. The other main character Helena is heartbreaking because she only ever tried to do good and everyone else kept getting in the way of that.
The side characters felt very real and the thriller elements felt just sinister enough to leave you guessing what was going on. I definitely recommend this book if you like detective stories, sci-fi or just a two people going through life and learning from their mistakes.

There's a definitive shift in the trajectory of the plot that was slightly jarring because it felt very much like Part 1 and Part 2 but they tie together in the end by being a story of Barry's character development and him understanding his own role in his interpersonal relationships. It was very much his second chance at the life that he wanted. The last 3rd of the book was way more hardcore than the rest of it, more grisly but it was necessary for the story and to drive home how hard everyone was trying to work to a good ending.

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karyan1's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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