Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Recursion

St. Augustine

This trippy story is like being in an episode of the Twilight Zone! While I was initially hesitant because the synopsis didn't quite engage me, I picked it up because it was recommended to me and was one of my 12 months, 12 books, 12 friends challenge. So I started the book and surprisingly, found myself quickly getting lost in the story. I couldn't put it down. What a wild ride!

Broken into 5 books, the story flips between Helena's and Barry's POVs, between different times and alternative timelines. I listened to the audiobook and Jon Lindstrom and Abby Craden did a wonderful job narrating the dual POVs.

This book is a crazy blend of science fiction and thriller with a slice of romance. Since I was listening to the audiobook and was doing other things, I would think the story was about to conclude and BAM! Another twist. Another angle. Right up until the end, I was hooked. I wasn't sure Crouch was going to be able to pull it off, but he did. It made me question everything and now I want to go back and reread all the philosophy books I read in college.

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

Soren Kierkegaard

This was my first Blake Crouch book but it won't be my last!

Content Warnings

tallywinkle's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

3.5

I enjoyed it over all. It's funny to me that I did end up finding a book called Recursion a bit repetitive. I think I will probably find this with Blake Crouch's writing in general cause I felt the same for Dark Matter, where it's got this really solid and fast paced beginning that kind of loses steam in the middle. I liked the ending of this book. I wasn't sure how he was going to wrap it all up and I thought it was pretty well done.

Crouch is very good at making the book feel like an action movie.

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sambolin's review against another edition

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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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allyjulian's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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

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

3.75

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ineedglasses's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.5

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oddityoverseer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Excellent book. It was a little bit repetitive towards the end, but I understand why. Loved the stories and the characters. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a mind-fuck philosophical thriller.

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