Recursion Another Stunning Mind-Boggler of a Read from a Sci-Fi Master

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

"There are so few things in our existence we can count on to give us a sense of permanence, of the ground beneath our feet.  People fail us.  Our bodies fail us.  We fail ourselves ... But what do you cling to, moment to moment, if memories can simply change.  What, then, is real?  And if the answer is nothing, where does that leave us?" (46)

A strange, horrifying phenomenon is sweeping across the nation.  Authorities have dubbed it False Memory Syndrome (FMS).  No one quite understands the devastating affliction, which swamps the sufferer with memories they don't recognize or understand, leading to disorientation, confusion, terror, and madness.  It's contagious—and deadly.

New York City policeman Barry Sutton has seen too much FMS violence and death.  He's determined to stop it.  But how?

Neuroscientist Helena Smith has been hired by Marcus Slade, an inventor worth billions, to create a technology capable of preserving people's most precious memories.  Haunted by her mother's rapidly progressing Alzheimer's, Helena works tirelessly in a secret lab off the coast of California to make the technology a reality before it's too late to save her mom.   

As FMS becomes more widespread and dangerous, Barry becomes increasingly desperate.  When he meets Helena, he realizes it's up to the two of them to save humanity.  As the world around them crumbles and unmakes itself, the two are swept up in a frantic race against time that's becoming more impossible to win with every passing second ...

I'm not a big sci-fi reader, but I am a huge Blake Crouch fan.  Dark Matter—which was one of my favorite reads of 2017—absolutely blew my mind, so I was all in for Crouch's newest, Recursion.  While I didn't end up loving it quite as much as Dark Matter, I still found Recursion to be a stunning, mind-spinner of a read.  The novel is tense, exciting, suspenseful, and thought-provoking.  Barry and Helen are both brave, sympathetic characters, whom I cared about easily.  I whipped through Recursion fast and furious, needing to know what happens next and if our heroes would ultimately be successful.  Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one.  If you dig complex, intriguing sci-fi puzzles wrapped in a pulse-pounding, adrenaline rush of a story, then this is the book for you.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, mild sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Recursion with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.