Review – Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4/5 Stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1101904244
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of..”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I bought for Kindle.

Story (4/5): When I started reading this I was immediately reminded of “The Firebird” series by Claudia Grey. This story has a very similar premise to that series. However, the Firebird series has a more intricate world and more of a sci-fi tone to it while this story is a bit more sensationalist with more thriller elements. The fact that this was so similar in premise to that series kind of turned me off on this book right away but I kept reading and ended up drawn into the story. I was desperate to know if Jason would ever connect with his family.

This book definitely has more of a thriller/pop culture/sensationalist feel to it…almost more like a movie than a good sci-fi series. I think that will make it appeal to a larger and more general reading audience. It’s also strangely touchy feely as we are drawn into Jason’s struggles to find his family and the question of what it means to be yourself.

Characters (4/5): This story is driven primarily by Jason and his family. We see many versions of these characters throughout different parallel realities. The question of what makes a person who they are (kind of that old nature vs nurture question) is addressed a lot and is intriguing and makes you think.

Setting (4/5): I really enjoyed visiting the different parallel universes in this book and wish there had been a bit more focus on these intriguing worlds. However, very little thought and time are put into these other realities. Even when the setting is somewhere interesting, the focus remains very much on Jason and his personal mission.

Writing Style (4/5): While this type of more stark writing style isn’t my favorite it definitely propels the story forward. This story ended up being a very short and easy read. It was very engaging and hard to put down because the question of Jason’s success in finding his own reality was constantly pushing you forward. I thought the ending was kind of abrupt and unfinished but then the whole story kind of felt like that to me.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a good quick sci-fi read, it’s an easy read that is a good intro to the idea of parallel realities. I have heard so many amazing things about this book that I was a bit disappointed in the execution, I’ve just read a number of series like this before and this premise seems like it’s stolen from so many other good books out there. It does provide some food for thought, but then so do other books that deal with this topic…and despite that it just felt kind of thin to me.

I also felt like the writing style was very “TV like”, stark, and unfinished feeling. If you love the idea of characters going through parallel realities I also recommend Claudia Grey’s “Firebird” series. I think this sci-fi thriller will appeal to readers who don’t spend a lot of time reading the sci-fi genre. Will I seek out more Blake Crouch? Probably not, but this book was a quick and fun diversion.