The last time I took a leap into Sci-Fi with Book of the Month, I gave 4 stars to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. From that experience, I learned that modern day sci-fi can actually be interesting to me. And so, I leapt again…
Book 24:
Recursion
by Black Crouch
Genre:
Sci-Fi, Thriller
Published:
June 2019
Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Recursion is about neuroscientist Helena Smith’s attempts to preserve memories as inspired by her Alzheimer’s-ridden mother. Concurrently, NYPD officer Barry Sutton finds himself investigating a case involving False Memory Syndrome (FMS), a new, mysterious epidemic that’s taking the world by storm. Through his investigation, he becomes entangled in Helena’s work, the side effects of her work, and the toll her work has taken on her and the world. Can Barry and Helena fulfill their purposes in this world? Is there an end to the tasks they’ve set out to do? Or have they entered into a recursion of failures?
Favorite Quote(s):
“Life with a cheat code isn’t life. Our existence isn’t something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That’s what it is to be human – the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other.”
– Black Crouch, Recursion
Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.
Pages:
336
My Overall Rating:
4 – I finished this book a couple of days ago and I still find myself thinking about it when I’m doing mindless tasks. It was one I would pick up when I had even five minutes to spare because I just needed to know what was going to happen next. Sold as a sci-fi thriller, the sci-fi aspect wasn’t so farfetched that I rolled my eyes at it, and the thriller aspect kept me absolutely hooked.
If this book were a movie, which it should be, my husband would love it, and I would be hesitant to watch it because of the genre. If he were able to get me to watch it, it would be one that would keep me on the edge of my seat – one that would have me exclaiming aloud my frustrations, fear, and excitement over the things that happen – one that would pull me in far to deeply for my comfort.
So why the 4 instead of 5? Because there were times where I had to reread portions in order to truly understand what was going on. This is not a mindless read. It’s one that requires your full attention, and arguably even the patience to re-read sections in order to understand what’s being said. However, it was worth it.
