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Recursion
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom, Abby Craden
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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Dark Matter
- A Novel
- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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"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."
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The most annoying protagonist…
- By Angelo Pesce on 2022-08-28
Written by: Blake Crouch
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Upgrade
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- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Henry Levya
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep. But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways. The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade.
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Another Hit
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Pines
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- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
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Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a mission: locate two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation turns up more questions than answers: Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is?
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Enjoyed this book
- By Jason Duck on 2023-03-31
Written by: Blake Crouch
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The Gone World
- Written by: Tom Sweterlitsch
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
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Shannon Moss is part of a clandestine division within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In western Pennsylvania, 1997, she is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL's family - and to locate his vanished teenage daughter. Though she can't share the information with conventional law enforcement, Moss discovers that the missing SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship USS Libra - a ship assumed lost to the currents of Deep Time. Moss knows firsthand the mental trauma of time travel and believes the SEAL's experience with the future has triggered this violence.
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Excellent story
- By Mariah W on 2018-09-20
Written by: Tom Sweterlitsch
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Abandon
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- Written by: Blake Crouch
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- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins, and not a single bone found. Now, journalist Abigail Foster and her historian father have set out to explore the long-abandoned town and learn what happened. With them are two backcountry guides—along with a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are there to investigate rumors that the town is haunted.
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Meh
- By Markuu on 2023-02-22
Written by: Blake Crouch
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Thicker Than Blood
- The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Trilogy
- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Eric G. Dove
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Andrew Z. Thomas is a successful writer of suspense thrillers, living the dream at his lake house in the piedmont of North Carolina. One afternoon in late spring, he receives a bizarre letter that eventually threatens his career, his sanity, and the lives of everyone he loves. A murderer is designing his future, and for the life of him, Andrew can't get away.
Written by: Blake Crouch
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Dark Matter
- A Novel
- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
"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."
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The most annoying protagonist…
- By Angelo Pesce on 2022-08-28
Written by: Blake Crouch
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Upgrade
- A Novel
- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Henry Levya
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep. But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways. The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade.
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Another Hit
- By Nathan Geoffroy on 2022-08-08
Written by: Blake Crouch
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Pines
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- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Max Meyers
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a mission: locate two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation turns up more questions than answers: Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is?
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Enjoyed this book
- By Jason Duck on 2023-03-31
Written by: Blake Crouch
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The Gone World
- Written by: Tom Sweterlitsch
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Shannon Moss is part of a clandestine division within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In western Pennsylvania, 1997, she is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL's family - and to locate his vanished teenage daughter. Though she can't share the information with conventional law enforcement, Moss discovers that the missing SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship USS Libra - a ship assumed lost to the currents of Deep Time. Moss knows firsthand the mental trauma of time travel and believes the SEAL's experience with the future has triggered this violence.
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Excellent story
- By Mariah W on 2018-09-20
Written by: Tom Sweterlitsch
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Abandon
- A Novel
- Written by: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani, Jennifer Jill Araya, Timothy Jackson, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins, and not a single bone found. Now, journalist Abigail Foster and her historian father have set out to explore the long-abandoned town and learn what happened. With them are two backcountry guides—along with a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are there to investigate rumors that the town is haunted.
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Meh
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Thicker Than Blood
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Andrew Z. Thomas is a successful writer of suspense thrillers, living the dream at his lake house in the piedmont of North Carolina. One afternoon in late spring, he receives a bizarre letter that eventually threatens his career, his sanity, and the lives of everyone he loves. A murderer is designing his future, and for the life of him, Andrew can't get away.
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Project Hail Mary
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Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
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Riveting Story!
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Written by: Andy Weir
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Infinite
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The Galahad, a faster-than-light spacecraft, carries 50 scientists and engineers on a mission to prepare Kepler 452b, Earth's nearest habitable neighbor at 1400 light years away. With Earth no longer habitable and the Mars colony slowly failing, they are humanity's best hope. After 10 years in a failed cryogenic bed - body asleep, mind awake - William Chanokh's torture comes to an end as the fog clears, the hatch opens, and his friend and fellow hacker, Tom, greets him...by stabbing a screwdriver into his heart. This is the first time William dies.
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Excellent Excellent Excellent
- By daniel on 2018-05-14
Written by: Jeremy Robinson
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Forward
- Stories of Tomorrow
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For some, it’s the end of the world. For others, it’s just the beginning. With brilliant imagination, today’s most visionary writers point to the future in a collection curated by bestselling author Blake Crouch. These stories range from darkly comic to deeply chilling, but they all look forward. Featuring stories by Andy Weir, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth, N. K. Jemisin, Paul Tremblay, and Blake Crouch; with narration by Evan Rachel Wood, David Harbour, Jason Isaacs, Rosa Salazar, Steven Strait, and Janina Gavankar.
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Incroyable!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-02-06
Written by: Veronica Roth, and others
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14
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- Unabridged
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There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.
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I enjoyed this audio book very much.
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Written by: Peter Clines
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Eversion
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In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it's up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.
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This one here, this is why you love sci-fi.
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From Beyond
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Commander David Bryce is scheduled to lead a routine re-supply run for the Orbital Development Group (ORB) to the fledgling colony on Mars. Without warning, he’s taken away by government agents and told the mission parameters have changed. They’ve discovered something. And it’s drifting closer to Earth. Atlas Donovan tirelessly hunts for an artifact, and tracks the piece to Lake Como, Italy. After the recent news from ORB, Atlas is more drawn to the trail than ever.
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Great performance, ok story
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Mickey7
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Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.
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An easy listen, and very well written
- By Jpow on 2023-03-04
Written by: Edward Ashton
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Artemis
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Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
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Not so great
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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
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- Unabridged
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Harry August is on his deathbed. Again. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes. Until now. As Harry nears the end of his 11th life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August", she says. "I need to send a message". This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.
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Not really time travel
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Written by: Claire North
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The Martian
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- Unabridged
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Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
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Well worth it for Wil Wheaton.
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Written by: Andy Weir
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We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
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- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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There's a reason We Are Legion was named Audible's Best Science Fiction Book of 2016: Its irresistibly irreverent wit! Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: Spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself.
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Didn't think I'd like it, but I loved it
- By Eli on 2018-01-11
Written by: Dennis E. Taylor
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Exhalation
- Stories
- Written by: Ted Chiang
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Dominic Hoffman, Amy Landon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others - the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Arrival: a groundbreaking new collection of short fiction. In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.
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Delightful collection of thought-provoking stories
- By Hmmmm on 2020-02-03
Written by: Ted Chiang
Publisher's Summary
New York Times best seller
From the best-selling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory - his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix film.
"Gloriously twisting...a heady campfire tale of a novel." (The New York Times Book Review)
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Time • NPR • BookRiot
Reality is broken.
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery - and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.
In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth - and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery...and the tools for fighting back.
Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy - before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.
Praise for Recursion
"An action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until I had devoured the last page...a fantastic read." (Andy Weir, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Martian)
"Another profound science-fiction thriller. Crouch masterfully blends science and intrigue into the experience of what it means to be deeply human." (Newsweek)
"Definitely not one to forget when you’re packing for vacation...[Crouch] breathes fresh life into matters with a mix of heart, intelligence, and philosophical musings." (Entertainment Weekly)
"A trippy journey down memory lane...[Crouch’s] intelligence is an able match for the challenge he’s set of overcoming the structure of time itself." (Time)
"Wildly entertaining...another winning novel from an author at the top of his game." (AV Club)
What the critics say
"A mind-bending thriller." (USA Today)
"[Crouch] has sketched out the rules for a new reality.... [Recursion] has a thrumming pulse that moves beyond big ideas and into their effects on a larger, more complex world." (NPR)
"[Recursion] will keep you up all night - first because you can't stop reading it, and then because you can't stop thinking about it." (BuzzFeed)
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What listeners say about Recursion
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mateo Tamano
- 2019-12-05
Novel idea expanded to an enjoyable story
Very imaginative and engaging story told in a compelling manner. The voice actors chosen were excellent and truly brought the story to life. The morale of the story was simple and a great reminder to us all to make the best of the decisions with make. Story lost a bit of steam near the end and could have been shortened. The ending though was perfect. Highly recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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- Mark
- 2022-06-03
Interesting idea difficult to follow
I enjoy Blake Crouch and this narrator is amazing. Both make the book interesting and engaging. The first book of this book was interesting and kept me engaged but as i moved passed it, I found it stretched to fill gaps in the story line. As there’s many years back and forth that this book attempts to explain, it’s rather difficult to keep track because the story is not linear. That’s the nature of the story.
I do look forward to more books from this author and narrator. I enjoyed Wayward Pines the most.
1 person found this helpful
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- Phalucha
- 2019-12-06
Recursion is the summer blockbuster of audiobooks!
Awesome story, awesome narration. Wonderful from beginning to end. I honestly don’t know what more to say about this book - really inventive! Blake Crouch is made for audiobooks. Buy it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-06-22
If you liked Dark Matter, you will love this!
RECURSION falls slightly short of his breakthrough novel DARK MATTER, but regardless, this is a stellar and mind bending follow up from Blake Crouch.
Recommended for readers who love thrillers and casual sci-fi (ex Andy Weir’s The Martian)
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-01-09
Amazing
Best book of 2022 for me, took me a while to finish but it was worth it
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- Ilovenineinchnails
- 2022-12-25
Outstanding!!
Excellent narration. The story was exhilarating. I read a lot of Science Fiction and this is definitely some of the best. This is the first of Blake Crouch's books I've read and I'll be now reading the rest of his!!
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-10-07
What a Journey!
Absolutely captivating! I thought that it was ending multiple times but the story just went into a deeper level that blew my mind! Highly recommend, Blake Crouch has become my favorite author having 3x books that have kept me on the edge of my seat!
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- J
- 2022-09-14
A rollercoaster story
Would win awards if made into a movie I swear. The imagery would be insane and seems like there would me a lot to play with.
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- Dean
- 2022-07-12
Epic mind bending time travel.
Hooked from start to finish. Love the format. If you like Dark Matter, you'll live this.
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- jason
- 2022-06-08
Experience this exceptional book.
this book had me.hooked from chapter one. although predictable at points it has left me smiling, with lots of corners and movements that had me thinking. I cannot recommend this title enough.
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- Breezybealle
- 2019-06-12
Mixed Feelings
I liked Dark Matter and other Blake Crouch novels so I came into this expecting another interesting read. Unfortunately, there was definitely something missing, though I'm not exactly sure what it was. I think a lot of it had to do with the narration. It wasn't bad, per se, just monotonous and really boring. Both narrators read with little inflection, and the female's performance outright annoyed me. Maybe it was just me, but it was if everything she said came across as either shaky or sultry, or a combination of both... and her attempt to deepen her voice for male parts was irritating.
As far as the story goes, although I wanted to know what was going on overall, I didn't like any of the characters. Helena, for an accomplished academic, was whiny and childish, Marcus Slade was a total douche who I wanted to punch and Barry, who is supposed to be good at solving puzzles can't even seem to find his own ass.
I found myself zoning out quite a bit. It was too much explanation and not enough natural dialogue. And to be honest, half of it didn't make any sense. It's like fake science was created solely for the benefit of moving the story forward. You have to be able to do way more than suspend your disbelief. So if you're looking for a light read that you don't have to think too much about, this probably isn't the book for you. If you're looking for unlikeable characters with an unrealistic and confusing, albeit intriguing, storyline, then give it a shot.
94 people found this helpful
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- Michael G Kurilla
- 2019-12-29
The power of positive thinking
Blake Crouch's Recursion begins with two separate plots: a detective investigating a suicide linked to an emerging medical condition known as false memory syndrome (FMS) and a young neuroscientist studying memory for Alzheimer's patients. Eventually, these two individuals cross paths and uncover a terrifying connection with a billionaire playing god with people's memories and influencing the rest of the world as well as history itself. As they try to intervene, the government gets involved and every attempt seems to only make the problem worse.
Crouch takes an intriguing twist on the notion that humans are merely the sum of their accumulated memories, both personal as well as tribal. When memories collide, confusion reigns. At the same time, the possibility of rewriting history is too much for people and nations to tolerate, leaving the notion that our current perceptions of time as a linear dimension that only flows in one direction may be an evolutionary result to ensure survival of our species.
The narration is well done given the dual narrators which was a wise choice given the dual perspectives of the story. Pacing is quick.
42 people found this helpful
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- Vwbh
- 2019-09-04
Too many holes in this one…
The plot of this book attracted me, and the beginning of the book was fine. It grew more and more incredible as the book went on. Without spoilers, there were too many holes in the plot and became too unbelievable,violent and repetitive for me.
40 people found this helpful
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- Kathleen
- 2019-06-25
I must be the only one.
I am going to return this book because frankly, I could not bring myself to care how it ended. The narrator was over the top dramatic. The story was beyond repetitive and I could not see the point. Maybe I was just having a bad couple of days. Moving on.
37 people found this helpful
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- Jesse Rapaport
- 2019-09-08
If you’re looking for the best multiverse book you’ve ever listened to, this will be it
This book picks up at the quarter mark and never lets go. I’ve already listened to it twice. It’s that good. A world I don’t want to leave as each listen comes to an end.
No criticism here.
26 people found this helpful
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- Lauren G. Brown
- 2019-06-24
Smart, but Really Dragged On...
Brilliant concept, just like Dark Matter, but this one just simply lost steam and got super boring. Was counting down the remaining time so I could start something else. Disappointed. :(
22 people found this helpful
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- Larry
- 2019-06-16
Are we there yet?
Fantastic! Couldn’t put it down. Best book I’ve read this year. In a similar vein to Crouch’s Dark Matter. One of the better depictions of time travel and it consequences I’ve read. Can’t wait to see how Crouch tops this. Both narrators were perfect!
21 people found this helpful
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- William
- 2019-06-16
Hot mess.
The story was a hot mess so damn tangled and stoned on at times. Ending was ok and the author untwined the mess he had created earlier but overall, would call the book “ok”; would have trouble recommending it to someone else. Multiple readers was distracting and did not add any depth to the story.
18 people found this helpful
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- Boston Boy
- 2019-07-05
I am suffering ...
... trying to make it through this book. Half-way, and I'm ready to give up. It is dull beyond belief, and trying to make sense of how false memories work is just impossible for me. I really enjoyed the Wayward Pines series, so this is even more of a disappointment. Hate returning books to Audible, but tempted to return this one.
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- Lisa Davidson
- 2019-06-14
Not the Novel I Was Hoping For
After the intense excitement of _Dark Matter_, I was eager for the release of _Recursion_. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed that I returned this one for my credit back.
The pseudo-science of memory travel was not depicted with any verisimilitude. Instead of "killing" participants in a sensory deprivation tank, a more realistic move would have been to synthesize the critical neurotransmitter released by the pineal gland. I don't know why the procedure was called a "memory chair" when it was a multi-stage process involving a helmet to "tape" strong memories and then paralyzing participants in the tank and stopping their hearts, waiting for the release of the critical neurotransmitter.
As in _Dark Matter_, characters tried variations of their lives over and over again, hoping for the one and only non-lethal living memory that wouldn't destroy civilization. Instead of creating branching alternate universes or bubble universes, this procedure created dead memory tracks which were suddenly perceptible to all of humanity as time "caught up with itself." And regardless of how many people actually used the procedure, the only time span that seemed to matter was a 33-year period in the life of the chair's creator, which didn't make a lot of sense given how many people actually used the procedure when the technology inevitably leaked beyond the original lab.
Barry Sutton, the New York detective who is originally a grieving father and ex-husband, somehow becomes the love interest of neuroscientist Helena Smith, the chair's inventor, and I still don't understand the roots of this relationship. Toward the end of the book he is writing equations for wormholes in several iterations of Helena's repeating life--and there is no foundation for this type of dramatic character shift.
Despite his first wife and daughter being primary characters throughout much of the novel, especially when he relived a life where his daughter didn't die at 15, they simply fade away as he embarks on his world-saving crusade with Helena. Some ambiguity can add depth to a novel, but it didn't work here. I wanted to know how they were always quite wealthy, never challenged by illness or accidents in the 33-year repeat track, and exactly how his ultimate "solution" worked.
I think a single narrator would have helped solidify the novel. I had to keep raising and lowering the volume depending upon who was reading.
I just couldn't suspend disbelief to the end. The entire structure had too many holes. Certainly playing with time is bound to be confusing, but here the characters were more confusing than the time jumps. I had hoped for so much more.
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- Fabrice Atallah
- 2020-01-13
Time travel done well
nice evolution from memory reenactment to accidentally entering into time travel. Recursion redefines the rules several times in this book