A fun read that's part sci-fi, part love story, part thriller - something for everyone!
I should tell you up front that I had not heard of Blake Crouch before picking up this book. Yes, I live under a rock. No, really - when I am reading books I'm usually reading non-fiction. I throw in the occasional thriller or sci-fi adventure (thus Dark Matter). So if you are a fan of Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy, or any of his earlier books, forgive me for being a newbie who'd never heard of him before now.
It's hard to say a lot about this book without giving away the plot, so some general observations -
I did the audiobook, so I can't comment on the one-sentence paragraphs that some other reviews talk about. The audiobook moves right along and is well narrated by Jon Lindstrom.
The book is set in Chicago, and the only bone I have to pick with the narration is that almost everyone other than the main characters is given an over the top southside accent (ala "da Bears" from SNL) which was unintentionally funny and, for me, interfered a bit with the flow of the story.
The everyday-ness of the characters lives (which is of course interrupted by the plot of the book) was well written and convincing and helped you get sucked into the story.
The sci-fi stuff was pretty neat, providing some good twists to the plot, but I've always had a problem with the "multiverse that branches based on our decisions" theory, as it puts us at the center of the multiverse, which seems more than a little presumptuous to me.
The love story and how it ended was also neat. I suspect Crouch spent a lot of time thinking about how he wanted to wrap the book up in a way that stays true to the love story which animates it, and he did a good job.
I did the audiobook, so I can't comment on the one-sentence paragraphs that some other reviews talk about. The audiobook moves right along and is well narrated by Jon Lindstrom.
The book is set in Chicago, and the only bone I have to pick with the narration is that almost everyone other than the main characters is given an over the top southside accent (ala "da Bears" from SNL) which was unintentionally funny and, for me, interfered a bit with the flow of the story.
The everyday-ness of the characters lives (which is of course interrupted by the plot of the book) was well written and convincing and helped you get sucked into the story.
The sci-fi stuff was pretty neat, providing some good twists to the plot, but I've always had a problem with the "multiverse that branches based on our decisions" theory, as it puts us at the center of the multiverse, which seems more than a little presumptuous to me.
The love story and how it ended was also neat. I suspect Crouch spent a lot of time thinking about how he wanted to wrap the book up in a way that stays true to the love story which animates it, and he did a good job.
Overall, despite my quibbles on the southside Chicago accent, the story drew me in right from the beginning and made for a fun escapist adventure. A good one to pick up to fill some of your downtime over the holidays.
I rate Dark Matter Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
Dark Matter links
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