Recursion - by Blake Crouch (Paperback)

About the Book

New York City cop Barry Sutton investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome-- a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. Neuroscientist Helena Smith dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. Together they face a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. Memory makes reality-- and the force is beginning to unmake the world as we know it.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the bestselling 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, #1 New York Times bestselling 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

Review Quotes

"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

"[An] epic page-turner."--Good Housekeeping

"Quintessential SF . . . [features] wrenching emotional moments . . . tense and vivid action scenes . . . eminently rigorous and logical methodology and science . . . And yet you will not predict anything."--Locus

"[A] fantastic philosophical thriller [with] ingenious plotting, cinematic action and unflappable characters."--Minneapolis StarTribune

"Recursion will leave you breathless as it dives headfirst into a strange reality."--PopSugar

"The fragile elements of time, identity, and memory intertwine in Crouch's unforgettable new sci-fi thriller. . . . A lightning-paced, techno-fantasy that lingers long after the last, mind-numbing page."--SyFy Wire

"The smartest, most surprising thriller of the summer."--BookPage

"Crouch isn't just a world-class thriller writer, he's a Philip K. Dick for the modern age. Recursion takes mind-twisting premises and embeds them in a deeply emotional story about time and loss and grief and most of all, the glory of the human heart."--Gregg Hurwitz, #1 internationally bestselling author of the Orphan X series

"Blake Crouch has invented his own brand of page-turner--fearlessly genre-bending, consistently surprising, and determined to explode the boundaries of what a thriller can be."--Karin Slaughter, #1 internationally bestselling author of Pieces of Her

"Brilliant. Crouch's innovative novels never fail to grip!"--Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl

"A masterful mind-bender of a novel. Crouch brilliantly infuses his story with dire repercussions and unexpected moral upheaval, and leaves you wondering what you would do if you had the chance to turn back the clock."--Mark Sullivan, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Private series and author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky

"Cutting-edge science drives this intelligent, mind-bending thriller. . . . Crouch effortlessly integrates sophisticated philosophical concepts--such as the relationship of human perceptions of what is real to actual reality--into a complex and engrossing plot. Michael Crichton's fans won't want to miss this one."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Completely engrossing . . . highly recommended, especially for readers who enjoy suspenseful, fast-moving, well-crafted, science-based SF."--Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His novels include Upgrade, Recursion, Dark Matter, and the Wayward Pines trilogy, which was adapted into a television series for FOX. Crouch also co-created the TNT show Good Behavior, based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He lives in Colorado.