About the Book

"Memory makes reality. That's what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he 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 already understands the power of memory. It's why she's 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. As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease--a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it. But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?"--

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.