mrsharma2006
Written on Jun 16, 2024
From Blake Crouch, the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is a New York Times bestselling tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human - a relentlessly surprising thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.
'Are you happy in your life?'
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.Before he wakes to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before the man he's never met smiles down at him and says, 'Welcome back, my friend.'
In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined - one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
- ISBN10 1101924497
- ISBN13 9781101924495
- Publish Date 26 July 2016
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Imprint Books on Tape
- Format Audiobook (CD)
- Duration 10 hours and 9 minutes
- Language English
Reviews
pamela
Written on Aug 11, 2022
First of all, let me say that Dark Matter was a fun read. It was a popcorn thriller that had me at the edge of my seat, and I devoured it in a matter of days. But I'm not going to pretend like it was good. It was to science what Dan Brown is to art history - a surface-level exploration of something that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
Dark Matter has excellent pacing. It moves quickly from one moment to the next, dragging the reader along in its wake. It makes it easy to forget the elements that usually make up a good story. And those elements simply weren't there for me. There was absolutely no character development for any character. Satellite characters especially simply existed when they were needed for the plot and were written out the second they weren't necessary anymore. Even the book's primary antagonist got the same treatment.
And don't even get me started on Crouch's writing of women in Dark Matter. There are two female characters. One is put on such a pedestal that it almost becomes farcical, and the other literally exists to be a possible love interest and is simply removed from the plot when Crouch realised that a romance might ruin the gravitas of the rest of the narrative.
And then we have the science. The less we think about that, the better, honestly, because it's barely explained in the narrative, and the bits that are explained are contradicted by the way the narrative played out.
Had Dark Matter not been such a fun, fast-paced read, it would have got a much lower rating from me. But despite its shortcomings, it was still an excellent bit of escapism. If that's all you're looking for, definitely give this book a shot. But don't expect any hard-hitting sci-fi or deep and profound revelations. Set the bar low and enjoy the ride.
emilybettridge
Written on Sep 15, 2018
viking2917
Written on Aug 20, 2018
boghunden
Written on Aug 13, 2017
Not sure how to even begin to describe this rollercoaster ride of a book!
At first, I thought this was a thriller. I hadn't read the synopsis, because I like going in blind. And boy am I glad I did. I suggest you do the same, if you haven't read this book yet.
I loved the quantum physics, it made my head spin, especially around the middle part of the book, when Jason explained the theories to Amanda. I felt so smart, when I understood what he talked about.
Amanda was a great sidecharacter. I'm glad she chose her own path, but I would've liked to hear more about her; Where did she go? I kind of think she went back to her world and embraced her fate. If you could call it that.
Then there's Daniela and Charlie. Now, I get that this was a hard part to get right, but I honestly think it was a little too easy. How come Daniela trusted him that fast? Who knows if it was even the "right" Jason? I was sure they would get mixed up somehow, but I didn't catch it if they did.
This is easily one of my favorite books this year. In fact, I think it's the best book I've read since I read [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181] back in January 2015.
I don't know what to say, really. This book...a masterpiece for sure. I have to go get my hands on more of [a:Blake Crouch|442240|Blake Crouch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479398727p2/442240.jpg]s books.
jamiereadthis
Written on Aug 9, 2017
P.S. It’s almost funny how long it takes Jason to figure out what’s going on. If these events happen to me, the FIRST thing I’m thinking is quantum entanglement/multiverse doppelgängers.
jesstheaudiobookworm
Written on Apr 30, 2017
ross91
Written on Jan 6, 2017
This book was sometimes fascinating, sometimes terrifying and always interesting. There are some sentences that were really well written and that made me think a lot.
So glad I've finally decided to read this book!
luddite
Written on Nov 29, 2016
cornerfolds
Written on Oct 25, 2016
Earlier this year I read Pines by Blake Crouch and LOVED it! Although I didn't know anything about this book, I picked up Dark Matter solely based on the fact that the author had really impressed me in the past. The cover isn't much to look at if I'm being honest, but the synopsis sounded super interesting! Based on my past experience, I fully expected to be blown away and I wasn't disappointed.
Jason is the protagonist of this story and he has a pretty all right life, thank you very much. No, he isn't a huge success in his field, but he has an incredible wife and kid and is quite content. Unfortunately, he's snatched from his world and unwillingly thrown into another one. Jason was an amazing character who was extremely intelligent but also able to explain all the science-y things in a way that didn't make him irritating. It was easy to sympathize with him as he did everything in his power to make it home to his wife and son.
From the moment Jason was taken, the ride was breakneck. I was constantly wondering what the heck was going on, which is honestly my favorite way to spend a book. We find things out along with Jason and there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding where he is, how he got there, and how he will get home. As things began to unravel and the twists were revealed I found myself truly shocked more than once - exactly what I expected in a book by Blake Crouch. Dark Matter isn't just your average mystery though. This book presents deep questions and explores them in thought provoking ways that may make you examine your own life.
Although this book has a contemporary setting, there were a lot of other components to the world building that the author really did a fantastic job with. I loved the way he melded the sci-fi elements of the story into the "real world" in a way that felt completely believable. A sense of unease surrounded everything and made the twists that much more exciting!
My complaints about Dark Matter are few, but I did feel that there was a bit too much repetition at times and not enough explanation. There were locations visited briefly on Jason's journey home that I would have loved to know more about. I also wish there had been some kind of follow up after he and his travel buddy went their separate ways. These issues weren't enough to ruin the experience, though.
Dark Matter is the kind of book that I really can't say much about without spoiling, so I'm going to have to cut this short. This book wasn't perfect (like Pines was), but it was immensely enjoyable and was really just a thrilling ride. I enjoyed going with Jason on his journey to find his wife again and loved figuring out the pieces of the puzzle along the way. If you're a fan of sci-fi and huge twists, this is definitely the book for you!