Being that I am not an avid reader of science fiction, in fact I usually shy away from this genre, I was a bit unwary of tackling Blake Crouch’s new release, Dark Matter. I persisted due to how much I loved his Wayward Pines trilogy, and I was more than rewarded for this decision.
A book like this is best read without much previous information, as Crouch slowly reveals bits of new information to the reader in a manner that keeps you glued to the pages and wondering exactly what is happening to the story’s hero. I will try to entice you to read this one without giving too much away.This is a bit of a time traveler tale with a twist. Jason Dessen leaves his wife and teenage boy one night for a quick drink with a friend at a bar. The next time he sees his wife, she will not recognize him and, in fact, there are no traces that he was ever a part of her life. Jason, and the reader, are left with a mystery that is not easily solved.
Sharing the beauty of this plot without killing the twists is a precarious tightrope walk. Suffice to say Crouch infuses a science fiction element to this book that's a twist on a classic sci-fi plot device. The beauty of his style is he does it in an easy to understand manner and doesn’t rely on extensive, wordy discussions on how or why this plot device works. Even a non-scientific minded man like myself can understand the explanation and appreciate its explanations simplicity.
I truly think this will be Crouch’s introduction to the best-seller lists. This is a book begging to be made into a movie, and it appears it has been optioned by Sony Pictures prior to its publication. Grab a copy of this before all the twists and turns have been ruined by the masses that are sure to be picking this one up.
Recommended.
Reviewed by Derrick Horodyski.