Dark Matter Hardcover – 11 Aug. 2016

A thriller about the multiverse and different versions of the same person in parallel worlds who end up as deadly rivals. It’s entertaining and thought provoking - how we take the ’normal’ for granted and then long for it when it’s gone, and how each choice we make is just one path and maybe there’s a version of us living a life brought about as a result of a different choice. The style of writing suits the story - short sentences, one line paragraphs. About to be made into an Apple series, apparently. A good read.

I read this in a day. I found it engaging enough to keep me interested right through to the end. Of course it’s unrealistic, and no doubt people with a deep understanding of the subject could pick holes in it, but as a sci-fi fantasy I thought it flew along at a good pace. The “romantic” aspect (which a number of reviewers have more or less suggested makes this chick lit) was critical to the story - without the emotional aspect the main character would probably not have had much incentive to return to his life. The last 20% or so was the least successful - I’m sure I’ve seen or read something very similar elsewhere, and I really found the rapidly diverging morality of the character a bit grating. But I’m sure the tv show will be entertaining, the author has done a good job of writing with an eye towards it appearing on screen.

Dark Matter is undisputedly weird, but it's also exceptionally well written, tightly paced and mind blindingly interesting. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it and frankly I still wasn't sure what was going on half way through. But that actually isn't a negative thing here. Crouch makes good use of the reader's confusion, throwing them into the same state of disorientation as his protagonist, Jason Desson.Jason lives a near enough perfect life. He's not the brilliant scientist he once thought he'd be, but he wouldn't give up the wife and son he traded for it for the world. Only one day, he doesn't have the choice. Attacked, kidnapped, bundled into a car and thrown into some strange world where he seems to be a completely different person, Jason struggles to reconcile what has happened and figure out what his next options are. And the reader is along for the ride. Just as confused, just as baffled by what's going on. The reader works things out along with Jason and that makes for a tight and tense novel with some very high stakes.This is a novel about choices. About how the choice you make today could have reverberated out into a completely different world and a completely different you if you had made the other choice. How the road untravelled can be a fascinating temptation if you had the ability to go back. Where it falls apart slightly is in the characters; the two main protagonists are well depicted, but everyone else is more or less just backing, easily forgotten and discarded when they have played their part. But for all that it is a fascinating and intriguing novel that caught my attention even when I had no idea what was going on.

As a love story, it isn't bad although not personally my genre. In fact, thinking about it, this isn't really a love story - it's more of an obsession and comes across as a tad unhealthy. This guy is obsessed with the perfect version of his wife that exists in his original reality. Now I don't know about you, but I love my wife dearly. However, it does occur to me that if I straddled the multiverses often enough I might come across a version of her that doesn't bemoan the fact that I leave the toilet seat up.As sci-fi - it's so full of holes and so lacking in any actual science (fact or fiction) that I think its best just to gloss over that. Its nothing to do with quantum theory, multiverses or any other facet of the Copenhagen Interpretation. It's about choices you make a la Sliding Doors. Thats it.I struggled to finish it. I don't know how much they pay these celebs to write these glowing reviews (I mean Lee Child claims its something new - really??) and along with all the other glowing reviews by clearly paid celebs , well, I should learn to ignore them but wouldn't life be great if publishers stopped doing this nonsense.The one interesting plot development came to a complete full stop halfway through when that character just completely disappeared and after that I kind of lost interest.Isaac Asimov it isn't but if you like smooch it's for you. "Dark Matter"?? eh what??

Great book. Felt like it was fairly slow in the middle and a quick ending. I was left wanting more explanation.Never less, really enjoyed

I cannot say I loved this book but Sci fi isn't my usually genre, so maybe I'm not the best person to judge.The continous back and forth of it became tiresome and I was glad to finish it.Quantum physics and multi verses isn't my bag but the author is clearly a decent writer so it's no reflection on that, I just didn't find the subject all that thrilling.

Fantastic from start to finish. Fast pace throughout. Really makes you think about life as we know it .

Good book. Interesting from the beginning to the end.