Dark Matter: A Novel By Blake Crouch

DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch

Loved this book.

I know I’m late to the party on this, but DARK MATTER is simply excellent. I’m not typically a reader of science fiction, but that is the beauty of ‘speculative’… it rides the edge of science, but ultimately is merely the backdrop, the setting for a deeply human story. Masterfully crafted with sustained, compelling conflict that grabs you, pulls you in and never lets you go until the final page. Even then, you will be left wanting to know what happens next. The characters are nuanced and all too human. And that is the core of this, the journey of a man trying to get back to the wife and son, to the life he loves.

Rather than risk spoiling the story. Read it. Even if you know the essence of the plot, you won’t be prepared for the emotional journey you’re about to embark on.

Truly excellent, Blake Crouch is a virtuoso of the genre. Rich, deep, complicated, and balanced by a hero’s journey that will touch your heart. Loved it.

Well developed story with realistic concept. The end was also well thought out with a believable climax. Everything about the story will make your hair stand on end.

The title of this novel, Dark Matter, gives you very little insight into the subject matter (‘heh’) of the novel, but fills you with intrigue. That intrigue follows you through the novel, always keeping you on edge for what is to follow. I didn’t know what this novel had in store for me, and to be honest, you shouldn’t either. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect novel by any means– some characters fall to the wayside, never to be seen again, some plotlines left open, never to be resolved. But that’s the point– the novel follows a focused story, and the protagonist, Jason, has a goal that he won’t give up. That’s all I can say without spoiling the plot.

SPOILERS FOLLOW AFTER THIS POINT.
-When I look back on the story, I kind of think of Fallout 3 (and other Bethesda games), if the character wanted to find his father no matter what– glancing over the other subquests he could’ve taken but sticking to his main quest. Jason (9?) is kinda like that, and I understand why. His motivations, as well as Jason2’s’ are clear. They both want Daniela and Charlie. They’re willing to do whatever to get to that point. That makes sense, but this platform of the box and the ampoules that allow a person to go between different parallel universes just opens up so many ideas and so many questions that the book can’t take advantage of. The book rushes through many of the universes, giving you a taste of what “could have been” but never really fleshing them out. Look, I get why– the character rushing through the universes makes sense– he has a sense of urgency (because he has limited ampoules, and maybe limited time) because he wants to get back to his world. The plot is focused and tight.

But therein lies the problem. This story maybe shouldn’t have been this focused. It plays more like a movie that needs to get the plot wrapped up in like 2 hours. I dunno. Maybe it would’ve worked if it was longer and the author explored the other universes more, or maybe not. But in its current state, it leaves you wanting more. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I would definitely like to see some more world-building and exploring in a sequel (if there ever happens to be one).

The tightly focused story also sacrifices some characters that were so very interesting. The cocky friend of Jason’s in the beginning. Amanda comes to mind as being pretty much abandoned towards the middle. It’s almost like the author didn’t want to deal with a love triangle later on in the novel if Amanda and Dani had to meet. But then why even introduce her? Why not have her die saving Jason right before Jason gets in the box and uses the ampoules for the first time? I feel like Crouch really wanted to do something bigger with Amanda, but realized how difficult it would be, especially when the other numbered Jasons come into play when Jason gets back into his world. I feel like keeping Amanda around would’ve been less tragic– the other Jasons could end up with their Amanda when they realize that they can’t all be with Dani.

I liked how the other Jasons came into play later on in the novel. But man was it confusing to grasp at first, especially when you only have the UberChat conversation to pull from.
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Otherwise, I really did enjoy this novel. The brisk pace of the novel, despite my aforementioned qualms, makes it easy to continue reading. The author has a great way of explaining complicated ideas reasonably well– things like how the multiverse works in the story (using a box and many doors because that’s how the mind of humans can understand it), to the “uncanny valley” are explained quite well. That’s why it gets a four-star review. Most of the characters were well developed and likeable; I sympathized with the plight of Jason2, I understood Daniela’s uneasiness, etc. Not sure how I feel about the end– I like how they left it up to Charlie to decide which world they would go into (because at least a world with Charlie is a world where Jason and Daniela came together), but I’m unsure if heading into a different universe is really that different from going on the run. It’s also a whole lot more dangerous. But at least it makes sense. I guess that’s what I can say about the whole novel– every critical decision, from Jason asking Amanda to not be so close to him on the bed (“I don’t want you to. But I need you to”), to more Jasons popping up in the main universe because of fragmentation in decisions in the box, makes sense.

Liked the idea of the story, but the execution and writing style overall left me with a 2.5 rating. It was a fast read, even with a lot of quantum/scientific jargon thrown in. Still may check out the TV series to see how it fleshes out with the book.