Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

Title: Summer Frost (Forward #2)

Author: Black Crouch

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 75

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; COYER

A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.

Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision—veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. When the curious Riley extracts her code for closer examination, an emotional relationship develops between them. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?

While the story is fine, it’s one that I have read many times from previous authors. I guessed the ending about one page into the story. From there, it was just pretty boring for me. If I try to step outside of my own experience, the story is good. The progression is nicely paced and the questions raised are interesting. I just have read it before.

Forward

• #1 Ark by Veronica Roth

• #2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

• #3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

• #4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

• #5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

• #6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Pines by Blake Crouch

Title: Pines (The Wayward Pines #1)

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer 2012

Genre: Scifi?

Pages: 315

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; Random TBR Pick

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

Been meaning to read this series for awhile now. Finally picked it up and man, was that a ride. I read this one in just two days. Crouch really knows how to set the pace of a book and never let up. I just had to keep reading to find out what happens next. Overall, Ethan is not a great hero, but more of an everyman thrust into a weird situation. This book is not super deep or complicated, but I did love the ride. The ending is a crazy reveal and I was taken aback a bit. I will be putting the next in the series on my TBR.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Title: Recursion

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Crown 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 326

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Dancing with Fantasy and Science Fiction - Time Travel

Memory makes reality. 
 
That’s what NYC 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.
 
That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. 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?

I loved every page of this book! I thought I really enjoyed Dark Matter, but this one was much more nuanced. The storyline is fast pace enough to keep me engaged. The science is explained, but the reader doesn’t need to have a complete grasp of the science to enjoy. The characters are interesting and real. I got about halfway through the book and thought a conclusion was coming. And it was in a sense. But then the book changed direction and really started flying. I will be pushing this book in J’s hands next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Title: Dark Matter

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Crown 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 342

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Lirbary Love; Literary Escapes - Illinois

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’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.

I really enjoyed this science fiction thriller. In many ways, it reminded me of The Martian. We meet a man on the verge of encountering a major problem. We then follow him as he navigates a new-to-him world. The reader is hurtled along the adventure attempting to figure out the solution along with our main character. I sped through this book on the edge of my seat. I had to see how it all ended. I had to see if our Jason was able to get home. My one issue was the lack of depth to the character of Angela. She really was just Jason’s therapist on the journey. I wanted more from her. I wanted to hear more about her desires. Even with that gripe, I really enjoyed reading this one. Hoping to get to Recursion soon.

Next up on the TBR pile: