Reviews tagging 'War'

Recursion by Blake Crouch

64 reviews

jazhandz's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book has a really interesting premise and sci-fi twist, which it promptly proceeds to squander through lackluster characters and a bloated, complicated plot. Unfortunately it feels like it’ll join the ranks of scifi books that were almost good enough for me to remember, but not quite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Self harm, Gun violence, Death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: War, Dementia, Medical content, Alcohol, Body horror, and Child death

Minor: Car accident, Murder, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

Most of the self-harm serves an in-story purpose, rather than being the result of mental illness. Additional CWs for extreme depictions of life under nuclear attack and trauma when faced with an apocalyptic scenario.

akapaldo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, War, and Child death

Minor: Suicide

ronnieb's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Dementia, Death, and War

ceruleanorchid's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Child death, War, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Dementia and Alcoholism

noveltay's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

3rd book I’ve read by this author, and this one is by far the best. Page turner, exciting, sad, everything you want in a scifi about time traveling & multi universes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Dementia, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Suicide

chasen's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Terminal illness, War, Dementia, Death, Addiction, Gore, Drug abuse, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Suicide, and Gun violence

ababytapir's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book got me excited about reading again. It was part sci-fi thriller, part mad-time travel paradoxical brain-fuck, part horror, part romance, part philosophical musing on the human condition, and I loved EVERY second of it. It's a book I couldn't put down. A book I immediately recommended to everyone I know who loves sci fi and thrillers. It's one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read. I literally only took off a quarter star because it's a little too nice to police, and the romance was a touch too heterosexual for my tastes, but that's just based on my own personal politics. It's a book I'm immensely glad I read. I spent the days after reading it just going "wow. What? Wow." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, War, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, Murder, Death, Child death, Grief, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Suicide, and Gore

This is a very violent book and there's some pretty graphic descriptions of mass violent acts like being right inside a nuclear war and terrorist attack. The book opens on a suicide and the story is often driven by the main character's deaths and suicides.

leegray's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Murder, Terminal illness, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Car accident, Drug use, Alcohol, Grief, Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence

laurenmiller100's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.0

This book is really terrifying. The ideas about memory and identity are very interesting, but it gets a little preachy toward the end. I also found it a little overly sentimental by the end.

That said, the descriptions of Barry and Helena dying in a nuclear fall out are truly gruesome and horrific. It’s awful.  The ”hell” that the characters get stuck in during their 30 year loop is so scary. Especially for all the people who ARENT Berry or Helena.  The book doesn’t focus enough on that. It’s truly terrifying.

I agree with what others have said about the lack of chemistry between

Barry and Helena

. The story skips a lot of their love story and it leaves the reader feeling sort of left out of their connection.

3 stars

• Characters: 4
• Atmosphere/Setting: 5
• Writing Style: 7
• Plot: 5
• Intrigue: 6
• Logic/Relationships: 4
• Enjoyment: 4

War, torture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, and War

Minor: Suicide attempt

schnaucl's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed it. 

It has an interesting twist on time travel and the love story is lovely, even if it's also tragic.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Violence, War, Death, Dementia, Alcohol, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Alcoholism, and Medical content