Dark Matter

Welp I read this in less than 3 hours so any book that makes me do that is an automatic 5-star, but after thinking on it a bit more, I changed it to 4 - let's call it 4.5. My only advice: Go into this blind.

If you liked the show Fringe, the book Hail Mary or just like science thrillers in general, you'll enjoy this one.


Ok, spoilers ahead...


I do think this book would have benefited from being a little longer. The characters weren't fleshed out as much as they could've been, but this is 100% a plot-driven book so it is successful without it.

I like the overarching question of what makes us, us. And I liked the simplicity of the science so that it doesn't get too garbled by the story itself.

I want to know what happened to the other characters a bit more and I wish we had a bit more of a finalized look at the family's situation. It felt a little odd to have them leave the “home” that Jason had been hunting for the whole time but also I have no idea how you would go about ending it otherwise so I can't fault the author too much on that. I wanted more Amanda and I think the multiple Jason's things was a bit... rushed? Idk, some of it felt a bit off at the end.

I feel that the son and Amanda were both only used as plot devices. Even the main character felt a bit flat. The only one you really cared about was the wife and only because she was innocent and kept getting hurt.

I found out the author is a screenwriter which makes a lot of sense considering how the book is written and even the scenes fit into a movie idea. I would compare this to Ready Player One, Project Hail Mary, or The Martian. I wouldn't be surprised if this one becomes a movie down the line.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and it kept me wanting to read more until the very last page. It's a fun, thrilling, and quick read so you might as well give it a chance.