SF/Horror hybrids aren't my favorite type of reading materials. I venture in that direction now and then, but I certainly don't seek it out. Which is one reason why I have avoided reading Blake Crouch. I always meant to give him a try, and when I found a copy of Dark Matter at a library sale, I figured the time was right.
Crouch can write, and his work is palatable enough for the bestseller's lists. The pace is fast, the ideas generic enough to be read by people who crave books by James Patterson Inc. To those like myself who have read a lot of science fiction, in particular the work of Philip K. Dick, Dark Matter is familiar territory.
That's all right. I don't mind revisiting the cliches. As long, that is, if I care about the people in the story. Crouch's hero, Jason Dessen, is as bland as his name. I found nothing to like about him. Nor did I find anything to dislike about him, which at least could have made the story interesting.
There is romance in the book, and it is supposed to be the guiding light through the dark matter. I felt nothing at all for the relationship of the characters.
Instead of the cutting edge thrill ride the publicists and blurbmeisters promised, Dark Matter seems like an amped-up Koontz novel. Formulaic and predictable.
Full disclosure: I almost never do this, but I am reviewing Dark Matter without finishing the book. I reached the halfway point and I couldn't take any more of the cliched dialogue, the contrived action, or the hoary plot devices. If you want something like this, I recommend infinitely superior Dick novels like Time out of Joint, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Edritch, or A Maze of Death. Or you can settle for the pop version.
Written by Mark Sieber
Crouch can write, and his work is palatable enough for the bestseller's lists. The pace is fast, the ideas generic enough to be read by people who crave books by James Patterson Inc. To those like myself who have read a lot of science fiction, in particular the work of Philip K. Dick, Dark Matter is familiar territory.
That's all right. I don't mind revisiting the cliches. As long, that is, if I care about the people in the story. Crouch's hero, Jason Dessen, is as bland as his name. I found nothing to like about him. Nor did I find anything to dislike about him, which at least could have made the story interesting.
There is romance in the book, and it is supposed to be the guiding light through the dark matter. I felt nothing at all for the relationship of the characters.
Instead of the cutting edge thrill ride the publicists and blurbmeisters promised, Dark Matter seems like an amped-up Koontz novel. Formulaic and predictable.
Full disclosure: I almost never do this, but I am reviewing Dark Matter without finishing the book. I reached the halfway point and I couldn't take any more of the cliched dialogue, the contrived action, or the hoary plot devices. If you want something like this, I recommend infinitely superior Dick novels like Time out of Joint, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Edritch, or A Maze of Death. Or you can settle for the pop version.
Written by Mark Sieber
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