So many people raved about this book, but I totally agree with your assessment. The characters are so one dimensional, especially so with the women. The ending is seriously anti climactic. That said, it’s a really entertaining read.
I finished Dark Matter recently and it honestly drove me nuts. I think Crouch thinks he's more clever than he actually is because, as a reader, I saw all the twists coming. I also feel like he wrote this specifically to get optioned for TV and then it did so good for him haha
I remember reading Dark Matter one afternoon a few years ago and being entertained but frustrated, I gave the book away. What’s funny or not so funny is that I remembered nothing about it other than where I was when I read it. This video was spot on, maybe Crouch has improved since then but I haven’t given him a second shot. You had me laughing 👏🏼
"The world's dumbest genius." I thought this was about me for a second. 🤣 I talk briefly about a few books by Blake Crouch in my next video. This is one of the few videos I've seen from you where you drag a book through the mud. I like it! lol
"Aw dudes, whatever" haha, that is an appropriate response. 😅 I think I will pass on this one. It was hard for me to make out if it was worth looking into or not when hearing other reviews, but I think this cleared some things up haha.
I read this novel on my Kindle on a beach in Mexico. It only took me half a day. It was supposedly 359 pages, but with those short paragraphs it was more like 200 pages. It required no brain power which was good because there was beer and margaritas available on the beach to bring that brain power down a notch or two. It also read as if Crouch was writing this book like it was a novelization of a movie yet to be made. I agree it was good fun, but not great.
You know, if I had been drinking while reading this book I bet I would have enjoyed it more. If I ever read anything else by this guy I will remember that. Thanks!
Fantastic slam on Dark Matter. It did the rounds on book tube as a great book. I found it to be vastly overrated tripe. Dumb with a capital D. Poor understanding of science. Poor understanding of storytelling. And basically a really poor version of Rick’n’Morty. It is sci-fi for people who don’t read sci-fi and I lost quite a lot of respect for people who rec’d it.
I've read 5 or 6 books by Blake Crouch I think. This may be lurking on my Kindle. Unfortunately I started with his Wayward Pines series which I LOVED, but so far his other books haven't lived up to them. He's quite entertaining though overall. Will stick this one on my list for when I'm reading Illinois (that's Chicago, right?). Great review 👍
Lol, this book definitely is a bit on the point with the "what might have been" beginning. Considering the contrived beginning and the basic characters, I'll probably skip this book. The plot sounds interesting, but I need some really good characters (not just the main character) to enjoy a book.
I totally understand your criticisms here, and even agree with some of them, but I didn't mind at all. I completely loved this book. It really worked for me! It is extremely difficult to find a book that gives me this level of excitement. I couldn't put it down! However I'm thinking you should read Recursion. It's slower and there's more "meat" to it. I didn't like it as much as Dark Matter, but you might like it better!
I actually did not intend to dump on this book as much as I did... I just couldn’t help myself! It is a fun book and a lot of people seem to love it. I will check out his newer book to see what it’s like.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I did a review of this book quite awhile back... over a year ago I think. I can't remember what I said about it lol. I should go back and watch that video and see! And I'll be very interested in what you have to say about Recursion if you read it. I thought Dark Matter was really well executed. I thought the writing was great, and Recursion came up a little short for me in comparison, but I still loved it. I think you would feel better about Recursion though!
Dracula's,and Serial Killers Uncut are the only Books I have read by Blake Crouch . They were ok. I will say Good,and entertaining, not Great. 👍 That's why I never picked this up. Good thing it isn't a long book. LoL . Ah the City I was born in... Chicago. No crime whatsoever. 🤣 Well the Cover is cool👍2 look at.😁 Loved the Video. 👍😁👍
I enjoyed this book. Glad you read it. Do you normally throw your books against the wall? LOL. BTW, pro tip, if you remove the cover jacket while you're reading, you could throw it against the wall, and then put the cover back on when you're done and we would never know. :)
This must be the first video on the Internet where someone is criticizing Dark Matter. I've made a terrible mistake of selecting this book when I was in mood for good sci-fi. Made it to about 25%, fell into a slump. It bored me to death. All I found was an average thriller with elements of family drama. Still haven't decided if I will continue it in the future, word says it has elements which *sound* interesting, but nothing in the execution of the first quarter makes me confident it is a decent execution.
I kept hearing great things about the ending but frankly I found it only okay. I did find a way to make it better though! Just add “ And then we are eaten by a dinosaur 🦖 “ . Much more satisfying ending.
This book was disappointing to me, you nailed it. I liked the premise even if it wasn't novel but the execution left so much to be desired. On the bright side, the audio was only 9 hours so I finished it quickly. Now I'm not sure if I will read anything else by Crouch, I had Wayward Pines and Recursion lined up but this turned me off so much. Coincidentally, I'm following up with a Stephen King book also. Different Seasons....Tolstoy indeed, lol.
I’d say those comments are pretty accurate. Nevertheless, I thought it was a “great” book because I found it so incredibly addictive... I never read books that fast. I mean, it’s not a great piece of literature, but I thought it was pretty great for the type of book it was-i.e., a really cool, fun, fast-paced thriller. If you haven’t already, you should listen to his novella Summer Frost... Available for free on Amazon Prime. I still think about that one.
FoxTV writing !! OMG. Sounds like it's worth skipping, unless I see it in the bargain bin 😉 What is with modern fiction writers and their prolific use of the one sentence paragraph ? Or has it always existed ? It just feels like a modern phenomenon.
Well, it could be that I was annoyed by what a selfish ass hat he was. He’s literally the worst protagonist ever. I actually give this book more credit than it deserves in this video. But then, just an opinion.
Thank You. I'm not the kinda guy who needs to tear things down - If I give a book my time I *want* it to be worth my time. HOWEVER, I do not suffer fools gladly and Sooooo many of the best reviewed SF of the past few years have been weak efforts wearing the King's New Clothes. Thank you for telling the good AND the Bad. It's so refreshing!
Whoa! Lord Michael takes down Blake Crouch! I don’t like that much white space in a book either. It seems to me like it’s a reflection of the amount of talent in a writer’s head. The more white the less talent OR the writer isn’t trying hard enough. Anyway, always fun when you play-act! Great video!
Me: Sees Dark Matter in Michael’s hands. Drops everything to watch. I absolutely loved this book! Then I watched your video and now I wonder if I hated it… LOL No I loved it, but…. Damn
Oh no, sorry! 😫 It was a fun book. I didn’t mean to dump on it as much as I did. I couldn’t help it! All Jason D’s dumbness was just too much! This guy walked all the way out into a freezing snow storm before realizing it was cold! He couldn’t tell that when he opened the door!? Ahhhh, I need to stop 🛑! Sorry! Thanks for watching anyway. I appreciate it!
I LOVE dark matter so much. I like that the sci fi is light and it’s quite thrilling (in my opinion) I agree that most characters in this book fall flat, but I still loved it haha
It’s a nice change of pace to hear Michael talk about a book in a way that does not make me want to go and buy the book right away.
I read dark matter so quickly. I never read a book so fast . I’m glad you read it .
So many people raved about this book, but I totally agree with your assessment. The characters are so one dimensional, especially so with the women. The ending is seriously anti climactic. That said, it’s a really entertaining read.
Read Bob Shaw's Two-Timers (1968) so you can see how there's too many similarities with the plot.
I finished Dark Matter recently and it honestly drove me nuts. I think Crouch thinks he's more clever than he actually is because, as a reader, I saw all the twists coming. I also feel like he wrote this specifically to get optioned for TV and then it did so good for him haha
You are charming and charismatic even when you don't really love something, it's a skill that can't be taught!
That is very kind of you to say! I bet there are some Blake Crouch fans who disagree though!
I remember reading Dark Matter one afternoon a few years ago and being entertained but frustrated, I gave the book away. What’s funny or not so funny is that I remembered nothing about it other than where I was when I read it. This video was spot on, maybe Crouch has improved since then but I haven’t given him a second shot. You had me laughing 👏🏼
I actually didn’t mean to be so hard on this book…but I just couldn’t help it!
"The world's dumbest genius." I thought this was about me for a second. 🤣 I talk briefly about a few books by Blake Crouch in my next video. This is one of the few videos I've seen from you where you drag a book through the mud. I like it! lol
I didn’t intend to drag it through the mud so much but I just couldn’t help myself. This book could have been a lot better.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 now I'm a little worried about the books I'm thinking of reading by him.
Another Bibliophile Reads suggested drinking while reading his books. That really might help.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 🍸
"Aw dudes, whatever" haha, that is an appropriate response. 😅 I think I will pass on this one. It was hard for me to make out if it was worth looking into or not when hearing other reviews, but I think this cleared some things up haha.
I enjoyed Dark Matter. Not great literature but it was a fun read!
I read this novel on my Kindle on a beach in Mexico. It only took me half a day. It was supposedly 359 pages, but with those short paragraphs it was more like 200 pages. It required no brain power which was good because there was beer and margaritas available on the beach to bring that brain power down a notch or two. It also read as if Crouch was writing this book like it was a novelization of a movie yet to be made. I agree it was good fun, but not great.
You know, if I had been drinking while reading this book I bet I would have enjoyed it more. If I ever read anything else by this guy I will remember that. Thanks!
Fantastic slam on Dark Matter. It did the rounds on book tube as a great book. I found it to be vastly overrated tripe. Dumb with a capital D. Poor understanding of science. Poor understanding of storytelling. And basically a really poor version of Rick’n’Morty.
It is sci-fi for people who don’t read sci-fi and I lost quite a lot of respect for people who rec’d it.
I've read 5 or 6 books by Blake Crouch I think. This may be lurking on my Kindle.
Unfortunately I started with his Wayward Pines series which I LOVED, but so far his other books haven't lived up to them. He's quite entertaining though overall. Will stick this one on my list for when I'm reading Illinois (that's Chicago, right?). Great review 👍
Lol, this book definitely is a bit on the point with the "what might have been" beginning. Considering the contrived beginning and the basic characters, I'll probably skip this book. The plot sounds interesting, but I need some really good characters (not just the main character) to enjoy a book.
I totally understand your criticisms here, and even agree with some of them, but I didn't mind at all. I completely loved this book. It really worked for me! It is extremely difficult to find a book that gives me this level of excitement. I couldn't put it down! However I'm thinking you should read Recursion. It's slower and there's more "meat" to it. I didn't like it as much as Dark Matter, but you might like it better!
I actually did not intend to dump on this book as much as I did... I just couldn’t help myself! It is a fun book and a lot of people seem to love it. I will check out his newer book to see what it’s like.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I did a review of this book quite awhile back... over a year ago I think. I can't remember what I said about it lol. I should go back and watch that video and see! And I'll be very interested in what you have to say about Recursion if you read it. I thought Dark Matter was really well executed. I thought the writing was great, and Recursion came up a little short for me in comparison, but I still loved it. I think you would feel better about Recursion though!
Dracula's,and Serial Killers Uncut are the only Books I have read by Blake Crouch . They were ok. I will say Good,and entertaining, not Great. 👍
That's why I never picked this up.
Good thing it isn't a long book.
LoL . Ah the City I was born in... Chicago. No crime whatsoever. 🤣
Well the Cover is cool👍2 look at.😁
Loved the Video. 👍😁👍
The cover is cool. It could be the best part.
I read it several years ago. It’s fun but mindless. I need to pick up Carrie. I haven’t read it since I was a teenager. And that was a LONG time ago.
Yeah, it’s been a long time for me too. I’m really enjoying it.
missing that key reverse Flash element
It would have been SO much better with Reverse Flash.
I enjoyed this book. Glad you read it. Do you normally throw your books against the wall? LOL. BTW, pro tip, if you remove the cover jacket while you're reading, you could throw it against the wall, and then put the cover back on when you're done and we would never know. :)
Thanks for the tip!
The sentence fragments did bug me too. So did Jason's bone-headed decisions.
It was a fun read. Like watching a popcorn movie where stuff happens and explosions go off.
Dang I am bummed you had mixed feelings about it, I can understand your criticism though!
This must be the first video on the Internet where someone is criticizing Dark Matter. I've made a terrible mistake of selecting this book when I was in mood for good sci-fi. Made it to about 25%, fell into a slump. It bored me to death. All I found was an average thriller with elements of family drama. Still haven't decided if I will continue it in the future, word says it has elements which *sound* interesting, but nothing in the execution of the first quarter makes me confident it is a decent execution.
I kept hearing great things about the ending but frankly I found it only okay. I did find a way to make it better though! Just add “ And then we are eaten by a dinosaur 🦖 “ . Much more satisfying ending.
Love your Daniella impression. Sounds like this one will be a pass for me. Thanks for the review!
My brilliant acting ability does come in handy.
This book was disappointing to me, you nailed it. I liked the premise even if it wasn't novel but the execution left so much to be desired. On the bright side, the audio was only 9 hours so I finished it quickly. Now I'm not sure if I will read anything else by Crouch, I had Wayward Pines and Recursion lined up but this turned me off so much. Coincidentally, I'm following up with a Stephen King book also. Different Seasons....Tolstoy indeed, lol.
I’d say those comments are pretty accurate. Nevertheless, I thought it was a “great” book because I found it so incredibly addictive... I never read books that fast. I mean, it’s not a great piece of literature, but I thought it was pretty great for the type of book it was-i.e., a really cool, fun, fast-paced thriller. If you haven’t already, you should listen to his novella Summer Frost... Available for free on Amazon Prime. I still think about that one.
Okay, Summer Frost. Thanks!
FoxTV writing !! OMG. Sounds like it's worth skipping, unless I see it in the bargain bin 😉 What is with modern fiction writers and their prolific use of the one sentence paragraph ? Or has it always existed ? It just feels like a modern phenomenon.
I don’t think you give this book enough credit for the inner dialogue that goes through Jason’s head and the wrenching emotion about 80-90 pages in.
Well, it could be that I was annoyed by what a selfish ass hat he was. He’s literally the worst protagonist ever. I actually give this book more credit than it deserves in this video. But then, just an opinion.
Thank You. I'm not the kinda guy who needs to tear things down - If I give a book my time I *want* it to be worth my time.
HOWEVER, I do not suffer fools gladly and Sooooo many of the best reviewed SF of the past few years have been weak efforts wearing the King's New Clothes. Thank you for telling the good AND the Bad. It's so refreshing!
Whoa! Lord Michael takes down Blake Crouch! I don’t like that much white space in a book either. It seems to me like it’s a reflection of the amount of talent in a writer’s head. The more white the less talent OR the writer isn’t trying hard enough. Anyway, always fun when you play-act! Great video!
I couldn't stomach the family sappy scene at the start not to mention the cliche morality of everything for family.
This is science fiction for funboy
You summed up my thoughts on this book perfectly. Complete nonsense, but very entertaining nonsense. I’ve certainly read worse thrillers.
I will definitely pass.... how you kept from flinging it is beyond me. One less thing for Wilkins to pick up and dispose of !
Wilkins does have plenty to do as it is!
Me: Sees Dark Matter in Michael’s hands. Drops everything to watch.
I absolutely loved this book! Then I watched your video and now I wonder if I hated it… LOL No I loved it, but…. Damn
🤣
Oh no, sorry! 😫 It was a fun book. I didn’t mean to dump on it as much as I did. I couldn’t help it! All Jason D’s dumbness was just too much! This guy walked all the way out into a freezing snow storm before realizing it was cold! He couldn’t tell that when he opened the door!? Ahhhh, I need to stop 🛑! Sorry! Thanks for watching anyway. I appreciate it!
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 lol i enjoyed your review!!
agree!!!!
I LOVE dark matter so much. I like that the sci fi is light and it’s quite thrilling (in my opinion) I agree that most characters in this book fall flat, but I still loved it haha
........i dunno why YT recommended your video to me.......... bad job..............