Well-written and incredibly fast-paced, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch packs a punch. This sci-fi thriller will get readers’ attention with its non-stop action, original plot, and poignant love story. Crouch crafts an adrenaline-packed world where every choice matters — and the technology is both wondrous and terrifying. The science fiction genre can often be confusing and seem overly technical to the casual reader, but Crouch explains terms and ideas skillfully and with good clarity. Dark Matter is filled with frequent twists and turns, and half the fun in reading the book is trying to figure out what will happen next. The novel’s main character had a surprising depth and likability to him. With an equally satisfying ending, Dark Matter provides a memorable ride.
Review of an Advance Reader’s Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 23 religious exclamations; 16 mild obscenities; 3 religious profanities; 1 derogatory names; 15 scatological words; 10 anatomical terms; 2 offensive hand gestures; 33 f-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: Several implied occurrences of violence including kidnapping, a character contemplating murder and verbal threats; secondhand reports of violence including murder and physical violence; several brief scenes of violence involving gunshots, pistol whippings, severed fingers and attempted murder; a few non-detailed scenes of violent death including a car accident and gunshots; a brief scene of blood and gore from descriptions of a gunshot wound; a few brief scenes of intense violence including gunshots and stabbings.
Sex/Nudity: Multiple incidents of kissing; a few non-sexual depictions of nudity when a character is forced to undress and change clothes; a few sexual references including used contraceptives and fear of sexual assault; a brief scene involving touching and caressing; a few incidents of reported sexual activity; a few brief scenes of sexual activity without explicit details between adults.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death by starvation, disease, murder, postpartum depression, drug and alcohol use, terminal illness, smoking.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A few scenes take place at a bar; characters frequently inject themselves with drugs; characters drink wine on occasion; character drinks a whole pint of liquor; characters are drunk; a man is drugged; characters smoke weed; a man smokes a cigarette; a character’s past drug use is mentioned.
