Blake Crouch

[susiebw]

I'm in the middle of Upgrade right now, so I'm not ready to discuss, but I'm a fan of Blake Crouch generally, and was wondering if others had read anything else by him and had any thoughts to share.

My take - Sometimes I like to read horror, even though I mostly read at night and it often keeps me up.  But Crouch's brand of horror is so graphic and realistic it's often too much.  When I read the Desert Places series, there were times when I found myself literally shaking with fear.  He's intense to say the least.  But even with it sometimes being a bit much, I love to read him.  I also really love to read mind-twisting sci-fi, and I think that's where he really excels.  Sometimes the science is over my head, so it's hard for me to say whether a book is "well-researched" or not, but it sure feels that way.  Dark Matter is one of my favorite books ever.

It's interesting to me that he writes these two very different genres and writes them both so well.

[estrellita]

I love his books. I've read Recursion and Dark Matter, plus listened to his exclusive audiobook (the name is escaping me now - it's about AI). He does such a great job with the "what if" game and making it feel so realistic and probable. I agree the science is over my head and I have no clue if these things are possible, but he explains it in a way that it seems like it is. I love the bigger picture "lesson" in the stories about "we could do this, but SHOULD we?"

[charlatti]

I didn’t realize he wrote horror —I’ve only read his sci fi stuff, which I really enjoy. I like how his books are fast paced without ever feeling like brain candy. Definitely seem probable, sometimes worryingly so! I just requested Desert Places, so I guess I’ll plan to be scared!

[laterz]

Yes! I just read the Wayward Pines series and loved it. I also loved Dark Matter and Recursion.

[susiebw]

Oct 28, 2022 10:54:22 GMT -5 charlatti said:

I didn’t realize he wrote horror —I’ve only read his sci fi stuff, which I really enjoy. I like how his books are fast paced without ever feeling like brain candy. Definitely seem probable, sometimes worryingly so! I just requested Desert Places, so I guess I’ll plan to be scared!

Wayward Pines is a great start with his horror stuff.  The first book is pretty chill, and then it gets more intense as the series goes on, and also works some sci fi elements in.

[charlatti]

Oct 28, 2022 12:37:10 GMT -5 susiebw said:

Oct 28, 2022 10:54:22 GMT -5 charlatti said:

I didn’t realize he wrote horror —I’ve only read his sci fi stuff, which I really enjoy. I like how his books are fast paced without ever feeling like brain candy. Definitely seem probable, sometimes worryingly so! I just requested Desert Places, so I guess I’ll plan to be scared!

Wayward Pines is a great start with his horror stuff.  The first book is pretty chill, and then it gets more intense as the series goes on, and also works some sci fi elements in.

I have read that series but I didn’t really think of it as horror. Definitely creepy moments!

[susiebw]

Oct 28, 2022 15:04:46 GMT -5 charlatti said:

Oct 28, 2022 12:37:10 GMT -5 susiebw said:

Wayward Pines is a great start with his horror stuff.  The first book is pretty chill, and then it gets more intense as the series goes on, and also works some sci fi elements in.

I have read that series but I didn’t really think of it as horror. Definitely creepy moments!

Yeah, I guess that's why I feel like it would be a good intro to his style - it's not as in-your-face as something like Run or Desert Places, but still hints at his horror style.

I finished Upgrade last night, and would love to discuss if that's happening!