20 Best Sci Fi On Kindle Unlimited (2023 Updated)

I loved this book! It was good value and the content was compelling. I highly recommend this book to young readers. I only rated it four stars because it could have come faster. I waited pretty long for this book.

Other than that, this product was great!.

My 10 year daughter loves this series. Everybody she talks to, she recommends them. I’m looking forward to reading them to her 6 year old sister. Happy reading!

Christmas gift for my granddaughter who is addicted to this series

I love this book! It’s such a good book in the WoF series and by far my favourite. Borrowed the book from my friend and when I finshed I watned to buy it like that! I’d recommend this book to everyone that loves amazing series with twists and turns.

Definetly 5 stars for Turtle’s book!.

my favourite book this year wow so muh happens and so many questions are answered about the dragon prophecy! cricket is the best character and wowww that ending! darkstalker scares me but nightwing is sick.

I read this series of books with my 8 year old son every night. We both couldnt put the book down and we didn’t want the book to end. We can’t wait for Tui Sutherland next installment. Blurring the lines between good and evil.

Showing the different perspectives of each character. Violent but not gruesome. Caring but not soppy. Perfect for boys and girls who dream of making a difference in their world. Shows the importance of friends, you can’t choose your family and to never give up hope.

What an absolute mind binder! This book took me on a journey from point A to point B in a way I never saw coming. I have never been so invested in a story before. Filled with characters that absolutely jumped from the pages as their dreams, desires, fears and failures consumed me.

“Life is nothing how he expected it would be when he was young and living under the delusion that things could be controlled. Nothing ca be controlled. Only endured. ” I thought I knew what I was getting into when I began this book.

Now that I’ve finished it, I wonder how the heck this author did this to me. I definitely feel as if I’ve been tossed out into the universe, reeled back in, only to be tossed out again, repeatedly. While my brain feels like mush and I’m sure I’ll have a book hangover, I already want to jump into this world again and again.

This is a story that will captivate you from the first page to the last. I do not consider this a romance, although there is a wonderful romance that runs through a portion of this story, one that actually made my heart beat faster because of what these characters had to endure.

It’s actually one of the most beautiful tales of love I’ve ever read when you break the story down. I urge you to go in blind with nothing but the blurb to guide you. If sci-fi, super science stories are your thing, you definitely need to look into this one.

If sci-fi, super science, and a love that lasts through the ages is your thing, you need to one click immediately. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Crown Publishing.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay, I LOVE some Blake Crouch, I got hooked on him after reading either Dark Matter or the Pines series. This was a great story, based on the existence of time travel and what happens when we alter things when we do it.

It’s complete and utter delicious chaos. I feel like it had a lot of elements similar to Dark Matter but I’m okay with that, it was still good. It’s a great fiction read and I’m sure if this one is great for you, his other ones will be too!.

I wasn’t expecting this book to be one of my new favorites. I love oarado\ time travel movies like terminator, triangle, predestination, back to the future, deja vu, the butterfly effect, groundhog day, in the shadow of the moon, and the tv series DARK.

, so I was blown away to read this book. I’d describe it as closer to butterfly effect, than groundhog day. Enjoy.

Really??? R A Salvotore, you are going to leave us with that ending! It’s a good thing I waited until this part of Drizzt’s story was completely finished before starting to read it. I have Relentless waiting on my shelf ready to go.

Otherwise that cliffhanger would be unbearable.

Ive been reading R.A. Salvatore since 1989 and like a fine wine Mr. Salvatore has only gotten better, thanks for giving me a great read and great characters that will forever be a part of my life!

I’ve had a lot of downtime with my job recently and this book has filled that time perfectly. It’s a great novel furthering a story about characters I’ve literally grown up with since picking up the first one in 4th grade.

Midnight Sun (Twilight, #5) by Stephenie Meyer tells Edward Cullen’s side of the story of when he and Isabella “Bella” Swan meet. The tale is so much darker when told from Edward’s perspective and gives the reader more insight into the original story of Twilight (Twilight, #1).

Hang on to your seats Twihards because you’re in for the ride of your life! Who else was ecstatic when they heard that Stephenie Meyer had actually completed writing Midnight Sun and was actually publishing it last year? The news made my 2020 a little bit brighter among the pandemic.

And, how apropos was it that Edward’s version of the story was released at this time when his backstory directly correlates to what is going on in the world today. If you haven’t read the first or second installment of the series Twilight (Twilight, #1) and New Moon (Twilight, #2), or seen the movies, then I want to forewarn you that there are a couple of spoilers below.

As excited as I was about this book being published and released, I had a hard time getting into the storyline. It took me several chapters before I became invested into Edward’s version of events. By the time I got to where Edward takes Bella to meet his family the first time, I couldn’t read fast enough.

And, when I got to the meeting of the Cullens, James, Laurent, and Victoria, I was just beside myself because I kept getting interrupted. I kept telling my family to stop bothering me until I finished Midnight Sun.

I just couldn’t get enough of this book and the story. I would love to see Edward’s perspective of New Moon (Twilight, #2) since Edward is missing for a good chunk of the book. And, I desperately want to know what he and the rest of the Cullens were doing when they left Forks.

One can only hope that Stephenie Meyer writes this story. All in all, I gave Midnight Sun (Twilight, #5) four out of five stars because I did struggle with the story in the beginning. If you liked Midnight Sun, I recommend A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) by Deborah Harkness.

Midnight Sun (Twilight Saga) – by Stephenie Meyer (Hardcover).

Were the original books so negative and degrading towards Bella? Edward is a Narcissist in this – determined to make himself and everyone around him miserable, including the reader. Such a drag to pull yourself through this book.

He complains when Bella wears something he considers bulky and ugly, is controlling, manipulative, and constantly tells her she’s wrong, backwards, and messed up in the head. It’s truly an abusive mind game.

So sad and unhealthy if this is what we all loved as teenagers. I wanted to love this book and read it as a romance as the other reviewers did, but as an adult in 2021, the content of Midnight Sun perpetuates outdated norms that may influence our teenagers perception of what types of behaviors are acceptable in a relationship.

I get that this is meant to be a dark Vampire romance, but there are other ways to achieve this. Normalizing the objectification and degradation of Bella and minimizing her to someone who is constantly “wrong in the head” or “not wearing the right thing” is a completely confounding choice and just feels gross in 2021.

OK, not a huge Twi-hard but I enjoy it- though I always thought Bella was a bit boring for all the fuss made over her. I think my interest is mainly in the Cullen family and the Vampire & Wolf clans etc.

Carlisle is my fav character and would like to see a book written about him, how he adjusted to being a vampire, and his search for his family members etc. My issue with this book was that though interesting, it dwelt a little too long on Edward’s angst in regard to being with Bella & the ridiculous car chase scene towards the end which would have greatly ah, “annoyed” if I was involved in the accident they caused! I mean how many people are supposed to suffer (even if the injuries were mild) because of Bella & Edward, huh? I think Stephanie could have written that better and still made it suspenseful without them stealing cars and causing accidents etc.

in their rush to get to her in time- I mean aren’t they suppose to have super running speed so why then use a car ? Too ridiculous, otherwise I liked the book.

This book drew me into the lore within the first few chapters. The characters simply seemed to jump off the pages. From a grandfather who chases varmint from his gardens to siblings who like to drag each other into trouble (well, mostly one in particular), this book starts out as a completely normal story for middle-graders.

That’s one thing that Peterson instills very well in his stories: the absolutely ordinary in completely extraordinary, unique circumstances. It makes readers feel like they could just climb into the pages, or that the characters could just hop right out.

We soon learn about the absolutely worrisome corruption in the world that Tink, Janner, and Leeli are growing up in. Children and elderly alike are taken by something called the Black Carriage, never to be seen again, and groups of things called Fangs terrorize citizens.

With a mysterious map, a few dangerous encounters with these Fangs of Dang, a mysterious man ostracized to the forest, and some equally mysterious jewels to track down, this story grabs you and draws you in.

While the story is fantasy-laced, the children, especially Janner, learn great lessons about family, bravery, and responsibility that will be crucial to middle-grade readers (and perhaps some great reminders for adult readers as well).

It’s something that anyone of any age can enjoy, really. It’s a refreshing, original storyline that I loved. And the prose is absolutely a work of art in and of itself.

This is a beautiful book in so many ways. I forget that, sometimes. But it’s beautiful nonetheless. The characters. The story. Anniera itself. All of it is beautiful. And coming back to it with the new edition (and new illustrations!) is an absolute joy.

I’ve read this book quite a few times since I discovered the original version in 2012. Every time, I realize something new. This time, it’s how beautifully broken many of the characters are, especially the adult characters – and not just Peet.

Nia, Podo, Oskar – they’ve all lost so much, and even long after the loss, they’re still working every day to keep moving forward. To hold themselves together, even when some of their shattered edges are still sharp.

Frustrated as I get with Podo’s and even Nia’s attitude towards Peet, I can see it now for what it is, and it makes my heart hurt for all of them in the best way. Peet remains my favorite character, though I love all of them.

Granted, the reasons I love him mostly come from the later books, but I’m still very happy to meet him again here and get to experience his story again. As for the three main characters, Janner is and always will be my favorite of the siblings, probably because if he were real, and if I had known him when I was his age, I think we would have been friends.

But I found myself liking Tink a little more this go-round than I did when I first read the books. And, of course, Leeli is always delightful. I love her interactions with both Podo and Peet, but especially Podo.

There’s a special bond between a good grandfather and his young granddaughter, and that’s captured perfectly in these pages. Also, the footnotes! I love footnotes in books, if they’re handled well, and that love began with this book.

It hasn’t faded one bit, and even though many of the footnotes are humorous, I feel like they help build out the lore in a very unique way. All in all, a delightful book, no matter how many times you read it.

This book hooked from the first page. I told my husband that the writing reminded me of the Princess Bride (the book) with its footnotes and humor. That was just the first page. As the book progressed, I knew it was one that needed to be read to my kids.

My two older boys (tweens) had already read Narnia and Lord of the Rings. I knew they’d love this, too. And they did. Passionately. This book and the 4-book Saga as a whole, are in my personal top 5 books/series of all time.

In fact, both my husband and I stole the book from the “read aloud” area so we could devour it faster. The journey is a beautiful, amazing, captivating, and heart-rending story of love, courage, redemption, family, and hope.

I love the new hardcover editions. The pictures help the book feel less intimidating to my 5th grader who doesn’t typically pick up a “fat” (ie: regular-sized) novel on his own.

This book is perfect for young adults and adults alike, the classic fight of good against evil is depicted amazingly in this action packed story. The characters and their development as they find themselves in a world where being nice might get you killed really makes you wonder what you might do if you found yourself in that situation.

Even the nicest characters must turn into warriors, and I think their reactions to being thrown in such a dog eat dog world is very realistic considering they aren’t even 15. I questioned a lot about human nature reading this, and I fell in love with each of the characters throughout this book and the series until they felt like my real friends.

I happened by this book walking thru the aisles. Having never heard of it I was hestiant, but it sounded interesting so I decided to get it. I started reading it that night and couldn’t put it down. I bought the rest of the series a few days later!.

(Mild spoilers) I love this book. 10/10 would recommend. It’s like Lord of the Flies meets Under the Dome (or whatever it’s called) but with superpowered teenagers and kids. Just the right amount of romance/love.

It’s very appropriate. Seriously awesome. I love it. I the series ended differently than I thought it would with some very sad deaths but I think it’s the perfect ending. This book specifically is my favorite.

Sam temple is a great main character and the supporting characters are just as interesting and important.

I had read this years ago when I was a new Christain. Recently had an interesting conversation with a good friend and this came up. I ordered a set for her and this for myself. It beats Narnia in the sci-fi category.

A man named Ransom is kidnapped and taken to another planet (Venus) where he meets several gentle non-human races and an Eve who has not fallen from grace. In returning to earth, he ponders the idea that God’s grace and mercy is available to all sentient beings.

He is again taken to another planet (Mars), further working out his destiny and belief system. A trilogy to mull over. and over. Not an easy read but rewarding!.

Book is a comfortable size–not too bulky or heavy. The paper stock is good quality. The spine has held up to multiple foldings without breaking down and pages are well bound into the cover.

This would be one of my top ten lifetime books. This trilogy is eerie, tear-jerkingly beautiful, haunting, and far-sighted. C. S. Lewis is a master of both fiction and nonfiction. I’ll take this trilogy plus Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles, LOTR, Shakespeare, and a Bible to my desert island and feast for the remainder of my born days!.

Okay, so reviews said that this set came WITHOUT those ugly Netflix logos. That was a lie. Even worse is the fact that I can’t return the series just because it was shrink wrapped. That’s totally unfair.

Not everyone cares about the cover, but a lot of book enthusiasts do care about it. It should definitely be required to mention that the books have these unrecoverable stickers. So disappointing.

Loved the box set and the story line is AMAZING! Just a little disappointed in what I received in the mail. All three books have a front cover that is too short, it doesn’t meet up with the pages I’m not sure if this is supposed to be this way for easy flicking but I found it quite strange.

Other than that the case and covers art is all gorgeous!.

Love this series. Sometimes the fast pace was a bit much and I wished she would slow down to explore the characters a bit more but that’s my only complaint. Three cheers for the three men in Alinas life, all of them are compelling in their own ways.

And of course, Alina herself and all her friends are amazing too. Read this before SOC and King of Scars. xx.

I don’t like animal books or science fiction, yet Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot Escapes is endearing. It speaks to the humanity in all of us without preachiness or condescension. It is a story of family and community.

It’s hard to imagine that I’d love a science fiction title for young readers, but after reading the The Wild Robot, I had to know what happens to Roz. Brown does not disappoint in this sequel, and I hope the series will continue.

read the first book to my students 9/ 10 yrs wild robot and we were hooked. A great adventure that explores the values of truth trust and friendship and family. provoked lots of discussion. am reading the next instalment and we are all being transported along on a journey of exploring the ethical delemas that face humanity.

students want me to just keep reading.

After finishing reading The Wild Robot to my year 3 class they were very excited to read the Wild Robot Escapes. Roz, the main character , returns for more adventures with the animals on the farm as she plots to exscape.

A great book for demonstrating character strengths.

The authors keep the action going. Have characters with compelling motives – mostly. The time frame is off. It will likely be thousands of years -not hundreds- before we live in the regions they describe.

(We don’t live on the Earths poles, we don’t live on the Earths ocean Floor) Every story has flaws. There are no shape shifting aliens, no vampires, no unicorns, no mystic pretend’y manure. Good news there.

It is hard core Science Fiction. It relies on probable but undiscovered science.

I like Expanse because it repeatedly reminds me at how humans would/might behave when new opportunities arise. It took some time for setting the story background, but pretty fast a lot of interesting things were happening.

I liked the storylines of both new and old characters. This book is on the level of the first two, but maybe a bit below the third one. In general, the books are good but the TV series is – amazingly – better.

Not quite as exciting as the preceding entry but that one was an aberration. This pushes the story along well with fascinating sci fi entwining returning and new characters you’ll know and love plus some new ones you’ll love to hate.

Not short on its own excitement by any means.

New moon by Stephenie Meyer, a 547 page book of greatness. Once I had read the first twilight book, I knew the next one would only get better. From the start, the book had me attached. It is full of suspense and romance.

Edward and Bella’s love is anything but easy, but they somehow manage to work things out. As readers may already know, Edward is a vampire and Bella is just a normal human being. She finds herself having to go through several obstacles in order to be with her one true love.

The obstacles she had to face were not easy either, she got herself into a situation where shes dating a vampire lives off of blood, especially human blood, Bella is a human. The plot was so intense for me that my jaw dropped.

I couldn’t believe what was just about to happen. In order to find and experience what I experienced, you need to read the book, you won’t regret it. I personally love romantic story’s so if you are someone like me, I would totally recommend this book.

Not to mention the suspense that is also included. I give this book 5 stars for various reasons but mainly because it kept me wanting more and more. The ending left me in suspense so I am definitely going to go on to the next book.

I can’t even imagine what the next book has in store for us readers, I would recommend starting with the first book of the series though, that way you readers can actually understand everything.

Can’t stop reading! Thought it was an awfully large book, but I am flying through the pages it is such an interesting book. Has the best characters; you just want to be there with them.

New Moon is the Second book in the twilight series. New moon in a short summary is about a teenage girl who falls apart when her vampire boyfriend leaves her. Bella the protagonist in the story then confides in Jacob who is her friend.

After reading it i feel that this book is the odd book in the series. New moon is too much detail and not enough action in my opinion. there are things in this book that i liked and disliked. one of the things i liked is that in this book you get to discover a lot of the werewolves side of the story.

As well we get a lot of insight from Jacob Bella’s childhood friend when Edward temporarily leaves. Some things that i disliked were that the story is very strung out in the middle. it is very sluggish.

another thing that i constantly dislike in this series is that Bella is still vulnerable and the weakest person in the whole story. Overall i thought that new moon was disappointing compared to twilight.

there are also a few allusions brought up in the book one being Romeo and Juliet which i would’ve though Stephenie Meyer would have put in to emphasize the love and relationship between Bella and Edward.

another thing you have to put to mind is that Edward is in his hundreds and Bella is 17 who is worried about growing physically older than Edward. This shows that love dosen’t have a age. the final thing i have to say is that if your a big fan of the series you wont mind this book at all and that it has it’s high and lows but it’s still a great read.

“The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century”, by Istavan Hargittai, Oxford Univ. Press, NY 2006. ISBN 13 978-0-19-517845-6. HC 314/240 pages includes Preface, Contents, Intro.

, Appendix 12 pgs. , Notes 36 pgs. , Biblio. 6 pgs. , Chronologies 7 pgs. , Index 12 pgs. 9. 5″ x 6. 5″A cleverly devised treatise details five of the Worlds’ most notable theoretical physicists – all began as Jewish Hungarian citizens of Budapest who, in time, migrated to the U.

S. , toiled collectively and separately to develop strategic defense systems including the atomic hydrogen bombs, computers, modernized Airforce, and establishing or working at the AEC, NASA, JPL, Manhattan Project, Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, etc.

Convenient attribute of this writing is its apportionment into six chapters to reveal their progressive transition from early childhood into figures of greatness and thence onto their waning years. It reflects their family influences, societal environs, politico-economic conditions, scholastic opportunities, and acceptance into American cultural institutions as Princeton, Harvard, Berkeley, Caltech and the U.

S. military. The plethora of B W photographs contributes enormously to the book’s value as does appendix of “Sampler of Quotable Martians”. Perhaps most importantly are descriptors of personal interactions amongst the Martians themselves.

This book embraces exciting history, racism, psychological ploys of embattled nations bureaucracies, and the search for peace amidst glorious and sometimes inglorious purlieus. That the author is an acclaimed writer, recognized scientist, Professor of chemistry, authored several dozen books and is personally acquainted with and interviewed several of the ‘Martians’ is a plus.

Its a good read and the price is right.

The Martian is out of this world! Riveting and captivating, this one is sure to blow you away! It is perfect for those who love a slow burn of a novel with a high amount of realism and humor!This one was so good! I actually took my time reading it so I could savor it.

In the past I had found that after letting a book sit for a few days I had to look back at what I had previously read to refresh my memory. I did not find that I needed to do that with this one. The story was so memorable, that every time I picked it back up, I remembered everything from my last reading session, and was able to just sit and enjoy it!Andy Weir created a stunning story about hope and struggle.

Mark Watney, “space pirate,” was such a dynamic, strong character! He was brave, vulnerable, and full of ingenuity! He was highly intelligent, and full of humor and sarcasm!If you’ve seen the movie already (like me), you’ll have a good idea of how the plot goes, but the book went in to so much more detail than the movie did.

It broke down all the science. It delved deeper in to the emotional aspect of being the sole inhabitant of Mars. It offered more humor and “Macguyvering,” and it held more realism!The book started a tad slow for me, but it quickly picked up and had me fully invested in Watney, and the NASA crew’s life saving efforts.

Watney was the star! I mean, obviously, being the only person on the planet, he was kind of it for most of the book. But, not only did we get a play by play of life on Mars from Watney’s journal entries, we also got a third person view every so often when Watney did something that caused his almost death, and we got the points of view of the Hermes crew, and NASA.

I just loved every aspect of the story! The science was detailed enough to get my mind working, but simple enough to not deter me. The humor and sarcasm was through the roof, and was, by far, the best aspect of the story! Watney’s personality and intelligence shined throughout the entire book, and the courage of the crew of the Hermes was heart warming! The Martian was just so damn entertaining! 4.

5 stars.

The Martian is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who is the first to walk on Mars. After a sandstorm his crew had to leave him, assumed dead. He survived and the story is about how he survived. Mark is a botanist and mechanical engineer, so the only way he can think of to stay alive is through growing potatoes.

Why potatoes- Because it has 770 calories per kilo. So as we read along, he calculates and tries solving many problems that come into play. His dark sense of humour saves him at times. I read this book, because I have seen the movie and it was so good, I had to buy the book.

This was also my first time in reading a science fiction book. I must applaud Andy Weir, the way he writes this book, is just astounding. With his knowledge of being a software engineer, his maths and physics, scientifically woven into this story, you would think this would be so believable.

His plot twists in this book is superb which you don’t see coming. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the engineering industry who like to know how things work, readers who like space, sci fi fans (and apparently Andy Weir is a Doctor Who fan and has seen all the episodes).

Word of warning, since it does have dark humour in this book, there is a bit of swearing and crass language, but not overbearing.

This novel is your classic superhero vs villain story. After total anarchy and a breakdown of society, superheroes rise up and restored peace and authority back to the world. They established their own society and headquarters and watch over the world from villains.

Nova is a villain. And she HATES the heroes. Related to one of the worst villains in their history, Nova wants revenge and she infiltrates the hero’s headquarters pretending to be one of them as she tries to take them down from the inside out.

I think the unique thing about this novel is that we have the villain’s point of view as well as a hero’s point of view. The conflicting perspectives give a lot of insight into the world-building and politics of this universe.

This novel is intriguing it’s an original spin on a classic trope. My favourite thing about this novel is that even though the villain is clearly wrong, her motivations are almost agreeable, it’s just her reasoning and methods that are questionable.

The same thing can be said in vice versa for the heroes. Morality is balanced on a thin line and there are a lot of blurred lines between what is right and what is wrong. This complexity makes this novel extremely enjoyable and exciting to read.

Highly recommended!.

My 11 year old grandson selected this book – and completed it within four days. He said the characters were interesting and believable. He took it to school to share with his fifth grade class! He quickly read through the other two books in the series.

He highly recommends this series for an avid reader.

This book is absolutely amazing. It has great characters and awesome development, plus great world building. It’s perfect if you’re looking for something like Marvel or DC. I love this book 🙂

My son is flying through these books. It’s a good sign when a 10 year old can’t put down a book. I even purchased some audiobooks because he wants to listen to them when we are on the road.

The grandchildren are tearing through these. Can’t get enough of them. So excited for new one coming out in 2 weeks!

My 4th grade son is crazy about this whole series! I’m so glad I was able to order the last 3 books in the series (so far), especially with the schools and libraries closed.

THIS BOOK!!! I think most of us love a good Nicholas Sparks book, but this wasn’t the usual I was expecting. It’s romantic, it’s thrilling, it’s dramatic. It pulls so many emotions and you cannot put it down! This is definitely a book for a wide range of readers and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat!.

I love Nicholas sparks! There are so many books to choose from and they never disappoint. If you enjoy romance give one of his books a try!

Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors and this is definitely one of my new favorite books by him!! This book has his traditional love story aspect but with more of a mystery/thriller aspect as well.

The combination of these two aspects made it absolutely impossible for me to put this book down!! This book is filled with all kinds of twists and turns that you will never see coming!!.

Is there anyone more creative and creepy? Stephen King is both fascinating and scary at the same time. Yet his talent is truly incredible, as I’ve read most of his books. The Institute is among his newer ones, and he has not lost his touch one bit.

This one is a horror story, that even with telepathy and telekinesis, could be plausible. There’s a lot our government and others do, that if we knew, we probably would lose our collective minds. This isn’t so much a horror story that makes you jump, but it is rather scary, when you are one of the characters in here.

King is able to get you to do this, and this book involves kids at a top secret facility. As a New Englander also, King delivers narcissistic and brain washes characters, whom really could exist with a sadistic streak.

The descriptions in here clearly paint a picture. This is a greatly underrated book, as it has exceptional character development, along with a genuine emotional connection. That’s a rare combination, but he does it with this one, that does make you consider the impossible.

Maybe it’s not.

I love the King-dom! I felt the same way after finishing this book as I did the first time I read ‘Carrie’; I need to read every book Stephen King ever writes. After being kidnapped in the middle of the night, Luke awakens in a bedroom that’s almost identical to his own.

He’s in the Front Half of the Institute and that’s where his nightmare really begins. I was always going to adore Luke. He’s beyond genius level smart but he’s also a wonderful friend and someone I’d enjoy talking with, plus he’s an avid reader.

Fortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it), Luke’s not alone in Front Half. There are a revolving door of kids and the core group of these become somewhat of a found family (I love found family stories!), supporting one another as they attempt to navigate their bizarre new reality.

I’m always ready to cheer on a group of people who are railing against injustice. The fact that this group were kids with telekinetic or telepathic abilities who had been kidnapped and experimented on only served to add more oomph to my armchair cheerleading.

I loved to hate most of the Institute’s staff, with the exception of Maureen. It’s easy to despise anyone even tangentially involved in harming children. However, it always amazes me that Stephen King can add greys to what I know to only exist in black and white.

While I was appalled at their treatment of the children under the “care”, I was intrigued by the psychology that had to play out within the individual staff members; what was it about them that made them behave the way they did?? What unknown overarching purpose of the Institute could possibly warrant them believing the methods they used were anything close to approximating okay? I could almost see Mulder and Scully in the periphery of this book.

This investigation would be right up their alley. I can’t wait for my next King fix! Content warnings are included in my Goodreads review.

King is a great storyteller, no doubt, and the book held my attention for the most part. Luke Ellis is one of possibly hundreds, maybe even thousands of children who has been kidnapped because of his telekinetic ability.

He is taken to The Institute, where experiments that can only be called torturous are carried out, supposedly for the greater good in preventing worldwide catastrophes. The experiments carried out in the Institute are reminiscent of the experiments done on human guinea pigs in German Concentration camps and even in the United States on the mentally disabled.

The descriptions of what the children experience in the Institute is disturbing. King once again reminds us of the inhumanity humans often perpetrate on other humans, especially those who are the most powerless to defend themselves.

The main problem with the novel is that, having read most of King’s other works, I can’t help but compare this work to his others, and The Institute just doesn’t live up to The Stand, The Shining, 11/22/63, just to name a few.

Let me start off by saying that this book is one of the greatest books I’ve read this year. I’ve seen Dark Matter floating around the book community for quite some time and although I’m not an avid Sci-Fi reader, I’m thanking past myself for picking this up.

This book has changed my perspective on time, dimensions and life itself. Dark Matter is incredibly gripping and a complete and total mind twist. Throughout the few hours it took me to devour this, I think my brain farted at least 3,000 times.

Reading this book made me take a step back and allowed myself to ask the same question Jason was asked, “Are you happy in your life?” And if that life was ripped away from you, what would be willing to do to get that back? Would you break laws of physics and life as we know it, travel through dimensions? Would you change your life? Or find a way to make it back to where you left off? My heart was pounding with every page and I needed to know the outcome of this story like I need air to breathe.

I cannot express my recommendation for this book enough. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure this is the book you pick up next.

‘Dark Matter’ turned out to live up to all the hype I’ve been hearing. Although I was starting to doubt the great reviews I’d read because it takes half of the novel for things to get heated up, but when they do, it takes off in a fiery blast.

The protagonist, Jason, was the type of character that took me a while to warm up to. I guess because he flailed about so much. Reacting to the bizarre. But what else could he do? There was so much of it thrown at him in the first half that we didn’t get to know him.

It wasn’t until his strength and hope started to get tested (along with his sanity) that I started to connect with him. Amanda, fellow traveler, I felt could have been more poignant to the story – she added some psychologist wisdom as to the psyche and the multiverse, and even about the impact of facing infinity.

I feel there was a missed opportunity to drive home a point at the heart of this novel – fear, inevitability and infinitesimally small nature of things. Mind blown. Instead she felt more or less like a non-event.

With enjoying her take on the situation I wanted more of her in the story than we got. Jason’s wife and son really make the narrative with their added perspective. And it’s needed because this novel gets hella cray-cray.

You’ll understand when you read it. ‘Dark Matter’ got waaay better after the half way mark, as I mentioned earlier, getting to know Jason, and setting up the premise of the science behind ‘Dark Matter’ takes a while.

But once you get past that hump it is extremely engaging – I stayed up late to finish it. The tension and pacing were expertly crafted. I had difficulty with any predictions on how it was going to turn out- the nature of the science and the bleak tone of the novel just leaves you with a feeling of despondency.

Why? And it’s a marvelous experience to be kept on the edge of your seat. Bravo Blake Crouch!.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch: A Book Review By Marc D. Goldfinger Crown Publishers, an Imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. What might have been and what has been point to one end, which is always present.

Footfalls echo in the memory Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened. —T. S. Eliot from Burnt Norton Jason Desson is sitting at the dinner table with the family he loves very much.

His son is fifteen and his name is Charlie. His beautiful wife is named Daniela and she watches him with her dark Spanish eyes. Jason loves his life and cant imagine anything different. He teaches at Lakemont College, a class in physics, and he enjoys that too.

He could have been so much more if he had gone into the private experimental sector but he made a choice and doesnt regret it. Well, maybe sometimes he does have a twinge of regret. His wife was on the fast track in the art world and she gave all that up to raise a family and become a teacher too.

The paths we choose change everything about our lives. Then there is Ryan Holder, Jasons friend and former colleague, who just won the Pavia Prize for identifying the pre -frontal cortex as a consciousness generator.

Jason is at the celebration,where Ryan gives him a hard time because he thinks that Jason could have won the prize if he hadnt gone into teaching. Jason, who feels quite lucky to be married to Daniela with a wonderful son, fills with anger and leaves the celebration.

And that is when the change begins. Its one thing to be kidnapped for ransom. But it is quite another thing to be kidnapped and sent to another world where your life is totally different and you become the award winning physicist, but lose your wife and family.

Suddenly you are rich and famous, but alone and miserable, and not to mention scared to death about what just seemed to happen to your life. It also raises the question of who has taken your place in the world you came from and how did that happen? Advantageyou have all the tools to get back to your real life, but you lack the skill to use the tools.

There is a Black Box, which gives you options of doors you can go through to find your correct life. But you dont know the rules for choosing the correct door, and there are myriad doors to choose from.

How do you find the world you want to get back to and who did this to you? Was it the man who took your place in the world you were taken out of? That man is you, in your old world, yet he is not you.

He is a pretender who is now sleeping with your wife. You are now him, in another reality, yet you really are not him. In the world you are now in you are the owner of Velocity Laboratories and you are rich and powerful, yet you cant seem to get back home to your wife and depose the usurper.

Who is the real Jason Desson? How many Jason Dessons are there? When Jason Desson goes into the Black Box that he created at Velocity Laboratories which allows him to visit myriad alternate realities, how will he discover the world he wants to re-enter? And he has a limit on the number of tries he can make to go home.

Whose place are you taking and who took your place? How do you use the Black Box? How do you choose the reality that will take you home? These are the questions facing Jason Desson in Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

This book is dynamic and unbelievable yet, could it happen? It grabs your attention from the very beginning and takes you along on Jasons travels and discoveries. A futuristic detective story/science fiction mix, Dark Matter is an exciting adventure about an unusual situation.

It will definitely keep you interested and entertained, from first page to last.

Renegades will hook you in from the first chapter. Heros and villains, right and wrong. This story exposes that even superheros have flaws, and villains have good intentions. As an advocate for all things good, I found myself torn between rooting for the anarchists and the renegades.

A jaw dropping story that left me breathless and unnerved.

Absolutely fell in love with this series! A one sided enemies to lovers trope that is frankly adorable, you won’t regret reading this series!

Picked this book up because I loved Lunar Chronicles and Heartless. At first this book was slow and s o sometimes hard to follow but once it got going it ran and I couldn’t put it down. So many twists and turns.

Can’t wait for the sequal.

This book is physically beautiful. The illustrations in the front and back covers really give you a sense of the setting – this gargantuan, otherworldly school of magic. While you may be tempted to read with preconceptions based on Harry Potter, please don’t.

There really aren’t a lot of similarities and (even as a diehard HP fan), I think this is a real strength of the book. The logistics around how magic works are well explained and interesting. The protagonist is clever, angsty, and altogether likable.

The supporting characters felt a little less formed to me, but consistent nonetheless. The heavy, torturous atmosphere of the school itself is really interesting. I don’t think I’ll lose any sleep wishing I got admission to attend the school, but I am definitely looking forward to sinking further into this universe in the second and third book! TLDR; if you’re into YA magic books and strong pig-headed protagonists, pick this up!.

Naomi Novik has always been an excellent writer. “A Deadly Education” and it’s sequel have very atypical but very interesting characters. The higher education systems for magic users in her world differs greatly from Hogwarts.

Its sink or swim with great white sharks and devil take the hindmost. It is one of those reads where you fear to stop reading. I initially bought the book in the audio format and couldn’t take my earbuds out.

Having an autographed hardback became one of my must haves and both my daughters agree.

A Deadly Education follows El Higgins, a girl in her second last year of magic school if you could call it that. The school is a harsh environment where one misstep can lead to your demise. When the monsters that haunt the halls start becoming even more aggressive, El is struggling to survive against the odds.

I found the pacing a little odd, I often wasn’t sure where the plot was leading, or the importance of certain scenes. The action scenes in particular were confusing to follow. However, Novik makes up for this with the main character’s witty and sarcastic personality.

Since it is written in first person, you get to see all of El’s commentary on events in the book and it is a joy to read. A Deadly Education is a surprisingly heartwarming story about friendship and opening yourself up to others.

I adored the characters and I look forward to the sequel.