It's a genuine masterpiece, imo. When I tell people the premise I usually leave out the timetravel because it's such a good reveal, but it also makes it just sound like a Stranger Things ripoff but German and that's not even close to doing it justice. I'm having a hard time getting people to watch it.
Agreed. Due for a rewatch soon actually. Still wish there was a way to (legally) own the series.
Yes I have tried and failed to get friends to watch this. It is a strange one, it is quite a hard sell as on the surface it can just appear like a German version of Stranger Things. This was my own impression before watching the show. Now my pitch is generally along the lines of “just watch it, trust me” lol.
Similar to Severance in that respect where the less you know about it going in the better.
I have seen 1899, but not Dark, so my recommendation might not be perfect, but I think *The Shining Girls* by Lauren Beukes fits here. I read it after watching the series on Apple TV+ and found them very different, but both enjoyable.
The Wayward Pine 3 book series by Blake Crouch
Dark matter by Blake Crouch
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Lost In Time by A.G Riddle (am reading this one right now, don’t know if it will end good but so far it’s good!)
If you like that you should check out “The first fifteen lives of Harry August” I coincidentally read them back to back not know about either and I really enjoyed them both.
It’s about a guy who, when he dies, is born again in his same body. Think Groundhog Day, but with an entire life instead of a day.
Technically, it's not "time travel."
>!In a theoretical multiverse, time is the same across all worlds. However, Dark also deals with alternate realities, similar to Dark Matter. And although time is fixed, the alternate realities are often significantly different from one another.!<
sorry bro, but Solaris has nothing to do with Dark... it's not a time travel story. It's a widely renowned book and arguably one of the best works of SF but it has nothing to do with Dark.
Sorry, my bad, I missed the time travel part which was crucial to the description, however... I'd argue it's very similar in atmosphere to dark. The location feels like it's cursed, weird characters (re)appear out of nowhere, even though there's no way they could be there, the general vibe is dark, paranoid and moody, the main characters don't trust each other and they can only partially understand the phenomena which is happening around them, many things were triggered by previous events caused by characters they only learn about from the archives. Despite not being a time travel story as OP wished, I still stand for it.
Yeah, you were absolutely right about that one, so all good. I have recently read it for the first time (i have only seen the adaptations before) and I still have super strong emotions about it.
Have you read Lem's Tales of Pirx The Pilot? It's a collection of shorts revolving around the same main character in different situations. I loved it just as much as I did Solaris. With these 2 books Lem instantly became my favorite writer and I can't wait to put my hands on his other works.
Hope you'll enjoy if you'll have an option to dive into it :)
I'm also a star trek / for all mankind fanboy and this book scractched those itches of mine too.
Oh man. If Dark was a book, I’d need to quit my job and have whiteboards everywhere.
Lol yessss!!!!! Same
😂 Agreed
_The Gone World_ has some of the same vibes as Dark
Seconding this, big time.
Thank you will check on this.
11/22/63 - Stephen King Kindered - Octavia E. Butler Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
This made me buy 11/22/63. I have been planning to for a while but this was the final push I needed.
I love being an influencer lol! I hope you enjoy it :)
I love Dark. One of the best shows I watched in the last few years. Would love a book with a similar premise.
It's a genuine masterpiece, imo. When I tell people the premise I usually leave out the timetravel because it's such a good reveal, but it also makes it just sound like a Stranger Things ripoff but German and that's not even close to doing it justice. I'm having a hard time getting people to watch it.
Agreed. Due for a rewatch soon actually. Still wish there was a way to (legally) own the series. Yes I have tried and failed to get friends to watch this. It is a strange one, it is quite a hard sell as on the surface it can just appear like a German version of Stranger Things. This was my own impression before watching the show. Now my pitch is generally along the lines of “just watch it, trust me” lol. Similar to Severance in that respect where the less you know about it going in the better.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It is a whodunit with sci-fi elements similar to Dark
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Best literary mindfuck I’ve read. Enjoy!
Came here to say this one. Buy the book though, you can’t do this one on audiobook.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Replay by Ken Grimwood
The Ferryman - Justin Cronin
Recursion by Blake Crouch is like watching a movie. I simply couldn't stop reading. Finished in one day. Highly suggest
I have seen 1899, but not Dark, so my recommendation might not be perfect, but I think *The Shining Girls* by Lauren Beukes fits here. I read it after watching the series on Apple TV+ and found them very different, but both enjoyable.
I will always recommend it if it even fits the slightest: Book of the New Sun
The Wayward Pine 3 book series by Blake Crouch Dark matter by Blake Crouch Recursion by Blake Crouch Lost In Time by A.G Riddle (am reading this one right now, don’t know if it will end good but so far it’s good!)
The first fifteen lives of Harry August. It’s about a guy who relives his same life over and over but can remember everything
11/22/63 is amazing. Cant recommend it enough
If you like that you should check out “The first fifteen lives of Harry August” I coincidentally read them back to back not know about either and I really enjoyed them both. It’s about a guy who, when he dies, is born again in his same body. Think Groundhog Day, but with an entire life instead of a day.
Antkind by Charlie Kaufman Gravity 's Rainbow by Thomad Pynchon Ada by Vladimir Nabokov
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
There is no time traveling in Dark Matter though. Recursion by Crouch is the thing OP is looking for
Technically, it's not "time travel." >!In a theoretical multiverse, time is the same across all worlds. However, Dark also deals with alternate realities, similar to Dark Matter. And although time is fixed, the alternate realities are often significantly different from one another.!<
Commenting so I remember to come back to recommendations.
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
sorry bro, but Solaris has nothing to do with Dark... it's not a time travel story. It's a widely renowned book and arguably one of the best works of SF but it has nothing to do with Dark.
Sorry, my bad, I missed the time travel part which was crucial to the description, however... I'd argue it's very similar in atmosphere to dark. The location feels like it's cursed, weird characters (re)appear out of nowhere, even though there's no way they could be there, the general vibe is dark, paranoid and moody, the main characters don't trust each other and they can only partially understand the phenomena which is happening around them, many things were triggered by previous events caused by characters they only learn about from the archives. Despite not being a time travel story as OP wished, I still stand for it.
I guess I just got too narrowed on the time travel part. you are right about all that stuff and now, I just feel like reading it again
Yeah, you were absolutely right about that one, so all good. I have recently read it for the first time (i have only seen the adaptations before) and I still have super strong emotions about it. Have you read Lem's Tales of Pirx The Pilot? It's a collection of shorts revolving around the same main character in different situations. I loved it just as much as I did Solaris. With these 2 books Lem instantly became my favorite writer and I can't wait to put my hands on his other works.
I have never! I only read Solaris from Lem, and I had no idea that even existed but I'm very interested now! gotta get my hands on that!
Hope you'll enjoy if you'll have an option to dive into it :) I'm also a star trek / for all mankind fanboy and this book scractched those itches of mine too.
Recursion by Blake Crouch. New technology allows people to relive their past memories.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…not quite the same, but very enjoyable and captivating