Top 16 Books Like Dark Matter Updated 04 /2024

Dark Matter

Blake Crouch

Those who've read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch are probably walking around with a look that's equal parts contemplative introspection and paralyzing paranoia. Likely Crouch readers can be identified by their haunted expressions. This is peak Crouch: cleverly imagined, dizzyingly plotted, and thrillingly told, Dark Matter tells the story of a scientist who chooses love and family over scientific immortality and major awards.

The only question now is what to read next, after Crouch has shattered your belief in everything you thought made you who you are. Here are five more spine-tingling, adrenaline-pumping, and sci-fi-infused reads for your consideration.

Pines (Wayward Pines #1)

Blake Crouch

Retrace your steps: The Wayward Pines series, which was briefly adapted into a television series, made Crouch a household name. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke wakes up in the strange town of Wayward Pines, where everything seems just a little bit...off, to find himself in the same hospital as Dark Matter. Burke's investigations keep leading nowhere, and his attempts to get in touch with the outside world keep running into roadblocks. This series has a lot more surprises in store for you, even if you're only halfway through the first book.

Brilliance

Marcus Sakey

Astonishment, by Marcus Sakey

Fewer than 1% of the population in Sakey's universe consists of Brilliants—people with extraordinary mental or physical abilities. Some Brilliants abuse their gifts for their own gain, resulting in social unrest. The story revolves around Nick Cooper, a Brilliant tasked with tracking down and eliminating terrorists. Readers will be left with that "Crouch feel"—the sense that the world around them can no longer be trusted—as the story takes unexpected turns.

The Breach

Patrick Lee

There are inter-dimensional holes in reality, gruesome events, and apocalyptic possibilities in Lee's best-selling thriller. In the Alaskan wilderness, Travis Chase finds a crashed plane full of soldiers and high-ranking government officials. The Breach, a rift in space/time that has been "leaking" incredibly advanced technology for decades, soon brings Chase into a world that has been turned upside down by The Breach. It provides a wide range of gadgets, some of which appear to have no effect, while others have horrifying consequences. What follows is a mind-boggling journey that keeps getting better and better at introducing these gadgets in surprising ways. Those of you who loved Dark Matter but thought it lacked a little more crazy sci-fi technology should check out The Breach instead.

The Fold: A Novel

Peter Clines

There are inter-dimensional holes in reality, gruesome events, and apocalyptic possibilities in Lee's best-selling thriller. After finding a crashed plane in the Alaskan wilderness, Travis Chase learns that it was carrying military personnel and government officials of the highest rank. As a result, Chase is soon drafted into a world that has been turned upside down by a rift in space/time known as The Breach, which has been "leaking" incredibly advanced technology for many decades. When it comes to devices, some do nothing; others are ghastly; and a few—especially the most powerful ones—are often misused. When these devices are introduced in unexpected ways, the mind-boggling adventure that ensues is mind-boggling. After reading Dark Matter, you may have wondered if the sci-fi universe needed a little more craziness.

The Boys of Summer: A Novel

Richard Cox

When it comes to Cox's latest novel, you'll want to burst at the seams with anticipation as the mystery builds and builds and builds. After reading the book, you'll be left with a seed planted in your mind that will continue to grow even after you've put it down. Four young boys' lives are forever altered when a deadly tornado strikes the small town of Wichita Falls. It is in 2008 that the now-grown men return to the town to confront their childhood crimes and face down the reason they have all experienced flashes of other reality. If you read this immediately after Dark Matter, you may develop a condition called "Permanent Freak Out," according to scientists.

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

This mission is Ryland Grace's last chance to save humanity and the Earth. If he fails, both will be extinguished.

Except that he is blissfully unaware of this at the moment. Not only does he not know what he's supposed to be doing, but he can't even remember his own name.

He only has the vaguest recollection of having fallen asleep for an extremely long time. Only two dead bodies can be found to company him after he's been awakened, and he's millions of miles away from home.

His crewmates are dead, and his memories are hazy, so he realizes that he now faces an impossible task. To save our species, he's on his own in a tiny ship that's been assembled by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the voids of space.

He may even have a chance thanks to an unexpected ally.

In the vein of The Martian, Project Hail Mary is a sci-fi thriller that takes us to places we've never been before, all the while keeping us guessing.

The Martian

Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney made history six days ago when he became the first person to walk on Mars.

That makes him the first person to die there, he's sure.

He finds himself stranded in the middle of a dust storm with no means of communication with Earth and no supplies to last him long enough for help to arrive. Even if he could get the word out, his supplies would be gone long before help could arrive.

He may not have enough time to starve to death, but that is unlikely. Most likely, he will be killed by faulty equipment, an unforgiving environment, or just plain "human error."

Mark, on the other hand, isn't quite ready to give up just yet. To overcome each obstacle, he relies on ingenuity, engineering prowess, and a relentless refusal to give up. It's hard to tell if he'll be able to overcome impossible odds.

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