Dark Matter (Movie Tie-In): A Novel

Probably the worst book I've read in years. The voice acting and writing are terrible. The author rehashes ideas that are better handled by dozens of other works. He writes in the first person present without any reason or understanding of the literary function of that mode. The plot is obvious self-gratification power fantasy. It's devoid of imagination. This novel screams the words "first draft".

The narrator has a bit of Christian Bail Batman in his voice, something that is distracting at times. However, the most unappealing thing about the narrator is when he does female voices. The overall story is good. It is a combination of many well known stories. It's a Wonderful Life, The Time Machine, etc. The main driving force of the book is a husband's love for his wife and family. However, the reader/listener isn't given evidence to where this love comes from, other than the cliche, shallow stereotypes. In contrast, a secondary interaction the protagonist has with another woman is far more interesting and engaging. The ending is painfully predictable (and I wasn't trying to figure it out), but the absolute ending is very weak and shallow.

Interesting concept, but the plot was full of holes (e.g. Why didn't Leyton just simply tell him right away what was going on?), the multiverse travels got a bit tedious, and the whole "love story" thread and "sexytime" scenes were a bit overcooked. And the ending could have gone several other more compelling ways, e.g. bringing his friend back into the action to help save the day. Amazing narrator (best ever), is the only reason for the 4th star.