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Dissolution
In this staggeringly mind-bending speculative thriller for fans of Blake Crouch and Ted Chiang, a woman dives into her husband’s memories to uncover a decades-old threat to reality itself…
Maggie Webb has lived the last decade caring for her elderly husband, Stanley, as memory loss gradually erases all the beautiful moments they created together. It’s the loneliest she’s ever felt in her life.
When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn’t losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she’s told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.
Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband’s mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him. The deeper she dives, the more she unravels a mystery spanning continents and centuries, each layer more complex than the last.
But Hassan cannot be trusted. Not just memories are disappearing, but pieces of reality itself. If Maggie cannot find out what Stanley did all those years ago, and what Hassan is after, she risks far more than her husband’s life. The very course of human history hangs in the balance.
Maggie Webb has lived the last decade caring for her elderly husband, Stanley, as memory loss gradually erases all the beautiful moments they created together. It’s the loneliest she’s ever felt in her life.
When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn’t losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she’s told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.
Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband’s mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him. The deeper she dives, the more she unravels a mystery spanning continents and centuries, each layer more complex than the last.
But Hassan cannot be trusted. Not just memories are disappearing, but pieces of reality itself. If Maggie cannot find out what Stanley did all those years ago, and what Hassan is after, she risks far more than her husband’s life. The very course of human history hangs in the balance.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2025
418 people are currently reading
29705 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Binge
5 books534 followersNicholas Binge is a bestselling author of speculative thrillers that blend big sci-fi concepts with psychological horror. His latest novel, Dissolution, was hailed as one of the best thrillers of 2025 by The New York Times and is being adapted into a major motion picture by Sony Pictures, with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Birdbox) penning the script.
His breakout novel Ascension was a New York Times Editor's Choice Pick, finalist for the Goodreads' Choice Awards and Ignotus Award, and named a best book of 2023 by Vulture, Goodreads, The LA Times, and The Sunday Times. It is also being adapted for film. His work has been translated into over a dozen languages and featured across major international outlets from The Guardian to Entertainment Weekly.
Binge has lived across Asia and Europe — from Singapore to Switzerland to Hong Kong —before settling in Edinburgh, where he lectures in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University and co-hosts the Binge Reading Book Club podcast. Beyond fiction, he has written for The Guardian, Literary Hub, and other leading outlets, and is a regular speaker at book festivals across Scotland and the UK.
His next novel, Extremity, arrives September 2025.
His breakout novel Ascension was a New York Times Editor's Choice Pick, finalist for the Goodreads' Choice Awards and Ignotus Award, and named a best book of 2023 by Vulture, Goodreads, The LA Times, and The Sunday Times. It is also being adapted for film. His work has been translated into over a dozen languages and featured across major international outlets from The Guardian to Entertainment Weekly.
Binge has lived across Asia and Europe — from Singapore to Switzerland to Hong Kong —before settling in Edinburgh, where he lectures in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University and co-hosts the Binge Reading Book Club podcast. Beyond fiction, he has written for The Guardian, Literary Hub, and other leading outlets, and is a regular speaker at book festivals across Scotland and the UK.
His next novel, Extremity, arrives September 2025.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 632 reviews
May 11, 2025
What the heck was this? I think I'm going to need a few more rereads to wrap my head around it all.
When it comes to speculative fiction, you just never know what you're going to get. Sometimes there's a great premise, but no follow-through. Sometimes the premise comes across a bit middling, but it turns out to be a terrific story. With this one, I feel like Nicholas Binge really went all out. The premise was super interesting to start with, and it just got crazier and crazier from there.
Whether you would enjoy this story depends on a few things. To start, you have to be able to maximumly suspend disbelief. Okay now that you've done that, you need to suspend it some more, and then some more, and then some more. And you will finally have reached the level of suspension required for this story. It was so wacky that at times, I even found myself unable to buy into it.
You have to also be able to wait for the payoff. The story starts off fairly slowly. It's a complicated plot, and many, many pieces have to be set up along the way. I'm feel like not much happens until well over a hundred pages into the book. Even then, you're getting information at a trickle, and it's not until the last few chapters that things really come together.
You have to also be able to enjoy a fairly technical level of science fiction. That isn't to say there is a lot of actual science in here (because this is more speculative than hard scifi), but there is a lot of discussions around philosophy, science, and biology. At times, it even veered into the supernatural, which was definitely a bit of a stretch for me.
And finally, you have to be okay with multiple, possibly confusing, timelines. The story is set up like a dual timeline, one in the present and one in the past. But the present one is mostly a recount of another time, so what you actually have is a third timeline embedded in there. And quite frankly, that's probably one too many for me. I did have moments when I got confused as to when/where I really am in the story.
Gosh, that all probably sounds more negative than positive. And to be honest, I did feel very conflicted while reading this. I don't think I really bought into the story until more than a third of the way in, and even then, things kept coming up that would throw me for a loop and make me rethink if I'm actually enjoying it.
And yet, when I came upon the denouement, I can't deny that I found it supremely fascinating. So many of the clues that were laid out earlier—and even some of the components I wasn't a fan of—all came together in such a satisfying way, I can't help but bow down to Nicholas Binge. Well played, sir.
I think it's safe to say this wasn't a homerun for me by any means. But it's one of those books that's so interesting, it has a way of burrowing into your mind and staying there. Even now, I'm thinking back on it, pondering over what I understood and what I missed. Even though I didn't love everything in here, I'm compelled to reward it for leaving me so thoroughly stunned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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When it comes to speculative fiction, you just never know what you're going to get. Sometimes there's a great premise, but no follow-through. Sometimes the premise comes across a bit middling, but it turns out to be a terrific story. With this one, I feel like Nicholas Binge really went all out. The premise was super interesting to start with, and it just got crazier and crazier from there.
Whether you would enjoy this story depends on a few things. To start, you have to be able to maximumly suspend disbelief. Okay now that you've done that, you need to suspend it some more, and then some more, and then some more. And you will finally have reached the level of suspension required for this story. It was so wacky that at times, I even found myself unable to buy into it.
You have to also be able to wait for the payoff. The story starts off fairly slowly. It's a complicated plot, and many, many pieces have to be set up along the way. I'm feel like not much happens until well over a hundred pages into the book. Even then, you're getting information at a trickle, and it's not until the last few chapters that things really come together.
You have to also be able to enjoy a fairly technical level of science fiction. That isn't to say there is a lot of actual science in here (because this is more speculative than hard scifi), but there is a lot of discussions around philosophy, science, and biology. At times, it even veered into the supernatural, which was definitely a bit of a stretch for me.
And finally, you have to be okay with multiple, possibly confusing, timelines. The story is set up like a dual timeline, one in the present and one in the past. But the present one is mostly a recount of another time, so what you actually have is a third timeline embedded in there. And quite frankly, that's probably one too many for me. I did have moments when I got confused as to when/where I really am in the story.
Gosh, that all probably sounds more negative than positive. And to be honest, I did feel very conflicted while reading this. I don't think I really bought into the story until more than a third of the way in, and even then, things kept coming up that would throw me for a loop and make me rethink if I'm actually enjoying it.
And yet, when I came upon the denouement, I can't deny that I found it supremely fascinating. So many of the clues that were laid out earlier—and even some of the components I wasn't a fan of—all came together in such a satisfying way, I can't help but bow down to Nicholas Binge. Well played, sir.
I think it's safe to say this wasn't a homerun for me by any means. But it's one of those books that's so interesting, it has a way of burrowing into your mind and staying there. Even now, I'm thinking back on it, pondering over what I understood and what I missed. Even though I didn't love everything in here, I'm compelled to reward it for leaving me so thoroughly stunned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
April 17, 2025
WHOA! There simply aren’t enough words to describe the awesomeness within the pages of Dissolution. From the thought-provoking themes to the realistic arch-villain, this speculative sci-fi thriller was an out-and-out winner. After all, the near-future setting brought to life topics from today’s world that should crystallize both fear and foreboding for each and every reader. Through ideas such as humanity, power, and love, this claustrophobic novel made me fall for Stan and Maggie head over heels. I mean, who could resist a love story for the ages as told over multiple timelines by these distinct dual POVs?
As I’ve already hinted, the characters were simply sublime. Nicely accenting a storyline full of cat-and-mouse antics, complex plot lines, and one almighty gasp-inducing twist, their authenticity absolutely flowed from the pages. Even better, however, was the poignancy that seemed to ooze from each scene. Not only did I root for both of them in turn, but their foil was a character I loved to hate down to my core. Altogether, they gave what was a sometimes hardcore sci-fi story a level of tenderness that I’ve rarely seen. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and Michael Crichton, it was darn close to perfection.
The only teeny, tiny fly in the ointment was how deep the theorizing became at times. While I eventually understood, it took some doing for me to parse out the words. Diving deeply into literature and science, while it didn’t get into the nitty gritty of the topic at hand, it still required some heavy thinking in order to truly comprehend Stan’s ideas. Nevertheless, I loved every moment even if I had to slow down my speed reading to follow along.
All said and done, I was duly impressed by this immersive masterclass of unbridled suspense. From the literary fiction feel to the action-packed climax, only the utterly perfect conclusion could outdo the rest of the novel. After all, it had me both smiling with glee as well as laughing out loud. Combined with a message that had me thinking long and hard, I knew when I flipped the last page that I had found something special. Now I can’t wait to go back and read Binge’s first novel, Ascension. If this one was anything to go by, I’ve got quite the thrilling, “Binge”-able rollercoaster ride waiting in the wings. Rating of 4.5 stars (upgraded).
SYNOPSIS:
Maggie Webb has lived the last decade caring for elderly husband, Stanley, as memory loss gradually erases all the beautiful moments they created together. It's the loneliest she's ever felt in her life.
When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn't losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she's told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.
Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband's mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him. The deeper she dives, the more she unravels a mystery spanning continents and centuries, each layer more complex than the last. But Hassan cannot be trusted. Not just memories are disappearing, but pieces of reality itself. If Maggie cannot find out what Stanley did all those years ago, and what Hassan is after, she risks far more than her husband's life. The very course of human history hangs in the balance.
Thank you to Nicholas Binge and Riverhead Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: March 25, 2025
Content warning: dementia, violence, suicide, gun and knife violence, mention of: parent-child estrangement, bullying, child abuse
As I’ve already hinted, the characters were simply sublime. Nicely accenting a storyline full of cat-and-mouse antics, complex plot lines, and one almighty gasp-inducing twist, their authenticity absolutely flowed from the pages. Even better, however, was the poignancy that seemed to ooze from each scene. Not only did I root for both of them in turn, but their foil was a character I loved to hate down to my core. Altogether, they gave what was a sometimes hardcore sci-fi story a level of tenderness that I’ve rarely seen. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and Michael Crichton, it was darn close to perfection.
The only teeny, tiny fly in the ointment was how deep the theorizing became at times. While I eventually understood, it took some doing for me to parse out the words. Diving deeply into literature and science, while it didn’t get into the nitty gritty of the topic at hand, it still required some heavy thinking in order to truly comprehend Stan’s ideas. Nevertheless, I loved every moment even if I had to slow down my speed reading to follow along.
All said and done, I was duly impressed by this immersive masterclass of unbridled suspense. From the literary fiction feel to the action-packed climax, only the utterly perfect conclusion could outdo the rest of the novel. After all, it had me both smiling with glee as well as laughing out loud. Combined with a message that had me thinking long and hard, I knew when I flipped the last page that I had found something special. Now I can’t wait to go back and read Binge’s first novel, Ascension. If this one was anything to go by, I’ve got quite the thrilling, “Binge”-able rollercoaster ride waiting in the wings. Rating of 4.5 stars (upgraded).
SYNOPSIS:
Maggie Webb has lived the last decade caring for elderly husband, Stanley, as memory loss gradually erases all the beautiful moments they created together. It's the loneliest she's ever felt in her life.
When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn't losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she's told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.
Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband's mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him. The deeper she dives, the more she unravels a mystery spanning continents and centuries, each layer more complex than the last. But Hassan cannot be trusted. Not just memories are disappearing, but pieces of reality itself. If Maggie cannot find out what Stanley did all those years ago, and what Hassan is after, she risks far more than her husband's life. The very course of human history hangs in the balance.
Thank you to Nicholas Binge and Riverhead Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: March 25, 2025
Content warning: dementia, violence, suicide, gun and knife violence, mention of: parent-child estrangement, bullying, child abuse
April 8, 2025
Enjoyed the first 30%
A great premise, but the execution failed me. The story became too monotonous, too detailed with the science (complex), the chess playing and the overall explaining of the procedures and process. Perhaps I needed to focus more and a kindle copy would have worked better! Not at all sure!
Anyway, this was a struggle to finish, but wanted to make sure I didn't miss a fantastic turnaround. I did not!
Audio was 14 hrs/ 9 min
March 26, 2025
An amazing Science Fiction story.
'Deep time humbles the human moment. What do the tens of thousands of years care for your plans?'
When I was sent a copy of Dissolution to read and review, it brightened a bit of a tough day and as it happened, it did the same for the next six days of reading.
As with his previous book Ascension, this is a speculative sci-fi thriller and it happens to tick all the boxes for me. It has a deepness that many books from the genre tend to lack. I guess you could say that it's a love story buried within a sci-fi framework, which manages to pull me deeper and deeper into the story. It's also nice that the story doesn't get lost behind all of the science involved within this novel. It's extremely accessible for science lovers or those who have no interest in science at all.
As for the storytelling, it's exemplary. You'll be thinking you've sussed things out and then, bam! The story twists and turns, feeding you little hints here and there, pulling you along with it.
'But real loneliness is repetition: doing the same routines day in and day out with nothing new to reflect on or look forwards to.'
I've purposely not revealed any of the themes within due to not wanting to spoil this for anyone, but if you love a good thriller or science fiction novel then I'd suggest giving this a go.
Exemplary work from Nicholas Binge, yet again.
I received an advanced copy for free and I'm leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
'Deep time humbles the human moment. What do the tens of thousands of years care for your plans?'
When I was sent a copy of Dissolution to read and review, it brightened a bit of a tough day and as it happened, it did the same for the next six days of reading.
As with his previous book Ascension, this is a speculative sci-fi thriller and it happens to tick all the boxes for me. It has a deepness that many books from the genre tend to lack. I guess you could say that it's a love story buried within a sci-fi framework, which manages to pull me deeper and deeper into the story. It's also nice that the story doesn't get lost behind all of the science involved within this novel. It's extremely accessible for science lovers or those who have no interest in science at all.
As for the storytelling, it's exemplary. You'll be thinking you've sussed things out and then, bam! The story twists and turns, feeding you little hints here and there, pulling you along with it.
'But real loneliness is repetition: doing the same routines day in and day out with nothing new to reflect on or look forwards to.'
I've purposely not revealed any of the themes within due to not wanting to spoil this for anyone, but if you love a good thriller or science fiction novel then I'd suggest giving this a go.
Exemplary work from Nicholas Binge, yet again.
I received an advanced copy for free and I'm leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
June 30, 2025
Gosh I REALLY liked this one. Reminded me of a contemporary and less dystopian version of the movie/ show Twelve Monkeys - almost like a prequel - intersecting with the movie Inception.
Anyone who knows my reading preferences has heard me complain about time travel books a lot. Most of them suck for me. This one was great! No time machine for one thing 🪅🎉 That's a big win off the bat. Instead, all the drops into different timeliness are done cerebrally.
Two parallel and interwoven stories where time jumps forward, backwards, and sideways (a lot), and I never once got confused. I also loved the very romantic ending - a true everlasting and epic choice is made that ensures the good guys will always prevail.
Anyone who knows my reading preferences has heard me complain about time travel books a lot. Most of them suck for me. This one was great! No time machine for one thing 🪅🎉 That's a big win off the bat. Instead, all the drops into different timeliness are done cerebrally.
Two parallel and interwoven stories where time jumps forward, backwards, and sideways (a lot), and I never once got confused. I also loved the very romantic ending - a true everlasting and epic choice is made that ensures the good guys will always prevail.
June 22, 2025
Wow I couldn’t put this down! The premise is artfully teased out and the characters are broadly painted with a touching love story at its heart (and know that I am not one for romance novels, so it’s super well done).
Engrossing.
Engrossing.
March 24, 2025
Fabulous!!! I loved just about every minute of this novel. This novel was one that I took my time with. While I wanted to continue reading to know what happened., I wanted to also digest and appreciate the novel itself.
As a quick synopsis, Maggie is tasked with digging deep into her Alzheimer ridden husbands mind in order to find a solution that could possibly save humanity.
While the main concept is geared more towards science fiction, this novel goes way beyond that. As for the science fiction aspect of this, it does not go too deep into the inner workings of it. Which for this reader was perfect. I tend to glaze over when things get super technical. There were a few moments while reading that I went OH! As everything clicked into place. The characters were developed in such a way that you couldn’t help but become engrossed in each of their minds.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It certainly is going to be my one of my favorites this year. I will be checking out more from this author for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
As a quick synopsis, Maggie is tasked with digging deep into her Alzheimer ridden husbands mind in order to find a solution that could possibly save humanity.
While the main concept is geared more towards science fiction, this novel goes way beyond that. As for the science fiction aspect of this, it does not go too deep into the inner workings of it. Which for this reader was perfect. I tend to glaze over when things get super technical. There were a few moments while reading that I went OH! As everything clicked into place. The characters were developed in such a way that you couldn’t help but become engrossed in each of their minds.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It certainly is going to be my one of my favorites this year. I will be checking out more from this author for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2025
(3.5) An elderly woman, Margaret, wakes up in a bizarre situation. She’s in an abandoned swimming pool, getting interrogated by a menacing yet oddly charismatic guy, Hassan, who’s desperate for her to recount the events of the last few days in perfect detail. Why? Because her husband, Stanley, apparently discovered something that could change the course of human history. And since Stanley now has Alzheimer’s, Hassan needs Margaret to literally enter his memories and retrieve whatever it was. Quickly, too – powerful people are willing to kill for this secret (they might even have engineered Stanley’s memory loss in the first place). If this all sounds overly convoluted on paper, Binge makes it pleasingly easy to fall into.
The best parts, by far, are the chapters that explore Stanley’s perspective – his miserable childhood, his strained friendships, his introduction to the theory and science of memory via an eccentric mentor. Margaret’s sections, though? Trickier. The whole thing is framed as a transcript of everything she tells Hassan, and it takes intense suspension of disbelief to buy into that. There are some MacGuffins to explain Margaret’s improbably perfect and novelistic recall: Hassan gives her a memory-enhancing drug that supposedly ‘encourages verbalisation of your inner monologue’. But, needless to say, one’s inner monologue doesn’t generally involve describing dialogue the same way it’s written in a book.
I kept bouncing between ‘this is way too polished’ and ‘ooh, that was actually a really good twist’. Dissolution is one of the most obvious examples I’ve read recently of something that feels like it’s written with the express aim of being adapted into a film or TV series. Whether or not that’s an issue is a matter of taste. I think it’s fair to say that although I enjoyed the book – because it’s slick and compelling and all those things you’d expect from a story like this – I wished the style had been pared back a bit. I wanted more ambiguity, more restraint, something with a little less of a relentless drive towards the next big action sequence.
This is Binge’s third novel; I’ve read them all, liking each a little less than its predecessor. I think this is because his writing is moving in a more commercial direction, which, fair enough, good for him, that’s its own kind of skill; it’s just not for me. Dissolution might appeal to those who have enjoyed books by the likes of Blake Crouch, Claire North and Stuart Turton. Personally, this action-packed, kinetic style just doesn’t represent what I want to get out of, or find most rewarding about, speculative fiction in general. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably gripping and fun – and look, if that big-budget adaptation does happen, I’ll definitely be watching.
I received an advance review copy of Dissolution from the publisher through NetGalley.
The best parts, by far, are the chapters that explore Stanley’s perspective – his miserable childhood, his strained friendships, his introduction to the theory and science of memory via an eccentric mentor. Margaret’s sections, though? Trickier. The whole thing is framed as a transcript of everything she tells Hassan, and it takes intense suspension of disbelief to buy into that. There are some MacGuffins to explain Margaret’s improbably perfect and novelistic recall: Hassan gives her a memory-enhancing drug that supposedly ‘encourages verbalisation of your inner monologue’. But, needless to say, one’s inner monologue doesn’t generally involve describing dialogue the same way it’s written in a book.
I kept bouncing between ‘this is way too polished’ and ‘ooh, that was actually a really good twist’. Dissolution is one of the most obvious examples I’ve read recently of something that feels like it’s written with the express aim of being adapted into a film or TV series. Whether or not that’s an issue is a matter of taste. I think it’s fair to say that although I enjoyed the book – because it’s slick and compelling and all those things you’d expect from a story like this – I wished the style had been pared back a bit. I wanted more ambiguity, more restraint, something with a little less of a relentless drive towards the next big action sequence.
This is Binge’s third novel; I’ve read them all, liking each a little less than its predecessor. I think this is because his writing is moving in a more commercial direction, which, fair enough, good for him, that’s its own kind of skill; it’s just not for me. Dissolution might appeal to those who have enjoyed books by the likes of Blake Crouch, Claire North and Stuart Turton. Personally, this action-packed, kinetic style just doesn’t represent what I want to get out of, or find most rewarding about, speculative fiction in general. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably gripping and fun – and look, if that big-budget adaptation does happen, I’ll definitely be watching.
I received an advance review copy of Dissolution from the publisher through NetGalley.
April 3, 2025
“It hungers.”
Dissolution can best be described as The Matrix meets Inception. It is the second sci fi thriller I have read in the past month that delivers a compelling plot dealing with time travel through memories. While you will have to wait until May 20th to read The Memory Collectors, I highly recommend picking up Nicholas Binge’s Dissolution. Specifically, the fantastic audiobook read by a full cast!
Maggie Webb admits her 83 year-old husband Stanley to a care home after dementia has taken the last ten years of his life. When a man named Hassan shows up at her door claiming that the Sunrise Care Home is responsible for deleting her husbands’s memories in order to prevent a long buried secret from coming out, Maggie can’t believe it! He says that it’s essential that she break him out of the care home as soon as possible in order to preserve the memories he has left. They need to hurry! If she helps get him out, she will be able to get his memories back. Compelled to reconnect with the old Stanley, Maggie follows Hassan’s instructions. But Hassan has his own secret agenda. Can he really be trusted?
Dare I say that I enjoyed a love story? Told in multiple time lines through different points of view, this character driven novel will keep you guessing and furiously flipping the pages. I could easily see this book being made into a major motion picture! While I didn’t completely grasp all of the complex scientific concepts, it didn’t affect my reading experience. Light sci-fi readers will definitely be thrilled by this clever plot!
Highly recommend!
4.5/5 stars rounded down
Dissolution can best be described as The Matrix meets Inception. It is the second sci fi thriller I have read in the past month that delivers a compelling plot dealing with time travel through memories. While you will have to wait until May 20th to read The Memory Collectors, I highly recommend picking up Nicholas Binge’s Dissolution. Specifically, the fantastic audiobook read by a full cast!
Maggie Webb admits her 83 year-old husband Stanley to a care home after dementia has taken the last ten years of his life. When a man named Hassan shows up at her door claiming that the Sunrise Care Home is responsible for deleting her husbands’s memories in order to prevent a long buried secret from coming out, Maggie can’t believe it! He says that it’s essential that she break him out of the care home as soon as possible in order to preserve the memories he has left. They need to hurry! If she helps get him out, she will be able to get his memories back. Compelled to reconnect with the old Stanley, Maggie follows Hassan’s instructions. But Hassan has his own secret agenda. Can he really be trusted?
Dare I say that I enjoyed a love story? Told in multiple time lines through different points of view, this character driven novel will keep you guessing and furiously flipping the pages. I could easily see this book being made into a major motion picture! While I didn’t completely grasp all of the complex scientific concepts, it didn’t affect my reading experience. Light sci-fi readers will definitely be thrilled by this clever plot!
Highly recommend!
4.5/5 stars rounded down
February 28, 2025
Dark Matter meets Vitra Nostra.
This was mind-bending and I would recommend going in blind knowing this is about memory and the power of the mind.
2021 - Maggie is 83 years old and is told her husband doesn’t have dementia but a corporation is removing them to hide a long-buried secret from his past. If Maggie does what she's told, she can reverse it.
1950 - We are also treated to her husband’s life through flashbacks and we follow a young Stanley as a student (major dark academia vibes), to experimenting and discovering something crazy, and meeting young Maggie.
It is weird to say that a slow-moving story can be tense and heart-pounding, but that’s what this manages to be.
When people depict loneliness, they tend to show the isolation, the claustrophobia of it—someone curled up in a dark room, stuck in bed, unable to move. But real loneliness is repetition: doing the same routines day in and day out with nothing new to reflect on or look forwards to.
At the heart of this is relationships we make between people and what we are willing to do to keep them.
It is extremely accessible - there are no hard-to-grasp or understand concepts. Rather, a stretching of our current understanding that uses a speculative lens to make it sci fi.
One final note - this is told through transcripts from Maggie and uses the second person which created an eerie tension and unique narrative.
Don’t go in expecting a fast paced thriller - this is a deep character study with intimate moments, emotional highs and lows, and secrets hidden from everyone.
Arc gifted by Harper Voyager.
Bookstagram
This was mind-bending and I would recommend going in blind knowing this is about memory and the power of the mind.
2021 - Maggie is 83 years old and is told her husband doesn’t have dementia but a corporation is removing them to hide a long-buried secret from his past. If Maggie does what she's told, she can reverse it.
1950 - We are also treated to her husband’s life through flashbacks and we follow a young Stanley as a student (major dark academia vibes), to experimenting and discovering something crazy, and meeting young Maggie.
It is weird to say that a slow-moving story can be tense and heart-pounding, but that’s what this manages to be.
When people depict loneliness, they tend to show the isolation, the claustrophobia of it—someone curled up in a dark room, stuck in bed, unable to move. But real loneliness is repetition: doing the same routines day in and day out with nothing new to reflect on or look forwards to.
At the heart of this is relationships we make between people and what we are willing to do to keep them.
It is extremely accessible - there are no hard-to-grasp or understand concepts. Rather, a stretching of our current understanding that uses a speculative lens to make it sci fi.
One final note - this is told through transcripts from Maggie and uses the second person which created an eerie tension and unique narrative.
Don’t go in expecting a fast paced thriller - this is a deep character study with intimate moments, emotional highs and lows, and secrets hidden from everyone.
Arc gifted by Harper Voyager.
Bookstagram
February 11, 2025
This is an imaginative technical thriller that is bound together by love and loss, with an old school ‘bad quy’ in the mix. It should have been great.
But while the plot was intricate and engaging, I think I was hoping for something more profound. The bad guy is an archetypal old school villain - if he had a moustache, he would have twirled it menacingly. The malevolent force is, well… just malevolent:
There is a lovely relationship between the two main characters, Maggie and Stanley, and this does form a solid foundation. But the plot has difficulty providing substance to the jeopardy that they’re in, given the two-dimensional villain and the unknowable malevolent force. So, while I did care what ultimately happened to Maggie and Stanley, I found it somewhat of a trudge to work my way through the muddy shallows of their struggle - and I found myself not always wanting to pick up the book and carry on.
Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the free review copy of Dissolution in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
"When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn’t losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she’s told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.This story has a intriguing premise, and I always enjoy plots that play with time and memory, so this should have been perfect for me. There is technology that allows other people’s memories to be explored, and there are implications for the fabric of reality itself, and there is a ‘bad guy’ and a malevolent force that need to be dealt with - this is exciting stuff! The plot is well paced, and the author does a great job of guiding us skillfully through multiple timelines, often intertwined.
Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband’s mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him."
But while the plot was intricate and engaging, I think I was hoping for something more profound. The bad guy is an archetypal old school villain - if he had a moustache, he would have twirled it menacingly. The malevolent force is, well… just malevolent:
“I do not know what its purpose is. Maybe it has no purpose. Maybe it’s just a force of nature. It is, perhaps, beyond our comprehension.”And the mechanism by which memories of others can be explored is similarly well explained:
“We would run out of time before you even began to understand the science of it”Well, that’s all very convenient. But not very satisfying.
There is a lovely relationship between the two main characters, Maggie and Stanley, and this does form a solid foundation. But the plot has difficulty providing substance to the jeopardy that they’re in, given the two-dimensional villain and the unknowable malevolent force. So, while I did care what ultimately happened to Maggie and Stanley, I found it somewhat of a trudge to work my way through the muddy shallows of their struggle - and I found myself not always wanting to pick up the book and carry on.
Thank you #NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the free review copy of Dissolution in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 17, 2025
Dissolution is one of those books that I finished, closed the book, and just stared into space for several minutes. This book was FANTASTIC.
High concept scifi doesn’t always hit right for me. Binge’s previous book, Ascension, was like that. It’s an objectively good book, I can see why people loved it, but I’m just not the right audience. Dissolution though? This was absolutely the book for me.
Our protaganist is Maggie, an elderly woman visited one day by a stranger named Hassan. He tells her that her husband, currently in a care facility, isn’t actually suffering from Alzheimers or dementia. Someone is actually removing his memories, and with Hassan‘s help, she can stop it and bring him back. Maggie can tell that he’s not giving her the full story, but who wouldn’t take the chance to get back the love of their life?
You hop about in time, both in Maggie’s POV and her husband, Stanley, as you begin to gradually uncover the edges of this mystery and what it all means.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so that’s all I’ll say about the plot, but the ending? Holy hell. Chef’s kiss. Perfect. Sticking the landing on a story like this is so hard, and it’s what convinced me this is a 5 star book.
Love it. Seriously thinking about buying the beautiful Broken Binding edition, it’s so pretty and the book is so good.
Thank you Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are, as always, my own.
High concept scifi doesn’t always hit right for me. Binge’s previous book, Ascension, was like that. It’s an objectively good book, I can see why people loved it, but I’m just not the right audience. Dissolution though? This was absolutely the book for me.
Our protaganist is Maggie, an elderly woman visited one day by a stranger named Hassan. He tells her that her husband, currently in a care facility, isn’t actually suffering from Alzheimers or dementia. Someone is actually removing his memories, and with Hassan‘s help, she can stop it and bring him back. Maggie can tell that he’s not giving her the full story, but who wouldn’t take the chance to get back the love of their life?
You hop about in time, both in Maggie’s POV and her husband, Stanley, as you begin to gradually uncover the edges of this mystery and what it all means.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so that’s all I’ll say about the plot, but the ending? Holy hell. Chef’s kiss. Perfect. Sticking the landing on a story like this is so hard, and it’s what convinced me this is a 5 star book.
Love it. Seriously thinking about buying the beautiful Broken Binding edition, it’s so pretty and the book is so good.
Thank you Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are, as always, my own.
December 8, 2024
Starting with full disclosure, I am both a neuroscientist and highly appreciative of Nicholas' writing. I don't think you need to be either, though, to appreciate the exploration of the ethical and identity implications of memory and neuronal "manipulation", as a study of the human condition, that Nicholas presents with Dissolution. In fact, I do believe he did an extraordinary job at keeping the science both accessible and presented with sufficient nuance not to establish a weak foundation. Dissolution is a book about the human condition, not the science behind the technology it invokes, and as such delivers in spades on questioning the elements of humanity.
In fact, the novel’s strength lies in its balance of intellectual inquiry and emotional resonance. Its depiction of experimental neuroscience reflects contemporary ethical debates (which do occupy our professional minds frequently) while engaging in a fluid narrative and superb character development.
Nicholas Binge's growth as a storyteller is undeniable. His mastery of scene-setting, impeccable pacing, and ability to forge deep emotional connections between readers and characters are nothing short of exceptional. With Margaret, I felt deeply entwined—sharing her fears, her astonishment, her uncertainty. I didn’t just follow her journey; I felt a partner in it, questioning and feeling alongside her every step of the way.
Dissolution is an exceptional novel from every perspective and stands poised to be a leading contender for the Science Fiction novel of 2025.
In fact, the novel’s strength lies in its balance of intellectual inquiry and emotional resonance. Its depiction of experimental neuroscience reflects contemporary ethical debates (which do occupy our professional minds frequently) while engaging in a fluid narrative and superb character development.
Nicholas Binge's growth as a storyteller is undeniable. His mastery of scene-setting, impeccable pacing, and ability to forge deep emotional connections between readers and characters are nothing short of exceptional. With Margaret, I felt deeply entwined—sharing her fears, her astonishment, her uncertainty. I didn’t just follow her journey; I felt a partner in it, questioning and feeling alongside her every step of the way.
Dissolution is an exceptional novel from every perspective and stands poised to be a leading contender for the Science Fiction novel of 2025.
April 19, 2025
Audiobook (14 hours) narrated by Charlotte Strevens, David Thorpe, and Joe Eyre.
Publisher: Books on Tape
The narration is very good.
All of the narrators have voiced hundreds of books, with David Thorpe holding several awards for his narration skills.
The audio is flawless.
Two time travel books in a row! I had totally missed that this novel was also based on time travel when I started. Funnily enough, the time travel was kind of similar to the novel that I just finished, The Third Rule of Time Travel. Nicholas Binge has a much more character forward based approach and was able to put in a fantastically eerie antagonist, who really drew me in.
I especially enjoyed the use of the narrators to really enforce and bring out the emotional depths of the characters. While single narrators can and do do exceptional voice work, in this case using three narrators with distinct voices seems like an intentional choice to elevate the work done by the author, and it was the right one to make. I'm not sure which narrator out of the two men voiced the antagonist, however whenever he entered the room the air chilled to a sharp edge.
This is one of those books that I would love to see on the big screen. So much good.
Publisher: Books on Tape
The narration is very good.
All of the narrators have voiced hundreds of books, with David Thorpe holding several awards for his narration skills.
The audio is flawless.
Two time travel books in a row! I had totally missed that this novel was also based on time travel when I started. Funnily enough, the time travel was kind of similar to the novel that I just finished, The Third Rule of Time Travel. Nicholas Binge has a much more character forward based approach and was able to put in a fantastically eerie antagonist, who really drew me in.
I especially enjoyed the use of the narrators to really enforce and bring out the emotional depths of the characters. While single narrators can and do do exceptional voice work, in this case using three narrators with distinct voices seems like an intentional choice to elevate the work done by the author, and it was the right one to make. I'm not sure which narrator out of the two men voiced the antagonist, however whenever he entered the room the air chilled to a sharp edge.
This is one of those books that I would love to see on the big screen. So much good.
April 8, 2025
4.5 stars
Ah, so good! I loved Binge’s surreal and chilling book Ascension, but Dissolution takes the prize for me.
Part scientific thriller, part time travelling chase, part love story for the ages, this book has a little bit of everything and ends up producing something larger than the sum of parts. It’s a story best entered into cold and enjoyed for the ride that it is. If you enjoyed the feeling you got when you read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Dissolution delivers a bit of that.
"It occurs to me that at some point, you pick up your child for the very last time. And you don't know. At the time, you don't know that it's the last time you'll ever do it." He was right, of course: Endings don't announce themselves. They sneak around you; they shuffle their way past unnoticed until, on some cloudy day, you look out on an empty street and realize everything ended some time ago.
Ah, so good! I loved Binge’s surreal and chilling book Ascension, but Dissolution takes the prize for me.
Part scientific thriller, part time travelling chase, part love story for the ages, this book has a little bit of everything and ends up producing something larger than the sum of parts. It’s a story best entered into cold and enjoyed for the ride that it is. If you enjoyed the feeling you got when you read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Dissolution delivers a bit of that.
"It occurs to me that at some point, you pick up your child for the very last time. And you don't know. At the time, you don't know that it's the last time you'll ever do it." He was right, of course: Endings don't announce themselves. They sneak around you; they shuffle their way past unnoticed until, on some cloudy day, you look out on an empty street and realize everything ended some time ago.
November 8, 2024
4.5 stars. This is a fabulous book with a unique premise; I thoroughly enjoyed it. It could have been edited down a bit at times (it dragged in places with no real reason that it needed to) so I am giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5, but it's well worth the read. I loved the ending so much. I will be thinking about this one for a long while.
August 15, 2025
Science fiction book that at the heart is a relationship between two people Maggie and Stanley.
We begin with an elderly Maggie being interviewed by a Hassan. They seem to be an empty pool. She doesn't remember anything at first. Hassan gives her a drug to help her specific memory recall and he wants to know everything, every detail. He claims that this will help Stanley get his memory back. Hassan seems almost not human...
Why, how? She wants to know but he won’t say, except that the memory care facility he has been in, is the cause of it. Hassan urges her to stay focused on what he wants to know. He is in control.
During the interview Maggie recalls how she takes these dives into the past, into Stanley’s memory even. Maggie learns more about her husband than she did while they were married for all those years.
In between these interviews are chapters on Stanley, his youth then later. He was an awkward boy, from a working class family and a brutal father. But Stanley was wicked smart and got himself into a good school with a scholarship. He stands out and a professor takes him under his wing, only the select are welcome, and here Stanley shines. And here his life begins.
Somehow the disconnect of these chapters do come together okay. The book does have some repetition due to the nature of Maggie going into Stanley’s past and her revealing this to Hassan. At times the book felt elongated unnecessarily. There were some really good interesting parts. Yet, it felt compiled from a handful of other stories and books, such as The Time Traveler’s Wife, some of Resident Evil, and a bit of Philip K Dick, etc... Overall, and enjoyable audio book.
Book rating: 3.5 stars
We begin with an elderly Maggie being interviewed by a Hassan. They seem to be an empty pool. She doesn't remember anything at first. Hassan gives her a drug to help her specific memory recall and he wants to know everything, every detail. He claims that this will help Stanley get his memory back. Hassan seems almost not human...
Why, how? She wants to know but he won’t say, except that the memory care facility he has been in, is the cause of it. Hassan urges her to stay focused on what he wants to know. He is in control.
During the interview Maggie recalls how she takes these dives into the past, into Stanley’s memory even. Maggie learns more about her husband than she did while they were married for all those years.
In between these interviews are chapters on Stanley, his youth then later. He was an awkward boy, from a working class family and a brutal father. But Stanley was wicked smart and got himself into a good school with a scholarship. He stands out and a professor takes him under his wing, only the select are welcome, and here Stanley shines. And here his life begins.
Somehow the disconnect of these chapters do come together okay. The book does have some repetition due to the nature of Maggie going into Stanley’s past and her revealing this to Hassan. At times the book felt elongated unnecessarily. There were some really good interesting parts. Yet, it felt compiled from a handful of other stories and books, such as The Time Traveler’s Wife, some of Resident Evil, and a bit of Philip K Dick, etc... Overall, and enjoyable audio book.
Book rating: 3.5 stars
Read
August 9, 2025This book didn’t just grip me—it tore through me. From the first page, I was hooked, unraveling a story as intricate and fragile as memory itself. This isn’t just sci-fi … it’s a psychological labyrinth, a haunting exploration of identity, love, and the terrifying consequences of losing what makes us us.
“Because our identities are defined by our experiences, and our experiences are just a collection of our memories. In that sense, our memories—both conscious and subconscious—are what make us human. Without memory, we would be blank slates. We would be empty.”
That’s the terrifying heart of Dissolution. What happens when those memories—our very sense of self—are no longer ours?
The atmosphere? Absolutely electric. There’s this constant tension—a creeping, skin-prickling unease that builds with every page. Like Ascension, Binge masterfully blends cosmic horror with something deeply human, making every revelation feel like a punch to the gut. The pacing is relentless, twisting and turning in ways I never saw coming.
And Maggie. She’s unlike any protagonist I’ve read before—an octogenarian fighting for her husband, for his (and their) past, for the truth buried deep in his (and hers) fragmented memories. Her strength, her love, her sheer determination wrecked me. She’s the kind of character who lingers, whose pain feels real, whose story matters. Watching her piece together the impossible was exhilarating and heartbreaking all at once.
But what truly broke me was Stanley and Maggie’s relationship. Their love—the kind that endures beyond time, beyond memory—felt like the beating heart of this book. It was almost a love letter to love itself. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. It’s rare to find a book that makes your mind reel while also making your heart ache, but Dissolution did both. It brought tears to my eyes and left me feeling utterly hollowed out in the best way.
“Stanley stared at her—this crazy, wonderful, fantastic woman—and could think of only one more question to ask. ‘Is it worth it?’
‘Oh, Stan, there’s never been anything more worth it in the entire world.’” 😭
I’ve always been obsessed with time travel stories, and while this isn’t traditional time travel, it plays with time in ways that felt just as exhilarating. The way memory fractures and shifts, the nonlinear unraveling of truth—it gave me that same thrill I love in time-bending narratives. The past isn’t just something remembered here; it’s something fought for, manipulated, and slipping through grasping fingers. And at the heart of it all, there’s love—enduring, aching, refusing to be erased.
Binge’s writing is razor-sharp, immersive, and deeply unsettling. He doesn’t just craft a story—he burrows into your mind, forcing you to question everything. About memory. About truth. About the terrifying fragility of our own existence.
Dissolution isn’t just a book you read—it’s a book that reads you. Brutal, breathtaking, romantic, and utterly unforgettable.
“Because our identities are defined by our experiences, and our experiences are just a collection of our memories. In that sense, our memories—both conscious and subconscious—are what make us human. Without memory, we would be blank slates. We would be empty.”
That’s the terrifying heart of Dissolution. What happens when those memories—our very sense of self—are no longer ours?
The atmosphere? Absolutely electric. There’s this constant tension—a creeping, skin-prickling unease that builds with every page. Like Ascension, Binge masterfully blends cosmic horror with something deeply human, making every revelation feel like a punch to the gut. The pacing is relentless, twisting and turning in ways I never saw coming.
And Maggie. She’s unlike any protagonist I’ve read before—an octogenarian fighting for her husband, for his (and their) past, for the truth buried deep in his (and hers) fragmented memories. Her strength, her love, her sheer determination wrecked me. She’s the kind of character who lingers, whose pain feels real, whose story matters. Watching her piece together the impossible was exhilarating and heartbreaking all at once.
But what truly broke me was Stanley and Maggie’s relationship. Their love—the kind that endures beyond time, beyond memory—felt like the beating heart of this book. It was almost a love letter to love itself. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. It’s rare to find a book that makes your mind reel while also making your heart ache, but Dissolution did both. It brought tears to my eyes and left me feeling utterly hollowed out in the best way.
“Stanley stared at her—this crazy, wonderful, fantastic woman—and could think of only one more question to ask. ‘Is it worth it?’
‘Oh, Stan, there’s never been anything more worth it in the entire world.’” 😭
I’ve always been obsessed with time travel stories, and while this isn’t traditional time travel, it plays with time in ways that felt just as exhilarating. The way memory fractures and shifts, the nonlinear unraveling of truth—it gave me that same thrill I love in time-bending narratives. The past isn’t just something remembered here; it’s something fought for, manipulated, and slipping through grasping fingers. And at the heart of it all, there’s love—enduring, aching, refusing to be erased.
Binge’s writing is razor-sharp, immersive, and deeply unsettling. He doesn’t just craft a story—he burrows into your mind, forcing you to question everything. About memory. About truth. About the terrifying fragility of our own existence.
Dissolution isn’t just a book you read—it’s a book that reads you. Brutal, breathtaking, romantic, and utterly unforgettable.
March 24, 2025
I can't imagine a scarier scenario than deep diving and getting lost inside your partner's memories of 80 years of life. Dissolution is a love story deeply embedded within a mystery within a speculative fiction/sci fi novel. Maggie's husband Stanley is in assisted living, in the memory care unit. A stranger appears into her life and tells Maggie that Stanley does not have dementia, but his memories are being stolen. She has renewed hope that he can regain his short and long term memory and become "her Stanley" again.
Hassan gives Maggie the chance to go back into Stanley's memories- to places and time they shared together in 50 years of marriage and with their daughter, Leah. The chapters alternate between Stanley's past- back to 1955 before he met Maggie. It becomes clear earlier on in the book that Hassan is not all he seems.
This is a fascinating premise that unfolds over time, layers upon layers are revealed... and I missed some. I did have to keep flipping back to understand where I was in the narrative, and to differentiate the true from the false. Although I liked Maggie and believed her love- and Stanley being a true romantic, the characters themselves fell a little flat for me, protagonist and antagonists being tragically exaggerated. I liked this book a lot, but I am not sure I completely understood it. It was exciting and very dark/gruesome in parts.
Memories as time travel is something intriguing to me, and this was certainly a fresh way of thinking about it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin/ Riverhead books for the ARC. Book to be published March 25, 2025.
Hassan gives Maggie the chance to go back into Stanley's memories- to places and time they shared together in 50 years of marriage and with their daughter, Leah. The chapters alternate between Stanley's past- back to 1955 before he met Maggie. It becomes clear earlier on in the book that Hassan is not all he seems.
This is a fascinating premise that unfolds over time, layers upon layers are revealed... and I missed some. I did have to keep flipping back to understand where I was in the narrative, and to differentiate the true from the false. Although I liked Maggie and believed her love- and Stanley being a true romantic, the characters themselves fell a little flat for me, protagonist and antagonists being tragically exaggerated. I liked this book a lot, but I am not sure I completely understood it. It was exciting and very dark/gruesome in parts.
Memories as time travel is something intriguing to me, and this was certainly a fresh way of thinking about it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin/ Riverhead books for the ARC. Book to be published March 25, 2025.
March 2, 2025
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the ARC.
After absolutely loving Ascension, I was stoked to receive an ARC of Dissolution through NetGalley. Nicholas Binge has a way of crafting thought-provoking, mind-bending sci-fi that lingers long after the final page, and I was eager to see where he would take things next.
The plotline of Dissolution completely hooked me. It’s the kind of high-concept sci-fi that explores profound philosophical ideas while keeping the tension and intrigue alive. Binge excels at weaving complex narratives with emotional depth, and this book is no exception. The questions it raises about humanity, technology, and the nature of existence are precisely the themes I love in sci-fi.
However, the method of storytelling didn’t entirely work for me. While I appreciated what Binge was trying to do, the execution occasionally pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it. That being said, I still found it fascinating, and his ability to create compelling, cerebral sci-fi remains impressive.
One of the standout aspects of the book for me was the relationship between Stanley and Maggie. Their dynamic added an emotional core to the story that balanced out the more cerebral elements. Their connection felt authentic, filled with love, regret, and the weight of past choices. It was one of those relationships that felt raw and real, and I found myself deeply invested in how their story unfolded.
Interestingly, in the same month, I also read Make It Stick, which delves into memory and learning theory—two themes that Dissolution explores uniquely. The overlap between the two books made for an even more intriguing reading experience, as both examine how we retain and process knowledge, though from very different angles.
This book is perfect for fans of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, with its fast-paced thrills and mind-bending scientific concepts. It also has strong similarities with another of my favorite books (and its movie adaptation), but saying the title would be a massive spoiler, so I’ll leave that for readers to discover for themselves.
Even though Dissolution didn’t quite hit the same highs as Ascension for me, it’s still a book I’d recommend to fans of thought-provoking sci-fi. Nicholas Binge continues to be an author whose work I eagerly anticipate.
After absolutely loving Ascension, I was stoked to receive an ARC of Dissolution through NetGalley. Nicholas Binge has a way of crafting thought-provoking, mind-bending sci-fi that lingers long after the final page, and I was eager to see where he would take things next.
The plotline of Dissolution completely hooked me. It’s the kind of high-concept sci-fi that explores profound philosophical ideas while keeping the tension and intrigue alive. Binge excels at weaving complex narratives with emotional depth, and this book is no exception. The questions it raises about humanity, technology, and the nature of existence are precisely the themes I love in sci-fi.
However, the method of storytelling didn’t entirely work for me. While I appreciated what Binge was trying to do, the execution occasionally pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in it. That being said, I still found it fascinating, and his ability to create compelling, cerebral sci-fi remains impressive.
One of the standout aspects of the book for me was the relationship between Stanley and Maggie. Their dynamic added an emotional core to the story that balanced out the more cerebral elements. Their connection felt authentic, filled with love, regret, and the weight of past choices. It was one of those relationships that felt raw and real, and I found myself deeply invested in how their story unfolded.
Interestingly, in the same month, I also read Make It Stick, which delves into memory and learning theory—two themes that Dissolution explores uniquely. The overlap between the two books made for an even more intriguing reading experience, as both examine how we retain and process knowledge, though from very different angles.
This book is perfect for fans of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, with its fast-paced thrills and mind-bending scientific concepts. It also has strong similarities with another of my favorite books (and its movie adaptation), but saying the title would be a massive spoiler, so I’ll leave that for readers to discover for themselves.
Even though Dissolution didn’t quite hit the same highs as Ascension for me, it’s still a book I’d recommend to fans of thought-provoking sci-fi. Nicholas Binge continues to be an author whose work I eagerly anticipate.
July 10, 2025
2.5 Stars
January 20, 2025
This book was a total cover grab based on the U.K. cover. I loved it at first sight and despite not wanting to judge a book by its cover, I happily accepted a review copy from the author. Little did I know how much I would love this book.
When I first started Dissolution, I was a little skeptical though. I found the narrative setup a little lacking and forced. Thankfully the story that was told through that POV and the second narrator, which showed us scenes from the past, kept me very interested. I also found the thought process of the first narrator very compelling. I enjoyed her little detours, rants, and memories that weren’t always exactly what she was supposed to be talking about. It made her feel so real to me.
There were some other small details throughout that I found a little questionable, but—just like the narrative setup I originally disliked—these all converged in a really satisfying ending. It felt like every detail (those I loved and those I didn’t) had a specific purpose that slowly led us to the conclusion. I fully expected to be reading multiple books at the same time as this one (ADHD brain!), but this one crept its way into daily thoughts even when I wasn’t reading and I just could not start another one. It hooked me so thoroughly with its consistent build-up and I reached the finale breathless for the conclusion. It took right until the very last couple of pages to completely resolve. I was really worried that it wouldn’t feel as satisfying as the climb to get there, but it did not disappoint! What a clever and fitting ending!
When I read the description of the book, I did worry it might get a little dark for me. Despite my exploration of horror this year, I still approach each thriller and horror book with caution. That wasn’t necessary with this one though. I never really got that worried while reading the book itself. Rather, what unsettled me instead snuck up on me really slowly, which were the implications of the book. It started quite innocently with its second POV. I don’t usually like most coming-of-age stories, but this one managed to stay interesting to me the whole time with its carefully chosen scenes and its swift timeline. While I don’t usually like that kind of rush through someone’s story either, here the scenes always felt important and emotionally impactful. At times, it was quite heart-breaking. At the same time it was compelling and addictive. I couldn’t look away, even when it started to feel like tragedy was approaching. It was satisfying to guess some of the reveals but also be surprised by others.
I sometimes got lost in my own thoughts about the tech that was discovered and used in the book. That’s what my worried brain got quite stuck on at times. If that technology really was part of our world, that would be terrifying. It was incredibly interesting though to follow the story woven around memories and how they could be used. I’m not sure why I thought I could read a book about memory though and not have my feelings hurt. Hehehe.
I’ve already got Ascension on my kindle now and am eager for the next book by Nicholas Binge as well. This one obviously worked really well for me so I’m eager to try more.
When I first started Dissolution, I was a little skeptical though. I found the narrative setup a little lacking and forced. Thankfully the story that was told through that POV and the second narrator, which showed us scenes from the past, kept me very interested. I also found the thought process of the first narrator very compelling. I enjoyed her little detours, rants, and memories that weren’t always exactly what she was supposed to be talking about. It made her feel so real to me.
There were some other small details throughout that I found a little questionable, but—just like the narrative setup I originally disliked—these all converged in a really satisfying ending. It felt like every detail (those I loved and those I didn’t) had a specific purpose that slowly led us to the conclusion. I fully expected to be reading multiple books at the same time as this one (ADHD brain!), but this one crept its way into daily thoughts even when I wasn’t reading and I just could not start another one. It hooked me so thoroughly with its consistent build-up and I reached the finale breathless for the conclusion. It took right until the very last couple of pages to completely resolve. I was really worried that it wouldn’t feel as satisfying as the climb to get there, but it did not disappoint! What a clever and fitting ending!
When I read the description of the book, I did worry it might get a little dark for me. Despite my exploration of horror this year, I still approach each thriller and horror book with caution. That wasn’t necessary with this one though. I never really got that worried while reading the book itself. Rather, what unsettled me instead snuck up on me really slowly, which were the implications of the book. It started quite innocently with its second POV. I don’t usually like most coming-of-age stories, but this one managed to stay interesting to me the whole time with its carefully chosen scenes and its swift timeline. While I don’t usually like that kind of rush through someone’s story either, here the scenes always felt important and emotionally impactful. At times, it was quite heart-breaking. At the same time it was compelling and addictive. I couldn’t look away, even when it started to feel like tragedy was approaching. It was satisfying to guess some of the reveals but also be surprised by others.
I sometimes got lost in my own thoughts about the tech that was discovered and used in the book. That’s what my worried brain got quite stuck on at times. If that technology really was part of our world, that would be terrifying. It was incredibly interesting though to follow the story woven around memories and how they could be used. I’m not sure why I thought I could read a book about memory though and not have my feelings hurt. Hehehe.
I’ve already got Ascension on my kindle now and am eager for the next book by Nicholas Binge as well. This one obviously worked really well for me so I’m eager to try more.
April 29, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised with this one - a puzzle box sci-fi twist on a love story (think eternal sunshine of the spotless mind). Binge takes us through current day with Maggie as she tries to figure out why she is stuck reliving memories and trying to find her husband, with flashbacks of her husband attending school in the 1950s. The way they intersect is a fun ride although it did drag a bit in the middle for me.
March 30, 2025
Like the author's previous book, Ascension I think this is a fascinating book with somewhat shoddy execution.
Time travel books are always hard to write, so kudos to the author for an inventive take on the genre and a whole-hearted approach to it. I also thought this book was very easy to read, and the writing was compelling and fun. But it was also bogged down with some bad writing conventions, including one-dimensional characters, some schlocky moments and a world that moves around the plot instead of vice versa.
For starters, most of the characters felt like vehicles for the plot as opposed to people with their own lives off-page. I think the worst example of this was one of the two narrators, Maggie, who seems to exist for the sole purpose of helping her husband and has barely any mentions of a life outside of him. Her life before she met him - in which she was a mess with seemingly little agency - is only mentioned a couple of times. Also, she's in her 80s, but really her dialogue sounds closer to a 30-year-old most of the time. If not for the occasional "oh, my aching knees!" type comments, it would be easy to forget that she grew up in the 40s and 50s.
Branching off from this, a great deal of this book takes place in the past - the 50s and 60s primarily - but this setting isn't fully taken advantage of. The 50s and 60s were a time of real scientific advancement and excitement, and although that was clearly part of why this period was chosen, I think the author could have done more with that concept. Also, to me, the dialogue, setting and characters never seemed to match the year we were supposed to be in. It wasn't egregious enough to take me out of the story, but it was a bit noticeable.
The science in this book also never felt genuine. It's full of scientists in white coats, morally dubious experiments and hidden top-secret labs, all of which felt a bit cheesy and inauthentic, not to mention impractical. How they built the lab, hired desperate people to conduct and take part in experiments, and maintained all of this secretly is not expanded upon enough, with a convenient rich friend to explain how it was funded. The actual science behind the technology also felt a bit hand-waved away, with a certain segment having a weird, somewhat noble-savage-y explanation that felt out of place with the rest of the book.
The villain had real potential - personally, I really love this type of single-minded, cold and cocky villain archetype - but he was also a bit tarnished by the fact that his characterization quickly became very one-note. Still, I actually really enjoyed most of his scenes, and they were some of my favorite parts of the books to read. I also did enjoy the concept of and the ways in which its effects were written - very spooky and fun! And the romance between Stanley and Maggie was very heartwarming and sweet - I really liked that aspect as well.
This review ended up being way too long...but the gist is, I think this book could have used one more revision phase to tighten up some of the details and improve the characters and setting. But it was a fun book, and worth a read if you like inventive, present-day science fiction.
Time travel books are always hard to write, so kudos to the author for an inventive take on the genre and a whole-hearted approach to it. I also thought this book was very easy to read, and the writing was compelling and fun. But it was also bogged down with some bad writing conventions, including one-dimensional characters, some schlocky moments and a world that moves around the plot instead of vice versa.
For starters, most of the characters felt like vehicles for the plot as opposed to people with their own lives off-page. I think the worst example of this was one of the two narrators, Maggie, who seems to exist for the sole purpose of helping her husband and has barely any mentions of a life outside of him. Her life before she met him - in which she was a mess with seemingly little agency - is only mentioned a couple of times. Also, she's in her 80s, but really her dialogue sounds closer to a 30-year-old most of the time. If not for the occasional "oh, my aching knees!" type comments, it would be easy to forget that she grew up in the 40s and 50s.
Branching off from this, a great deal of this book takes place in the past - the 50s and 60s primarily - but this setting isn't fully taken advantage of. The 50s and 60s were a time of real scientific advancement and excitement, and although that was clearly part of why this period was chosen, I think the author could have done more with that concept. Also, to me, the dialogue, setting and characters never seemed to match the year we were supposed to be in. It wasn't egregious enough to take me out of the story, but it was a bit noticeable.
The science in this book also never felt genuine. It's full of scientists in white coats, morally dubious experiments and hidden top-secret labs, all of which felt a bit cheesy and inauthentic, not to mention impractical. How they built the lab, hired desperate people to conduct and take part in experiments, and maintained all of this secretly is not expanded upon enough, with a convenient rich friend to explain how it was funded. The actual science behind the technology also felt a bit hand-waved away, with a certain segment having a weird, somewhat noble-savage-y explanation that felt out of place with the rest of the book.
The villain had real potential - personally, I really love this type of single-minded, cold and cocky villain archetype - but he was also a bit tarnished by the fact that his characterization quickly became very one-note. Still, I actually really enjoyed most of his scenes, and they were some of my favorite parts of the books to read. I also did enjoy the concept of and the ways in which its effects were written - very spooky and fun! And the romance between Stanley and Maggie was very heartwarming and sweet - I really liked that aspect as well.
This review ended up being way too long...but the gist is, I think this book could have used one more revision phase to tighten up some of the details and improve the characters and setting. But it was a fun book, and worth a read if you like inventive, present-day science fiction.
May 25, 2025
Brilliant! Bravo, Nicholas Binge!! Science Fiction Thriller with a dash of a love story and horror. Say no more.
I read Ascension a couple years ago and loved the author’s writing. Dissolution did not let me down. He has become an auto-buy author for me.
The dual POV was well done. I loved that the FMC was 83 and a feisty thing too. The Villain is mad and pure evil.
If you like Sci-Fi Thrillers and/or a fan of Blake Crouch, this book is for you.
I read Ascension a couple years ago and loved the author’s writing. Dissolution did not let me down. He has become an auto-buy author for me.
The dual POV was well done. I loved that the FMC was 83 and a feisty thing too. The Villain is mad and pure evil.
If you like Sci-Fi Thrillers and/or a fan of Blake Crouch, this book is for you.
September 15, 2024
A taut techno-thriller written with compassion and intelligence. This is an intricately plotted and - from a craft perspective - a technically difficult novel to write. And yet, Binge creates a compelling narrative that takes the reader on a page-turning journey through both time and memory.
May 19, 2025
This was made for me 😍😍😍 and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. This author’s previous book (also his debut), Ascension, was not quite a winner for me but I was hoping he’d release something else a little more straightforward that I could grasp better. This is that! I highly recommend to fans of Recursion by Blake Crouch, The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy, and the movie The Imitation Game. All of those pieces of media were 5 stars for me, so no wonder this book was the perfect combo of all of them and a 5 star for me as well. I inhaled this book within a day and foresee it being in my top favorites of 2025. I hope more of my friends decide to pick it up so we can discuss!
June 27, 2025
NOW THIS MAN KNOWS HOW TO WRITE A BOOK! DAMN NICHOLAS!
April 6, 2025
5 stars
Very engaging sci-fi thriller with vast and compelling themes, great characters and twists and turns, pulling me deeper and deeper into the story. I just couldn't put it down.
Characters 10
Atmosphere 10
Writing Style 10
Premise 10
Execution/Plot 10
Execution/Pace 10
Execution/Setup 10
Enjoyment/Engrossment 10
Narration 10
Very engaging sci-fi thriller with vast and compelling themes, great characters and twists and turns, pulling me deeper and deeper into the story. I just couldn't put it down.
Characters 10
Atmosphere 10
Writing Style 10
Premise 10
Execution/Plot 10
Execution/Pace 10
Execution/Setup 10
Enjoyment/Engrossment 10
Narration 10
August 5, 2025
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. You can check out my full review here! https://youtu.be/ab-d5JUCv6c?si=v6dP1...
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