Has anybody read Dark Matter? It driving me mad with boredom

I read the description for DARK MATTER, which seemed a little too passé as science fiction with the obligatory and ubiquitous descriptors like “mind-bending” and “profoundly human” that vitiate their intended effect.

Here are some SF works that you might appreciate despite disliking the genre.

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON (Keyes, 1966). A short work that’s a fairly intimate look into the mind-state of a moron who steadily grows in intelligence and understanding and empathy to exceptional heights after an experimental medical procedure. Epistolary in structure.

THE LATHE OF HEAVEN (Le Guin, 1971). Another short work that looks into the power of dreams to affect and alter realities, and where the suffering individual is taken advantage of by an unscrupulous psychiatrist.

DYING INSIDE (Silverberg, 1972). A work with plenty of bravura passages detailing the life of a man with telepathy who has always used it for selfish reasons, but now finds himself slowly losing it, and it’s impact is as severe as losing an essential limb. This is very close to a mainstream novel with a very intimate psychological profile, but with the added conceit of telepathy.

EARTH ABIDES (Stewart, 1949). A wonderful work of post-apocalypse that focuses on the travails of a man attempting to re-build community after the fall of civilisation. The work follows his life up until old age, when superstition has set in with the younger generation and the old order is truly gone.

A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ (Miller, 1959). Another excellent work of post-apocalyptic fiction. Less intimate than EARTH ABIDES but greater in scope. The story takes place over three periods after a world-wide nuclear holocaust, each period separated by some six hundred years. Major themes are the preservation of knowledge (esp. through the remnant of the Catholic Church), and the potential inevitbility of repeating past mistakes after the resurgence of civilisation. I say less intimate, but the first section, “Fiat Homo”, is still quite personal.

THE PRESTIGE (Priest, 1995). A historical work set around the turn of the twenthieth century which features an obsessive rivalry between two stage-magicians that becomes increasingly dangerous as they both try to perfect a trick to instantly transport a person from place to another. It’s a twist that evokes Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, and where the consequences are felt down to the present day. Epistolary in structure. This science fiction work even won a mainstream literary award.

I could list quite a few more, but these are enough to choose from. The novels by Keyes and Le Guin are the shortest and have also both won science fiction awards. All are excellent. None are gimmicky thrillers.

I loved Dark Matter