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Dark Matter
Anthony Cross, physicist and seeker of the final truth is a deranged scientist with an obsession to find the beginning of life. This involves cutting into the brains of his conscious victims to witness the moment of death and experimenting with gravity to create a time warp.
422 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 4, 2026
Quantum physics but continuous horror!
The question was never "Whodunit?". It was always "Why?".
DARK MATTER opens at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm with a shockingly gruesome description of a killer dissecting the brain of a young girl while she is still alive, gaily chatting away with his victim as if nothing at all were happening and providing a macabre running commentary on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox or what we now call quantum entanglement. A bizarre opening to a bizarre novel that treads along the edges of a five-sided polygon bounded by sci-fi, mystery, thriller, fantasy and horror without ever clearly falling into one specific genre!
As the body count begins to climb all over the world, the canny black police detective Kate Duvall investigates and finds herself drawn into the protective web woven around Anthony Cross, the brilliant physicist who we now know is the killer! Charis Neale, Cross's lover and scientific assistant, an American consortium with a seemingly endless source of research funding, two other Nobel Prize winning physicists, and the requisite police corruption and shadowy government involvement all conspire to protect Cross from discovery and allow him to edge closer to the elusive Theory of Everything and the answers to the beginning of the universe.
While the entire novel never really strays too far from its roots in the thriller/horror genre, the ending is much more in the realm of distant left field speculative sci-fi and, believe it or not, could actually be said to be a "happy" ending! With the single overwhelming caveat that at least a middling knowledge of quantum physics and cosmology is assumed (without which much of the story and the ending would be completely meaningless), the horror definitely gets full points and the novel challenges the willing reader's mind!
Not bad at all.
Paul Weiss
The question was never "Whodunit?". It was always "Why?".
DARK MATTER opens at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm with a shockingly gruesome description of a killer dissecting the brain of a young girl while she is still alive, gaily chatting away with his victim as if nothing at all were happening and providing a macabre running commentary on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox or what we now call quantum entanglement. A bizarre opening to a bizarre novel that treads along the edges of a five-sided polygon bounded by sci-fi, mystery, thriller, fantasy and horror without ever clearly falling into one specific genre!
As the body count begins to climb all over the world, the canny black police detective Kate Duvall investigates and finds herself drawn into the protective web woven around Anthony Cross, the brilliant physicist who we now know is the killer! Charis Neale, Cross's lover and scientific assistant, an American consortium with a seemingly endless source of research funding, two other Nobel Prize winning physicists, and the requisite police corruption and shadowy government involvement all conspire to protect Cross from discovery and allow him to edge closer to the elusive Theory of Everything and the answers to the beginning of the universe.
While the entire novel never really strays too far from its roots in the thriller/horror genre, the ending is much more in the realm of distant left field speculative sci-fi and, believe it or not, could actually be said to be a "happy" ending! With the single overwhelming caveat that at least a middling knowledge of quantum physics and cosmology is assumed (without which much of the story and the ending would be completely meaningless), the horror definitely gets full points and the novel challenges the willing reader's mind!
Not bad at all.
Paul Weiss
November 1, 2011
This was a pretty good book for what it was, a 50 baht find at a used book shop. That's much rarer than you'd think, most of the used bookshops I can go to have about a gillion copies of The Beach and not much else.
This book has lots of badass science information thrown in throughout, but there seems to be very little connection with the gruesome, surgical killings and the science part. Towards the end it turns into something like Re-Animator or From Beyond, one of those poor super-scientists that goes overboard and starts killing shit to reach some kind of new level of understanding. But the story was fast-paced and fun, and I'm glad I read it.
This book has lots of badass science information thrown in throughout, but there seems to be very little connection with the gruesome, surgical killings and the science part. Towards the end it turns into something like Re-Animator or From Beyond, one of those poor super-scientists that goes overboard and starts killing shit to reach some kind of new level of understanding. But the story was fast-paced and fun, and I'm glad I read it.
January 8, 2021
L'un, c'est un chercheur en physique de très haut niveau, un des plus grands génies que la terre a porté. L'autre, c'est un tueur en série qui agit de façon chirurgicale. Mais, en fait, c'est le même homme, un peu sur le thème du Dr. Jekyll et Mr Hyde. Et le plus surprenant, c'est que ses meurtres le font passer à un autre niveau et lui permettent de mieux appréhender la matière, la gravité et toute cette sorte de choses. Plusieurs haut placés ferment les yeux sur ses crimes pour profiter des retombées de ses recherches sur l'industrie et la défense. Mais l'inspectrice Katherine Duvall va se trouver impliquée dans ses crimes et c'est difficile de l'arrêter quand elle cherche à découvrir un coupable.
Un roman assez bizarre qui mélange la science-fiction, le thriller, le policier, l'horreur, la science et l'amour. Et, la combinaison, d'une science physique assez poussée avec un thème policier à la base, est assez surprenante, mais ça fonctionne.
J'ai beaucoup aimé, mais il faut dire que la science et le génie me fascinent. Reeves-Stevens est un écrivain peu traduit, mais j'ai bien aimé les 2 livres que j'ai lus de lui.
Un roman assez bizarre qui mélange la science-fiction, le thriller, le policier, l'horreur, la science et l'amour. Et, la combinaison, d'une science physique assez poussée avec un thème policier à la base, est assez surprenante, mais ça fonctionne.
J'ai beaucoup aimé, mais il faut dire que la science et le génie me fascinent. Reeves-Stevens est un écrivain peu traduit, mais j'ai bien aimé les 2 livres que j'ai lus de lui.
September 25, 2017
Good but I wish the story was focused on the action, I found the romantic sub-plot a bit annoying.
April 18, 2018
Stopped reading these after about 50 pages. Just not my type of book.
May 25, 2018
DAMN GOOD BOOK. WOW.
SO much going on here. Science. Math. Super Powers. Murder. Torture. Investigations. World Wide consequences.
I suggest you read this one
SO much going on here. Science. Math. Super Powers. Murder. Torture. Investigations. World Wide consequences.
I suggest you read this one
June 9, 2023
Le début était pas mal
Mais la fin est littéralement un viol de la cohérence....
Mais la fin est littéralement un viol de la cohérence....
May 14, 2025
Dropped
September 28, 2009
John Gribbin meets Thomas Harris - What do quantum physics and a psychotic killer have in common? Hmmm. They get deep into your head...quite literally. A grueling unique venture by one of my favorite thriller writers. Best known as one of the Star Trek series primary writing teams(with wife Judith), I personally wish he - or they - would get sidetracked more often.
February 1, 2012
This was a very good marriage of science and horror with a villain who really liked to get his hands into his work. The characters were memorable and the plot kept me riveted to the book right up to the satisfying conclusion. I do not want to spill too much about what happens other than to say this book will not disappoint you. If you love horror and science, you will love this book.
September 17, 2019
I don't even know what to say about this book. It was well written, seemed very well researched but there were parts I certainly could have done without. All I can say specifically about it is that it is very much like Robert California and I don't know if I want to give it 5 stars or 1, so I think I'll choose middle ground and give it three.
March 22, 2009
Science is a human endeavor and in time then all human attributes must be expressed in scientists. This posits that attribute of a psychopathic killer in a brilliant particle physicists. A haunting story that lingers with characters that make you wince.
February 1, 2011
Good title for this book because the subject matter is very dark. What a very fine line there is between a brilliant mind and one that is totally insane. There is also a thirst for power, control and money. I wonder if this authors books are all like this?
December 25, 2010
Not very good. A pretty well researched mystery. Lots of gore and psychosis, etc... Dark matter refers to brains...BRAAAAIIIINS...
July 4, 2013
Garfield Reeves-Stevens rarely disappoints!
July 16, 2014
There's a fine line between genius and insanity in this book, and the author has fun playing with it. Disturbing.
July 21, 2010
Pretty good up until the end, got a little out there
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews