You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
amongstchaosshereads's reviews
759 reviews
Dissolution by Nicholas Binge
5.0
This 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 her 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.