From Midlife Crisis to Mind-Bending Sci-Fi: Blake Crouch’s ‘Dark Matter’ and the Power of Human Perception

Blake Crouch has made a name for himself in the world of science fiction, with his Wayward Pines trilogy and television series. However, around the same time he was experiencing professional success, he was also grappling with personal doubts. This led him to begin working on his novel Dark Matter, which served as his midlife crisis novel.

Intrigued by the theories of biologist Robert Lanza, who suggests that consciousness influences reality by selecting from infinite possibilities, Crouch was inspired to weave similar concepts into the narrative of Dark Matter. The mind acts as the key to opening doors to new realities, reflecting the idea that one’s perception shapes their experience of the world.

To ensure the scientific accuracy of his work, Crouch enlisted the help of Clifford V. Johnson, a professor of theoretical high-energy physics at the University of Southern California. Johnson served as a science adviser for both the book and its subsequent adaptation, providing essential expertise in helping Crouch and his creative team accurately depict the scientific concepts explored in Dark Matter. The collaboration with Johnson was crucial in ensuring that the narrative stayed true to scientific principles while exploring the boundaries of reality and human consciousness.