I can’t even begin to tell you about this book without TELLING you about this book (no spoilers, I promise). I was knee-deep reading another book when I received an email saying that I had a chance to read an advanced copy of Blake Crouch’s new book, Upgrade. I have never finished a book so fast in my life. I was SO EXCITED to read Upgrade. And it lived up to my internal hype and more. This guy can tell a story. A really, really good story. And they are like nothing that you will read anywhere else. This book blew my mind (I’ll be honest, every book of his blows my mind). It was so well written and so well explained. Do yourself a favor and read it. And then read every other book he ever wrote too. Thank you a million times over to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. I am FOREVER grateful!!!!

“They know you’re changing.”

It all happened so quickly. Following a tip from the GPA, the Gene Protection Agency, they went into the building equipped body armor, hazmat suits and a full SWAT team. He was a scientist, not a soldier. He was going to call his wife in the morning; he was supposed to go home. But a flash, an explosion—and then Logan Ramsay was changed forever. And with him, so was the rest of the world.

The planet has evolved so quickly. What once felt like slow march towards the inevitable has accelerated into a sprint. Logan joined the GPA as a way to make amends for his mother’s role in the gene editing scheme that snowballed into an ecological disaster. The old Logan would have never considered taking part in something like that, and he wouldn’t have had the capacity to. But after the botched raid, Logan is different now, and there’s no telling what he’s willing and capable of doing.

Upgrade is exactly the sort of book that I’ve come to expect from Blake Crouch. A dynamic, fast-paced thriller nestled comfortably between grounded sci-fi and speculative fiction. There’s the ‘regular guy’ protagonist that gets thrust into the center of rapidly unfolding, almost supernaturally daunting events that have to power to shape the world as we know it. And through that vehicle Crouch offers a commentary on what he believes is one of the most pressing issues of our time. In this case, that’s climate change, but a little more broadly it’s human indifference to the effects of climate change and other impending disasters.

For the most part, it’s spectacularly done. Crouch has a way of making the implications of a far-off technological advancement feel like it’s just around the corner. You just can’t help but rip through the pages, desperate to reach the end. Upgrade is the kind of book tailor-made for a big budget movie adaptation, staring whatever 30-40 year-old white leading man is currently in demand.

This was an easy 5 star book for me. Sure, it’s a very American worldview. It’s a white guy on a Save The World™ mission, humanity’s last hope and all that. There’s nothing wrong with being a popcorn thriller with a strong message, despite what some lit snobs might believe. So why, then, does this review have four stars? Well, I cannot tell you without spoilers, so only continue if you’ve read it already!!!!


***SPOILER***
I was all in on this, even in the epilogue, up until that final letter that Logan wrote to his wife and daughter. What a fumble on the 1 yard line (is that right?? idk I don’t do sport metaphors).

Explain to me how you can write an entire novel about the dangers of messing with humanity. About how one tiny change can have devastating, unforeseeable consequences—but you decide to solve the question of humans by once again having an entitled, know-it-all character play god on people against their will. Crouch has completely undermined his entire thesis in just a couple of pages of half-assed grandstanding. The fact that Logan could witness and face the consequences of his mother’s actions as well as literally murdering his sister to prevent her from acting, and then take it upon himself to do the same goddamned thing is a total collapse of his character arc. There’s no coming back from that; he’s now irredeemable.

I don’t even totally disagree with his point that it’s a lack of compassion that has (and will) lead human societies towards our own downfall, but I do vehemently challenge the notion that we all bear the same level of responsibility. It’s not all humans who need to be “upgraded”; it’s the powerful decision makers. There’s ample evidence that when people have been at their lowest and most vulnerable, that the communities who step up and help are the ones who have the least. And those that don’t help aren’t doing so out of apathy, but because they are simply struggling to survive themselves.

So the idea that humanity as a whole needs to be ‘fixed’, by possibly the worst candidate for White Savior since Hollywood decided to sing Imagine for us, is just incorrect. If Crouch was dead-set on this “compassion upgrade”, which I think is in moral opposition to the rest of his novel but whatever it’s his book, he could have aimed it to target a small number of influential people in high-income countries. But making it a contagion, spreading it to people without their knowledge, altering their chemical makeup without their consent, all based off of a technology that only a couple of years before had a 13% mortality rate—are we supposed to clap??
***END SPOILER***


Even with that complaint, though, Upgrade is monstrously entertaining. My reading speed essentially doubled whenever I picked it up, so for that reason I still feel compelled to recommend it. But it’s not going to top the list for me this year, and I can’t help but express disappointment at Crouch’s final word on the subject. I do hope other people read it when they get the opportunity to as I’m very eager to discuss it more.

Family dysfunction meets the ethics of genetic engineering in this great new story from Blake Crouch. He has been one of my favorite authors since the Andrew Thomas/Luther Kite days and his recent forays into scifi thrillers like Dark Matter and Recursion have been an interesting change which continues in Upgrade.

Logan Ramsay is living in the shadow of a worldwide apocalypse caused by his mother until a raid on a rogue DNA lab changes everything for him. Crouch's descriptions of the physical, psychological and emotional changes that Ramsay goes through were played out in fantastic detail. The plot moves pretty swiftly, lagging a little bit halfway through but then picks up quickly and the ending is very satisfying. It wont leave every question answered and leaves lots of room for speculation - but it will make you think.

The science and the ethics of genetic engineering and the action sequences really reminded me of The Dragon Factory which I loved - if you like that series, you should enjoy this book.

“Upgrade” is a very good action/adventure, science fiction novel focusing on the field of genetic engineering. Fans of Michael Crichton may be particularly interested in this story that takes place about a hundred years from now.

Logan Ramsay is the son of Miriam Ramsay, the world’s most brilliant geneticist. Unfortunately, the project he worked with her on as a young intern destroyed the world’s rice crops, causing “The Great Starvation” which killed 200 million people. Miriam drives her car off a California cliff, leaving Logan to serve several years in prison. Upon release, he continues his atonement by working as a law enforcement agent for the U.S. Government’s newly formed Gene Protection Agency.

When Logan and his team raid a property to interdict illegal genetic engineering activity, they set off a booby trap that infects Logan with material designed to change his DNA. At first, it seems the IED was unsuccessful. Logan’s recovery is normal. But then he finds his physical and cognitive capabilities improving. Each day, he gets stronger and smarter.

Who has done this and why? That's the question Logan must answer now, all the while wondering just how much he will improve. Will he become God-like amongst the rest of humankind? Will he lose his empathy, his humanity, his ability to feel? Will he outpace and grow distant from even his family?

It’s a theme that’s been explored in many books and movies, which makes the challenge of offering something fresh and absorbing—the task for any novelist—even more difficult. But author Blake Crouch adeptly meets the challenge with solid writing, interesting characters, creative world-building, and a plot that offers surprises and keeps readers turning the pages.

Mr. Crouch brings a wealth of technical expertise to “Upgrade.” Indeed, there were times that I—a “non-science guy”—found the descriptions regarding DNA and genetics way over my head. But then, thankfully, just as my eyes were beginning to glaze over, Mr. Crouch came to the rescue with an explanation for laymen.

I was particularly impressed by what Mr. Crouch envisions for our future: what happens to some well-known places, some of the inventions and methods of travel.

There were times when I found “Upgrade” a little “preachy” regarding genetic engineering, humanity, and the fate of the planet. And I’m not sure that the solution he offers—if, indeed, he intends to offer a solution—is all that realistic. Then again, other readers may well find what he has to say enlightening, even inspiring. And “preachy” or not, I found that I learned from this novel and that I was invited to consider an area I hadn’t paid much attention to.

All in all, a very interesting, very entertaining reading experience.

Where to start... I was over the moon excited to receive an ARC of Upgrade. I am a huge Blake Crouch fan. Dark Matter and Recursion are two of my favorite books and Sci-Fi is not one of my preferred genres. Maybe that is why I liked Upgrade but I did NOT love it. I couldn't help but compare it to the other two books. It was heavy on the science and not in a fun way! I felt like I was in a classroom listening to a biology lecture at several points. There was a lot of action but the book lacked richness and depth in my opinion. It was unemotional until then end which somewhat redeemed the book but not enough. I needed more of that throughout. This book read like a typical sci-fi movie script and that may appeal to some people. I will say it held my interest enough that I wanted to know how it would end but I was not invested in the characters. I skimmed a lot because the science was boring and somewhat redundant. I forgot the main character's name several times throughout the book! I will still read the next book Crouch writes because Dark Matter and Recursion were just too good not to but overall I was disappointed.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ability to read and review this ARC of Upgrade. I love Blake Crouch's writing - it is fast paced, exciting and there are always twists up ahead that catch even the most seasoned reader by surprise. While there was a lot of science in this book, as I've noticed in his previous writings, it was easy to understand. The story was a fascinating look at what humans will do to save our species and how sometimes with even the best of intentions, catastrophic events can occur. Will recommend to others!

I had never read any books by Blake Crouch before, but this made me a fan.

Crouch whips the reader through a twisty look at a future where genetic editing and experimentation has caused the death of millions and is currently outlawed and investigated by a shady government agency. When one of their own is targeted, he becomes prey instead of the hunter.

This book is highly entertaining, well written and offers surprises at every turn. Additionally, Crouch has created realistic characters I cared about and thought about after I turned the last page. His writing is deft with great action and a fantastic sense of realism in an unreal story.

I am not normally a science fiction reader, but I will be picking up Crouch's other two books as soon as possible.

I don't know what else to say other than that Blake Crouch has got it. I got introduced to him a couple years ago with Dark Matter and Recursion (both of which are excellent sci-fi) and when I heard about Upgrade I knew I would need to drop everything and binge my way through it. One of the things I loved about both Dark Matter and Recursion is that while they're both just plain exhilarating stories, Crouch also probes at the ethical dilemmas at the edges of science. If the multiverse is real and we were able to travel between universes, should we? If time travel were possible, should we? In his latest novel Crouch asks a similar question: if we could hack our own genetic code, should we?

It's tempting when addressing ethical questions through fiction to take a preachy tone, but Crouch mostly avoids that trap by playing out the scenario in all its gritty details. Upgrade follows the path of Logan Ramsay, a government agent in the near future tasked with tracking down black hat genetic hackers. Then in a raid gone wrong, he himself is infected with a gene-modifying material and finds himself turning into something no longer quite human.

A story like this could easily devolve into another boring Marvel-esque superhero who has to follow the hero's journey to take down the latest bigger badder villain. There is a little bit of that vibe to be certain, and I'm not against a good action sequence, but the thing that sung to me about the book was its meditations on the pros and cons of meddling with nature. Would we finally be able to solve climate change, war, and famine if we just upgraded human beings to be a little smarter? On the other hand, what are the unintended, unforeseen consequences we might run into? What are the terrible costs we have to pay for all our good intentions? Upgrade is an extended, action-packed meditation on these deep questions and I highly recommend it.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.

I loved it! I wish it hadn't ended that way! Fascinating yet disturbing. The non-stop action is thrilling and I really enjoyed the back and forth chase all over the country. Being able to see things that minutely would be a skill I wouldn't mind having myself. Great author!

Another compulsively readable science fiction novel from Blake Crouch. As per usual, there is a lot of science in here, but Crouch approaches it much in the same way that Andy Weir does: in bite-size pieces, which don't overburden the plot.

It was also surprisingly emotional.

Basically, everything you'd want in a science fiction novel, and everything we've come to expect from Crouch.

Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com

Thank you Goodreads for giving me the opportunity to preview “Upgrade”. I found it to be at first very interesting, then as I got further into it, very very interesting, and now that I finished it, I consider it just a remarkable book that everyone should read. It is hard to imagine how much research was first needed to even start the writing of “Upgrade”. It was so realistic while also being so informative about man’s possible future abilities. Read it, I guarantee you will also love it.

There is rarely a moment in Upgrade, Blake Crouch’s latest novel, where the reader is given the opportunity to relax and catch his or her breath. The novel is the literary equivalent of a speeding, out-of-control car careening side to side down San Francisco’s notorious Lombard Street, with its 27 degree slope, eight hairpin turns, and landscaping obstacles. In other words, it is a wild, breathtaking and relentless thrill ride.

Logan Ramsay is a special investigator with the Gene Protection Agency, set up after a scientist released genetically DNA altered insects into Chinese rice paddies to bolster the plant’s blight resistance. The result? More rice. Starvation would become a memory. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, however. Despite extensive testing, the DNA mutated. Within seven years, 200 million people starved to death. The world as it once was was all but destroyed.

Investigating a site suspected of altering genes, Ramsay is caught in an explosion, which all but kills him. As he recovers, Ramsay notices that his body is transforming - physically and mentally. He is, as the title suggests, becoming the next upgrade.

I am stopping here. There is so much more waiting for you in this book. Real life questions about our future, some lovely written characters, and an ending that…well, that’s all you need to know. This is a thought-provoking, powerful novel that raises many questions about mankind's future, our own humanity, and our stewardship of the earth.

One more thing, and this was completely unexpected. There is a beautiful and heartbreaking love story within these pages. Something I did not expect to find in a techno-thriller. It had a profound impact on me.

This is one of the best books I have read in some while. I am grateful to NetGalley and Random House for sharing the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, read it. Talk about it. It is a great book for discussion.

This was a pretty great read. Fast-paced, interesting, hard to put down. The world Blake Crouch envisions and creates is not too hard to imagine—gene editing, famine, calamity. Logan is mysteriously upgraded and then needs to figure out why and by who. And then has to save the world.

It's a real nail biter and I could hardly put it down! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. If you're looking for highly readable scifi that gives you lots to think about and is incredibly engaging, this is probably the book for you.

WOW! An amazing read executed with perfect clarity. Just like Blake's other works this is a blazing fast emotional adventure read that has cutting edge plot lines at it's center. I have loved his other books some of which I would call my very top most favorites, and this one falls right up there with them. The major difference, good or bad, with this read is that the plot is very linear and easy to follow. I didn't think there was too much hard to follow jargon. Again, much like Blake's other books, this is a very quick exciting and easy read. I think most readers, especially his fans will be able to read Upgrade over a long weekend. My favorite criticism for Blake after reading a Blake Crouch book is that he's too good and I need a new book immediately.

• Thank you to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is July 19, 2022.

It is not unusual for Blake Crouch to make me a little anxious about the future. However, this book scared the living daylights out of me. The premise is that in the future scientists will find a way to hack into a person’s genome via a virus. As with most science, the intention was to improve health and mental processes but what happens when everything goes haywire and the results are far different than what was intended? What is the cost and who is paying it? Terrifying concept.

“What do we have to lose?”
“Everything it means to be human.”

In the mid-twenty-first century, gene editing technology has become incredibly efficient and pervasive. Well-meaning scientists have inadvertently caused the death of hundreds of millions of people with their genetic experiments, leading gene editing technology to be banned globally. Logan Ramsay works for the Genetic Protection Agency, where he tracks down and apprehends scientists suspected of illegal genetic experiments. However, a trap one evening will change everything for Logan, and the results could change humanity as we know it.

First of all, great setup. The story hits the ground running. Personal information about Logan’s background and his mother are disclosed over time with the focus remaining on the main storyline. The pace was perfect; there was not a single chance to get bored, and Crouch includes some great twists along the way. Logan made his way into multiple situations that seemed impossible to get out of, and I couldn’t wait to find out how the story could resolve itself.

I love to read, but my first love is Biology, and I can’t fail to mention the misuse of the term evolution in the novel. Also, some of the anatomy and genetics seemed a little heavy handed, written like a student who has to use a certain amount of vocabulary terms in an essay.

This novel seemed to be heavy on the thriller and less so on the science fiction, which may make it accessible to readers who don’t typically read a lot of sci fi. I definitely liked Recursion and Dark Matter more than Upgrade, but it was still a really fun action- (and science-!) packed read. 4 stars.

3.5 stars. Maybe it's not fair to compare this book to Recursion and Dark Matter, but as someone who's become a fan of Blake Crouch and was extremely excited to read this because of those books, it's difficult not to. In light of that, it's also difficult not to see Upgrade as a little bit of a disappointment, considering how high of expectations I had for it.

Upgrade follows a man named Logan Ramsay, the son of a geneticist who inadvertently caused a worldwide disaster that killed millions, who has since been trying to pay penance for his mother's mistake by working for the fictional Gene Protection Agency. After a raid gone wrong, Logan suddenly starts noticing changes in himself and has to track down who did this to him and why, what they plan to do with this "upgrade", and figure out how to stop them. I would personally categorize Recursion and Dark Matter as sci-fi novels with threads of a thriller plot, while I would call Upgrade more of a thriller with threads of sci-fi. The science of the premise -- the dangers and possibilities of gene editing, and how a so-called "upgrade" changes a person on a fundamental level -- is intriguing and just as promising as the more reality-bending bases of Recursion and Dark Matter. However, the science here takes more of a backseat to the chasing-people-across-the-country-trying-to-stop-their-nefarious-plans mystery-thriller part of the plot. Crouch does dedicate some parts of the narration to describing the science behind said nefarious plots, but it's nothing as mind-bending as Recursion or Dark Matter (at least in my opinion).

This isn't to say that's necessarily a bad thing, to be fair! The mystery-thriller plot itself was enthralling. I finished this book in 2 days partly because there were parts where I literally could not stop turning pages, where I needed to know what happened next. In terms of being a thriller, Upgrade is solid. It's a fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller that kept me hungry to read more. This alone would have caused me to give Upgrade a good 4 stars, so perhaps it's unfair to judge Upgrade simply for being more thriller than sci-fi, and not what I expected.

HOWEVER! One similarity that Upgrade does have with Blake Crouch's other books is this: the main character is a family man, a man who is introduced to us as already having a family that he loves deeply, and this love motivates many of his actions throughout the book. I've noticed and mentioned this before, but at least for me, something is lacking in the way that those family relationships are fleshed out. This is not unique to Upgrade; in general, I've noticed that Blake Crouch seems to write from the point of view that his readers already innately understand the love of a man for his wife and children. On some level, I do understand a person's love for their family, but I feel that Crouch seems to skip over the complexities of a husband and father's love for his family specifically. And this is a problem when many of the pivotal moments of the plot hinge on this love. For example, in Upgrade, I found it difficult to really care about Beth and Ava, Logan's wife and daughter, because we hardly see their relationships with each other. For me, it's not enough to say "this is my wife Beth and my daughter Ava, and I love them" to make me really feel the depth and complexity of their relationship and Logan's devotion to them. As a result, a lot of the emotional moments of Upgrade fell a little flat for me.

Despite these criticisms, however, I would be lying if I said I didn't feel anything. Although I didn't care much for Beth and Ava specifically, I could still empathize with Logan's confusion and anxiety as he felt himself change from the man he once was, and his grief for his old self. Blake Crouch still painted an effective emotional picture of a man finding himself becoming increasingly isolated from his family, his old self, and indeed humanity itself -- even if the finer strokes were lost.

In the end, Upgrade is a step down from Recursion and Dark Matter in terms of the scope of its scientific premise, but it's still a page-turner mystery-thriller with a decent sci-fi backdrop that'll satisfy you if that's what you're looking for.

I have read two Blake Crouch books, well I guess three now. I absolutely loved Dark Matter and Recursion. They’re books I continue to think about even a year or more after reading them. This author is one of the main reasons I started looking into the sci-fi/thriller genre. So I was so excited to read his new book Upgrade!! Did I like the book? Yes. Did I love it? No. Will I be first in line for the next Blake Crouch novel? Heck yes!

I’m giving it 4 stars, but I continue to go back and forth between that and 3.5 stars, which is a good book in my eyes. I enjoyed the premise of the book. It’s about a guy (Logan) who basically becomes super human through a forced “upgrade” in his DNA. It makes him stronger, less reactionary (emotional), faster/more agile, more analytical…It enhances his hearing, observational skills and raises his IQ to literally off the charts. All of this ends up putting him smack dab in the center of being involved in saving the dying world/preventing the extinction of the human species. Logan will face difficult choices/sacrifices, which frankly this upgrade has mandated he make, in order to hopefully save Earth for the next generations in a not so distant future. This book makes you look at what it means to be human and our innate selfishness. It really did make me take a hard look at how if nothing is done to drastically change how we interact with our planet and the negative impacts we continue to have on it. Like duh! We all know this; however, will we stand together to make the decision to sacrifice in the here and now to ensure a future for generations to come, so that the choice is ours? Will we continue to ignore and hope for the best leading to the choice of how it gets saved taken away from us…forced on us? Or will nothing be done and the inevitable comes to fruition? Definitely a thought provoking book.

With that said, It was a bit of a hard read for me. Def not the kind of book where I could read it with distractions/too much background noise, aka around my kids. I had to concentrate, even having to reread many sections to comprehend what the heck was being said/described. I appreciate all the research that went into this book, but it felt like an info dump at times with it feeling forced down my throat. And honestly the volume of it was not necessary. I ended up skimming these heavily “how it works” science infused parts towards the 2nd part of the book.

Am I glad I read this book? Yes. Will I recommend it to my friends who enjoy sci-fi thrillers? Yes, with just a hint of hesitation.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the ARC.

Humans have limitations for what they’re capable of, but with some genetic tinkering that can significantly change and have impactful ramifications on humanity in Blake Crouch’s Upgrade.

Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency and his latest case leads him to an unassuming home presumed to be a lab used for illegal genetic activity. Soon after getting an all-clear to enter the basement, Logan realizes that there are ice bombs about to go off; caught in the explosion, his hazmat gear is punctured and ice particles reach his now broken skin, melting in to the wounds. When he awakes in the hospital, he’s quarantined as they investigate the virus that infected him and see if his genetic structure has been modified as a result. After fevers and pain, it’s determined that Logan is fine and no modifications have been made; released back to his normal life he slowly notices increases in his mental acuity, making him curious if the virus was a sleeper and used technology that his infamous mother developed. Upon confirmation of his genetic upgrades, he is detained by his employer, escapes with assistance from an unlikely source, fights with that person as to what to do about the upgrade potential, and goes on the run to stay hidden while considering how to outmaneuver his opponents in the fight for what’s best for humanity.

An engrossing and quickly moving story that raises important moral questions, the premise is equal parts interesting and frightening in what it portrayed as a possibility for the next state of humanity’s development as scientific progress is made, specifically around genetic engineering and the benefits and perils that come with that exploration. The pacing and general presentation of the plot had a cinematic feel to it, which is in line with Crouch’s writing style. There was a fair amount of technical terminology used throughout the text, some of which felt like gibberish and was highly skimmable as strings of numbers and/or letter acronyms, but the information necessary to understand the base of what’s shared was made clear to readers, though more in a telling versus showing manner. A certain level of remoteness or coldness to the characters’ presentation kept them at arm’s length, likely due to the highly analytical presentation from Logan’s augmented perspective, in this highly interior-facing story with vast external implications.

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Easily earned 5 stars. The science went over my head at times and the final action sequence was a bit much for my taste, but those things aside...the story and characters were excellent, not to mention all the research this must have taken. And it had a ton of heart, too. I highly recommend!