Logan Ramsay's mother was the most brilliant mind of her generation. But her misstep cost Logan his freedom for a few years, and cost a lot of the world's population their lives. Logan begins working at the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) to atone for his perceived sins against humanity.

I don't think there are many authors who could break down genetic modification as clearly as this author did. I felt science-y and smart just reading it, while knowing this is a subject wayyyy over my head. But Logan would make some gene observation, and I'd be like, "Of COURSE!" Definitely one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read, which leads to my 5 out of 5 star rating.

I could barely put this book down, and even the ending was satisfying. With that said, I hope to get back to his previous works at some point and see if I love them as much as I loved Upgrade.

I really enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion, so was looking forward to digging into Crouch’s latest work of speculative fiction. I don’t know if it’s the passing of time, or if it’s just this book in particular, but Upgrade read to me like a Michael Crichton novel, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Rather than an intriguing and thoughtful sci-fi mystery, Upgrade felt alarmist and mostly devoid of any mystery. Maybe I’m a different reader than I was when I read Crouch’s previous work, or maybe this one just isn’t as good. Either way, I didn’t enjoy it.

I was beyond thrilled to receive this ARC via Netgalley. I will always read anything released by Blake Crouch and I am never disappointed; this book is no different. I love the complexity and thought-provoking plots in all of his work: Science fiction that lives right on the edge of impossible and possibility. Genetic modification... good intentions behind the invention yet dangerous and immoral implementation. This book follows Logan Ramsey who is a loving father, a devoted husband, and now finds himself something of a super-human who doesn't know who he can trust. Intriguing is an understatement. This will absolutely be a re-read for me!

"The greatest threat to our species lies within us."

Blake Crouch is a reliably great author. I really enjoy his books and seeing how his brain works--a lot of what he writes about is well and truly over my head and comprehension, but he writes in such a way that it's easy to follow along and I respect that! Upgrade is a very scientific, high-stakes story with twists and turns and sentimental beats, which is pretty much on par with all of the books that I've read so far by Crouch.

Ultimately, I liked this book, but I do have to say that it lacked the emotional charge that I got from Dark Matter and Recursion. Somehow this book kept me at a distance all the way through. I wanted to be more attached to Logan, but I just did not feel that same connection that I need in the previous novels. Maybe I would have been more affected if I was able to spend more time with his immediate family.

I loved the questions this novel posed and the ethics and morality of it all. Does saving humankind justify the brutal means to get there? I thought that some of the answers the book posed were very poignant and probably my favorite aspect of the story. It's especially wild to me that this book feels legitimately plausible in the future--terrifying! All in all, Upgrade is a solid thriller that will keep you invested enough to read late into the night.

3.5 stars! I'm looking forward to the next Crouch book, as always!

Such a wonderful book! I loved the plot, and the characters. The idea felt original and exciting, and was well executed by the author.

Taking place in the future, this sci-fi story was an enjoyable read for me!
I love the topics of genetics /genetic engineering and microbiology explained throughout the book. We also see the author touch on the ethics of genome alteration. The plot and decision-making moments that the main character, Logan, goes through helped keep me invested in the story. Some parts were a little slow but they eventually pick up with the bits of action spread throughout the book! I really appreciated the epilogue which made me emotional!

Another great book by Blake Crouch, he is an automatic read every time he releases a book...the suspense, the science, the twists...I'm here for it!

I received an ARC of Upgrade from Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.

Having previously read only his Wayward Pines trilogy, I’m something of a latecomer to Blake Crouch’s new wave of post-Dark Matter popularity, but hey, better late than never. I’m here! Hi! Crouch’s latest speculative thriller, Upgrade, takes place in a near-future world in which genetic hacking is common but illegal after a scientist named Miriam Ramsay attempted to modify crops in China and accidentally created an international incident which resulted in mass starvation.

Upgrade crystallized for me how I feel about the work of Blake Crouch: he does what he does very well (breezy commercial fiction with a scientific angle, like a less-dense Michael Crichton), but what he does is not for me. I found myself craving a meatier story that was more willing to sacrifice action and thrills in exchange for ethics and philosophy. I will fully admit, though, that this is in no way a failing on Crouch’s part. He’s just aiming for an audience that isn’t me.

Upgrade concerns Miriam Ramsay’s son, Logan. His mother is dead by suicide following The Great Starvation, and he now works for the government, hunting down those who tamper with genetic code. An explosion during a raid infects him with something that changes his genome, and he soon becomes a sort of superhuman—faster, smarter, speed reader, perfect memory, etc. These upgrades implicate him in a devious plan in which the future of humanity is at stake.

Upgrade is light and readable. Honestly, it’s a bit too readable for my preferences. It moves at a quick clip, there’s plenty of action, and if you choose to experience this story in print or ebook format, frequent line-breaks (often after individual words) will draw your eye down the page. I personally want more friction in my prose, but if the writing style I’m describing works for you, Crouch handles it well and you will likely have a good time with Upgrade. Frankly, it’s fun!

The characters are sympathetic and feel appropriately complex for this story. Logan could step comfortably into the shoes of any generic action hero; he’s not particularly memorable, but I didn’t mind spending several hundred pages with him, which is ultimately how I would frame the book as a whole. His foil, the antagonist, was suitably compelling, with a motivation that made sense. (Anyone else find themselves relating more to villains as they get older? Just me?)

I thought the twist—as in, the devious plan that Logan eventually tries to stop—was actually quite clever, and unlike anything I’ve encountered before. It raises all sorts of questions about the nature of humanity and how best to confront the most pressing problems of our time. I don’t know if it makes sense from a scientific perspective, nor do I care; it works from a narrative and thematic perspective, and that’s what matters to me. Upgrade has ideas that pop off the page.

Your appreciation of Upgrade will depend more upon how you like your stories told than what you like your stories to contain. I was interested in much of the content here, but this feels only a few degrees removed from a script for an action movie, and that doesn’t appeal to me as a reader. Your mileage may vary! I will certainly check out Crouch again, but my expectations will be in alignment with popcorn entertainment, and I will happily recommend him to the right reader.

Upgrade is another intense science fiction thriller by Blake Crouch. This time, his focus is on gene modification and its ethics. As you would expect from Mr. Crouch, the action is intense and near-constant. The science is also fierce, as he tackles genes, genomes, and the science of modifying them. I enjoy and gravitate toward stories that force you to answer tough ethical questions, and I love a story that uses plausible science. Upgrade has both. I ripped through its pages and finished the story with the satisfaction of experiencing a well-written, well-plotted book.

Logan Ramsey works for the Gene Protection Agency, a part of the government dedicated to ensuring genes are not being manipulated after the "Great Starvation".

When Logan is caught in an explosion, it seems like there is nothing wrong at first. Then, he begins to notice the changes. He is smarter, stronger, faster, better, and multi-tasking. In short, his genes have been hacked and he has been upgraded.

It is not a coincidence that Logan was chosen. His family has a horrible legacy and now, he is the only one that can stop the plan that will change humanity forever.

I have loved all of Couch's books and this one did not disappoint. I could not stop reading this book that has non-stop action and really makes you think

In theory, I should have loved this one just as much as the others.

But alas. I was bored.

I don’t mind science in sci-if. I mean, real science. So long as it’s told in a way that is relevant and interesting and that I, a humanities major till the end, can understand, it’s perfectly fine. But every time the MC would start talking about DNA and start naming DNA sequences and specific genes I would die a little inside. We the reader don’t need to know the specific genes being altered. We don’t need to know every scientific process being done unless knowing it is going to impact the plot or or understanding of it. Unless you are a biologist or geneticist, all the combinations of AGCT mentioned in this book aren’t going to mean anything.

Another issue I had was that I simply didn’t like the main character. He felt bland. The most compelling thing about him was his love for his family. Crouch’s characters always have very strong bonds with their families and I love that. Unfortunately, everything else about the MC bored me. Lastly, the whole book felt like a movie. A cheap action thriller whose plot I won’t remember much later.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book, despite all I’ve said. Many will like it, especially people that are already fans of Crouch’s work. I am just not one of those people.

This book Started out with a great premise, a genetic modification to “upgrade” the human species. Unfortunately it ended up feeling like a bad action movie where the upgraded main character just fights off bad dudes left and right.

Upgrade is an excellent sci-fi thriller with tons oof action dark secrets and huge ramifications for choices made. Overall it’s everything a good sci-fi thriller should be. This is my first book from Blake Crouch but it won’t be my last. I loved the taught storyline, characters and well done world building. Overall just fantastic!

I'm writing this review the day after finishing this story and I can't stop thinking about it. We follow the main character, Logan, through the decisions and challenges he must face after genetic changes are made to his body from an incident that happens early on in the book.

Reading this felt like hopping on a train that you think is going to be a gentle tour through the country-side but you soon realize that the brakes have failed and it starts rocketing out of control. Just when you think it's slowing down, next thing you know, you are hurtling down another mountain. The impact that I hit at the end is what has me thinking about this story long after it's finished.

This story will appeal not only to science fiction fans but also to readers who enjoy the timely topic of genetic engineering the philosophical dilemmas that come along with it.

This book had me reaching out to the internet immediately to see what other people thought. Never have I ever wished more to be in a book club where I could talk about this book. It is stellar.

"We seek comfort rather than a clear-eyed stare into reality." and ""I couldn't do nothing." beautifully sum up the humanity and morality points you will find in this unforgettable story.

A huge thank you for my e-ARC, which was provided by the publisher and the author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Living his life under the shadow of his mother's genius, and her crimes, Logan has tried to do the best to redeem himself from his mother's legacy and the part he played in it.
But he is dragged back in after his DNA is forcibly upgraded. Logan find himself smarter, faster, and just all around better.
And now he has to figure out if the risk is worth doing the same to the entire human race....
Overall very enjoyable. The technical parts were made simple enough that I could breeze on through them without feeling like my genome had been downgraded. A lot of action, good character interactions, difficult choices, and overall strong plot.

It did feel like I had been in this story before though - scientist risks destroying humanity to save it... the end of mankind is nigh... and I just didn't feel the strong sense I urgency the I know I was meant to feel throughout the story.

Upgrade is essentially a superhero origin story, albeit a lot heavier on the science. In the near future, genetic modification is heavily regulated after a geneticist caused a worldwide famine. The son of that geneticist, Logan Ramsay, now works for the Gene Protection Agency. When a GPA raid goes awry, Logan discovers that he's gradually becoming...better. Sharper, stronger, faster, more adept at retaining information and calculating complex computations, requiring less sleep. He learns he's been given a genetic upgrade, used as a guinea pig for a process that could have widespread implications for all of humanity.

Upgrade is another fast-paced, high-stakes sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch. What makes his sci-fi novels so successful for me is that, while there is a lot of science, there's also a lot of action: lots of running and hiding from the government, lots of drama and betrayal, lots of from-bad-to-worse scenarios. His books are also full of heart, with an emotional component that connects me intimately to his stories as I'm devouring them. Upgrade's Logan is an Everyman sort of character who loves his family and cares deeply about the fate of humanity, so he is easy to root for and connect with.

While Crouch does an excellent job of making high-level scientific concepts easy for the average person to understand, Upgrade is almost too heavy on the science. It probably would have been a three-star read for me if it weren't for the epilogue, which I found so unexpectedly poignant and powerful that it upgraded (ha) my rating an entire star. Epilogues generally feel unnecessary to me, but this one did an excellent job of highlighting the book's warnings about humanity's path to extinction -- a path that is still in our power to reroute. It provides a cautiously hopeful answer to a loaded question, and it really made the book as a whole work for me.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.*

I am not a huge science fiction reader but when Blake Crouch puts out a book it’s an instant must read. To me a good science fiction must make things feel less like fiction and more like something that could genuinely happen in a decade or more’s time. Upgrade 100% does that with it’s focus on biological agents and DNA altering, both things that currently exist in albeit less intense forms. Main character Logan becomes “hacked” with a genome altering drug that basically turns him superhuman. The ramifications for him personally are bad given his past but also sets him up to be an unlikely hero who must stop this drug from being distributed on a global scale effectively changing the world as he knows it.

If you enjoy SciFi and if you haven’t read from Crouch, you are missing out, honestly!! Dark Matter was my first read from him and I have since read all his backlist books!! Blake is amazing in writing gripping stories with fascinating themes and compelling plot lines. Upgrade is no different. Dark Matter is still my favourite from him, but this latest book takes a creative approach on future “upgrades”. Some people might not like the morally defying story concept, but that is advantage of dystopian / futuristic literature, no bounds on speculation.

Thank you Random House via Netgalley for the arc

My first Blake Crouch and it did not disappoint. This is just some insane smart Sci Fi. Thank you Random House for the ARC for my honest review.

If you’re not familiar with Blake Crouch’s work, the first thing you need to know is you’re about to get into stuff that might blow your mind a little. Mostly sci-fi, sometimes his books are hard sci-fi, sometimes dystopian, but always cool and a good time. Upgrade is no different.

Logan Ramsay can’t be sure that things are different at first, well, other than he feels a little different. However, as time goes on from his exposure, it’s pretty clear he’s better. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. This “upgrade” is the result of genome hacking, and it wasn’t a mistake. Logan was targeted and as he fights to find and bring down these hackers, he begins to wonder if this next step in human evolution might not be so bad after all.

Though it’s no my favorite Crouch book, I really enjoyed this read. Mysterious, engaging, fast-paced, and it kept me guessing. I was along for the ride with Logan to find out where the story was going (and honestly, where it started in the first place). Cool characterization and a roller coaster ride of emotions, if you’re looking for a hard sci-fi read that’s enjoyable and just a tad mind boggling, check this one out.