“We were monstrous, thoughgul, selfish, sensitive, fearful, ambitious, loving, hateful, hopeful species. We contained within us the potential for great evin, but also for great good. And we were capable of so much more than this.”

Upgrade is Blake Crouch’s latest novel, and I loved it. It’s probably my favorite because it’s plausable. I can the possiblity of the geneitic mutations and viruses happening in the future. I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, but this is an author that is a must read for me.

There is a lot of scientific words and genetic talk in this book as Logan Ramsay works through changes that are happening to him and people around him. Changes that were started by his mother and then carried on by his sister. Logan can see the need for changes, but does he agree that his mother and sister are on the right path? He needs to find out while the agency he works for is hunting him down.

“Life never really goes the way you want or expect. Usually, even getting exactly what you want turns out not to have been what you really wanted.”

This book is a fast read and really gets you thinking about the future of humanbeings and the future of science. The writing is entertaining and high energy. I just could not put it down!

This is a super interesting premise, as Blake Crouch always produces! It was very suspenseful, kept me at the edge of my seat wanting to read more! I would love to get into the mind of Crouch - I have no idea how he comes up with this stuff! He is truly the sci-fi thriller king! I will say some of the science was too detailed and went over my head.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for honest opinions.

“Upgrade”, by Blake Crouch, is a vigorous, complex, fast-paced thriller that seems tailor made for a big budget box office hit. Although, there are some medical and technical jargon that was sometimes baffling, I was completely enthralled and read this book so quickly. If it seems too much, hang in there. It’s worth it in the end!

Crouch, with his dynamic writing style has a way of making far-fetched biological and technological advancements seem, well, not so far off. It really made me think and it is frightening at times. Crouch reminds us that our future depends on us as humans. How far should we push science and what will be the outcomes of modifying ourselves. What does our future hold?

I always enjoy a book by Blake Crouch, and Upgrade did not disappoint! I was drawn quickly into the characters and story. Having lived a few years in rural northern Montana, I enjoyed the reference to Glasgow in the story. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful novel.

I will read anything Blake Crouch writes. His stories are unique, entertaining and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Loved this one. It was Blake Crouch at his Crouch-iest.

Logan Ramsay starts noticing changes for the better: his memory is sharper, he's better at multitasking, he doesn't need as much sleep. His genome was hacked due to a terrible family secret, and this is part of a larger plot that will force this upgrade onto the rest of humanity. If he's to stop it, he'll have to become something other than human. Is this something to be stopped?

I was drawn in from the beginning, where Logan works for the Genetic Protection Agency and hunts down those geneticists making illegal hacks to DNA. The Agency was created following a global catastrophe that Logan's mother accidentally created with her technology. Ever see the movie Rampage? Scythe is CRISPR on Crack, and viruses had continued to mutate. Logan's still paying penance decades later, and the progressive changes are insidious. In becoming stronger with more clarity of thought, Logan can essentially turn off his emotions and do the expedient thing. This essentially cuts off his humanity, because individuals and sentimentality don't matter, just population genetics at large. The question now becomes why stay ordinary when you can be a more perfect and intelligent version of yourself?

The novel addresses genetic mutations, the responsibility of discovery, advancement in science, morality, and the nature of humanity. These are weighty topics, and science fiction can push the envelope of our reality to explore these topics. This book is beautiful and thought-provoking, making readers question what is human, and how can we fix the problems in our world to secure a better future.

Blake Crouch wowed everyone with his novels Dark Matter and Recursion, and now he is back with a new release that is being described as “mysterious, fascinating, and deeply moving - exploring the very nature of what it means to be human.”

Logan Ramsay feels a change - in his brain, his body, and his overall sense of being. His genome has been hacked, considered an “upgrade”, and there is a reason why he has been picked that can be traced back years and years to a dark part of his family’s past.

This upgrade will eventually affect others and it’s up to Logan to not only fight for others but acknowledge the evolution going on within himself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC copy - published July 12, 2022.

This was a fast paced book that is hard to say much about without giving away too much of the storyline. The main character, Logan, had his genome hacked which results in new abilities, such as thinking faster and physically reacting faster. Some of the DNA and science details were a little less interesting to me but I am not a science person. Details of some of what takes place is scary to imagine that it could happen in the future and this makes you think about appreciating what you have now. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC that I enjoyed.

You are in for a wild ride and a lot of science mumbo jumbo in this book. Upgrade follows Logan Ramsay, a member of the GPA, an organization that seeks out illegal genetic labs. He works for them because of the guilt he still carries around, years after an experiment conducted by his mother went awry and killed millions of people across the globe. After being lead to a supposed lab, Logan becomes the victim of a blast, hit by shrapnel from an unknown device. It's discovered the blast infected him with DNA altering particles, changing and upgrading his intelligence and physical abilities. The question now is, who else knows about his upgrade? And what will they do to obtain it as well?

This is my second book by Blake Crouch. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and didn't mind all the scientific terms the author used throughout. He gives enough context so the reader can understand what the upgrades are and what they do to a person. With just enough story and lots of twists and turns, the story captured my attention. I found it lagged a little about two-thirds of the way in but then wrapped up nicely. A genuinely enjoyable science fiction book, even for those wary of the genre. Crouch creates an alternate world that could possibly become reality, it just depends on how far humanity is willing to go.

In general I'm a fan of Blake. This didn't quite hit the same as DARK MATTER for me, but was still a great read, with a fast, propelling plot and sympathetic characters. i wish that some of the other characters had been as well-developed as the protagonist, but it was still enjoyable and i liked the ending, which i feel like i rarely say or think....

Blake Crouch's mind definitely thinks in ways like no other. Upgrade is yet another book with an inventive storyline that you have to pay close attention to so that the nuances don't slip past you.

Logan Ramsay initially seems like a somewhat normal fellow. However, you quickly learn that he's got serious baggage. You just aren't sure exactly what it is right away. The story evolves pretty quickly and you learn more about where he comes from and the dynamics that make him who he is. Just as you get a handle on who Logan is, things will turn upside down and you'll be left figuring out a new twisty mystery.

This book takes the reader on a journey where Logan (one man) is trying to understand a new science that targets genes before the unthinkable happens. He will desperately try to prevent a catastrophe of epic proportions from befalling the world. But can he succeed or should he even try? There are so many ethical questions at play.

Blake Crouch blends science and mystery so delicately that it's almost an art form. I'm not sure how any one person's brain can think out of the box to this extent but I'm grateful for it because his books are a treat.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Upgrade is more of a sci fi type of book with a futuristic perspective. Not usually something I find interesting but this particular book took off and kept interest throughout. This is an action packed thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can see this happening in the distant future. Agent Logan Ramsay works as a scientist for the Gene Protective Agency (GPA). Gene editing has become a federal crime. We're now a few years out from The Great Starvation in a post famine world. A profound impact has occurred from tampering with and subverting the original intent of a gene's function. Scythe had become a biological DNA modifier system. In the wrong hands, genetic fingerprint labs have the potential to release pathogens like mad terrorists. Logan and his UNESCO partner, Nadine, have gotten a tip on such a lab. As they enter inside, an explosion happens and ice-like particles break through his hazmat suit. As a precaution, Logan is hospitalized and tests are run. Initially, all seems to be well. But eventually, the tests come back with rapid changes to his genetic coding. Logan's fear is one of trust. He's not even sure if he should divulge his newly gained enhanced learning and spatial capabilities along with his higher cognitive function abilities. His mind is speeding at an astounding rate.

Thank you Netgally, Blake Crouch and the publisher for this ARC.

If you like science fiction books with a lot of action, then this book is for you. It's not my normal type of read, but I do like books that take place in the future.

Can you imagine being about to concentrate and multitask better? Be able to read every little facial expression of others? Be more fit and need less sleep? Logan Ramsey has been given an "upgrade," but not by choice. His mother, a famous geneticist, wants to save the human race by messing with the genomes of everyone in the world. But at what cost? Would you be willing to give up everything and everyone for this upgrade?

I admit that part of this book was a little too detailed in the genome category, but I think other people would find it really interesting. This book is action-packed, and I would be surprised if it wasn't turned into a movie one day. Many people have compared it to Michael Crichton or Ray Bradbury books.

I was given this book for my honest review. I gave it four out of five stars.

Blake Crouch is sooooo good at writing sci-fi with wide-appeal. This book is about a family of scientists, doing and undoing their mistakes of the past. I loved that the themes of family and right and wrong were supported by the science elements, and not the other way around. I was immediately engaged in this book from the start, and I loved thinking about the question - if you could enhance your capabilities, would it be worth it if you lost what made you most human at heart. I'll definitely continue to read new books from Crouch whenever they come out!

I loved Dark Matter. I really, really liked Summer Frost. I was lukewarm about Recursion, to my distress. And now I'm conflicted about Upgrade. It's a good story, one I liked reading. But it's very dependent on your being willing to listen to medical-terminology-laden lectures to get the full impact of.

That isn't an easy ask. Genetics is a field where the Acronym Anteater sends his tongue into overdrive, clawing down mound after mound of random alphanumeric snippets and that incredibly long, sticky tongue smooshing them into a lumpy paste of confusing same-but-different ever-shifting compounds. I got lost multiple times.

But the work I put in looking stuff up and the time I spent reading whatever "for Dummies"-level materials I could kept me grounded in Author Crouch's not-distant future of humans suffering for the hubris of a few visionary souls. It's important thought-experiment material, all of it, and Author Crouch doesn't think we should wobble blindly on our unicycles down a cobblestone alleyway when we could, and should, think and talk about what can and what might should not be done to our bodies.

I know it sounds like I am trying to foist an "eat-your-spinach" book onto you this time. I promise that I am not. What I am asking each and every one of the book's potential readers to do is to be ready to think about how a man whose hubristic scientist mother was his idol, his exemplary scientist-in-service to humanity, would reach the conclusions and decisions he does when he learns he's been used as a genetic experiment...like the one that got her reviled.

When he grasps that his continued existence has been rendered debatable by the unauthorized, illegal actions of people with an agenda that he will serve, whether dead or alive.

He's no longer himself, husband-father-government agent of law enforcement. He is An Example, a Test Case, a now-capital-lettered being without any say in the matter, and the matter is life and death for us all.

Those stakes got your interest? They got, and kept, mine. Up, in fact, until 4am they kept mine.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very fast paced and interesting futuristic sci-fi thriller. If you enjoyed the author’s previous book, Dark Matter, I think you will enjoy this. There’s a lot of science jargon but he explains it in a way so you aren’t lost.

I am not sure what I’d do if I was in the situation posed in the book. I liked the ending and found myself hoping for the main character and the future of the world represented in the book.

The fictional scientific advances in this book are fascinating but also horrifying! IEDs that eject ice crystals infused with asymptomatic super viruses?! Of course, an asymptomatic super virus doesn’t sound far fetched after living through COVID.

Though set sometime in the not too distant future, it’s themes are oddly timely. The main theme being the environmental and humanitarian crises in which we find ourselves (and have for some time) and yet we can’t get on the same page to save ourselves or our planet. While the problem Crouch highlights is definitely timely and relatable, let’s hope we craft a better solution than what’s attempted in this book … because (as I’m sure you can guess) it doesn’t go well!

I also loved how Crouch managed to weave into all the science and suspense, a really complex and emotionally charged romantic and familial story. I wish he shared more from Beth, Ava, and Kara. But, overall, really entertaining and layered.

Thanks to @Netgalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC!

What a thrilling ride! I’ve read all of Crouch’s books and he never disappoints. This one may well be my favorite. It’s a thriller sci-fi cat and mouse game that you won’t be able to put down!

The topic is fascinating because it’s about gene editing, genome hacking and upgrading human beings. The earth is in trouble so the thinking goes if we upgrade humans to be smarter then they will find a solution. But there is one problem and it’s a big one — many will die from the upgrade. This is truly a moral dilemma. Our protagonist Logan thinks there has to be a better way because so many will die. But his sister Kara firmly believes that the only way to save humanity is to upgrade everyone and pay the price of losing people in the process but as she sees it, it is for the greater good.

At the center of the novel is this moral dilemma as personified by Logan and Kara. Each one of them is so convicted in their beliefs that they try to convince each other but to no end. Each is determined to stop the other one.

Crouch is a great storyteller and his characters are well developed. While it is clear that he did a lot of research before writing the book, it does not get bogged down in scientific detail.

I highly recommend this book as well as Crouch’s previous novels. I was very pleased to see that Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is developing the book into a theatrical movie so hurry and read it before the film comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch #jaylammreviews

I have been a fan of Crouch's previous work but this story was just a bit past my science fiction threshold. I found myself confused a lot of the time and skimming the areas that included the most science. It wasn't the book..it was me. I just didn't enjoy it. 

Crouch has the best plot lines, they are interesting and really make you think about this world we live in. This was true for this book as well. This showed where our society is going and what we could be in store for. The food shortages, the take over of technology- it's all very scary. 

I loved the plot, and the idea of this story but it just didn't work for me.

I loved the plot and character dynamics in this one; however, this novel was WAY too sciencey for me. It was 80% science and only 20% plot. Had it been about 50/50 with science and plot/character development, this would have been a 5 star read for me.

*Will post full review on social media platforms soon.*