I'm a Blake Crouch fan. I'll read anything he writes. This one was no exception, and although it's not my favorite of his novels it was still a very good read.

In an alternative near-future, genetic modifications are outlawed because of some past missteps that had horrible consequences for humanity. Our main character is a law enforcement officer in the big gene-protection agency. On one raid, he is exposed to genetic material that gives him super-everything - intelligence, speed, strength, senses, etc.

But there is something deeper and more nefarious to the reason he, specifically, was targeted for this mutation. Off our hero goes on a quest to figure out the what and why and to try to save humanity from what might be coming.

It's fast-paced and intelligent, like Flowers for Algernon crossed with The Bourne Identity. This wasn't what I would consider the best of Blake Crouch - I got bogged down a bit in the science at times (and I'm a scientist!), the political ideologies were a bit heavy-handed, and I didn't really care for the ending. But I still think it was worth reading!

3.5- Having loved Dark Matter giving it 5 stars and enjoying Recursion with 4 stars I had high hopes going into this book. Very strong start to this book with lots of action leaving the main character with an “Upgrade” to his own body through what at first seemed to be accidental means and the story reveals why this happened to him and his main purpose. The middle portion is where I got a little bored in the fact it read like a script for a movie and I found a sudden change in events regarding the main character and sibling quite unbelievable. The end message to this book however was a good one and gave me food for thought.

Wow! What a total let down this was. This was my first Blake Crouch and I was VERY underwhelmed by this one. Upgrade started off on a great foot! I was totally into the storyline for the first 25-30% and then around the 45% mark, the storyline tanked for me. But I kept on reading and around 55% in I thought, “Okay. Maybe this is going somewhere.” NOPE. The rest of the story was NOT interesting for me. I felt like there was so much potential, but it all just fell flat for me. I was also expecting to read this and understand some of the science involved, but I felt pretty dumb. I think Project Hail Mary will forever hold the top spot of making science easy to follow. Anyways, i skimmed majority of this book and probably should have DNF’d but hindsight!

"Being smart doesn't make people infallible. It just makes them more dangerous."

It is finally here! Blake Crouch's Upgrade was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, especially given how much I adored his previous two novels Dark Matter and Recursion. If you haven't already read them, go ahead and add both of those to your TBR list too. His publisher sent me an advanced copy of this latest book months ago, and I read it lightning fast. I've been not so patiently sitting on my review ever since. As it publishes today, I can finally share my thoughts and encourage you to read it yourself.

The novel opens in the not-too-distant future, a world that has seen today's pressing problems such as climate change, pandemics, and widespread starvation amplified to crisis levels. Logan Ramsay is an agent with the Gene Protection Agency (GPA), a federal organization tasked with upholding the laws against modifying DNA. The banning of this practice came in the wake of a well-intentioned, mass-scale genetic alteration that triggered tragic deaths across the globe. Simply put, in the wrong hands, adjusting an individual's biological nature on the molecular level has the potential to be weaponized by terrorist organizations. Logan and his team are raiding an illicit genetic lab when they trigger a trap and are shocked by a large explosion.

When Logan wakes, he sees the extent of his injuries. Tiny cuts envelop his entire body. The GPA places him into quarantine, worried less by the injuries than by the potential that Logan was infected by a rogue virus meant to alter his DNA. After days under constant observation, he is released from the hospital, assured that no virus made its way into his body. It is during his recovery at home, however, that Logan begins to notice subtle signs that contradict that assertion. It begins as he beats his daughter at chess, a rare occurrence in his household. Soon Logan can think clearer, recalling minute details from his past with ease. His body changes too. Logan is plagued by intense aches as his bones become denser, his muscles strengthening with each sleep. More startling is his ability to process large amounts of new information, becoming an expert in moments. This new mental acuity sees Logan eager to reckon with his past, a time that saw invigorating progress but devasting results.

I don't read a ton of science fiction. In fact, I often find works in the genre to be difficult to absorb. Blake Crouch, however, has become the exception. He's long been one of my must-read authors, and Upgrade only further validates this status. The novel imagines a world where adjustments to DNA can amplify traits or characteristics within a person. Crouch daringly shines a light on humanity's apathetic approach to dealing with a global crisis and employs his fiction to propose and question the bold solutions that could be on the horizon. There isn't an easy way forward, and Crouch's novel veers into the moral ambiguity that comes with tackling the complexity of issues on a global scale. He has a knack for layering intricate concepts into a breakneck thriller that unrelentingly propels the plot forward. At the heart of Upgrade lies a cast of characters who ground the futuristic world through universal themes of family, love, and loss. It is in these nuanced characters that the true brilliance of Crouch's storytelling comes alive, drawing the reader deeper into the world he builds, one mind-blowing page at a time.

4 ☆
"I was alive in strange times. There was a palpable sense of things in decline."

In Blake Crouch's latest sci-fi thriller Upgrade, we get a glimpse of a possible future. The year is some unspecified point in the mid-21st century. There are technological advances such as hyper-loop pod transportation between major cities and electric vehicles that can run for a long time on their solar charges. Climate change has altered the landscape as both Lower Manhattan and Miami are permanently submerged in water.

"Even here in America, we were still crippled by rolling food shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and labor scarcity. We live in a veritable surveillance state, engaged with screens more than our loved ones, and the algorithms knew us better than we knew ourselves. Every passing year, more jobs were lost to automation and artificial intelligence.

The future was here, and it was a f*cking mess."

Logan Ramsay, mid-forties, is still trying to atone for his participation in what his mother's genetic experiment unleashed upon the world nearly 20 years ago. Miriam Ramsay's IQ of 180 was the kind that appeared only once in a generation.

"Being smart doesn't make people infallible. It just makes them more dangerous."

Miriam was neither an evil genius nor a mad scientist. Nevertheless, her experiment in genetic modification had succumbed to the law of unintended consequences. And as one result, billboards now sport this message -

"Gene Editing Is a Federal Crime"

Logan has been working for 15 years with the federal law enforcement Gene Protection Agency. Shortly after Logan and his partner Nadine crossed paths with Henrik Soren, known for his trade in genetic materials, Logan began to experience changes. He could read faster, even if the material was complex. His vision became more acute. He felt sharper. He has been upgraded but by whom and for what purpose eludes him. Others around him soon notice the alterations and then it's shockingly time for Logan to face his future.

Science fiction isn't my usual bailiwick but it's been difficult not to have noticed Blake Crouch the past couple of years. I was invited by the publisher to review an ARC, and I delayed it until after I obtained a published hardcover. And clearly I have been missing out by not prioritizing some sci-fi thrillers. It wasn't 100 percent original as Jurassic Park featured gene editing and one scene reminded me of Neo in "The Matrix." There were a few slow spots in the plotline which coincided with technical information dumps, but they weren't prolonged. Upgrade for the most part progressed quickly, and I stayed up late so that I could finish it. (Losing sleep is a positive indicator for a book but not for my alertness the next day.)

Good sci-fi should resonate with the readers in their current circumstances. It should linger in mind as it dances lightly - not polemically nor overtly - with the big questions. And given the realities of 2022 - a pandemic in its third year, the economic problems it triggered, droughts and premature heatwaves, and geopolitical conflicts and instability - the world is facing a lot. Do we acknowledge these issues or do we ignore them?

"We are a monstrous, thoughtful, selfish, sensitive, fearful, ambitious, loving, hateful, hopeful species. We contained within us the potential for great evil, but also for great good. And we were capable of so much more than this.

I couldn't do nothing."

Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House - Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC. Quotations in this review are from a published copy (ISBN 9780593157534).

Well, my goodness, this was one propulsive, can’t-put-it-down roller coaster ride of a book! Is it as good as Dark Matter? Nope, but really, I didn’t expect it to be, as I didn’t find Recursion as good as DM either, tho I liked it. The concept in this one involves many questions: If we are more intelligent, can we save the world? Would we save it? What if we could genetically ‘upgrade’ our brain? Would it be worth it? Should we have a say so in it? I mean, this book, in the wrong hands, would create some craaaaazy Fox News conspiracy theories.So, don’t read Upgrade with any ‘serious’ thoughts in mind. I find much to be implausible or possibly a bit Marvel-esque, super-hero-ish, but once I decided to just lean into it with the thought of pure entertainment, I enjoyed the hell out of this story.

This is my first Blake Crouch book, but definitely not my last!

This is a fast paced book set in the near future where parts of the US, like New York City, are underwater and surveillance by the government is on overdrive. After a genetic modification went horrifically wrong 20 years, the US has created the Gene Protection Agency (GPA) to monitor all gene modifications and arrest anyone who is found doing so.

Logan, a GPA agent, is injured on the job and strange things have been happening to him: better at multitasking, reading faster, and needing less sleep are just a few of the side effects of his genome “upgrade”. His upgrade is part of a larger plot to modify human beings into this enhanced version in an effort to save the human race. As he works to unfold the mystery around this, his past comes back to haunt him in unexpected ways.

Upgrade is a bit scientific-heavy, but it’s clearly well researched and written in a way that’s easily understood. One of the most terrifying things about this book is how easily it is to imagine a world like this. In some ways, the characters are forced to confront moral dilemmas we encounter in our present world. It asks questions like what it means to be human and how much are we willing to sacrifice to save the human race, who some might argue isn’t even worth saving.

Upgrade is a thought-provoking, intricate novel about humanity through a scientific lens with a fast moving plot. This will easily be one of my favorite reads this year!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for a copy of this book.

This was a fun read. Not as good as Dark Matter (to me at least), but still enjoyable. The premise was neat and I really liked the world the story took place. With that, nothing really stuck out to change this from a “fun” read to outstanding. Some of the action and plot changes seemed trite and predictable. Here is hoping Crouches next book really pulls me in.

an amazing, thrilling and mysterious book that I could not put down. So fast paced and gripping, this was so much fun to read. Blake Crouch is an amazing author!!

“Imagine not feeling human anymore.” // Blake Crouch
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⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I love Blake Crouch’s other work, so I was really looking forward to another sci-fi banger from him. Lots of commentary on what makes us human, environmental health, and how far scientific discoveries should go in the face of those factors. This didn’t have the same un-put-downable-ness of Crouch’s other work for me, but as always I feel better able to understand science that otherwise is gibberish for me when I read his books.
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Thanks to @netgalley for this early review e-copy! Upgrade is out now!
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[ID: Hand holds tablet with Upgrade cover on screen in front of blurred bookshelves.]
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#Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Booksta #Readstagram #ReadersOfInstagram #Books #Bookish #Bookworm #BookLove #Upgrade #BlakeCrouch #NetGalley

From the mind of thrilling sci-fi reads “Recursion” and “Dark Matter” comes a new thrilling page-turner centering on biology and the nature of humanity. Included in Apartment Therapy's July "New Books" Roundup.

In Blake Crouch's newest book 𝗨𝗣𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘, the ability to change DNA is available, but it is now banned after a genetically modification experiment (lead by the Logan's mother) backfires and causes The Great Famine. During an explosion at an illegal labs, Logan's genes are modified to "upgrade" him. From there, the book turns into a cautionary tale on what the needs of humanity in order to survive.

In theory, I love the idea of an genetic upgrade from improved bone density, reduced sleep needs, faster reading ability, better concentration, etc. However, everything comes at a cost. For me as a non-scientist, 𝗨𝗣𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗘 was powerful, especially in the current state of the world we live in. The epilogue alone was 5 stars.

Awesome plot! This was not a book I would typically choose, but thought I'd try something different. The plot is highly engaging, the main character interesting, and the conclusion unexpected. What more could you ask for?

Wow. Absolutely could not put this one down!

I had put off reading this one for a little bit because this isn't my normal genre and to be honest, I absolutely hate the cover. The blue is awful the font is awful, it looks like a 1980s Sci Fi book. That being said, as soon as I opened it I was so incredibly sorry I didn't read it sooner. I got hooked from the first page and could not put it down!

Logan Ramsay is the son of an infamous geneticist, and while he tries to live a quiet, law-abiding lifestyle with his wife and daughter, he somehow finds himself in the middle of an ethical dilemma. Humanity is headed for an extinction event, and no one seems to care. His mother's research provides a blueprint for how to use genetics to potentially avoid human's race to extinction...... but she's been wrong before, with devastating consequences. Now, in a not-so-far-off-future (one where much of Manhattan has flooded and Beyonce has long since finished a farewell tour), Logan must decide how he wants to handle the precarious position he finds himself in.

This one was a compulsive read, even for people who don't love this genre or haven't read this author before. Highly, highly recommended!

This is my third Crouch book and I liked it more than Recursion but not as much as Dark Matter. It was a very interesting concept, although a lot of the sci-fi explanations were over my head so I skimmed some of the wordier paragraphs. I loved the ending!

One Sentence Summary: When Logan, whose job it is to prevent people from playing around with gene editing, has his genome edited and upgraded, he ends up on the run from his former employer and on a mission to prevent his own sister from potentially killing millions.

My thoughts:

I’ve read a lot of really good reviews of Crouch’s other books so, when I saw this on NetGalley, I figured why not give it a shot. I expected a science heavy, fast-paced thriller, and that’s exactly what I got. This book reads like an action thriller movie, which is not my favored movie genre. I enjoyed how clear and concise the writing was and appreciated how the science was packaged so it was understandable, but also not strictly necessary to be understood to enjoy this novel, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Upgrade is a fast-paced story that keeps moving, though there is a huge time leap that both made sense and felt very curious to me. I enjoyed the sibling vs. sibling story, but their relationship, and every other relationship Logan had, even with his own wife and daughter, felt very devoid of any real depth and emotion. The idea of the upgrade was fascinating and I loved how there were limitations, but it made Logan feel more like machine than man. What I did really like was the setting. It’s set in a future where climate change has a serious hold on us. There are some fascinating technological advancements as well, but I was most interested in how the world changed. I did wish for more of an impact, but it was nice that this future acknowledged changes that feel quite inevitable now.

My biggest issue, though, was the story being separated into two parts with a huge time jump between them. It meant I had no real idea what this book was supposed to be about until about halfway through, and then it just kept moving so fast I felt like I was getting whiplash. The first part majorly set up Logan and his relationships and problems, and then the second half felt like it ditched a lot of things in favor of moving like an action adventure thriller movie. All action, no depth. But at least it was a quick read.

“In the absence of compassion, selfishness is the most rationale response of all.”

So far I’ve read Dark Matter, Recursion and Upgrade. Dark Matter is my top fav, but I really do enjoy all of Blake Crouch’s books.

I’ve heard people shy away from this novel because it’s labeled sci fi (with dystopian flair). Look, you could be a scientist or someone who knows next to nothing about science and you’d still be able to follow and enjoy a sci fi book written by Blake Crouch. His writing has a natural flow to it and the action scenes are always a blast, literally. Plus I always learn something new when I read his books. I like the perspectives and ethical questions that come up too.

Blake Crouch takes complex topics (genetics, DNA, viruses, etc.) and makes them easy to understand without dumbing them down. No idea how he does this so well but he does. I never thought I’d read sci fi until I discovered Blake Crouch.

"What do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? Maybe there’s no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me think of rain falling through sunlight."

I'm the odd one out on this novel. For some reason it didn't hit the mark the way I had hoped. I love a good sciencey/genetic alteration type read but I just didn't connect the way I had hoped.

If I had to try and pinpoint, it would stem a bit from this having more informative dialogue than action. I felt stuck inside Logan's head. While I'm a fan of science, I like when the novels use the scientific to enhance the plot. This felt more bogged down and dragged for me.

I did like the family and humanity aspects. They added a lot of what I do look for, especially the epilogue that touches on the idea of compassion. Don't get me wrong, there is a beautiful depth to the character, Logan. I wanted to enjoy the hell out of this.

There are tons of excellent reviews giving high praise to this book. I highly recommend taking a look at those and seeing for yourself what you think. Thank you Penguin Randomhouse for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.

A month ago I had yet to read a single book by Blake Crouch. Fast forward to today when I finished my third sci-fi thriller by Blake and now characterize him as one of my favorite authors of all time. I love the scientific details he incorporates into his stories and how insane the plot feels but eerily could happen in reality if society puts their mind to it. All three of his stories that I've read, Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade could all translate well into a thrilling movie and hope to see all three adapted in the near future. While Upgrade will likely fall as the least favorite out of all three thrillers, this was still a very bingeable and exciting story that really makes you wonder, could this happen in real life? Is this truly far off from what's possible in the present day? I love stories like that. I'm so glad I finally caved to the demands from friends and family to read this author, especially since Andy Weir is another one of my favorite authors who has similar vibes to these books. Now I cannot wait to see what Blake comes up with next!

Blake Crouch has done it again in his latest heart-pounding sci-if thriller. Set in the near future, we see a thought-provoking and terrifying world where gene altering is a thing. This book is full of intriguing “what if” moments that seemingly could be real in the years to come. It’s jam-packed with action. So if that’s your thing, you will love it. While not my favorite of Crouch’s, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read an intriguing, suspenseful book. Blake Crouch is a must-buy author for me and still is!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.