I've never read a Blake Crouch novel that was not intense, tightly packed and mind bending. Wayward Pines, Dark Matter, Recursion... this man has a gift for delivering compelling sci-fi to people who don't read sci-fi (*points at self*). This one was supremely geeky and broke my brain (again, but not as bad as Recursion). Delightful.

Blake Crouch’s latest sci-fi thriller set in the near future reads like a bellwether of terrifying atrocities and fantastic capabilities human beings might actually achieve someday soon. Upgrade is the third book I’ve read by the author, and he always manages to entertain, surprise, and illuminate me. Action-packed with a lead character to rally behind, I didn’t want to put this book down.

With the world being the dumpster fire it currently is and has been for the past few years, the imaginative things that occur in this book don’t really seem that far-fetched. I mean, at this point it seems like anything is possible, right? But while other books of this nature have just depressed me, this one was a welcome distraction. And I couldn’t ignore the similarities between Upgrade‘s futuristic world and the one we currently inhabit.

Logan Ramsay doesn’t love his job at the GPA, the Gene Protection Agency, but he takes the life and death choices he must make very seriously, knowing personally the consequences of where one wrong decision can lead. Throughout the book he battles within himself over the hard choices he’s forced to make, often having to choose between himself, his family, and humanity. He’s a flawed hero who’s easy to root for.

Crouch does a wonderful job of building tension, keeping the reader guessing about what will happen, and keeping the reader turning pages. I thought the book was just the right length, with plenty of time to get to know the characters, but no lulls that I felt I needed to skim. And while Upgrade is a sci-fi thriller, it also contains some very moving passages about humans and our struggle to persevere.

While I was reading, I could see scenes playing out like a movie in my head, so I was happy to discover it will be adapted by Steven Spielberg! I have a feeling Upgrade will be the thriller to read this summer. And it deserves all the hype!

I just love Blake Crouch books! For some reason I have been having a hard time connecting to this story. The writing is wonderful as always but I think my mindset wasn't quite prepared for a futuristic story right now. I read quite a bit but to be fair to B.C. I think I should come back to this book at a later date and start fresh so I can be more open-minded about the story.

Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this digital copy from the masterful and talented Blake Crouch!!

4 stars for the wonderful writing!!

Upgrade

[Blurb goes here]

This is a page turner, fast paced and interesting. Although, in my humble opinion, has one great flaw. If two upgraded persons can't agree on something, is humanity really in need for an upgrade? This insignificant little detail was obvious to me, but it isn't addressed until the last few pages. Still a good adventure and a good read.

Thank you for the free copy!

Upgrade by Blake Crouch @blakecrouch1 is released into the world today!

A big thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for sending me the @netgalley widget!

Read if you are a fan of:
🧬sci-fi
🧬virology
🧬genomes
🧬the battle of good v. evil
then I think this is the book for you.

While at sometimes the scientific jargon was a little much but I took advantage of the dictionary feature on my kindle and had no trouble jumping right back into the story.

I don’t want to give anything away but this was another fantastic Blake Crouch read and I think lots of readers will enjoy it!

This book was bananas🍌!! Ok, dad jokes aside, I really enjoyed Upgrade! And like all Crouch books, this fast-paced sci-fi thriller grabbed me from the get-go.

Logan lives in the near-future and works for the government, hunting down scientists engaged in illegal gene editing. He has been infected with an unknown virus that is upgrading his mind and body, giving him superhuman levels of intelligence. But at what cost? And who’s behind the virus? Dark secrets about Logan’s past begin to unravel during this twisty story. Logan realizes that it is up to him to save humanity and stop this virus from being unleashed onto the world.

Upgrade explores what it truly means to be human. Is it our intellect? Or our ability to empathize? Crouch keeps up the pacing while examining deep questions around climate change, bioethics, humanity, and our extinction.

I was deeply invested in Logan’s story, and the scenes about his family at the end had me in tears 💙😭. The epilogue left me questioning whether he did the right thing.

Overall, I loved this wild ride 🖤🧬! Thank you to Random House, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upgrade - Blake Crouch
4.5/5⭐️
Pub Day: 7/12/2022

In a near future Logan Ramsay is an agent with the Gene Protection Agency. The GSA's goal is to stop rogue scientists from modifying genes after the science is outlawed following a worldwide famine where gene modification had unforseen negative impacts.

When a bust goes sideways Logan ends up the target of a genetic upgrade which leaves him, in the words of Kanye, harder, better, faster, stronger. But this is not a random act and Logan finds soon himself fighting a quest for genetically modified evolution.

Upgrade is a quick moving sci-fi thriller. It wasn't love for me, but the plot moves fast enough that I kept turning pages, eager to see how things ended up. I definitely appreciated the central idea which seems something akin to humanity currently facing its own extinction, the evolutionary traits that no longer serve us well, preventing us from seeing and acting clearly, and that we also have within us to do better.

A fascinating story of what could happen within the scientific world. Gene manipulation, disease development, scary thoughts to think this really can be happening. Very interesting complex characters and a story that could happen. A real page turner and a must read!

Upgrade is about human genetic engineering. In this case, a geneticist has figured out how to enhance human genes to achieve the best of everything. Strength, speed, perception, cognition, disease-resistance. You name it. Well, not everything and that is the problem.

Logan Ramsay is the first ‘beneficiary’ of this upgrade. It makes him a target and a science experiment. He loses his family. He goes on the run. Eventually Logan learns more details about the upgrade and the creator’s intent.

Trying to avoid spoilers, I will just say that when I read this part of the story, my first thought was this – what about the unforeseen consequences of the upgrade. After all, before the story started, Ramsay’s mom had been responsible for a world-wide starvation apocalypse – all because she was trying to fix a problem.

Ramsay will be the first to come to the same conclusion I did. This leads him to the tense, action-packed path to save the world in his own way. Logan is one of my favorite characters in books I have read this year. As part of his upgrade, he is forced to reign in emotions. And even though I did not realize it at first, even this defense was from his heart. And it led him to create a solution with a lovely twist that gave me an ending to smile about.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

"𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘜𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥."⁣
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#Upgrade is the newest novel by Blake Crouch. Similar to Dark Matter and Recursion, Upgrade is a believable yet thrilling science fiction story. Taking place in a not so distant future where gene editing has become easy to accomplish but is illegal due to the dire consequences that can occur when doing so. Crouch does an excellent job mixing real science with fiction, causing the reader to really question our own knowledge and morals in a future world that may someday become our own reality. I definitely recommend Upgrade if you have enjoyed Crouch's other books. You definitely won't be disappointed.⁣
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𝟓 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣
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𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 Penguin Random House 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.⁣⁣
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@randomhouse @blakecrouch1 @netgalley @bookofthemonth⁣
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📚 Available in stores on 7/12/22 📚⁣⁣
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Man, this book sucked me in from the very first chapter and I was enthralled the whole way through. I finished it days ago now; and I’m still processing what I read!

Ultimately, this book centers around the demise of the human race and the debate over how to save it. The sci-fi element deals with gene modification and the morality surrounding that issue— along with how it can be used for good and bad. And who gets to decide that.

All of this was completely fascinating! Crouch is a master at blending the scientific elements with the humanity of the story.

He also paints such an eery picture of a futuristic world, wrecked by climate change. Lower Manhattan— under water. Las Vegas abandoned after Lake Mead dried up. All of these things are plausible, and reading about it was impactful.

As the main characters struggles with the problems in this book he keeps coming back to this: we can’t do nothing. And man, that hit home. Look at the problems we face today: gun violence, climate change, a lack of equal rights— we can not continue to do nothing.

My one and only very small complaint is that there were parts that went by a little too fast for me. I think they could have been fleshed out a little more. Overall though, this book is OUTSTANDING.

Blake Crouch is excellent at what he does, and is becoming an auto-read author for me.

This exciting technothriller exploring genetic engineering and the future of humanity is the first story I’ve read by Blake Crouch, so I can’t compare it to any of his previous work, but I found this story fun and exciting. I was immediately drawn into the story, wondering what was going to happen next. The plot offers plenty of well-paced action and excitement, and I found the science easy to understand and believable enough. I liked that the author mentioned genetic SNPs that I am familiar with.

I appreciated how the author explored not only how the genetic upgrades affected Logan, but also how he was affected by past events and his relationships with family and even random people he encounters. A couple of scenes at the end were surprisingly touching, and I loved how the story concluded.

Be aware that this book contains many scenes of violence and frequent swearing.

Thanks to Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

As someone who normally reads fantasy or historical fiction, I found myself stumbling upon this sci-fi on a whim. I can't comment on the accuracy of the jargon except for some tech speak, but the language sounds plausible and competent enough. What really carries the story is the heart. Our main character Logan is not the hard-boiled anti-hero I know (and hate) in this type of story. He's full of messy but earnest human emotion, and his inner conflict is never forgotten in the midst of plot. There is more moral introspection here than I would typically find in a hard sci-fi, and I appreciate all the better for it.

Crouch has a lot to say about the world, our narrative as humanity. He offers no easy applicable solution, but in the similar bittersweet tone of "Flowers for Algernon" he offers hope. There are thrills and science speak and thought pieces on the nature of man; what's not to like?

I received a free ebook advanced copy of this novel from Netgalley/the publisher. This review is my honest opinion.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is an interesting sci-fi story with mystery/thriller elements mixed in, in a similar vein to the author’s previous novels Dark Matter and Recursion. The story starts with the point of view of a government agent working as part of a group investigating people who manipulate genetics/DNA. The story deals with important issues people are questioning today regarding our future, which usually makes for good science-fiction.

My only concern as a reader is that some people may still be feeling the pangs of trauma from the COVID pandemic and thus not interested in a story dealing with viruses and concerns of medical concepts regarding altered DNA. I highly recommend this novel for people not psychologically bothered by those issues. I also recommend it as an entertaining sci-fi thriller.

Blake Crouch has once again delivered a fun, interesting story that pushes the boundaries of sci-fi.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine, Blake Crouch, and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the near future, there is a world wide famine caused by a genetic engineering experiment gone wrong. As a result, genetic engineering is outlawed and overseen by the Gene Protection Agency (GPA). Logan Ramsay, a former geneticist with a shameful past, is now working as an agent for the GPA.

While at what appears to be a routine raid, an IED goes off and Logan is infected with a hacked virus and as a result his DNA is genetically modified. After recovering from nearly dying, he realizes he's changing. He's stronger, sharper, faster, smarter. He's turning almost superhuman. When he discovers this is just the first step in an immense plan, he must decide whether to let it happen or attempt to stop it.

The first thing you should know about Upgrade is that it's different from Crouch's recent past novels. It's still an action-packed, futuristic sci-fi thriller, but it's a little more straightforward this time. There's no time travel, alternate universes, or crazy loops to follow. The second is that it isn't just another action-packed, futuristic, sci-fi thriller. Sure it plays at pretending that's all it is, but this one digs deeper. It's not until you get to the beautiful, eye-opening, heartwrenching epilogue that it becomes clear what Upgrade is really about.

As per usual, the book is quite science heavy. Crouch explains the complicated science stuff in easy to understand layman's terms. You never once feel like he's dumbing down the material for the reader. But because this book is about genetic engineering and DNA, he's frequently got these long lists of letters, genetic markers and sequences that lose the average reader, myself included.

Above all else, this is a story about how we as a species need to do better. We are failing one another, this planet, and future generations. Upgrade gives one scary as hell look at a possible future.

5 stars
Recommend for fans of: Science-fiction, Thriller, Action, Adventure, General Fiction

I have absolutely loves Blake Crouch's books so I was thrilled when I was given a chance to read an ARC of Upgrade.

Upgrade follows Logan Ramsey, infamous scientist Miriam Ramsey's son. Logan works for the GPA, an organization that helps to investigate those they believe are working on the illegal act of gene editing.

When a bust goes horribly wrong at the start of the book, Logan finds himself enhanced physically and mentally. He's undergone some kind of Upgrade, and needs to figure out both who is behind it and what it's repercussions are.

While I enjoyed Dark Matter more than Upgrade, I truly appreciate Blake Crouch's ability to weave a story and to make matters of science seem thrilling and accessible. I do feel like this story sort of dragged a bit in the middle but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!

I have yet to read a bad book by this author and find the topics engaging and the research amazing. Who knew there was so much to DNA...ok, so I really do know that there is a lot to DNA but it is explained in a way that even I can understand on a basic level.

Logan Ramsey has had a hard life because of what his mother did in the past, but he is doing his best to make up for those sins. Until one day he is following a lead and ends up injected with a virus that changes his body and makes him stronger, smarter, and resistant to many diseases. While this sounds like a miracle, the costs are too high mentally and personally. I sympathized with Logan because he didn't ask for this to happen, yet the government has its finger in everything which makes his life harder trying to escape their oversight.

This novel is a tale of how much the government is or can be in our business, how far the government will reach to control the narrative, and it is also a tale of the compassion that humans have lost thanks to the media and government. I could see all of this happening and humans losing more freedoms and rights just to exist. But it is also a tale of hope for the eradication of disease and perhaps humans realizing that things need to change before the world implodes on itself based on our current choices and paths.

This is an action-packed book that doesn't leave you with the desire to put the book down. Something is always happening with Logan, the GPA, and other characters.

I do have to admit the first time I saw GPA I immediately thought of grade point average. I'm still not sure Gene Protection Agency will be the first thing I think of when I hear GPA. But I like this fictional government agency because I honestly can see that becoming something sometime in the future in our world.

Overall, we give this 4 paws up.

I'm not a science fiction fan by any means--I don't ever watch sci-fi movies or TV shows and until I finally had to find out what all the buzz was about Blake Crouch's book Dark Matter, I hadn't willingly read a book in the sci-fi genre before. I LOVED it though and ended up also reading and loving Recursion. Both books are slanted more toward being thrillers than just sci-fi, so they're perfect for someone like me--a very hesitant sci-fi reader, if you will. So it was a given that I was going to read Upgrade when I saw it was coming out, especially since I've always found genetics, DNA, gene mutations, viruses, and how they spread, mutate and replicate (especially in light of the recent COVID pandemic) intriguing and the most interesting part of biology.

Logan Ramsey works for the Genetic Protection Agency, a federal agency that investigates and apprehends people who operate genetic labs intent on illegal genetic modifications and editing. He doesn't love his job. Instead, it's a kind of penance for the death and devastation his mom, a brilliant scientist unleashed on the planet, when she edited the DNA of rice plants and caused millions to starve to death.

A raid gone wrong causes Logan to be exposed to an unknown virus that, at first seems to be harmless, but suddenly Logan notices that he's changing--for the better. The virus he was exposed to was a genetic enhancement. An upgrade. He's stronger, more intelligent, and faster than other homo sapiens. As Logan realizes the why and how of his upgrade, he has to grapple with the morality of whether this genetic upgrade is something that should be set loose on the entire human population, to save it from the brink of destruction, even though a substantial number of people will die if exposed.

This started out as a 5-star book--it's action-packed, kept me flipping pages, and completely invested in Logan's story--and although it did get a little TOO wordy with the science and genetics talk about midway, it was still 5-stars at the very wonderful ending. I loved the moral complexity involved in the novel: should human DNA be upgraded if possible to save humankind and our world (even if many would die in the process?)? It's a thought-provoking story that's not at all far-fetched; I think what makes this book so interesting is that it's plausible that something like this could happen in the near future as geneticists continue to map the genome and learn more about genetic modifications.

This is another mindboggling, edge of your seat read by Crouch that you definitely don't want to miss! It's out on July 12th, so make sure you grab a copy!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 7/11/22
-review posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on publication

Title: Upgrade
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 4 out of 5

“You are the next step in human evolution.”

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

Like Crouch’s other books, this one was way over my head, but I enjoyed it. The author did a good job of capturing the sheer overwhelming nature of Logan’s transformation—good enough for those of us who are still regular humans and can’t process things like a computer. There’s a lot of action in this near-future story, and the book flew by.

Blake Crouch is a bestselling author who lives in Colorado. Upgrade is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House in exchange for an honest review.)

Upgrade was my first novel my Blake Crouch. I do not usually gravitate towards sci-fi, however I have always heard really good things about this author’s books. I was a little worried that the language and terminology would go completely over my head and I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a very easy, entertaining read. I think the author does a really great job of balancing this genre with typical sci-fi but also breaking it down and making it easy to follow along. The story line was unique and very fast paced- I read this book in a day!! I look forward to reading more from Blake Crouch!