This is my first Blake Crouch book and I was not disappointed at all.
I loved the character development through the book. Logan is the kind of character that I root for. To see him go through all the physical and mental changes due to the Upgrade his mom invented was a roller coaster.
Its fast paced but very easy to follow. I would say the only thing that threw me was just when they talked science and genomes. I guess the normal person wouldnt know those sequences.

I found this book very compelling and carries a powerful message about how we are dying as a species due to the lack of real compassion in the world.

I suspect I’ll be in the minority on this, but I did not love Upgrade.

I know Blake Crouch is an incredibly popular author. Until now, I’d only read Crouch’s Recursion, which I had mostly enjoyed, but I did not find Upgrade to be as intriguing, despite the promising premise.

Firstly, I must say that I was never eager to pick this back up and I had considered, after 40% of the ebook, giving this the boot. But I convinced myself to push forward, thinking it would be more interesting in the second half. Unfortunately, what I felt was a lackluster beginning faded even more as time went on. I regret my optimism now.

Upgrade leans heavily into the science side of science fiction. Obviously, since this is a sci-fi thriller, one might expect this, but I felt it was so bogged down by those details at times that my eyes glazed over.

Does the story entertain, despite this? Some may say “yes.” There is, after all, A LOT going on in the book and Crouch absolutely deserves credit for molding so many leaps together smoothly and keeping up with the action elements. But I couldn’t help but feel that each newly introduced dynamic was something I’d seen before, making this feel like a mash up of familiar stories from movies and books. I do understand that everything that’s been done has likely been done before. I appreciate the author’s creative efforts with the material, as well as his emphasis on society’s lack of compassion.

I’ve no desire to dissuade anyone from trying this book. My opinion is just that - a personal opinion. I’m sure diehard Crouch fans will dive in, no matter what, but for those of you who haven’t read his work before, know that there are plenty of glowing reviews already about Upgrade. They’ve been written by trusted reading friends and they’re absolutely worth looking into. That’s the great thing about book opinions - They aren’t one size fits all!

I am immensely grateful to Ballantine Books for my digital review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Definitely enjoyed this one. I found it both a thrilling and thought-provoking story about the nature of intelligence, humanity’s ultimate destiny as a species, and compassion. It seems rare to find authors writing fiction in near-future settings, that aren’t post-apocalyptic wastelands, but Crouch’s world felt like a well-detailed and believable vision of mid 21st century America.

I did notice an error. In chapter 6 Crouch writes:

“And all under a sky as vast as an ocean, looking down on a desert that 450 millions years ago, during the late Cretaceous, had been a shallow sea.”

Crouch has confused the Cretaceous for Ordovician period, the former having ended “only” 65 million years ago.

This was an adrenaline rush from start to finish, a tale of mind-bending genetic engineering on steroids. Family man and scientist Logan finds himself on a race to save humanity, even when all seems lost. It is an action-packed, exciting read, but the best part is the epilogue. Maybe I shouldn't have said that Don't peek!

Thank you to Random House for the advanced digital copy through Netgalley!

Like all Blake Crouch books, Upgrade is a gripping rollercoaster that will have you staying up late turning the pages. Crouch has a way of making even the wildest wild sci-plots emotional. You feel for his characters and wonder what your own decisions in a similar situation would be. Upgrade takes the personal questions and spins them out to make the reader think about how the world might change. 5 Stars.

Thank you for the NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

After reading "Dark Matter" and "Recursion" by this author, and finding them to be among the best books I've read in the last couple of years, I was thrilled to get an early copy of Blake Crouch's newest book. While different from those two books, it felt very much in the same style in which the author wraps a thriller with an accessible take on advanced science, in this case, genetics and DNA. If you enjoyed the preceding two books, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well, as I did.

Like his peer Andy Weir, and Michael Crichton before them, Blake Crouch has really mastered the scientific thriller that explains complex concepts in a way that anyone can understand, and uses them to great effect in entertaining while also raising questions about society in the future.

The big questions raised in this book, coupled with the "near" future approach that wraps climate disaster in, made it very compelling. I would have enjoyed another 100 pages in this book that helped me get to know Logan and Kara more, but that's less of a criticism of what exists and more of a wish to have a little more to enjoy of the book. This felt more like a film, where you get to know enough about the characters for the plot to move forward, but I wanted to know more. Again, that's less of a criticism of the story lacking and more of a compliment on what does exist. Give us a 450-page book next time!

All in all, though, this is a fast and compelling read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a sci-fi thriller of the "would watch this as a movie while shoveling popcorn into my mouth" variety. It went a little bit above that in examining how the science at its heart could impact society, but not in a truly deep, philosophical, or even particularly character-developing way. Would recommend, but honestly I probably liked it less that Recursion and Dark Matter.

Blake Crouch's Dark Matter,
then Recursion, and now....
Upgrade.
While these are technically not a trilogy, they do all explore similar themes and toy with the fluidity of space, time, medicine and exciting plot-driven connections between them all.

Logan Ramsay feels a little more focused. 'Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep'.
This biomedical thriller is an exciting romp that moves at the speed of light. Don't let yourself feel bogged down by the scientific aspect; Crouch trusts your ability to follow along and enjoy the ride.
The trippy plot device that in order to save humanity, Logan's new abilities mark him as the sole person capable of pulling off such a seemingly impossible task is a blast to explore. Will his new abilities allow him to see it through?
With a release date of July 2022, be sure to toss this title into your beach bag. It's a sizzling thriller!
Once readers dive in, I promise they won't be able to put it down.
I've always read epilogues, but PLEASE do yourself a favor and read this one. It's totally worth it.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest review.
Also, I recently saw where Amblin Partners has already snagged this title for film development.
Happy Reading!!

I flew through this sci-fi thriller! Blake Crouch has a talent for writing thoroughly believable speculative fiction combined with heart-pounding action scenes that are written so vividly that I can imagine the scenarios as clearly as if they were projected on a movie screen in front of me. Officially an auto-read author on my list.

Blake Crouch is the master of the what-if… I loved Upgrade for its anxiety-inducing thrills and science that made me ponder the bigger moral questions. Will recommend to customers who love sci-fi, dystopian fiction, science non-fiction, and thrillers.

A fascinating story of what could be in our future and the possible consequences it could have. Very thought provoking and makes you think about what the future holds.

Wow this book was so hard to put down. Everyone might wish to be better at something, being smarter, being healthier, being invincible, etc... but is it really as awesome as it seems?

2.5 stars.

I wanted to love this more than I did.

Upgrade is a near-future sci-fi novel where in vivo genetic engineering is possible through something called Scythe, which is like CRISPR but better. That's about all the detail we get in terms of actual science. The protagonist, Logan, gets "upgraded" with genetic edits that make him faster, smarter, stronger, etc. He and several other characters wrestle with how to best use this technology to help humanity.

For a setup that seems designed to explore many difficult ethical concepts - my favorite kind of sci-fi! - this fell surprisingly short. Logan doesn't actually know what he wants to do with the technology for most of the book; he just wants to stop the bad guys from doing what they want to do. Even though their idea isn't entirely without merit, if you take away the high fatality rate.

Overall this felt like a superficial thriller with a thin veneer of sci-fi. I've heard such good things about Dark Matter and Recursion, both of which I own but have yet to read; after reading Upgrade, I think I'll take a little break before I try Crouch's other books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As always, Blake Crouch delivers another knockout novel. Upgrade does more than just turn your brain into a pretzel like Dark Matter and Recursion. This story challenges your mind into imagining what the world might look like if we continue on our current path.

A warning to readers though - if you are anxious about the situation regarding Covid, you might want to delay on this read. I wonder if this is the book Crouch would have written regardless of whether we were in the middle of a pandemic? But pandemics are not the only crucial themes Upgrade touches on. Throw in climate change issues and gene editing gone terribly wrong to complete the apocalyptic world into which Crouch immerses us.

I do have to say that it seemed that Crouch was trying a little hard to impress us with his relevant knowledge. I don’t remember feeling that way with his other books. The story is overloaded with lots of biological jargon. It was fascinating, but at times it seemed like just too much.

While the story packs plenty of punches as a thriller, its main focus is exploring what makes us human. The main character struggles with acknowledging the importance of intelligence, logic, and reason, but finally realizing the value of feelings and compassion as well.

Crouch also accurately conveys some of the faults of our humanity that have led us into some of the circumstances in which we find our world today. In the end, Upgrade is a cautionary tale for our future.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #Upgrade

I was thrilled to get this advanced copy from Random House - Ballantine. As always Blake Crouch is keeping us enthralled with his ability to write science fiction in the most thrilling possible way. This is a perfect addition to his already amazing books!

We follow our main character Logan Ramsey in a dystopian future. He works for the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) and lives with guilt every day. The human race has survived, barely, what is called the "Great Starvation", and science has developed to a point where anyone can try to upgrade their DNA. The government of course has put a quick stop to it, whether it be the well meaning families trying to help their children, or large scale bio-weapon labs. Logan's job is to stop them. Even when it means stopping the "good" guys who are making real and meaningful advances for the world. He goes on a raid one night and everything goes wrong... more than anyone could have guessed.

This story had me on the edge of my seat. I love the way the science is part of the story, but doesn't feel like a barrier or something you feel you need to understand before reading.

I highly recommend you pick this up in July when it is published!

I received an ARC copy of #Upgrade from #NetGalley.

This was a bit different from what I normally read. I've never ready Black Crouch before. It's definitely a hard-core science/tech novel. It reads like its part of a series, but I'm not sure if it is or not. You are just kind of dropped into the middle of a story without much set up or world building. In fact, a lot of the world building comes in about midway though the book after the time jump, which didn't make much sense to me. Because of this, it took a while for me to really get hooked into the story. I was about to give up on it when the plot finally kicked in.

There is a lot going on in this book, and most of it deals with gene editing. Essentially, the main character & his sister (both adults) have their DNA altered by their mother (already dead at this point) to make them super human. Increased brain power, speed, strength, the works. This was done in an effort to make up for a global virus/calamity she caused years before. Her idea was to enhance the entire population so that they would realized that the human race as a whole was killing the planet & find a way to fix it.. Logan is against the idea, knowing that it would only make people worse. His sister, on the other hand, goes full-tilt crazy & decides to unleash the gene-editing virus.

It was very hard to follow at times with all the science stuff constantly tossed in, and the decision to wait until the middle of the book to really world build dragged the entire plot down. Overall, not a great read but I wouldn't mind trying another of his books.

Nobody can make near-future science fiction as believable and engrossing as Blake Crouch. The extrapolations of current technologies and techniques in gene editing are so subtle that it's easy to believe the frightening world portrayed in UPGRADE is not that far away. All along the way, Crouch poses thought-provoking ethical questions about everything from genetics to global warming, wrapped in a page-turning plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great read.

I just reviewed Upgrade by Blake Crouch. #Upgrade #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published July 12, 2022.

This is my third book by this author and I’m a dd ores fan. (I also gave Dark Matter 5 stars).

I didn’t think I was a fan of the sci-fi genre but if it’s a compelling story based in science (in this case gene engineering) plus a great fictional plot, then I guess I am! Crouch has a way of explaining science in understandable terms.

This book started off strong and never let up. What a ride! The plot seamlessly addresses a worldwide concern while also beautifully connecting it at the family level. It was a page turner and a love story and ultimately a story about DNA.

Already looking forward to his next book.

This is clever and it's an interesting concept. But something about it felt a little flat to me. It's a thriller of sorts, but I just wasn't that engaged in the story. I would probably still recommend it to fans of the author and the genre (speculative dystopia fantasies, not thrillers), but I definitely wouldn't recommend this as somewhere to start.

When Logan Ramsey - the son of a brilliant but disgraced geneticist, falls prey to a gene-altering virus, he must surpass his brilliant mother's research in order to change the course of the world. A fantastic look at what it means to be human and what it truly takes to change society and save the planet -- and it's not the genes they think it is!

Thank you Net Galley for providing an ARC.