I’m a huge fan of all of Blake Crouch’s other books so I was so excited for this one. Unfortunately, for me it didn’t live up to his previous novels. It started off intriguing but the middle fell flat for me and just seemed to drag on and on. Good concept, just felt like it wasn’t as developed as his other novels.

I love when an author can put science and fiction together in a way that makes them both believable, and Crouch is an expert at that.

Using genetic alteration as the basis for the story, Crouch delivers a mind-blowing thriller that will keep you on edge until the last page.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Another compulsively readable SF thriller from Blake Crouch! Genetic engineering can be good but can also have some really bad consequences. A book that has you thinking about the future. Awesome read.

Whenever a new Blake Crouch novel is announced, I know it is going to be one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Upgrade did not disappoint. I will admit, while I did not love this novel as much as Dark Matter or Recursion, it was still a wildly entertaining and fast paced story - the caliber of what we have come to expect from Crouch. I could not put this book down and it has reinforced why Crouch is an auto-read author for me. I recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi, or simply just a fast-paced story with a great plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Upgrade was one of my most anticipated books this year. When you love an author’s previous works, there is so much anticipation for the next one…but there is also that niggling worry that it won’t live up to what you hope for as an avid reader. This one did not disappoint, and like many of his previous books, I devoured this one in a single day!

Crouch has a way of immediately engaging the reader, as well as presenting scientific theories and information in a way that’s accessible. This book had a fascinating premise and kept me on the edge of my seat; I’m definitely glad I started it on a day that I knew I didn’t have any pressing matters to see to, because I didn’t want to put it down!

With themes concerning genetic modification, climate change, compassion and empathy, and leaving the world a better place, this sci-fi thriller is beyond relevant to today’s world. Like his other works, this book is a thrill ride I’ll definitely be revisiting in the future.

I love Blake Crouch. I loved both Dark Matter and Recursion. So, I was completely ecstatic to be able to read this one early. Verdict? The epilogue saved it. Completely brilliant ending. It was a great thrill ride.

I loved that genetics was the main topic of this book. As a Fragile X Mom, genetics plays a huge role in my life and my kids lives, so it was really cool to see Crouch take the topic and run with it. My only complaint is that the middle of the book dragged a bit and the ending (before reading the epilogue) made me ask "wait, are you kidding, that's it!?"

That epilogue though....brilliant. Get this one on your must read list!

Blake crouch has done it again! Such an interesting book that is action-packed but also asks many deep questions about the future of humanity.
The story starts with our lead character accidentally getting an upgrade to his genome. He becomes more intelligent, physically improved and that's just the start of it.
He becomes aware of the ramifications of upgrading humans and has to fight with others that don't share his views.
The book posed many questions about our collective future and reminded me of a fictional version of 'Homo Deus' By Yuval Noah Harari'. There are also action-packed scenes reminiscent of 'The Matrix' and 'Limitless'.
I really enjoyed this book and it continues the run of great books by the author.

What happens when we get the power to alter genes? What happens when you get the power to alter a persons genes on the fly? And what happens when unintended consequences of an alteration shifts the world? A fascinating premise and a deep dive into the human genome. The opening was slow and predictable until the Upgrade kicked in.

The pacing in Recursion and Dark Matter truly made those books real page turners. This book's pacing felt different and the pace comes to a crashing halt, sometimes literally. The last act was up to speed and the ending came to a satisfying ending to this roller coaster. If the pacing was more even for me this would have been a solid 4+, but for me, it is more of a 3.5 rounded up to 4.

I loved the idea of the world that we're introduced to in Upgrade: geneticists miscalculated, triggering a maelstrom, leading to the formation of a (new) government law enforcement agency. Blake Crouch is incredibly talented in writing the ideas of "what if" and I continue to have moments where I revisit the Upgrade version of the near future in my mind, thinking through positive and negative ramifications of genetic manipulations.
I would have liked to have seen and felt more about Logan's relationships with his family of origin, and his wife and daughter. I think I felt a little disengaged from his motivations because I didn't have a better sense of those family dynamics. But the world-building, action/tension, and overall story-crafting was excellent.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

What would you do to save humanity? Would the answer change if you lived every day with the consequences of your mother’s actions -- that caused the ruin of many scientific careers? What if her actions set you on a collision course with your genetics and the answer that might save the world?

Set in a realistic near future, we follow Logan as he struggles to adapt to sudden and painful genetic modification. In Crouch’s trademark style first seen in Dark Matter, we feel the angst of a man struggling with extreme change and ripped from the comforting routine of a life he held dear. The separation from and love for Beth and Ava drives Logan throughout the novel. He finds he now has the ability to make sense of the past, his past, and hopes that clarity will help him fix the future.

This novel, like Dark Matter and Recursion before it, is full of technical details sure to delight science fiction fans, especially if they enjoy stories about genetics and biology. You don’t need to be an expert in current technologies or CRISPR – the scientific prose is written in an approachable manner. There’s a sliver of thriller to help drive the story. While the ending isn’t a complete surprise, as with Crouch’s earlier novels it will take the reader on a fun ride.

Blake Crouch has done it again! I have loved everything he has put out, so when I received this copy, I was very pleased. This book of science was so brilliantly written like all of Crouch’s work. He makes you understand and delve into this world of science and horror that leaves you with that, “what?” feeling.

Very good!

TLDR: Blake Crouch has DONE IT AGAIN! An enjoyable, though somewhat predictable, one-sitting read.

Logan Ramsey works for an American agency in charge of tracking down and preventing illegal gene manipulation. After a job gone wrong, Logan suddenly finds himself with super-human abilities. He has photographic memory of every moment of his life and is stronger and faster than he's ever been in his life. He starts to suspect that he was targeted and sets out to prevent a disaster from striking humanity.

This is a fast paced, plot-driven book filled with incredibly interesting characters. What I liked about all of them (though I unfortunately cannot name many of them because of spoilers) is that everyone was morally grey. Each character had the same motivation: do what is best for the future of humanity. How this manifests itself in each person, however, is incredibly different. We got to see a wide variety of motivations and actions (or inactions).

The book presents an interesting moral question: What are you willing to sacrifice to ensure the survival of the human race?

I genuinely don't think that I would know what to do if I was in Logan's situation.

From Crouch, I have also read Recursion. While this one wasn't as mind-bending, it similarly makes us wonder what would happen if technology that was intended to be used for good wound up having unintended consequences.

The epilogue was FANTASTIC! I didn't know what to expect by the end, but I think it wrapped it up nicely.

I will be patiently awaiting the next book that Crouch writes!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

This is a thought provoking book that takes on what it means to be human and what it takes to continue to exist. Although it falls into the science fiction technothriller category, it is also a philosophically satisfying read.

Genetic engineering has become commonplace and widely practiced until a scientist, intending to wipe out a rice blight, unexpectedly causes a world wide famine that kills billions of people. Now such engineering is illegal and the Gene Protection Agency is tasked with stopping any further genetic engineering. One agent of the GPA is Logan Ramsay. Not only is he the son of that scientist who caused the catastrophe , he was working on the project with her. Now he is trying to stop illegal gene therapy from occurring. When he and his partner are called to a suspected site of illegal gene splicing, they walk into a trap. A bomb loaded with an unknown substance explodes and Logan, the only one to sustain injuries, figures out his genome has been hacked. In short order, he realizes that not only have his cognitive abilities drastically increased but his physical abilities have as well. And he's not the only one who has discovered the new, improved Logan; so has the GPA.

What follows is a question of what path humanity will take. Should we all become an enhanced race, or are the costs too high and the outcome too unpredictable? These are the questions Logan must answer, and quickly before it is out of his control.

This is a fast-paced read with underlying philosophical questions worth pondering. I imagined what I would do were I in Logan's position and I had the future of the human race in my hands. To upgrade or not? It's an intriguing dilemma and one each reader must answer for themselves.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is July 12, 2022.

First of all: I love science and genetics, and anyone who loves them should read this book too.
It was the first contact i had with Crouch but I intend to have much more in the near future, the story is well developed and involves a lot of science, genetics and studies (really) to develop this science fiction with a fun suspense and a very well.
The familiar situations - and all the others - in this book made me love it.

4.0.

I really enjoyed this book and think it’s Crouch’s most creative book in a while. Read it over a couple leisurely days and it was just perfect for that!

This was such an intriguing book, which is not surprising since it's by Black Crouch. I absolutely loved Dark Matter and this book was just as great! The character development was excellent and I enjoyed following the journey of Logan. I don't really know how to describe the plot without giving too much away. It was written so well! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy.

It pains me to write this review, but I just didn’t love Upgrade as much as I adored Dark Matter and Recursion!

To my friends who have the ARC teed up or will ultimately read it this summer when it’s released, I promise the writing is still amazing. Proof: I read it in 24 hours; could hardly put it down!

I also very much appreciate the story Crouch came up with: it’s timely and resonant. The best sci-fi books are able to deftly and naturally weave in commentary on social/ethics/global issues; however, Upgrade felt too heavy-handed at times.

Also- despite being able to get through the book quickly, the first half read slow to me. Granted, that’s a v subjective opinion from someone who prefers plot- vs. character-driven stories…just word to the wise that it felt different than his previous 2 books.

Overall I enjoyed the ride - I mean I binged the shit out of it - but comparisons to his other, absolutely *epic* books are going to have some people feeling a bit less enthused about this one.

Thanks to @netgalley @randomhouse for the chance to read and review this much-anticipated release! Out July 12, 2022.

I loved the sci-fi, mind-bendy thrillers Dark Matter and Recursion by this author and couldn’t wait to dive into Upgrade, the latest book from Blake Crouch.

This book focuses on genetic engineering and is definitely fascinating. The story moves very fast and makes it easy to just sit down and consume quickly. But the story, or narrative of the main character, in this book is just pretty straight-forward without a lot of the twists and turns I was expecting after reading previous books from this author. Which maybe that’s my mistake of comparing it to his previous work, but you can’t help not to at the same time. 😅 There are some action sequences in here that weren’t as interesting to me and a lot of the story felt a bit simplistic. But I enjoyed the discussion of how the planet is faring in the near future and how/why humans seem to care, but not care at the same time. Even not being my favorite Blake Crouch read, I still enjoyed this story as a whole and will continue to pick up future books from this author.

3.5 stars/rounded up on GR. Thank you to the publisher (Ballantine Books) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Upgrade has a publish date of July 12, 2022.

This book is set in a future where gene modification nearly wiped out humanity. Logan works for a government department investigation cases of gene modification. During a raid an explosion launches a virus into Logan's body which changes and enhances his genes. When the changes begin to manifest, his coworkers place him in a black site location to test and monitor the modifications. Logan's sister, who has also been modified, breaks him out of the black site. Together, they learn that their mother is behind the changes, with a plan to change the entire world.

I like Blake Crouch and his storytelling, but I did not enjoy this particular book. I am not a fan of "super" humans, and do not enjoy this type of book. The author did a good job with the subject matter, it just wasn't for me. I am looking forward to the author's next book, he is definitely one of the greats!

Years after going to jail for his part in genetically altering a food source, leading to the death of millions, Logan Ramsey finds himself again thrust into a situation where someone wants to genetically alter humans to be better versions of themselves. When Logan himself is upgraded he soon learns that sometimes better is not best for the whole.

Just like this authors previous novels he does a wonderful job of mixing some sci-fi in with world problems in a book that reads as an action film. This book was hard to put down and had such a great finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy.