In Blake Crouch's new novel Upgrade, Ramsay Logan works for the Gene Protection Agency. His job is to detect and shut down illegal genetic research. Genetic research is illegal in this future setting because Logan's mother (!), a brilliant scientist, attempted to end world hunger by manipulating locust genomes. However, the gene mutations destroyed thousands of acres of crops and caused 200 million deaths worldwide. Subsequently, the world went into an economic downward spiral. After her suicide and Logan's prison time for her his supposed complicity, Logan is attempting as best he can to make reparations.

Well, he can definitely make some changes once his own genome has been hacked by a rebel group wielding his mother's Scythe,' the revolutionary, biological DNA modifier system, and he becomes mentally and physically “upgraded.” The transformation over the course of weeks is described in thorough, detailed scientific language. Following his upgrade, the question, answered so tragically by his mother years ago, remains for Logan: how far will you go to do what you think will save the world?

My thanks to Net Galley for inviting me to read this but I changed my mind and chose to to start this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Quinlan, and Random House for the opportunity to read a digital review copy of Upgrade by Blake Crouch.

Logan Ramsay, the protagonist, is an agent for the Genetics Protection Agency (GPA), who tracks down illegal scientists/researchers suspected of using gene applications for nefarious purposes. Gene-editing is illicit and has been outlawed for years in this futuristic tale. During a raid of a gene-editing lab, Logan is exposed to a Scythe virus, is hospitalized, quarantined, and after intensive medical treatment, survives the explosion. After Logan is released from the hospital, he notices significant changes to his mental acuity and physical stamina. His doctor ran tests, and DNA analysis indicated a significant increase in Logan’s concentration, memory, and cognition. In essence, during the explosion, Logan’s genome was hacked, and he received an “upgrade,” which had deleterious effects on his life and relationships with his loved ones and colleagues.

Throughout this fast-paced novel, you learn about Logan’s childhood, his connection to Scythe, and the sacrifices he makes to protect loved ones and humankind. This novel is steeped in reality because we live in a time of genetic modifications-cloning of food/animals, vaccines, etc. Is it good or bad? Should humans receive genetic modifications? Are they helpful or harmful? Can they save humanity?

I found Upgrade to be an engaging and educational read. When Logan explained his enhanced cognitive abilities, I was slightly overwhelmed with the scientific explanations/theories but rereading them “upgraded” my understanding (LOL). I was not happy with the conclusion, but I understand why the author chose to wrap up the novel in this manner. “Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone…”

Upgrade is the third Blake Crouch novel I’ve read, and I plan to recommend this sci-fi jewel to my book club members.

Blake Crouch does it again! Fans of Recursion and Dark Matter will not be disappointed with his newest novel. He has such a unique voice. Cannot recommend this one enough!!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

When I received an email announcing not only the galley release of Upgrade, but my randomly pre-approved status for it, I was ecstatic. I legitimately squealed. Dark Matter and Recursion were both instant favorites for me, so I couldn’t wait to read whatever Crouch had written next. Then I read the synopsis, which immediately brought to mind the movie and subsequent tv series, Limitless. I loved both iterations of the story, so my excitement swelled even larger. But Upgrade took that basic premise and encompassed not only the radical expansion of the mind, but of the workings of the body, as well. Even more amazing!

However, whether due to my irrationally high expectations and excitement or the fact that I might not have been quite intelligent enough for this book, Upgrade left me feeling vaguely disappointed. While still a good story, it didn’t pack the same punch for me as its two predecessors. Subjectively, at least. Remember that this is strictly my opinion from my own experience with the book. No doubt this will be on several Best of 2022 lists. It just won’t be on mine.

What exactly makes us human? If there was a way to upgrade your genome, to speed up evolution and become something better, faster, smarter, stronger, would you take it? How can we as humans stop our own decline and subsequent extinction? Does the life of the minority supersede the wellbeing of the majority? What risks are we willing to take, individually and collectively, to turn our downward trajectory around? These are some of the questions raised in Upgrade, and I loved the food for thought. There were some profound things said in this book. But they felt very self-aware in their profundity. Did I still highlight them and spend time thinking about them? Absolutely. Our perspective character’s struggles with these questions were the core of the novel.

Logan Ramsey is trying to live down a horrific legacy. His mother was responsible for a genetically engineered worldwide famine. Though that wasn’t her intent, and the virus was originally designed to end a blight on rice crops, it mutated and spread to various other food crops across the planet, resulting in death by starvation for over two hundred million people. Imagine that legacy, especially when you worked for your mother’s lab. Logan’s struggles with guilt and grief and rage felt very believable, as did his fierce love for his wife and daughter. I loved those relationships and thought that Beth and Ava were lovely side characters. And I loved Logan during the first half or so of the book. But it felt like, the further into the plot Crouch got, the less substantial Logan became. The same could be said for all of the supporting cast. There were moments when the strength of the character development would reappear, but it always ended up fading back into the background. That being said, that early character development kept me invested in the plot, which is what matters most with a propulsive thriller of a novel like this one. Also, the scenario was hyper-realistic and felt plausible enough to maintain a ton of tension as I read.

Something I’ve always appreciated about Blake Crouch and Andy Weir is that, though very science-heavy, their books still feel accessible to those who aren’t as scientifically minded. Upgrade, however, felt almost too extreme for me. I found the science exhausting to try to keep up with, which left me feeling as if I wasn’t intelligent enough to be reading it. Which isn’t something you want in your fiction-reading experience. I blew through Dark Matter and Recursion very quickly, but I found myself frequently feeling overwhelmed by Upgrade and putting it down for a time in favor of other books. I also felt, for the first time with Crouch’s work, that I was being preached at through the inner thoughts of and dialogues between the characters. While I agreed with a lot of the more philosophical and ecological observations, something about the way in which these thoughts were presented made me feel somehow belittled or condescended on occasion. I am positive that this wasn’t the authorial intent, but that was the result.

Upgrade is a good story with a fantastic premise. It was pretty well paced and housed characters who shone brightly upon occasion. Objectively, it was a solid book, though I still don’t think it was quite on par with Dark Matter and Recursion. Subjectively, I felt it was trying too hard to deliver social commentary, and that the central story suffered a bit because of it. I’m extremely interested to see what the readerly consensus and outlying opinions of Upgrade are going to be, and if those opinions have any retroactive bearing on my own.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch. An absorbing action packed science fiction thriller set in the near future. Thought provoking and unnerving with a wealth of information on DNA and genetics. Brother and sister with enhanced human strength, awareness, heighten senses and cognitive abilities wage war on the future of human kind. Logan Ramsey upgraded into the ultimate superhero.

Thank you to Blake Crouch, Ballentine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

While this one didn't hit as hard for me as his previous novel, Recursion, Crouch still managed to take me on a ride that I found incredibly difficult to pull down. My mind feels like a puddle after finishing this (what an absolutely SATISFYING ending) and I definitely feel as though this warrants multiple reads. I'm keeping this one at four stars rather than five as more of a personal factor - I definitely struggled with suspending my disbelief at points. For fans of Sci-Fi, this is an absolute gem. Pick this up, strap in, and get ready for a ride.

Upgrade was another great book by Blake Crouch! This is not my typical preferred genre, but every time I pick up a Crouch book, I love it and enjoy the different style! His writing and imagination is amazing and will keep you turning page after page!
Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Blake Crouch and Ballentine Books for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! This book was AMAZING! This is the first book I've read by Blake Crouch, but I'm fully planning on devouring his entire body of work in the immediate future. I don't normally read a lot of sci-fi, but this has opened up my interest in the genre.

In this book, set in a not too distant future where gene editing has gone awry and has been banned by the government. Logan, a regular guy with an average IQ, works for the Gene Protection Agency (GPA) and one night on a raid he is infected with a gene editing virus that "upgrades" him to the next level of human consciousness. This upgrade sets him on a course where he must come to terms with his past.

This was literally one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The novel itself contains a lot of science, but it's described in ways that make things understandable. This book had me at the edge of my seat, but also brought me to tears in a few spots. I really cared about Logan and was rooting for him. And, although the end wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, it was a great ending regardless. Overall, a very enthusiastic five stars!

I want to thank #netgalley for letting me read the eArc of this book #upgrade by #BlakeCrouch. I enjoyed the book for the most part. It’s really really way out of my comfort zone but I’m glad that I read it. The book seemed to touch on a lot of things that we are dealing with now which made it feel more realistic. For those that enjoy futuristic books and very technological things this is a great book for you!

Blake Crouch has outdone himself! This is an absolutely fun read-the best sci-fi I have read in a long while. What would you do if you had the means to save the human race; by blocking off their humanity and killing billions in the process.? Logan Ramsay has a decision to make as he is being forced to make this choice, against his choice. I hate to give away a plot so I won’t, but I will add this is a nail biter, anxiety provoking and heart racing! Have fun reading!

Once again Blake Crouch wrote a book I’m not smart enough to fully comprehend, but I was still entertained anyway. The science of it all was way over my head most of the time, but even so the story was intriguing and I didn’t miss out on anything by not understanding all the technical stuff.

It’s an interesting and important topic, how to get people to wake up and understand the needs of our planet.

Another awesome read from Blake Crouch, the author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines Series. Upgrade is a can't-put-it-down action packed triller of the not so distant future where genetic 'upgrades' are science fact, but the consequences could save or end millions of lives. This will be a great fast paced summer beach read, I personally forced myself to stop reading at the end of each section so I could enjoy the book over 3 days. If you like any of Crouch's other books give this try and you won't be disappointed.

Note: I received a ARC of this book from NetGalley for a pre-release review.

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the near future a new technology called Scythe is created. Scythe allows just about anyone to modify a person or animals genetic code. This leads to people trying to make dragons all the way to eliminating malaria by killing off mosquitoes that carry it. After a certain event, Scythe is made illegal and the government creates an agency that shuts down gene labs, called the GPA. We follow Logan Ramsay, a GPA agent. Logan is the son of Miriam Ramsay, who created Scythe.

Crouch takes the plot to places you would never expect. The theme throught the book is "what does it mean to he human?" And Crouch explores this idea in a deep way.

I really enjoyed Logan and his family dynamic. This is my first Blake Crouch book and I've heard all of his books read fast, I read this in a couple of days. I never once lost interest in the plot or characters. I would highly recommend to just about anyone. While this isn't space sci-fi, I would put this on par with last year's Project Hail Mary, which for me, was a near perfect book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4528855226

This book is fire! And I definitely mean that in a good way. It focuses on the good and the bad of genetic engineering and provides food for thought about “What if?”. The story has everything. On top of the very detailed genetic focus of the book, there is also a family dynamic in play. The future is presented here in such a way that it is a bit disturbing to consider it, causing some discomfort here and there, but allowing for a great read. It is a mostly fast-paced thriller in science fiction that will have you turning pages to see what happens next. I am so glad that I was able to get my hands on an ARC. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this ride early.

There is no Blake Crouch book that I won’t love. He just has a way of telling a story. I appreciate his sci fi realism and it always leaves me feeling that a story of his could be real some day. Please give this book a read! Or any of his books if you are curious.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

A meticulously researched and brilliantly told story of the fragility of the human race, the necessary dance between reason and compassion, and the opportunities and dangers of gene therapy. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There is plenty of action to keep you turning the pages and plenty of thought provoking ideas to keep you thinking.

I felt I'd won the lottery when I got this ARC. I loved this author's previous two novels. Plus, near future speculative fiction thrillers are my jam.

Upgrade ticked all my boxes. I wish I could rate it higher, but my mind kept fighting the plot twists. That is, when it wasn't completely numb from the info dump of biogenetics.

In this story the "mad scientist" theme is given a full dose of modernization while maintaining Crouch's special touch with interpersonal relationships. In fact, it's a bit of a tear jerker.

Kudos to an author who can write these mind-twisting novels with such in-depth research. Blake Crouch remains a favorite for me even though this particular story isn't my personal favorite.

This title feels a bit more like hard science fiction than Dark Matter and Recursion. But I still enjoyed it very much! I can always trust Blake Crouch to pull me out of a reading slump.

Logan works for the Gene Protection Agency when, on a raid, his life is changed when he receives an upgrade to his own genes. Gene editing and even genetic research is illegal during this time after Logan’s mother’s failed experiment with locusts resulted in millions dead.

We’re taken in a journey through every step of Logan’s transformation, which is described in great detail with scientific accuracy. These parts take a lot of concentration for myself (a non scientist or doctor) and sometimes I skimmed over them a bit. Why did he receive this upgrade? Who gave it to him? And what is the end game?

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

I have been a constant fan of Blake Crouch, although I have yet to find any of his books that I find to equal the Wayward Pines trilogy. However, while I still feel that this is the case, Upgrade is by far the most enjoyable book by Crouch that I have read in years. Like most of his books, the central theme revolves around the mixture of human fallibility, power and hubris (and even good intentions) which, when combined, can lead to terrifying and devasting results. Upstart is set in an undetermined future United States where genetic modifications have become so common place that the government (and the world) has developed an agency (sort of CIA-esque) to both identify and arrest rogue scientists engaging in genetic modifying, from altering human features to creating new creations. Without giving too much away, this book takes a look at how tampering with nature, without fulling understanding how complex both human beings are, not too mention the world in which we live, can bring about a level of catastrophe that can potentially doom human existence. Overshadowing this theme, are the realities of climate change, poverty and inequality; all of which serve to exacerbate problems in existence.

Despite the heaviness of the topic, I found the book an easy, fascinating read, which I blew threw in a few days. Highly recommended!