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!

Blake Crouch’s Upgrade instilled much anxiety, dread, and tension in me. What a read! His use of science and ecology increases my knowledge.

The storyline lagged towards the end … climbing a building reminded me of the movie Die Hard. But the letter at the end! That made me raise the number of stars back to 5.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Crouch, and Random House Ballantine for increasing my heart rate while reading this book.

Get ready for what will be a huge sci-fi release this summer! I loved the (Wayward) Pines series so I was thrilled to be asked to read and review Blake Crouch’s newest novel. Upgrade drew me in immediately and then flows into an action-packed ride. The themes of irreparable damage to the planet reflect a terrifying truth to our current situation. So, in that sense, it’s a horror novel!

When Logan gets or a virus he realizes that this is no "ordinary" virus. He has been genetically changed and someone has done it to him.
His brain is in high gear! He can process things and do things with rapid speed. The clarity is incredible!
It is definitely a benefit, but is it always?
Would this be available to the world? Would it always work?
The journey begins and it is full of suspense and mystery!
Can you really reduce population by one "change or upgrade mistake"?
This novel will have you wondering if scientists could actually do this to people, would it be a good thing or would we eradicate some if not all of the population if not done exactly right?
Would you possibly reduce population by one "change or upgrade mistake"?Well done!


I truly enjoyed this story.
It had me questioning at this unpredictable time in our own world with the pandemic and the vaccines, if this is not part of the plan? Perhaps...perhaps not.
You decide...

Anyone who enjoys science fiction will love the this book! It has detail, adventure, heartbreak, and fear!

Thank you to NetGalley and #Random House Publishing-Ballentine for this advanced copy and allowing me to provide my review.

First starting reading. I thought, uh oh. Is this gonna be way over my head? Gene editing, germline modification, mining bacteria uhhhh, say what now? I’m not gonna lie, I skimmed some of the technical uber science-y details. Like how does Crouch know how to write about this kind of stuff?!

I really liked the use of the therapist to tell the reader the backstory about Logan’s past. And when we learn what really happened, why he carries such baggage….well no wonder. And you really start to empathize with Logan. All of a sudden the book kicks into high gear! And then….twist, boom, reveal, boom, another reveal! Unputdownable.

Then Part 2 gets dark. Like really bleak. Add in the all the R-naught(RO) numbers, shedding virus, immunity, so very COVID-y. So much detailed science-y stuff, skim, skim…then back to the action.

Part 3 is my least fave. Right up until last action scene of book! That right there is the stuff movies are made of. No wonder Amblin Entertainment bought the thing!

The book comes full circle in the Epilogue. Ahh, there you are Crouch. The first part of the epilogue is what I love about his writing and found missing from the entire middle. Gets a bit heavy handed for a bit, but I’ll overlook that part.

Overall, I enjoyed some parts, skimmed some parts, but came away satisfied. I don’t know that I’d recommend the way I push Dark Matter, but that’s unfair. That one is special. I round up to 4stars on this one due to the Epilogue.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books and Penguin RandomHouse for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

For more book recs, follow me on Instagram @librarianreadspop 👍🏻

Couldn’t put it down. I have read a few other of his books but this may be my. Favorite. Getting upgraded has its appeal, but the downsides are there too. What makes us human? I think Loganfigures this out in e end

A little bit different sci-fi novel. A brilliant scientist, shunned by everyone because her mistake killed millions,uses her grown children in an experiment. She is supposed to have died, but she didn't. Now she is really dead and has left yet another mess

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre-approval for this book in return for an honest review.

A new book from Blake Crouch that goes far and above the previous reads I've enjoyed from this author. That is saying a lot. I loved Dark Matter with a few reservations and felt Recursion was even better and really loved Summer Frost, a novella by Crouch in the Forward Series anthology. So I was excited to read this latest. It is a thoughtful, mind bending and heavy on science of genetics science fiction with enough of a realistic plot to present an amazing believable story. I was immediately pulled into the story and loved how it twisted and turned along the way.
The plot is told from the single point of view of Logan Ramsey son of a famous geneticist now dead who is now employed by the GPA--the Gene Protection Agency. This agency is to protect the public from rogue scientists who might involved in illegal genetic sequencing--anything from developing a new disease, a synthetic species and genetically modifying embryos. The story starts off with a bang that sends Logan into the hospital with multiple minor wounds and a concern he may be infected with an unknown genome.
From there the plot takes off as Logan begins to notice changes in his own body which will change how he sees not only his own future but that of the human species.

It is a great read, labeled as a thriller and it lives up to this label. This is a novel I would recommend both as great science fiction but also for how much it looks at an arm of science that is currently coming to the fore front. I found it both insightful and presented many ethical questions that the narrator attempts to answer along the way. Really a great science fiction read I will be thinking about a long time. I recommend it highly, not to be missed.

I was elated to be gifted a copy of Upgrade by Random House. I am a big Blake Crouch fan. I will tell my husband the whole plot of the novel and then make him read it so he can tell me all his favorite parts. It’s a whole thing.

As much as Crouch’s novels have to do with crazy mind breaking science, they have a lot to do with love, and Upgrade is no different.
In a future where gene altering is illegal, Logan Ramsay’s genome is upgraded when a raid goes wrong. He goes from being the Gene Protection Agency’s employee to being theirs to observe.
Is he the solution to the world’s problems or is he another tool of destruction?

Dark matter is a man trying to get back to his family.
Recursion is a couple trying to save the world and about the love we have with people.
Upgrade is about both of those things.

It’s a novel written in the shadow of the first years of our pandemic and climate disasters. Our novels now have a more concrete connection to the real horrors we face. Is this what the dust bowl novels were to a former generation?

Blake Crouch does something new, which will be hard for some readers, and it’s not perfect but it’s beautiful.

Blake Crouch never disappoints! This book was a true page turner, I couldn’t put it down. The main character was well written and the plot never slows down.

This is a must-read even if you're not a science fiction buff. It hits a high note for all of us as it's about genetics...and our survival.

The book starts strong when Agent Logan Ramsay, employed by the government's Gene Protection Agency, checks out a building that may contain black market products or services. He and his partner carefully enter the site and then he gets hit with sharp ice cube shapes which causes paralyzing pain. Of course, he cannot die as he's telling the story. Logan is taken to a hospital and when he gets back on his feet, he finds that his body has been altered with new physical and mental strengths.

Meanwhile, his boss is monitoring his health and notices the changes. He is taken against his will so that they can study him like a rat in a glass cage. He started to have wild dreams while he was there "like my brain had been infected by Salvador Dali on mushrooms" creating new emotions. Logan was able to escape and search for the source of how this happened. He suspected one person: his mother, a once highly regarded scientist. He thought she was dead. But was she? It had been her goal to unleash a major upgrade for the human race. He decided to go off-the-path on a search for her. The rest of the book is a high chase with riveting suspense.

There's a softness to the story that relates to Logan's beloved wife and daughter. He loves them more than anything and he can't just go back to see them as the government will be keeping close tabs on him - besides the fact that they were told he was dead. Logan also has a sister that he is not close to - so much that bullets go back and forth when they finally meet up. She wants to save the world from collapsing caused by a number of factors: volcanos, asteroids, famine, fires, floods, great wars and the list continues.

I felt like after reading this book, I completed a short course on genetics. It takes place not too far in the future when gene editing has a new meaning which frightens the government. Like many other things, they believe that the only way to control it is to make it illegal. The scary part is that often with science fiction, there's truth to it. The end can send chills throughout your body. The amount of research and knowledge by the author was impressive.

My thanks to Blake Crouch, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with the expected release date of July 12, 2022.

Absolutely loved this book! Upgrade is my favorite Blake Crouch book thus far! I loved the concept and could not put it down!

What would you do if you woke up one day feeling different - stronger, sharper, smarter?

Logan Ramsey works for the Gene Protection Agency. After recovering from a hospital stay following a raid gone wrong - he begins to feel like he’s becoming super human. He figures out how it happened and uncovers other secrets and plot twists leading to the ever complicated mission of trying to save all of humanity!

So good!

Thanks to #NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-ARC of #Upgrade in exchange for an honest review.

I've decided that I will read anything that Blake Crouch writes until the end of time. Recursion is one of my favorite sci-fi novels, and Upgrade nearly lived up to that. I flew through this one -- such a unique concept that still seemed grounded in reality, as far-fetched as the initial premise may be. (Is it really that far-fetched? These days, I'm not even sure.) I appreciated the fast-paced plot, and his writing is always elevated compared to some sci-fi reads. I also thought the ending was quite satisfying and left the reader to chew on whether or not the proposed solution was a reasonable one (vague sentence because I don't want to spoil anything). All in all, if you're a fan of Crouch, you'll be very pleased with this one too.

This techno thriller is a brilliant piece of writing. The story unfolds like a movie, tapping into all of the reader’s senses in full Dolby Digital and Ultra HD. The action is relentless, leaving the reader gasping, yet hungry for more as the plot hurtles forward. Science has gone rogue, attempting to remedy what’s wrong with the Earth by developing a new, enhanced strain of humans through DNA modification. In theory, the resulting “Upgrade” human will have enhanced cognitive abilities, and an impossibly superior intellect to tackle the world’s myriad problems. At least, that’s the noble purpose. The trouble is, there’s no way to beta test it on a human while keeping it secret. Gene editing of any kind has become highly illegal, for good reason. This is where things get dicey for Agent Logan Ramsay of the Gene Protection Agency, who becomes the unwitting guinea pig of the darker purpose. I can’t rave enough about this book. Blake Crouch is a genius. Read it!

This is the second novel I've read by Blake Crouch, and I think I'm becoming a fan. Like the very good "Recursion", "Upgrade" is a techno-thriller that explores the consequences of technology gone awry.

Crouch's writing style is a clear descendent of Michael Crichton and a close cousin of Daniel Suarez. These three authors share a decent understanding of the science underlying their stories, but they don't let the details get in the way of the plot. Fast-paced action is king, and characterization is clearly secondary. And there are no Stephenson-esque data dumps to be found.

"Upgrade" explores the consequences of gene therapy/drives, which are capable of rewriting an animal's DNA and propagating those changes via a virus or through normal procreation. I'm passingly familiar with CRISPR technology, but I'm not expert enough to know how realistic the book's scenarios are, but as recent reference points, the consequences here are equally plausible to those in Daniel Suarez's "Change Agent", and much more so than in Gailey's "The Echo Wife" (where the brain science had me throwing the book down in frustration).

Bottom line: if you're looking for a lightweight-but-solid, fast-paced techno-thriller that doesn't require you to entirely turn off your brain, this is a great choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse/Ballantine for providing an ARC for review.

Thank youNetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of Upgrade. I had no idea what to expect from this book as this is a new author for me and this is also not my usual genre. I loved the writing. Although it was a little too “sciencey” for me, I was able to get past that and really enjoy the book. I really liked how parts of the future were depicted, especially the food supply! I found the story chilling, and it felt possible because it was so skillfully written and slowly worked up to the main plot. If you are a Science Fiction fan, this is a great read for you. If you’re new to Science Fiction this would be a good book to start with, just keep in mind there is a LOT of science in it!

Blake Crouch could very well be this generation’s Michael Crichton. When Crichton warned about cloning in “Jurassic Patk” over 30 years ago, it seems we may have listened (or, at least, thought seriously about the topic and its possible horrors— no dinosaurs have since been hatched). Crouch’s incredible action novel is about gene-editing in a future time when environmental disasters have already overtaken the world (New York and Miami are underwater; the current wine regions of Spain and France are devastated because global warming has made grape growing move further north; wildfires have ravaged the entire American West). Gene-editing has become as simple as hacking — any bright, bullied and demented teenager can create a virus to kill or maim his high school tormenters. Black market gene editors are creating dragon pets for billionaires.

In this world, there’s an attempt to regulate and make gene-editing illegal: instead of an EPA, we have the GPA (the Gene Protection Agency). Logan Ramsay is a special agent of the GPA, and his inclusion as a special agent (he was previously a scientist) is to make amends for what his mad scientist mother caused 20 years ago — in a good-hearted attempt to alter locusts to stop an agricultural virus, she instead caused an out-of-control plague that resulted in the Great Starvation, during which 200 million people died.

When Logan is hunting a bad guy’s mysterious delivery, he finds it and it explodes — he’s quarantined and his DNA is scanned to make sure he wasn’t maliciously edited. He seems fine, but then he senses changes weeks later — big ones: perfect memory recall, increased strength, expanding intelligence. Logan has been “upgraded” — but why and by whom?

I’m not much of a sci-fi fan, but “Upgrade” drew me in like “Jurassic Park” did decades ago— there’s enough current day realism mixed with the warnings we already hear about ethical science issues, much like climate change. The book is exciting and fast paced — there’s no overt preachiness, but a lot of poignant and thought-provoking moments. I predict this book will be a huge hit and I can easily imagine it as a film! 5 stars.

Thank you to Random House/ Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only one pair were “Scandinavian blue,” and there’s an interesting discussion of “what if you could make blue eyes ‘infectious’” — and in a few generations everyone would have blue eyes (therefore eliminating all mentions of green-eyed femme fatales in future novels!)
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO “Upgrade’s” landscape has been altered by tremendous climate disasters; if anything grows it’s welcome.

What do you get when you add DNA alterations, a post-apocalyptic setting, and a moral dilemma? Blake Crouch's newest novel, UPGRADE, sets out to solve that equation, and will be available in July! Special thanks to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

After a raid where Logan Ramsay was infected with some type of virus, there do not seem to be any consequences. Yet Logan Ramsay is changing. He's noticed a difference in his mental abilities for weeks now. When his employer notices, it sets in motion a chain of events where humanity's future literally hangs in the balance. Can Logan protect humanity's future?

Blake Crouch's newest dystopian, near earth science fiction novel is so completely engaging. I sped through it in less than two days because I had to know what happened. The first person narrative connected me with Logan, and each action packed chapter kept me flipping [electronic] pages. I think the additional aspects of suspense and moral dilemmas were also especially fascinating. While this was my first Crouch book, I am more than ready to dive into his backlist! More detailed review is up on my blog {link in bio}!

4/5 Stars

CW: pandemics, violence, death

Pulse pounding and electrifying. This is exactly what I hope for in all sci-fi novels and Upgrade did not disappoint. This new book from author Blake Crouch is just as magnificent as his previous novels and is a must read.

I have enjoyed Blake Crouch's previous novels, so was thrilled to be offered this ARC for an honest review. No one does the heady sci-fi thriller like Crouch. He has a distinctive and unique take on the genre, incorporating interesting details with fast paced action. Upgrade was no exception. While it took me a few chapters to get into the world and understand what was going on, the rest of the book flew by. This novel raises ethical and moral questions for the reader, and I found the ending satisfying. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in science, human potential, and a pulse pounding journey.