Upgrade is the newest form of the scariness of the George Orwell novel "1984". It predicts, hopefully only a little, where humankind is headed if we are not careful. People are not aware of how much of our privacy is being shared because maybe we cannot understand what usefulness there may be in our personal information, especially beyond taking our finances. Upgrade is about genetic information shared without permission and some possible uses for it. There is scientific and political debate and little agreement about the correct course of action.

Scientists are capable of editing out genes that may not be desirable, and there may be good purposes for doing it. Genetic diseases can be removed using technologies currently available. Future generations will be passing on the edited gene, so that disease, condition, or characteristic ends with the edited generation. This is all true for us now. In the book, there are laws against genetic alterations. Of course, only criminal scientists are making new scientific exploration and advances.

Upgrade tells a tale of human hubris, unchecked. In the book, people seem unaware of the way the world is heading. They are not too worried about extinctions, rising water, the heat of the planet and the book explores reasons why this is the case. Only some concerned scientists are willing to do something about it. What they are willing to do may well be too much.

Holy cow. For one day, I would love to be inside Blake Crouch’s brain. How does he come up with this stuff?? I was terrified all through this, because this can happen!!

I’m so glad Biology and Anatomy/Physiology were my best subjects in school, because he gets pretty scientific with this one. I had to slow down and reread paragraphs to make sure I understood what he was talking about and describing. This isn’t one you’ll fly through, but man was it worth it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!!

Blake Crouch does it again, as he presents a moral quandary that could leap off the pages into reality in a matter of years. What if genetics really could move past the point of niche science and hit the black market? Would this marvel save the world (resilient crops, cure disease, make life easier) or leave it in ruins (super viruses, plagues, or modifications that mutate into our worst nightmares).

The protagonist, Logan Ramsey, has fought for years to atone for the sins of the past and of his family. Now, he finds himself further entrenched than ever before. After a devastating injury in the line of duty, he finds himself more than a man, but has he lost the very thing that made him human?

Blake's latest novel, Upgrade, brings home the real and present excitement, as well as the potential danger, behind genetic modifications and what they could do our world. Perhaps more profoundly, Crouch asks the reader not just if it is possible to shape the nature world around us; he begs the question, "should we?"

I love speculative sci-fi and this book was right up my alley. I liked it as much as Dark Matter and Recursion, both of which I also gave 5 stars. This was a fantastic story about what could happen if CRISPR technology had black market availability. Very fast-paced and explosive! Great read and I can't wait for the next from Mr. Crouch.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Once again Crouch has written a thriller -
Logan finds his body transformed - he is stronger, his brain works faster and better etc. Someone has hacked him for an upgrade. Is it possible that this person will cause others to have these changes?? Can Logan stop this from happening? Will they kill him to prevent his interference?

Once again Blake Crouch forays into the near-future Sci-Fi thriller realm. Upgrade feels somewhere between Michael Crichton and Cyberpunk. It's a cautionary tale about tinkering with genetics, the hubris of science of scientists and the future of mankind combined with a Blade Runner-type Dystopian/post-cataclysmic world all rolled into one. Crouch's full immersion into this type of Science Fiction has brought forth some of his best writing. Although, while it's impressive how much he knows/ has learned about genetics and biochemistry and such, there's a bit too much explanation of it, a lot of which isn't going to make sense to the layman who has no previous understanding of what's put forth in the novel. But overall the story is full of exciting Sci-Fi action.

I really wanted to like this! And I feel one of few people that really didn't, at least based on the reviews so far.

So you meet a family man fella in the near future who, through a series of events you'll have to read to find out what exactly, gets a major DNA upgrade. Well in this version of the future, that's not cool! So he gets targeted, jailed, and some other stuff happens.

I liked about 40% of this book and just lost interest halfway. Maybe I'm too charmed by Dark Matter. I only felt okay about Recursion. I still think Blake Crouch is an amazing sci-fi writer but this one just didn't do it for me.

Wow!! Another fast paced brilliant sci fi thriller from Crouch. I could not put it down.

Logan Ramsay has had his genome hacked and starts to undergo a very startling transformation that affects his brain, his body and the way he sees and feels everything. He's been given an upgrade.

He was specifically targeted and without giving anything away, I loved this whole aspect of the book and who targeted him and who was targeted with him and the choices they have to make.

Logan is just the beginning of a much larger plan that will impact all of humanity but at what cost? What will they lose of themselves in the process?

Logan is the one person who can stop what has been put into motion if he chooses and I really loved the decisions that he ultimately ended up making in the end.

I really love the way Crouch brought in entirety of humanity and really made me think about the human potential, limits and our future.

Upgrade skis the wake of other Crouch stories that explore the limits of what it means to be human. The central character in this story comes from a background of genetic experiments gone bad. Having "made a dent" in his debt to society with a prison term, he further attempts to make good on the debt by embarking on a career with a federal agency to hunt and foil unauthorized genetic experimentation. In the process, he becomes caught up in the web of an attack meant to "upgrade" humanity in an effort to save it from its own long-term destruction. What he learns is that the answer to mankind's survival is not what you would expect.

Gripping and utterly fantastic. My first Blake Crouch and I will now read more from from him in the future:

Interesting face-paced sci-fi thriller exploring human gene enhancement in the near future when a mad scientist 'upgrades' her grown children to save humans from self destruction.

The premise of this book is very interesting. At first reading the description I thought of Limitless but it doesn't follow that line at all. If you enjoyed Dark Matter or Recursion you'll love this book. I flew through this book very quickly and then was sad that it was over. I will definitely purchase this book and read it again. Highly recommend.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch reads like a made for the big-screen futuristic thriller. Fast-paced., action-packed and a great plot make this a great read. I didn't really understand all of the science information, but appreciate the attention to detail. Crouch's attention to detail and vivid imagination really brings this book to life in my mind.

Fun romance about second or third chances, renovating old houses, furniture and relationships featuring former child stars trying to reestablish themselves. I found this to be a lighthearted read.

I'm a huge Blake Crouch fan and Upgrade didn't disappoint! I wasn't initially as drawn into the premise, as I have been for his other books, but once I started, I was fully immersed into the story. Definitely recommend for Crouch fans and anyone interested in thriller/sci fi. I love learning the details of the slightly alternative/futuristic worlds he creates!

When Logan Ramsey finds himself in the hospital after an explosion, he realizes that his body didn’t just get hit with a little shrapnel. Instead, his entire DNA sequence was modified and everything about him was <b>Upgraded</b>. Suddenly he can recall everything he’s ever read or done instantly, read peoples facial cues and pulses, needs less sleep and a whole lot more. The government that he works for wants to keep him locked up and tested. Until someone breaks him out.

Crouch’s newest novel focuses on the implications of genetic modifications and how they could and would effect the people of the planet. How, if Logan’s Upgraded DNA was introduced to everyone, how the planet may be saved? Is it up to us to be in charge of this viral dispersion?

I found <i>Upgrade</i> to be fast paced and interesting. It posed a lot of ethical questions and was a very intriguing read.

Blake Crouch is about as reliable of an author as you can find. Quite remarkable for a man who hooped around a variety of speculative genre spectrum before settling on his latest passion – science fiction techno-thrillers.
Following in the most impressive footsteps of his recent books, Upgrade is a similar sort of very intense, very dynamic scientifically-fascinating, conceptually-exciting, and thrillingly thrillery sort of a story and this time it’s all about DNA.
All you ever wanted to know about Deoxyribonucleic acid and then some.
Unlocking the secrets of DNA sequencing has been one of the greatest discoveries of modern time and the thing with greatness is that it’s tough to leave it well enough alone. Especially, for a person sufficiently intelligent to manipulate it. Especially, for a person sufficiently intelligent to comprehend the implication of living during the six extinction and wanting to change things. The savior complex kicks in and then all sorts of madness ensue.
This is how it went for Logan Ramsay’s mother. A genius determined to save the world, she inadvertently unleashed a global famine that killed 200 million people and changed the world forever. That has been Logan’s legacy, on top of the fact that he, only being average smart at best, has never really measured up to his mother’s spectacular intellect.
Nevertheless, he has managed to put the past behind him enough to make a nice life for himself. A good job with Gene Protection agency, a loving family, etc.
And then one day, the world explodes around him (literally) and he finds himself upgraded. A concept initially terrifying, but then…something so much more. Now Logan is well on his way to becoming a superhuman, the question remains, though, at what cost? Why him? Is he the only one? Ok, that’s several questions, really.
But this is a novel that gives you extra, so much information, so much science, so much fiction. Such a fascinating speculative concept that while totally suspense and action driven for the fans of those things, is also very clever, thought-provoking and profoundly poignant.
Is the world worth saving? What would you do to save it? Where do you draw the line? What are the acceptable costs? When you are the smartest person in the world, what do you prioritize?
Those are some interesting questions readers might find asking themselves afterwards, but for what Logan Ramsay does…read this book.
It’s so much fun. It’s such a rush. Crouch has perfected his very own brand of pacing, specifically one sentence paragraphs, it’s all very dynamic. If some scenes are too sciency and some too actiony, the overall balance is still just right. A smart, exciting, wildly entertaining read.. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

<i>"What do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? Maybe there's no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me thing of rain falling through sunlight"</i>

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Upgrade! I’m honored to be one of the first to read a book by an author that I adore! One of the many things I love about Blake Crouch is that he writes believable Sci Fi. His books make you stop and think about the meaning of life. It’s deep. And Upgrade has proven to be no exception. I appreciate the amount of meticulous research that he does to provide real science to support the premise of his novels. The facts are all there, and accessible to the average reader.

Are we on the cusp of the world that Logan Ramsay lives in? Are we going to push the buttons until we destroy the planet and morph our DNA to become something super human? It doesn’t sound so farfetched to me. We meet Logan and his sister Kara, heirs to a legacy of DNA programming that they would rather not acknowledge. The end of humanity seems to be looming on the horizon, but Logan and Kara have different ideas about how that should be handled. The novel explores their battles; as siblings to a mother that altered the history of the entire planet, with each other, and with themselves. It’s typical Crouch, face paced and wild. It has a few twists and turns you didn’t see coming, but perhaps not as many as Wayward Pines or Dark Matter. I relished every word, reading paragraphs more than once, just to soak it in. I'm not sure how I wanted it to end, but I wasn't overwhelmed with the resolution as it seemed counterintuitive, so hence 4 stars. Regardless, still another fabulous read by Blake!

I was thrilled to receive a free ARC of this book from Random House/Ballantine books! One I didn’t even ask for! I did not know Blake Crouch had written a new book coming out in July 2022 so I dropped what I was reading(actually I have been in a book slump) and started reading this right away.

The imagination of Blake Crouch is truly something to behold and this book is no exception. The fact that he has made this story so very relevant to present day makes it feel necessary and important rather than just entertaining. The book is a bit shorter than his others and there is some background that is given short shrift…my main complaint. But Crouch manages to also bring in the personal and romantic element that permeates all his other stories and it makes for some very touching moments, particularly at the end. The book was a very easy read without getting banal, typical of Crouch’s work. You just sort of glide through it without much effort. Some of the genetics concepts were a bit over my head but you can always figure out the gist of what is happening. The descriptions of what were happening in Logan’s mind were pretty fascinating. His attempts to hang on to the essence of his humanity seemed very honest and real. I wish in some ways the book had been longer and explored more of these concepts. I also wish the book had more background and more in-depth character development. Aside from Logan, the other characters are pretty one dimensional. I still have to say I really enjoyed the book immensely. It was action from beginning to end.

Overall a very entertaining and interesting book that reflects on some very important human issues regarding our survival and what it will take to turn around the dangerous course we are currently on. We must heed this advise and quickly. The only thing we have to fear is ourselves.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upgrade
A Novel
by Blake Crouch

Big thank you to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. The expected publication date is July 19, 2022.
I am usually a mystery reader, thought it was time to try something new. From all of the advanced reviews, Blake Crouch is a very well-known writer. I dug in and begin to feel a bit uneasy as if my O.C.D. jumped in full red. I did my best to read it all... by 45% I did not finish. I agree his writing is great, with reality and a message. Not his fault for my red flag.