Blake Crouch’s Run is a gripping survival thriller with a chilling sci-fi twist, plunging readers into a world on the brink of collapse. The story follows Jack Colclough, a man who suddenly finds himself on the run after his name is read aloud on the Emergency Broadcast System, signaling that he & his family are next on a terrifying kill list. The book takes place over the course of a few harrowing days, as society falls apart & violence spirals out of control.
While the premise is undeniably gripping, there were a few things that slowed me down at first. The opening chapter felt unnecessary, and I wasn’t sure the relationship dynamics were serving the story in any meaningful way. And honestly, the amount of focus on their family driving a Rover felt a bit like a car commercial at times. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be more worried about the danger or the brand of vehicle they were in. But once I pushed past that, the book really pulled me in.
The violence in this novel is intense & disturbing, & at times it crosses into unsettling territory. That said, I think these moments are purposeful, helping to convey the raw, brutal emotion driving the chaos.
One aspect that frustrated me was Jack’s wife. She felt more like an obstacle than a true partner at times, always putting pressure on Jack to prove himself without offering much help herself. It just felt a bit unrealistic given the situation.
Still, Run is a wild ride—fast-paced & full of tension, with never a dull moment. Once I got into the groove of the story, I couldn’t put it down. It’s intense, emotional, & keeps you guessing. Crouch does a fantastic job of building tension and keeping you on edge.
Thank you @randomhouse / Ballantine books for allowing me access to the ARC via @netgalley All thoughts are entirely my own.

Run by Blake Crouch is a relentless, edge-of-your-seat thriller that grabs hold from the first page and never lets go. Known for his knack for blending suspense with high-concept storytelling, Crouch delivers a terrifying and adrenaline-fueled survival story set against a backdrop of chaos and societal collapse.

The story follows the Colclough family as they desperately flee a country unraveling into violence after a mysterious broadcast turns ordinary citizens into ruthless killers. Crouch’s vivid prose and breakneck pacing pull you into their harrowing journey, making every twist and turn feel immediate and visceral. The emotional depth of the characters adds a layer of poignancy, making their fight for survival not just thrilling but profoundly moving.

Run is a masterclass in tension, combining Crouch's signature unpredictability with heart-stopping action. Fans of apocalyptic fiction and psychological thrillers will devour this one in a single sitting. It’s a visceral and unforgettable ride that will leave you breathless.

Highly recommended for readers who loved Bird Box or The Road.

Awesome new book! I have always like Blake Ceouch and this didn’t disappoint. My favorite author and my favorite type of book, post-apocalyptic.

3.5 stars

Blake Crouch, who's well known for dark twisty sci-fi books like Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade, began his writing career by self-publishing 'Run' in 2011. This debut novel, which was re-released in 2024, is a stomach-churning thriller.

*****

Picture this: You're watching television and start to see chyron after chyron reading something like, "45 Dead in Mass Shooting at a Church in Columbia, South Carolina." And then you hear a woman on the local radio station reading off the names of people to be killed, such as, "Jim Barbour....His address is Two Carpenter Court.....and while you're in the neighborhood, stop by the home of Jack Colclough, a professor of philosophy at UNM. He lives at 1414 Arroyo Way. Go now."

And YOU'RE Jack Colclough, living on Arroyo Way in New Mexico, with your wife Dee, 14-year-old daughter Naomi, and 7-year-old son Cole. What do you do? What you do is pack food, water, clothes, a road map, weapons, gas cans, camping equipment, etc.....and you RUN. Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole load up their Land Rover and aren't even out of their driveway before they see the headlights heading for their house, with gunshots erupting into the night. All Jack and Dee know is that five days ago, a good portion of the American population went insane. Affected people got out their rifles, handguns, knives, axes, chain-saws, and other killing tools.....and they began hunting down and murdering 'normal' people.

From here, the book is a saga of the Colclough's flight from New Mexico - their plan being to drive north through Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana and up to Canada, which is said to be unaffected by the insanity. Needless to say, the trip is dangerous and harrowing, and the Colcloughs are in constant jeopardy.

If you're a fan of TV series like 'The Walking Dead' you can anticipate the family's adventure: they need to find food and gas; they're constantly under threat; they have good luck; they have bad luck; there are injuries; there are separations; there are reunions; they see horrible things; they experience terrible things; and so on. For instance, here's a description of people talking about a mass grave: 'Mapping system shows a hundred and seventy-five still down there.....Men, Women, Children.....High velocity gunshot wounds and dismemberment. In most instances, it's not a clean break, like a machete or ax strike. They cut everyone down with AR-15s and then went through with chainsaws. Making sure no one crawled out."

Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole are average folks with no special skills. However, they show remarkable resilience in unimaginable circumstances. They also have to deal with family drama, because Jack and Dee's relationship was strained before their flight from New Mexico, with Jack staying in the guest room for months.

The motif of this novel - the interminable run and chase - isn't my favorite theme. In addition, the manic scenes of peril are interspersed with slow sections of the Colcloughs driving, looking for shelter, camping, preparing food and the like. Thus the pacing is (inevitably) uneven.

I kept thinking the family would get somewhere and everything would be elucidated, but that's not quite the case. There IS an explanation of what happened, but the climax and denouement of the novel aren't completely satisfying. Still this is a good first effort for a talented novelist, and the book would appeal to fans of exciting adventure stories.

Thanks to Netgalley, Blake Crouch, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the manuscript.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at the 15% mark. I felt like I was reading the same sequence of events over and over again, and the pacing was too quick to really keep me engaged and interested enough to root for these characters.

On a random night Jack CoClough and his family find themselves on the run after hearing on the radio that a group of people are coming to fill them. A death threat for no known reason. Instantly, Jack and his family are thrust into the night only to find that world has exploded in an upheaval of violence. Buildings on fire, businesses looted and violence of the “Mad Max” variety. The only connection…a meteorological event that occurred a few nights ago. A sighting in the night cosmos. Those that saw it become changed and those that didn’t suddenly find them being hunted and murdered.

But there is one that saw the event and remained the same. Jack’s son. But he did receive an ability. He can sense the halo around those that have become affected and violent. Follow Jack and his family through their journey to find safety - the decisions they make, the people they become, and the aftermath of those horrific days. Run.

Let me save you a lot of time. Run is not a brand-new novel by Blake Crouch. It is his first novel, which he self-published back in 2011, and was recently published by Ballantine Books in October. As such, it’s not the Blake Crouch novel you’re hoping for. This is not on par with Dark Matter in the least.

Instead, what the reader gets is an incredibly gory and often tedious novel about a family on the run. From what, you might ask? People who all went out to watch the aurora borealis one evening. See, those who watched it have turned into bloodthirsty killers who target those who slept through it. People are hunted down and brutally murdered and whole cities are burned to the ground. Now, I know you’re wondering if this is ever explained in the novel. Why would watching the night sky turn star-gazers into homicidal maniacs? Well, it seems as if Crouch, the author of this insane plot, didn’t have an explanation for this himself, because even at the end of the novel when you think you’re about to get an answer, you get a “Sigh. I guess we’ll never really know” sort of ending.

So I’m mad. I gave this the benefit of the doubt because I’ve really liked Crouch’s last few novels. I sat through all the gross descriptions. I forced myself to read through my boredom as this family continued walking through the middle of nowhere without food. I suspended my disbelief when they were saved a few times by random coincidence or chance. So for the author who has made a name for himself with sci-fi thrillers to not give me ANYTHING at the end of redeem this amateurish writing exercise is inexcusable. If I wasn’t reading and reviewing this for NetGalley, I would have quit it before I made it 10% into the story. Save yourself the trouble and skip this one.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Run by Blake Crouch is an almost eerily timely dystopian story that feels less like fiction and more of a prediction of what the future holds. While you can tell this is one of his first books, the timely storyline and engaging characters are all there.

I always love Blake crouch books. His story telling is spectacular and stories of survival always add a good thril

What the heck did I just read???? This book was so weird, confusing, graphic for no reason and just odd. I read the synopsis before selecting and understood what I was getting for but it was just strange. Something happened five days ago and the purge began with lawlessness and senseless murders. We meet Jack, Dee and their two children who hear Jacks name on a list of people who are to be killed. The family goes on the run and things are just so twisted with no clear reason for the reader as to what’s happening or why. The storylines wrapped up but I got to a point where I was no longer invested but needed to finish.

Blake Crouch’s Run is a wild, heart-pounding ride that grabs you from page one and never lets up. It’s about the Colclough family trying to survive in a terrifying, dystopian America after a mysterious cosmic event turns most people into violent hunters. The story is packed with intense chase scenes and gut-wrenching twists, but it’s also about the emotional struggle of a family fighting to stay together against impossible odds. Crouch’s writing is vivid and fast-paced, almost like watching a movie unfold in your head. While the action is nonstop, you might find yourself wishing for a bit more backstory on the sci-fi element. Still, if you love survival thrillers, Run is an absolute must-read.

Apocalypse
Fast paced
Cliffhangers
Family drama


Jack and his family are on the run and try to survive as they are forced to face an apocalypse in their area. This started off great, but that ending... it was not. Throughout this book, I did not care for any of the characters. I was so excited about receiving this arc because I really enjoyed Crouch's writing/stories. However, this was one story I didn't fully enjoy.
This was a low 3 stars for me

Thank you, NetGalley, and publishers for this arc ebook for an honest review.

Crouch writes fast paced books that always keep me engaged! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Holy crap. This was a fast-paced, action-packed, sci-fi thriller. It reminded me of The Purge, The Walking Dead and Last of Us. And I loved it for that.

We follow a family of four running for their lives. Seemingly overnight, a portion of the population turned into murderous psychopaths— the electricity is gone, cell service is out, and food is growing scarce.

The only form of communication is the radio and right now a man is telling everyone a man’s home address and encouraging them to murder him.


First off I just loved the fast pace, something was always happening and I didn’t want to stop reading. I think I just also enjoy these end of humanity stories, seeing how far we can go to survive.
The reason behind the murder spree in this story was cool, and it’s not something I’ve seen before (doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in some story somewhere, I just haven’t seen it).

There were a few times in the dialogue where I rolled my eyes— it felt dated and quite obvious it was written by a man. But thankfully it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

Definitely recommend!
4.5 stars

Thanks Random House - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the DRC!

I’ve really liked everything I’ve read by Crouch, but this was definitely my least fav of his. The idea was excellent, but you could definitely tell this was an early novel of his. The writing wasn’t to the level I’d expect from him, I found the dialog

What I liked:
- Dark apocalyptic world
- Lots of action
- Quick, easy read

What didn’t work for me:
- Repetitive to the point I zoned out
- The story didn’t mesh together well
- Discrepancies in the plot
- The ending

I’ve seen many great reviews for this one so it might have been a me thing, or that my expectations were too high based on his previous books. I’m glad I read it, but it’s definitely my least fav by the author. I’d give this a 3.5⭐️ rounded up.

This was so captivating. I always feel like apocalyptic stories can be hit or miss but this one was done right. Crouch writes such fast-paced books that keep you on the edge of your seat and reading about Jack and his family’s attempt at survival was definitely entertaining. I recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, action-packed dystopian read.

This book scared the mess out of me! While I was reading, all I could think about was what would I do? This post apocalyptic story follows Jack McCollough and his family across the desert while they try to escape a deadly phenomenon that has taken over most of the country.

I read this at night and my heart was racing the entire time. The terror & sense of hopelessness kept my attention fully. One thing I was reminded of was to make sure my gas tank is always full or as close as possible!

I loved this book! I was hooked from the very first chapter. One of my new favorite books! I will definitely be reading more by this author soon.

This book was a wild ride. One I honestly could have gone without. I finished it late into the night because I just couldn’t be in the world Crouch created any longer.
Don’t get me wrong. This book was well written, and such a compelling story, but it is hella dark. Apocalyptic books have a natural darkness to them, but this was on another level. The torture and visual human destruction was hard to read. What the characters have to go through to stay alive and together was hard to read.
I have only read one other Crouch book and I absolutely loved it. I love his supernatural sneaky sci-fi elements, and while this book had that, it wasn’t as well done.
If you want something super dark and disturbing, this one is for you.

I have not finished this book, eventhough the pace is insanely good,
The story is veryyy intense, and the plot seems thick! Im at around 20% and a twist has already happened, and high stakes chase and death follows!

Loved it, its just not really my realm of sci fi reads