I loved it!! Very good! Very bad, scary things happened in this story. Not one dull page to read. Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors for a reason and this is it!

Run by Blake Crouch

If you were lucky enough to know that Mr. Crouch self-published this book back in 2011, you may have already read it. Lucky you! I was offered this book as an advance reader’s copy, so I assume that this is a re-release by Ballantine Books. The Acknowledgments give you more details on the history of this book. I had never heard of this book and was excited about reading another book from one of my favorite authors. If you read my reviews of Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade, you know what a fan I am.

Run was written before those books mentioned above. It is Wayward Pines-esque in terms of tone, mood, excitement, and overall breath-taking suspense. It is not a Wayward Pines story, though. I loved it. The first thing you will notice about this book is that it contains no numbered chapters. There are occasional space divisions. I generally do not like books without chapters for this reason. If I like/love the book, I cannot put it down. If you have this problem, beware. I read this book in about a day and a half. I was glued to it.

Starting a few weeks ago, the news began reporting that the aurora borealis would make appearances much further south in the U.S. than ever before. When you begin reading Run, you won’t be able to stop thinking about that. Is the release of this book tied to that? I cannot help but think that it has to be. Maybe just an unbelievable coincidence? Have you seen the aurora lately? How are you feeling? I have not seen it, and now I do not even want to. Ha!

I am not going to spoil anything in this book for you. I have just one last comment. I am a pretty harsh judge of families and family members in books. I seem to run into families who have members making obviously ignorant choices. I have little patience for that. The Colclough family was a wonderful exception to this. The family endures nightmare after nightmare and makes the best possible decisions every single time based on all of the horrific circumstances they encounter. I liked them all…even the kids.

Oh…a reading suggestion: once you finish the book, go back and reread the first section again. I’ll bet you will have forgotten it. I had forgotten it or just not understood the context. It makes for additional closure.

I hope you enjoy Run as much as I did.
Star rating: 5 stars

*this is a republish of Crouch’s 2011 novel* it’s a pretty good, high-action and fast-paced survival thriller, Crouch’s signature character work is still present. I personally definitely prefer his newer sci-fi leaning stuff though. this was fun and quick but not my usual genre choice.

Readers should know that this is not a new book by Blake Crouch, but it rather a wide release of a book he initially self-published in 2011. The novel follows a family on the run as they try to make their way from New Mexico to Canada while fleeing individuals who have been struck by an inexplicable rage virus.

The plot is an interesting premise and I love dystopian fiction. I have had the opportunity to read some of Crouch's more recent sci-fi novels and appreciate his dark, thought-provoking stories. However, I found this novel extremely unpolished and the plot holes distracting. The widespread nature of the virus seemed implausible given its origin, and I was very frustrated by the book's sudden resolution. The book sank to a one-star review for me during an episode of needless body horror and torture that just made no sense to the plot.

I regret that readers might pick up this book thinking that it is a new release from Crouch and up to the caliber they have come to expect from him. I know that I was disappointed that the rage virus was not better developed as a plot point and wish that the publisher had taken this opportunity to assist Crouch in crafting a better version of this novel.

Run by Blake Crouch was a WILDDDDD ride!!

I'm not totally one for an apocalyptic thriller (I've never seen an episode of Walking Dead...l know), but this book had me completed hooked. At the 60% mark I knew there was no sleep to be had until it was finished.

This is the story of Jack Colclough, his wife Dee, and their children, Naomi and Cole, literally running for their lives in an America gone bananas. Killers have mobilized the country, pillaging and murdering by the thousands, and Jack and his family have left Albuquerque fleeing towards...safety? Their only chance for this ordinary family to survive is to run.

The pacing of this book was top-notch. It definitely kept my heart stopping and I couldn't get to the next page fast enough. If you're looking for an adrenaline-pumping read...it's this one!

It's worth noting that this book was also totally life affirming and had a lot of life lessons within it.

From family drama, to recognizing and appreciating what you have, this book left me extra thankful to be snuggled up with a blanket in a warm house with my family!!!

It looks like this was previously published in 2011 and maybe got a glow up when Blake Crouch's fame took off? This book releases October 22 and is definitely the perfect thriller for the season!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this book is brutal. The horror of close up warfare, loss of humanity, end of the world apocalyptic events and my personal worst - mountain climbing without a map. I could not put this down. I didn’t realize when I got the ARC from NetGalley that this was a re-release of Blake Crouch’s first novel. It was my first exposure to his books but won’t be my last. Propulsive, ominous, mysterious and sad - highly recommended.

No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run.
Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.
Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation.
Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold.
Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize.
One day ago, the power went out.
And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.
Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son. He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past. His only chance is to run.

This book follows Jack Colclough & his family as they travel across the U.S. trying to reach the Canadian border where they hope they will be safe. They have no idea what they are up against when they leave home. The scenes reminded me of those in the Walking Dead, only without zombies. Instead, there were a lot of gun-toting murderous men & women bent on killing anyone that did not also have "the glow". What caused "the glow", you ask? Apparently seeing the auroras that had lit up the skies of the entire United States and Northern Mexico. Before reading this book, I had always wanted to see an aurora, but I have never had the opportunity. Now, I don't know that I want to anymore. This book was excellent. It set me on edge, kept me captivated the entire book, had me wanting to tell other people about it. If you are a fan of high octane thrillers, then you should definitely check this out!

I understand this was Crouch's first book so I don't want to be too harsh but it was certainly lacking, at least compared to his more recent novels which I have loved. The idea doesn't feel unique. I never really had any attachment to any of the characters. It just overall felt a bit underdeveloped.

Blake Crouch’s re-released debut novel Run combines the very human savagery of The Purge, with the hectic horror of 28 Days Later, testing the resolve of one family against the worst elements of nature, and the capacity of human violence!


Having read his recent works, Recursion, Upgrade, and Dark Matter, I was intrigued to find a new review copy by Blake Crouch in my ARC rotation, and quickly grabbed it, thinking it was a new novel. Part of me felt bamboozled when I discovered this was a re-issue of one of his earliest novels. Changing gears, this was a good exercise in observing the path of growth of the author, by going back to the beginning!

Blake Crouch has always toyed with intriguing concepts in his sci-fi novels, but he made his start in the spookier side of the horror-thriller genre. Run is a post-apocalyptic survival horror novel following one family’s harrowing struggle to survive a world infected with homicidal mania, thereby showing the true power of the human spirit contrasted with the very worst that mankind has to offer.

Unfortunately, Run felt rough around the edges and highlighted Crouch’s earlier beginnings before he got into his own. The novel, being marketed as hectic survival horror, failed to capture the hectic aspect of the pitch, owing to the author’s uneven pacing, always maintaining more distance between our protagonists and the horrors of the world being inflicted upon them.

Crouch spends an inordinate amount of time putting the family against the forces of nature, in seemingly scenic locations from the wide open arid spaces of New Mexico to the frozen climes of Colorado, as the family miraculously makes their way through the breadth of the country in hopes of escaping the plague of violence. The backdrop made large swathes of Run feel more like a showcase of Americana, rather than being another malicious force against which the family has to test their mettle. In regards to the location, Run is found wanting.

The horror is presented to us in the form of an “unexplained” reason that has driven major portions of humanity wild with bloodlust and rage, inflicting sadistic ultraviolence on those unaffected by their condition. Crouch tries to impress upon us the visceral nature of the horrific side of humanity as our protagonists have run-ins with marauders, raiders, and all kinds of frankly, generic baddies. Perhaps, this is an artifact of us consumers being inured to these tapestries of violence, with universes like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, both of which do significantly better jobs of creating bleak yet terrifying set pieces. By contrast, even the most harrowing parts of Run largely failed to inspire the adrenaline rush that would keep a reader invested in horror in prose.

Much of the horror also feels subdued by the fact that our leads are hyper-competent protagonists, with adamantium plot armor. Our lead protagonist, Jack is a paragon of calm-under-terror, showcasing survival and combat skills that make no sense against his own character brief. Brushing off serious bullet and blade injuries throughout the book, he also shrugs off the psychological malaise that would have made Run a much deeper read in more profound hands. His wife, Dee, a smidge less technically competent, is yet another powerful archetype of skill under fire, taking away more of the dread the reader would feel as they follow more “normal” people put in these horrific situations. Their interpersonal conflict felt incredibly hamfisted and caused more eye-rolls than added to their character dynamics. Throw in two generic children with bog-standard personalities for their character briefs, and you have a tired trope of a family in survival horror.

Crouch really throws every survival horror cliche at us, with moustache-twirling opportunists, to cult-like religious settlements, coming off more as a list of plot checkpoints that our protagonists are pulled towards, yielding a rather anemic product.

Run fails to incite horror by having uneven pacing, and unbelievably competent protagonists, set against horror set-pieces that are cliched creating very little sense of terror, either psychological or physical. Crouch proves yet again that he is among the better authors when it comes to writing a concept brief but continues to fumble while executing his own ideas.

4.5⭐️

This was such a fast paced, non stop, gripping apocalyptic thriller! I absolutely flew through this book.

Really not much to summarize - this story follows Jack Cloclough and his family as the flee north from the chaos and extreme violence that has suddenly gripped the nation. There’s plenty of violence and disturbing scenes, topped off with what I thought was a very satisfying ending.

As someone that had only read Crouch’s newer novels, it took a minute to adjust to the style of this older book that is about to be republished. I was expecting more of the sci-do elements I’m used to, but this was just non stop action without much explanation or speculation as to what was going on. Which did definitely make it a page turner!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital advanced copy! Despite this being a rerelease, I was still SO thrilled to receive a Blake Crouch ARC😍

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors so when I saw Run on NetGalley I had to put in a bid for an arc. I didn’t realize that this was his first novel that put him on the map. He self-published this book in 2011 and it is now just releasing in the States.

This book is a wild ride. Not quite the twisty layered inception style book that has become his signature, this is a pure edge-of-your-seat action thriller. The suspense was almost unbearably so. I was page-turning late into the night with heart-pounding adrenaline.

Full disclosure, this is a fairly bleak book. There is violence, humanity at its worst, carnage, genocide and it’s mostly giving frantic desperation. If I had to liken it to something, I’d say The Purge or even a zombie movie.

There were some plot holes but just as I enjoy movies like Die Hard or John Wick, because they are exciting and entertaining, you’ll need to suspend your disbelief and roll with the punches.

If you’re looking for the next page-turning plot-driven binge read, make sure you pick up this banger now!

Blake Crouch is one of today's best sci-fi writers and I love how he weaves thriller aspects into his stories! Dark Matter is still my favorite.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I like post apocalyptic stories and this one was fast paced enough for me. Family of four on the run from violence? Sign me up. Jack's family were a little unlikable but I was able to power through. Blake Crouch books are must-read books for me so I'm glad I was given this ARC. Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

“‘Are they going to shoot at me, Daddy?’
‘They might, Cole.’
‘Why?’
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅.”

Holy action, Batman. This book never let up! I think it would make a fantastic dystopian movie. It kind of reminded me a bit of the premise of The Walking Dead.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was originally self published by @blakecrouch1 in 2011 and I am so happy for him that his very first breakthrough novel will now be available in stores!

The audiobook is narrated so well. Scott Brick really keeps that momentum going and the action and stress high, so much so that if I could have listened to it faster just to know what was going to happen I would have.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Random House-Ballantine, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was iffy on this book going in, since I’m not really a fan of apocalyptic books but oh my gosh did I love this. About half way through, I was hooked and binged the rest in one evening. I felt so emotionally connected to the characters by the end. This is my second book by Blake Crouch, and I’m a huge fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5 rounded up.
It was an action packed story for sure, but I wish we learned more about the phenomenon behind the attacks. Plus it seemed that all the plot points went the same way - characters find salvation and food/shelter, people find them, they run. Rinse and repeat. And the wife and kids characters were not likable and made the whole experience of being stuck in a car that much more unbearable.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I’m out of breath after reading this book.

Phew! I’ve read and loved 3 of Blake Crouch’s other books, and this one might be a top-contender for “most likely to put me on edge”. The premise of this book is what drew me to it, and the action starts right from the first few pages. I will say that the first 1/3 of the book felt a bit slow in certain ways and maybe a little repetitive, even though there was a lot going on plot-wise. That said, that was a pretty minor issue for me.

I found myself picking this up every chance I got, and the race to find out what was going to happen to these characters kept me going. There were times where things got a little gory, but nothing too intense. I really enjoyed how we got dual POV between Jack and Dee for a lot of the book, and it was great seeing what each of them was going through/thinking during those moments. I loved how Crouch packed such an emotional punch with the character dynamics; it helped balance all the action. The fast-pace keeps up all the way to the last chapter, and I was really happy with how everything wrapped up.

This book was non-stop action from start to finish. In Blake Crouch fashion he hooks the reader in right at the start and makes it very difficult to put down. In this story we are following a family who heard their name on a national broadcast of people are going to be unalived if they don’t escape fast enough as an epidemic of violence and murders has occurred throughout the country. There is a big vibe of the apocalypse and end of the world that permeates the whole book as we follow the family on through run. I was rooting for them the entire time and became invested in the plot. I am surprised that this book has not had more buzz, I totally recommend it.

4/5 Stars

This takes place in a world where something (or someone) has caused some people to “change” in such a way they violently kill those that haven’t “changed” and we follow a family of 4 trying to survive. For a good part of this book I had no idea what the heck was going on. It was hard to put down because it was broken up into short sections and had a lot of dialogue which made it easy to read. I also kept thinking if I just read a little more I would understand what was happening. It was extremely fast paced and a very compelling read and I really felt a sense of fear when it came to encountering some of the crazy people, but the lack of emotion from the characters (especially from the mom and dad) about the whole situation in general was a bit frustrating. It wasn’t very realistic or genuine, UNTIL the last quarter of the book. Another thing that was strange about Crouch’s writing was the lack of pronouns. There were so many sentences that should have started with “He” or “She” or “They” and he just dropped the pronoun. For example: Went on. It was really annoying. The last quarter of the book, though was excellent and I really enjoyed the ending. I think he really nailed it. His characters also started showing real emotions at the end that I could relate to. It’s obvious that this was an early work by Crouch, but still quite excellent. Definitely recommend!
***Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Crouch actually wrote Run over a decade ago; this publication is a reissue. I didn’t read the original, so I’ve no idea if if he’s made any significant changes to it, but it’s very much in character for Crouch’s work. The premise itself is your run of the mill dystopian scenario – essentially the world as we know it is ending, and the protagonist is racing to get his family to safety. At this point such things are a dime a dozen.
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Crouch doesn’t break any new ground with the genre here, but he puts his own spin on it. While Run has action in plenty and will easily keep your eyes glued to the page even when they ought to be closing in slumber, the best thing about the book is actually the protagonists. Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole – parents and their two children, on the book’s namesake trek - could be any family from anywhere, but as Crouch often does, he turns his characters inside out and takes the reader along for the emotional roller coaster ride. Every single one of Crouch’s books is a journey of discovery as his protagonists find things within themselves that they never expected to find, often leaving the reader touched in profound ways as well, and Run is no exception.
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for the review above, but I will eventually purchase the final version. Run is the kind of book that, having finished, you sit with for a spell. And then read again. 5⭐️.
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