I typically devour anything and everything Blake Crouch writes. This was just slight too apocalyptic for me, but I still liked it a lot nonetheless. Cool to read one of his earlier works that I hadn't had the chance to yet. This could be a cool TV show!

This book is A24’s “Civil War” (maybe because it was a recent watch for me, but it’s INCREDIBLY similar at times!!) with a dash of “The Road,” a smidge of “The Last of Us,” and a hint of “The Walking Dead.” But take the violence of all of those and crank it to eleven.

Ok that’s probably dramatic, but this is the only book I can think of where I almost put it down because it was making me physically ill. I don’t think I could forget a couple of these scenes if I tried!

The first half is SO fast paced. Literally a paragraph per event happening. It feels like skimming to get to the meat of the story. The writing was odd in some places, but this was one of Crouch’s first books, so I can look past that.

One things for sure though, Blake Crouch really must love his wife!!

Genuinely don’t know how to rate this, but these are some of my immediate thoughts! I guess overall a rough read, but intense/entertaining enough to keep me up past my bedtime!

This is a not-zombie novel that reads like a zombie novel. (Maybe a little too similar to Haters by David Moody?)

It’s an adrenaline packed (and grief-packed) read that’s perfect for people who like apoca-fic. Expect violence, horrific humans, and a world gone terribly wrong.

A super-fast read that will occasionally break your heart.

• ARC via Publisher

First published February 2011 and now republished October 2024 by Ballantine Books, is a journey through a now-familiar territory of a post-apocolyptic world with a family on the run. That being said, it stands out as incredibly well-written and absorbing. Jack CoClough and his wife Dee are the main characters. They have two kids, a boy (Cole) and a girl (Naomi), and a troubled marriage with Dee having an affair and Jack and Dee living in separate bedrooms. But the world is falling apart and there are groups of people, well-organized and well-armed, burning and killing across the country. In such a situation, all may not be forgiven, but the priority is to protect your family and they undertake a harrowing journey in a seemingly-indestructible (for a while) Range Rover from Albuquerque northbound through the Rocky mountains. Lightly armed, desperate, and in fear for their lives, Jack and Dee rise to the occasion and fight and flee their way through the wilderness with hunters on their trail. To this reader, it did not matter that such an end-of-the-world story has been told before, this is just plain good reading and absorbing from cover to cover. You feel moment by moment, primarily through Jack's eyes, desperation and determination.

Run
Blake Crouch

This is the second novel of Blake Crouch that I have read, having enjoyed Dark Matter. This is equally fast-paced, right from the get-go. The premise of the story, however, is not quite as original. The story follows a family of four running for survival in the midst of erupting chaos and mass killings across the country, triggered by an event which has everyday people turning into murderers. Sound familiar?

That being said, it is an enjoyable, fast read, especially for fans of dark, post-apocalyptic thrillers. It seems a good candidate for film adaptation by M. Night Shyamalan, except he’s already done that.
3.5 stars, rounded down.

My appreciation to NetGalley, to the author and the publisher for providing me with a digital Advanced Reader Copy for review, in exchange for an original, unbiased, independent review.

I'll start this review by saying Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors. Wayward Pines is one of my top 5 series I've ever read. Also, apocalyptic and dystopian novels are my all time favorite genre... So to say I have a complicated relationship with Run by Blake Crouch is an understatement. This book has been on my TBR since 2011, so I was so excited to read this ARC of the re-release from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group.

So why so complicated? Because I did not enjoy reading this book at all but also I can respect the artistry in that. This book is deeply uncomfortable to read. It's frantic the entire time. But at the same time that's the point, Crouch brings you a bit too much into the action.

The first half is pure chaos, but again the point, and the second half almost makes me want to raise my rating because the story becomes beautiful.

However, I have to stick to my 2.5/5 because though I almost DNF multiple times, I still wanted to see the end. Had it been another author? I never would have continued.

I get what Crouch was doing with the frantic chaos, but I know him as an author so well I believe he could have conveyed that and still made it an enjoyable read. I was dying for a new apocalyptic read because I feel after 2020 they vanished because it feels a bit too real. This one wasn't an escape, it left me stressed in the pacing, no chapters, and chaotic writing.

Maybe it will be for you, but unfortunately I'm just glad it is over and can't get a recommendation from me.

After Dark Matter I was so excited to get the chance to read this new book by Blake Crouch.

I have to say I almost DNF because it freaked me out so much. We live in a crazy world.

Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read advanced copy of this book.

I was excited to read the “new” thriller by Blake Crouch, but “Run” ended up not being it. It’s one his early books that is being re released. It is suspenseful, but borders on the ridiculous.
I appreciate the ARC but will stick to his new novels from now on.

I absolutely flew through this book. Run is the story of a family on the run after a phenomena leaves a significant portion of the lower forty-eight infected with a desire to murder those who didn't experience. The main character, his wife and two kids are trying to fight their way towards Canada, which has been deemed a safe zone.

The pacing of this book was rather non stop, diving right into the thick of things as the family packs up the car and gets on the road. I wasn't always sure where it was going but I was absolutely along for the ride. There were several times I told myself just one more little section and then I'd put the book down and do something else only to find I had burned through another 20 or 30 pages without thinking about it.

Definitely recommend this to anyone who is into post apocalyptic end of the world type stories like the Stand or Survivor Song. It's a short book and a quick read and very enjoyable if you're into that sort of thing. Because it's an end of the world story there is a lot of violence and if that's not something you can stomach this book isn't for you.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Another Blake Crouch wild ride!!!! Pretty non stop from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters so much and I really loved the relationship development. Rather than focusing on the post - apocalyptic plot, surviving is the main focus. So if you like that, I highly recommend. Not as clever as fleshed out as Dark Matter but similarly paced! I had no idea this was an older book. So glad it was added to Netgalley and I got a free copy on exchange for an honest review!

I love Blake Crouch, but this is not a new book. This is a reprint of the 2011 book Run. I was really surprised that it was available on Netgalley and really thought I was going crazy when Goodreads had the publishing date as 2011. With that said, it’s a fantastic book, typical Blake Crouch but I was excited to get something new from him.

Wow this book was a wild ride. I didn’t know what to expect from this going on and didn’t have high hopes but it over delivered!

I'm a huge fan of Blake Crouch and was absolutely thrilled to receive this advanced read. The story drops you right in the middle of the action and doesn't stop. It definitely had a darker vibe than most of his other books. It wasn't necessarily a win for me, I felt unattached to the characters and was struggling for some answers along the way.

The plot of this book might be my actual worst nightmare and I still loved it. I felt like I held my breath from the first page and didn’t exhale until the last! A great suspenseful thriller and brings up a lot of questions about how one would act in a life and death situation.

Being somewhat new to the Blake Crouch fandom, and having read just a few books but loving them all, I was glad I received this re-release from many years ago, before I even knew of this author. I personally love the apocalyptic storylines, and I think this author always does such a great job of creating that chaotic, disturbed and confusing atmosphere, without overdoing it. So we have the same scenario here. In this world, people are killing other people and the murders are out of control. A list is ultimately released of people who are to be killed - this includes Jack and his family. So...run. I just enjoyed this book, it is a creative storyline and like with his other books, the author delves into deeper subject content that makes you think. Combine thrills with intellect - win win...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this ARC (re-released) in exchange for an honest review.

3.25/5.00

Every time I pick up a Blake Crouch novel, I know I am going to enjoy it. Crouch's novels remind me of the action movie that maybe was not a summer blockbuster, but yet every time you see it rerunning on TV or find it on a streaming service on a rainy day, you let it run and get immersed in the story. Those are the best kind of action movies.

Run follows Jack, his wife Dee and their children Cole and Naomi as they are on the run, trying to escape the inexplicable violence that is now ravaging their friends and neighbors. Murder and chaos reign as the trek across the countryside trying to get to safety. There are rumors of a refugee camp right over the Canadian border (why is there always safety in Canda in these types of situations?). Jack finds himself trying to protect his family from the unimaginable, but not only that from the most frightening thing of all; failure to survive. In this apocalyptic world, surviving is proving to be the hardest of all the challenges they face.

Is this the most unique novel you have ever read? No, as it follows most of the apocalyptic tropes common to this style of novel. Is it enjoyable? One hundred percent. It will give you anxiety and keep you rooting for Jack and his family from start to end. If you are Blake Crouch fan, or a fan of post apocalypse novels, I highly recommend this novel for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Let me first start by saying that I love Blake Crouch; Recursion and Dark Matter are two of my favorite books of all time. I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Run because it has one of my favorite plot points, written by one of my favorite authors: an apocalypse survival survival story. Lots of action, which I was absolutely in the mood for. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me, and I found myself skimming much of it. There are parts of this that are very graphic, and it lends itself to being identified more as horror than a thriller in my opinion, and to be honest, it may have been marketed that way in the first place and I missed it, but I assumed it would be more thriller given Crouch’s recent books. It actually seemed like a completely different person wrote this book, which makes sense since this was his first self published novel written over 10 years ago, that is only now being traditionally published. My main gripes with this are that really nothing made sense. The reason behind why people just start to become violent and murderous was so lame. There were so many plot holes, too, like why only in the United States? The murderous people aren’t making their way to Canada or flying planes to Europe? They had a month! Why weren’t other governments coming in and getting involved; and maybe they were, but our characters didn’t know? Listen, I’m all about suspension of disbelief, but there was nothing that made sense. Also, the characters were paper-thin. I didn’t feel for them at all. Things just kept happening to this family that we were supposed to believe were a family prior to this? I don’t know… It was strangely boring for such an action packed book. The action scenes didn’t flow, and were so confusing to follow. I can see how this was one of Crouch’s first books, his writing has come so far since this and I think he should stick with speculative thrillers from now on instead of horror. Either way, thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity. I will still be reading more from this author, of course, this was just a miss for me.

I am a big fan of Blake Crouch's works and eagerly await anything new coming from him. I didn't realize this was a reprint of a earlier work. The age shows in the work to some extent. If you try to not focus on that fact, this is a halfway decent thriller with non-stop action. Don't let this be an introduction to the author though. Take up some of his later books they are much better.

I’d read anything Blake Crouch writes. I was excited to get into this one until I realized there were no chapters. I figured I’d give it a go and I was not disappointed. There are no chapters bc the book never stops! It is nonstop action. You can read this one in one sitting and it was hard not to.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Run.

I didn't know Run is a reprint of the author's earlier work. I enjoyed Upgrade and Recursion and was pleased my request was approved.

Sadly, this was a letdown for a number of reasons:

1. Repetition. The post-apocalyptic storyline is similar to The Walking Dead, except without the interesting, well developed characters.

A family goes on the run after an atmospheric event turns most of the population into crazed, violent murderers. They escape, meet crazy people, escape, find shelter, more crazy people appear, they run, find shelter, rinse and repeat.

There's a lot of tension and action, but it gets tedious fast.

2. Lack of interesting characters. We know Jack and Dee's marriage is on the rocks when the world goes to hell, but we don't know how or why.

Their kids are annoying, but I get it; Naomi is a teenager, and Cole is only 7.

And we have to get past the middle of the book to discover Cole has an ability that could have protected his family?

Way to bury the lede, Mr. Crouch!

3. I'm not sure about that ending. I love happy endings yet it felt contrived, like it had to be happy after everything the family had been through.

What I did like: the prologue and the ending and how it all ties the narrative together.

I look forward to the author's next book.