Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

“You are the next step in human evolution.”
An ordinary man undergoes a startling transformation—and fears that all of humanity may be next.

Do you read the letter from the editor at the beginning of books? I always do and the one written for this book really set the premise for me and prepares me for what was to come. I became even more intrigued and excited after reading the letter written by editor Julian Pava. The topic is so fascinating to me, and I have become more interested in this area since watching movies and series along the same theme with my son. I absolutely can easily picture this book as a movie or series and it is one my son would watch together. The writing is impressive and sophisticated, is very creative and innovative, and I appreciated the talent put into it. It is not a book that flows easily, adept attention is required, yet not so much that you are lost. That being said, I do feel that I could read it again and maybe pick up on some things I missed the first time, especially now that I know what happens. Topics like this really make me think, and ponder whether these things could happen, and if so, when? And would I welcome it or resist it? Truly compelling read, and one that screams immense talent by the author.

May contain spoilers .....

One of the few 5 star reads of this year. Finished within 2 days. This was an enjoyable, exciting, fascinating read. I'm guaranteed to always enjoy a great read from the author and this book was no different. The writing flowed and reading was tight. While the deep details of the subject matter was over my head, it was written in a way that was easily understood. The characters weren't always likeable; but they came across as relatable. Reading, I imagined myself imagining those situations and how I would handle it. Overall, there wasn't a right or wrong; you could understand the decisions made by the characters. The rate we're going as a society, we could find ourselves facing the same issues. Will the same solution chosen help us?

#NETGALLEY #UPGRADE

This was a great book! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Fast paced and the characters were relatable. I really liked the science fiction aspect of it even though I usually don't read science fiction. Very good premise.

Blake Crouch has never disappointed before, and this novel was no exception! It’s got it all. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read with great characters and a fantastic plot, pick this up. You won’t regret it.

Blake Crouch writes a cautionary but fascinating tale of a future that has a very real possibility of being true. The world of genetic enhancement has become less a question not of "could we" but "should we"? What will we sacrifice to live longer, be stronger, smarter, more powerful and knowledgeable? Our humanity, itself?

Thought-provoking and we'll told, this is one you can't put down until the last page.

Didn’t love this much as the other books by Crouch. 😬 it was hard to get into this one. It was a bit too much science for me and I was unable to really connect with any of the characters.

You know that Bradley Cooper movie where he invented that pill to make him smart and then kinda trolls the world? Upgrade is like that, but smarter with nerds and I felt dumb reading it,but liked it? Idk Blake Crouch does an excellent job of writing the same story over and over again and yet I always forget he's doing that because I'm trying to figure out the technology stuff.

You like SciFi? Read this

I am a casual fan of Blake Crouch, though every time I read one of his works I wonder why he isn't on my favorite author list!

This science fiction thriller pulled me in from the start. It wasn't too scientific (I'm looking at you, Any Weir!) for me to understand, and I'm one who gets confused just *thinking* about the vastness of space.

Blake Crouch has a very nice writing style that pulls you in and keeps you there. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns this book took and look forward to his next work!

Logan Ramsey's genome is altered, he is "upgraded", his senses are heightened, he is stronger and faster than ever before. At first there are plenty of questions: Why Logan? Who did this to him? Why do this at all? Once those answers are given and a more nefarious plot is revealed, Logan races against the clock to save the human race as we know it.

This was my second Blake Crouch book and it did not disappoint. The pacing was well perfect for a sci-fi thriller. The action doesn't let up and the plot is continuously moving. I was never bored and devoured this one quickly despite sci-fi not being my go-to genre. Happy to report the science-y bits weren't too heady. I'll definitely pick up whatever Blake Crouch writes next.

Rating: 4 stars

Special thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Upgrade for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

To see an author continuously one up themselves from book to book is something a reader lives for. I've been with Crouch since Dark Matter and it is a marvel how he can balance such complex topics while still keeping his stories rooted in reality and overflowing with emotion. Even sci-fi should be about people, and relationships, and Upgrade has this in spades. A feat.

I am a Blake Crouch fan, but this novel missed the mark for me. I could not sympathize or connect to the main character at all. Challenges never felt truly challenging to this character. I will recommend this author, but this book won't top my list of his titles.

I really enjoyed this novel, personally I would highly recommend it. It was interesting and entertaining. It kept me wanting more throughout the entire book- would recommended to anyone

I've always loved her style of writing. Such a great story and kept me engaged throughout. Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

I really enjoyed both Dark Matter and Recursion, but this book didn’t connect in nearly the same way as those books. While I appreciate the amount of work and research that must have gone into writing this book, it just ended up being so boring. It started off pretty well, but around half way through I just found myself wanting to skim. This book just can’t compare, quality-wise with his previous books, which was very disappointing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Years ago, in the aftermath of widespread disaster caused by genetic manipulation, the practice of gene editing was outlawed. Logan Ramsay’s mother was the accidental architect of a catastrophe that killed millions. After being pardoned for his part in the disaster and released from prison, Logan took a job at the Gene Protection Agency, bringing in gene-splicing criminals. When a nighttime raid turns out to be a trap, Logan is infected with a gene-editing virus, which seems to have had no effect on his genome. But then he starts noticing little differences, both physical and mental. He’s smarter, stronger. And there appears to be a dangerous plan afoot which his transformation is only the first step in – a plan that only he has the power to stop.

This was my first Blake Crouch sci-fi novel and I loved it. I’ve seen several reviews saying this one isn’t as good as the others, but that just makes me REALLY excited to read the others. It’s a fascinating exploration of the concept of gene editing, as well as a look at what it means to be human, and the cost of becoming something more than human. The way that Logan’s narrative voice and the writing style shift as his mental processes evolve is also really interesting. The year this novel is set in is never stated, but it’s a near-ish-future setting, and many parts of the world are still recognizable – and both the improvements to society and the dystopic aspects of the novel feel very plausible.

Overall, a gripping and thoroughly enjoyable read. I can’t wait to dive into his other sci-fi books.

Representation: lesbian characters

What makes us human? What part, if changed or enhanced, would turn is into an all-new species?

Blake Crouch asks this question in his latest novel, Upgrade, and it really got me thinking. The difference between us and certain other species is only a 2% difference in our genome, so what would it mean for the human species if our genome were to be 'enhanced' and it ends up creating a 2% or more difference in our genome?

Another question he poses, this one is a morality one: would you be okay with potentially killing 1 billion people if that meant saving the other 9 billion and the human species as a whole?

That gave me a lot to think about. What some scientists were okay with doing was horrifying.

It also made me think, this is almost the opposite of what Dan Brown's villain in Inferno is worried about. There, he's worried about "overpopulation" of the world, where here in Crouch's world, the world is already at 10 billion people but possibly will end because of people's actions.

Anyway, I love books that make me think or open my eyes to something new or teach me something, and this book did all that while being an entertaining, fast-paced read, so I can't recommend it highly enough!

And as always, I already can't wait to see what Blake Crouch does next.

After an initial attempt, I was unable to connect with this book on a level that would allow me to finish it and leave a fair review. Others will surely enjoy this more than I did.

This was my third Crouch novel (after Dark Matter and Recursion), and I went in with sky high expectations. While I enjoyed the book, I was left feeling that Mr. Crouch may have bitten off a bit more than he could chew with this one. Still great, it just felt like there were a few rough edges that could've used a bit more sanding down. That said, I can't wait to see what he does next!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What would it look like if humans could reach their full potential as a species? The action-packed 2011 film Limitless asked the question, and Bradley Cooper showed us a man using almost 100% of his brain to full effect. Now, sci-fi author Blake Crouch offers a tweaked version of that concept with Upgrade.

After Logan Ramsay is injured on a raid-gone-wrong, he’s sure the rogue geneticist that triggered the bomb altered him somehow. He’s processing things faster, beating his daughter in chess (previously a rare occurrence), and reading books at a breakneck pace. He begins to suspect his late mother, whose genetic experiments led to a famine that killed more than 200 million people, might have been involved in the creation of this genetic upgrade. But gene editing is outlawed following the famine, and shady organizations want to keep Logan in custody to study his transformation. They succeed for a month until a mysterious figure breaks him out and kickstarts a genetic treasure hunt with world-shaking consequences.

Upgrade feels coated in Blake Crouch’s signature style. I mention it first because his prose could be make-or-break for many readers. For me, it’s a win. Crouch’s writing has a velocity you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. His sentences move by in flashes, fragments bridging the gaps between ideas. Reading his work feels like you’re wearing rollerblades, have a rope tied around your chest, and the other end is attached to a truck peeling out. With Crouch at the wheel, you never know when you’ll be whipped around a turn or launched into completely foreign terrain. Still, you feel comfortable in his steady hands. His eyes are on the road; you may not see where it leads, but you’re happy to let the wind whisk by your face as the plot speeds by.

None of this is to say that it’s easy to forget or miss things. Instead, Crouch plows through his stories with a speed that makes Upgrade feel like an action movie. Every page offered new entertainment, and when it was over, I felt a surge of adrenaline followed by a come-down laced with relief.

My favorite element of Upgrade was Crouch’s descriptions of Logan’s upgraded abilities. As Logan comes to terms with how he’s changing, Crouch describes his train of thought and strings of actions in a way that feels utterly real. I mentioned Limitless in the intro because the stories are cut from the same cloth. While I enjoy both, Upgrade takes the cake with specific regard to its portrayal of heightened human cognition. Logan’s thoughts are laid bare, and the reader can easily grasp his understanding of the changes occurring in his mind and body.

The characters are one of only two minor complaints I have about Upgrade. Crouch is known for scientific thrillers, and he delivers that here. The characters are exactly as fleshed-out as they need to be. You might get one or two defining details about a supporting cast member while you get three or four about a more important player. And that’s completely fine! If you want a character-driven romp, Upgrade won’t be your cup of tea. But it has plot for days, and it’s riveting from page one straight to the end.

The second minor quibble is the scientific descriptions. Genetics is a complex field even among the vast kingdom of science. Crouch has done his research. He reins it in pretty well, but there were sections I had to gloss over due to their hefty scientific content. I appreciate when an author does the legwork and implants real scientific concepts into their work as Crouch has here. For the most part, it clicked in Upgrade, but about 205 of the scientific explanations were lost on me.

Before I conclude the review, I want to give a shout-out to the setting. Upgrade takes place in a near-future ravaged by the famine Logan’s mother wrought on the world. Climate change, disease, starvation, and any number of other issues have only contributed to the ongoing downfall of humanity. Towns scrape by on minimal resources while images of the old world crumble to dust. All the while, self-driving cars and drones deliver people and goods to their destinations. Meat is a commodity reserved for those with money. The normal folk have to make do with cheap synthetic meat. Crouch crafts a world that’s easy to imagine in our very near future. Juxtapose this with the fact that genetic research is now illegal, and it paints a dark picture. The one field of science that stands to solve many of humanity’s problems has been barred because of a freak accident and a tragic loss of millions of lives. Blake Crouch uses his setting as a way to ask important questions about morality and ponder solutions to problems that could very well bring humans to extinction.

For the reasons above and many others that I won’t dare spoil here, I loved Upgrade. Blake Crouch has cemented himself in a permanent slot on my annual TBR. his stories move quickly, engage with big ideas, and never overstay their welcome. Upgrade fits the bill just as Dark Matter did before it, and I’m excited to dive into his other work.

Blake Crouch has done it again!! Upgrade is yet another science fiction thriller masterpiece, in a collection of masterpieces. This novel is a fast-paced story about a g.man that was recruited to work for a fictional government agency that tracks and controls gene alteration science after a failed experiment alters the world population. In a novel revolving around a subject matter that most "normal" people know little about, Crouch manages to explain the science while moving the plot at breakneck speed. The only caveat to this statement would be the ending where, as all science fiction stories, the protagonist goes introspective and becomes a tad preachy regarding the implications of scientific tampering in efforts of the "greater good" and the last complications of failure. All in all, Upgrade is an imaginative and well-researched adventure from start to finish.