The story takes place in the mid twenty-first century, so only a few decades from now. Logan’s mother used to be a leading geneticist, and she used her knowledge to try to stop a crop failure in China… but it all went awry, and billions died. Since then, genetic modifications have been outlawed. Logan Ramsay, our main character, works for the GPA – Gene Protection Agency – which watches out for any potential genetic work being done “under the radar.”

Needless to say, there are definitely still scientists working on genetic modifications. And there are still consumers interested in buying their work for various reasons.

What Logan doesn’t anticipate is that his own mother, who supposedly died years ago, is still alive and still working on an intense set of modifications… to humans. After he is unwittingly modified, he finds out that his older sister was also given this same “upgrade.” They find their mother’s suicide note (video, in this case), and learn that she wants to enhance humanity’s intelligence so that humans have a shot at stopping climate change before it’s too late.

His sister, Kara, sides with their mother. Logan does not. Seeing as they are both enhanced – both mentally and physically – this sets the scene for some hard-fought battles.

In addition to all the action, there are various ethical questions at play. There is the obvious one of free will, and people being modified who didn’t necessarily want to. But also, the modifications don’t work on some people, and instead they become ill. So, how many people’s deaths are an acceptable amount of “collateral damage?” And do humans really need more intelligence, or do they need more empathy?

Upgrade by Black Crouch is a great sci-fi book that isn't too much science and futuristic content to be confusing for those of us who aren't sci-fi brained. This book is Outbreak meets The Matrix meets Bourne Identity. Fast pace, exciting, thought provoking...it hits all the marks! Great book that will leave you thinking for a while after you turn the last page!

Upgrade is a biotech thriller set in the near future written by Blake Crouch. Released 12th July by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a biotech thriller in the tradition of Crichton, M. R. Carey, and J. A. Konrath. It's not derivative at all, but fans of the aforementioned will fiind lots to like here. The story is fast paced, action driven, and engaging from the start. It's set in the near might-as-well-be-right-now future and readers will have no problems orienting themselves in the setting and story. There is some technical jargon and basic biology/tech concepts, but readers probably won't encounter problems with the terminology in context.

The language is occasionally rough, R-rated, and there are disturbing descriptions and story elements included in the story. The entire basic storyline - what is the essence of humanity and what can, and more importantly, should science do to and for mankind is thoroughly examined. I felt a deep sense of melancholy throughout much of the book. The denouement and resolution come as inevitable but satisfying. It's well written and engaging and well based in the science as we currently understand it.

Four stars. Definitely highly recommended for fans of SF/speculative biotech fiction.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

“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 think of rain falling through sunlight”

If you are looking for an epic sci-fi read, UPGRADE is your book. I feel like the intelligent and genius minds of the characters in this book is very contagious that I somehow understand all the combined alphabet, acronym, number sequencing and so fort during the reading experience. The science is undeniably great and Blake Crouch has magically created it to a point where everyone who read this, regardless of scientific background are gathered into one convention of understanding. The thriller-suspense factor was simmering right from the beginning making the book very hard to put down once started. I was rooting for his success and my heart just breaks at everything he has to give up in order to save humanity. My heart was racing, my tears are falling and my brain is at its capacity of smartness just because reading this book gives you a front row seat of experiencing an UPGRADE!

With fun and positivity considered and all that, I will be willing to be UPGRADED, provided that the genome I am getting will prevent me from gaining weight and making my brain think of many ways to be rich without working my ass off! Ha! Ha!

Overall, this is one great read! Thank you Penguin Random House, Ballantine Books via Netgalley, and PRHAudio for the complimentary copy for review. Henry Leyva on audio was wonderful! I highly recommend this book to all readers of any genre and ages!

Blake Crouch is a genius and this novel proves it once again! The technicality of the text and the fluidity of the writing make this an amazing book impossible to put down. The plot is ingenious and well handled. A few parts seem a bit incomplete or unfinished but they don’t detract from the overall story or the ideas it makes one ponder.

Another fun, entertaining, fast paced, sci-fi book from Blake Crouch. Another book I couldn’t put down! We have just begun with editing our genome or DNA with tools like CRISPR (if you have never heard of CRISPR, a quick internet search will provide you with pages of articles). But in the near future, newer technologies makes the science available to scientist everywhere. But just because you can create new species of animals or cure diseases or save humanity from itself, doesn’t mean you should.

"Upgrade" reads like a good, long, and highly worthwhile episode of "Black Mirror." Blake Crouch worked wonders for the multiverse in "Dark Matter" and time travel in "Recursion." Here he turns his thoughtful, dark take on scientific wonderment to our genetic future, with fantastic results.

Blake Crouch is a wonderful author and I was thrilled to be able to get an ARC of Upgrade. This novel takes place in the near future and focuses on gene-editing and manipulation.

The protagonist, Logan Ramsay, gets drawn into a plot that may impact the entire world if he cannot stop it. He is highly invested in doing just that...he knows who started it.

Every chapter adds more plot twists. The characters are well-designed and draw you in to the story.

I have enjoyed every book the author has written and I anxiously await the next.

What a wild ride! Upgrade is sure to be the sci-fi thriller of the summer! It was intelligent, fast-paced, and thrilling. Not sure how Crouch does it but he has certainly done it again. I can't wait to recommend this to all of my friends! 5 stars all around!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was INCREDIBLE. I’m absolutely not surprised because I seem to love all of Blake Crouch’s book. I like how I get to learn a little bit of cool info about the world without it ever being too info dumpy.

Also, this blue cover is STUNNING.

I stayed up late to finish this book, and I woke up the next morning still thinking about different pieces of the book.

I feel so much smarter after reading his books too, which is kinda nice to be entertained and also get to read so many interesting things about the world around us.

With the recent and current COVID pandemic, this one can kind of hit a little close to home with its premise and different plot points throughout the book. But it was just enough that it never felt like too much. I’ve been trying to use books as an escape from the world around me, so I’m not super into books yet that are directly somehow tied into the pandemic. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those for me.

I absolutely adore anything and everything that Blake Crouch seems to write, and I’m already eager to read his next novel!

I will continue to constantly recommend his books to my friends!

Very suspenseful and fast paced science fiction thriller with a touch of dystopia mixed in. It’s very science heavy with talks of gene mutation and DNA mapping. It paints a very bleak future: heavily monitored surveillance, shortages of food, millions dead due to a failed attempt at gene mutation.

This book will suck you in and shake you to your core. I have never read a more realistic future scenario science fiction book. This really mirrors so much that’s already in place that really could lead to a horrific outcome.

Thank you to Black Crouch, Netgalley, and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

The world is recovering from an event linked to Logan's family that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Because of this event, genetic editing is illegal, with teams around the world monitoring and stopping any labs from modifying genes. Logan is ambushed on a raid one night and undergoes an "Upgrade." From there the story takes off and it's up to Logan to save humanity from receiving this "Upgrade" with a 13.5% mutation/death rate.

I really enjoyed Blake Crouch's most recent sci-fi novel. Whatever topic he chooses is always well researched and keeps the reader interested until the final page. The middle lagged a tiny bit for me and I also didnt like the villian of the story, it seemed a little forced/unrealistic to me. Besides that, well done on another action-packed sci-fi thriller. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency. It was formed after genetic editing of crops inadvertently led to a planetwide loss of many crops and the Great Starvation, during which millions of people died. Now there are strict guidelines for use of genetic manipulation.

On a raid, there’s an explosion, and it punctures his hazmat gear. When he wakes in the hospital, he’s in isolation and learns that he’s been infected by a virus. But after a short amount of time, his fever is gone and he is healing well, so he’s cleared to go home.

It’s only after days and weeks go by that Logan realizes he’s smarter; his chess game is vastly better, for one, and he’s reading voraciously and understanding material he didn’t before. And then he realizes his body is stronger. Logan has somehow been given a whole-body upgrade, a tremendous feat that didn’t seem possible, despite the advances that had taken place in genetics. He must figure out who’s behind it, what their motives are, and to evade being captured by both that person and the government.

As he starts finding those answers, Logan finds himself more and more superhuman, an evolved being. He must stop the widespread use of the virus and genetic editing that changed him, but he also must decide who he wants to be, and if and how he can stay truly human. What is best for him, and what is actually best for the whole planet and its inhabitants? Even more important, who gets to make that kind of decision?

Upgrade is a compelling and very smart thriller. I enjoyed the science behind it and the possibilities that Crouch foresees. The plot is fast-paced and it kept me engaged. The story is also thought-provoking and philosophical; the main character has lots to ponder and decisions to make on his own behalf and on behalf of the world. There’s certainly plenty at stake.

I was just a touch disappointed because I didn’t think it was as mind-bending and complex as Recursion, which really blew me away and kept my brain busy considering all of the pieces of the puzzle. Upgrade reminds me more of Michael Crichton’s writing style and topics; it’s a nice choice for readers who miss that author’s novels.

Blake Crouch did it again! This book is a well written, fast paced sci-fi thriller. It’s focused around an idea of genetic engineering. Could this be our future? Can we manipulate our genome to create an “upgraded” human? I love the way Crouch makes non science readers engaged in his stories. He knows how to make complicated topics “simple” and enjoyable. With a little mix of twists and turns he takes you on a rollercoaster ride that you enjoy all the way to the end.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review.

First of all thank you to the publisher for reaching out and granting me a copy.

Rounding up to 3⭐️, but if I’m being honest it’s more like a 2.5⭐️ and that makes me sad. I’ve read from and enjoyed Crouch’s writing in the past. And while this is in typical Blake Crouch writing style some things just didn’t work for me. There were instances where there was more than enough detail about something and it just took me out of the story. For example I could have done without the explanation of the inner workings of a polygraph. I also felt there was a bit of mansplaning going on when he was talking about the Racine and a few other scientific terms that are in pretty well in the public psyche. One of the things that really got to me was the repetition. If I had to read the coordinates one more time, I thought I’d scream.

Crouch did deliver on the woe is me brooding man, love of wife and kid, which for me is super annoying in any book. He also delivered 100% on his trademark short sentences and paragraphs which made for a fast and compulsive read. I definitely found it difficult to put down because I wanted to know what happened. The unfortunate part is I figured out the angles before the main character did and by the time I got there it landed pretty flat.

I do wish there was a little more actual discussion on consent and the dangers of not obtaining it versus the passive, “my mother did this to me without my consent”.

Even though I didn’t particularly enjoy this, I would still read from Blake Crouch in the future.

I cannot remember the last time I gobbled a book up so quickly. This was 100% one of those "movie in my head" books and at one point I was actually consuming buttery popcorn while reading it.

This is my first Crouch book (I know, WHAT?!) and I am so glad it lived up to the hype. Honestly, he had me at DNA. Talk nerdy to me. I love it. Crouch has created a lot of really fun (DIGRESSION- "fun" feels like a weird word to use here since I'm not convinced that the sci-fi world Crouch has created in Upgrade is really FI- it's a future that could conceivably happen) sci-fi- my favorite elements being a particular kind of exploding ice and also an anxiety-inducing stinging insect or two.

I think this quote is both the book and also real life in a nutshell:

"We were a bunch of primates who had gotten together and, against all odds, built a wondrous civilization. But paradoxically—tragically—our creation’s complexity had now far outstripped our brains’ ability to manage it. Put simply: Our situation was fucked, and we weren’t doing enough to un-fuck it."

There are a few chunks of writing on the theme of that quote that I found very satisfying and illuminating, if not endlessly frustrating. ANYWAY.

Some minor quibbles with the ending, but otherwise this was such a fun (Summer thriller/blockbuster/etc.) and also not at all fun (it hits pretty close to home) book that I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the review copy!

Blake Crouch can always be counted on for a dark and creepy science fiction story and this book is no exception. The pacing is great, keeping the reader interested and turning pages. The character is likeable and easy to identify with. As always, the science is interesting and accessible. This is a great read for all sci fi and spec fiction fans.

What a fun ride! Fans of Recursion and I am assuming Dark Matter (haven't read it, YET!) will enjoy Blake Crouch's new fantastic, foray into the world of science fiction.

When Logan Ramsay realizes he's been given the ultimate "upgrade" he must decide whether the genetic advantage he now has should be used to save the human race.

A fast-paced, techno-thriller, Upgrade is a very well researched look into the moral implications of gene editing and what can happen when something that could be used for good, is taken too far. Upgrade was very timely given the scientific strides being taken in this field and I was enrapt with the push and pull Crouch paints for his readers between the two sides.

I did miss the personal connections I felt between the characters in Recursion, in Upgrade - the relationships, even between Logan and Kara didn't feel particularly fleshed out, but that may just be the nature of a first-person narrative.

A wonderful addition to his body of work, I would recommend this novel to many people - especially those who might not thing of themselves as science fiction fans.

Blake Crouch got my attention with Pines and has had it ever since!

“You are the next step in human evolution.”

Something is happening to Logan Ramsay. He's changing in unexpected ways after following up on a lead. At first, he feels strange and then....

Something has been set in motion- an upgrade, if you will, he has in essence been hacked. He doesn't know why but it is apparent that he has been targeted but what will come of this?

As the book progresses, readers get answers, and more questions will arise. Be warned there is a lot of DNA and gene sequencing discussed in this book, but one must expect that when a man's genome has been hacked! Crouch is a master of sci-fi and he can make a book about DNA interesting.

What does it mean to be human? How has human evolution changed and what changes will there be in the future? What does it mean to change? What are the consequences?

Crouch is an incredible writer and has done his research and produced Upgrade. A book that questions humanity and science while giving thrills and twists. There were some parts that I wanted more answers on, some things that I wanted to know that were not explored, but overall, Crouch has yet again, dazzled me with his brilliant mind.


#Upgrade #NetGalley.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story begins with Logan Ramsay, agent of the GPA (Gene Protection Agency), which is empowered to prevent the spread of gene editing technologies. It's a new world, one largely created by Logan's mother, a genius geneticist responsible for a genetic catastrophe that created a widespread famine. Logan follows a tip and leads a raid that results in a potential infection.

At first nothing seems to have happened; he passes all of the genetic tests. But then he gradually notices changes: he feels sharper, better able to concentrate, improved memory...the first big sign is his ability to beat his daughter at chess for the first time. He finds himself a prisoner of the GPA, but is rescued by his estranged sister Kara. She has had the same upgrade, a genetic vector designed by their mother that causes accelerated evolution.

When they discover what their mother intended the siblings find themselves on opposite sides: Kara is ready to implement the upgrade plans for all of humanity; Logan is undecided, which makes him a potential threat. Logan discovers a trial upgrade, and then confronts Kara. When she defeats him, he decides that he must upgrade himself to be her equal. This sets up what amounts to a superhero duel, which is predictable, but exciting nonetheless. Logan agreed with his sister that humanity was on the path to self-destruction--but disagreed with her methods--and in the end he finally finds an "out of the box" solution. The book ends with a letter to his daughter explaining what he decided to do. In its own way it may be just as radical, but far less destructive. It gives this scientific thriller a quiet conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.