Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest sci-fi thriller by the one and only, Blake Crouch - 5 stars!

In the future, humankind is struggling in the new world, caused by a combination of climate change and gene modification. Logan Ramsay works for the GPA (Gene Protection Agency). His plan of being a scientist was squashed when his mother unleashed a gene modification that caused devastation. Because Logan worked with her, he ended up in prison. In his new job, he apprehends those seeking to do dangerous genetic work. On his last job, he is hit with an explosion that caused an upgrade to him - he is now capable of amazing intellectual and physical strength. So much so that he becomes a target himself. But the real target is still out there and Logan is on the hunt.

I'm not a huge sci-fan fan, but this is Blake Crouch! His books are so amazing that they are absolute must reads for me. I don't know how his brain works - he definitely got an upgrade at some point - because each book takes you on a different path that immerses you in some new science while taking you on a thrill ride with lots of heart as well. This book will make you think and think hard - what have we done to our planet and species and can we right that ship without destroying ourselves? Do the ends justify the means? This book is highly recommended - don't miss it!

Blake Crouch does it again.

I’m really not sure how to verbalize how I felt about this book except for that it was exciting, fast paced and almost thriller like.

While I didn’t understand some of the “lingo” for some of the scientific upgrades this was easy to follow. I’m giving it 4.5 stars solely because I was not a fan of the epilogue. I felt like Logan went through everything to STOP his sister just to ultimately do what she and his mother were trying to do.

Thank you Netgalley & to the publisher (on mobile so I can’t pull it up easily to copy/paste) for this ARC by one of my favorite authors.

Blake Crouch again proves why he's an auto-buy author for me. He takes his brain-bending high concept that's shiny and mysterious but then surrounds it with characters you learn to care about. I loved this!

Such an appropriate title for this intriguing read about Logan, whose job requires him to seek out those scientists who are tampering with genetically altering genes. He gets caught on the wrong side of an ice ball that changes him forever. His recovery was fascinating, as was his growing realization that he had, in fact, been upgraded. He had “transcended to another level of being” His task became bigger than ever - saving the world.
Parts of this book were gripping and I easily read them while others became a bit too technically scientific for me and I found myself rereading, trying to process unfamiliar information - almost like reading a textbook in the midst of a novel.
I greatly appreciated the epilogue which again humanized Logan and brought to the forefront everything he had missed with Beth and Ava. His letter to them made me cry…but also made me question the possibilities he mentioned. Time will tell.
Many thanks to Blake Crouch who has opened my eyes to the marvels (and scariness) of genetically modified genes, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this sci-fi gem. Another winner for Blake Crouch.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Blake Crouch for allowing me to read the ARC of Upgrade, in exchange for an honest review

Living with viruses threatening our country, we can all relate to the challenges of one man, Logan Ramsay, whose mother has created an upgrade virus to peoples genomes, causing some people to change for better or worse, some to die. Logan races to stop his sister from completing their mothers work and do his best to save humanity. This is a thought-provoking book about how our country can do so much good, but turn around and demolish the good with evil. You will have plenty to think about when you are finished reading.

What a peculiar book.

I'm not sure if I disliked it but it has the same writing style as his other books where an attempt to have things seem like their going fast makes everything be

in

one

sentence

paragraphs, which, as you can probably tell, is a bit annoying. But you get over that quickly once you get into the thick of the story.

Because there is a lot, and we don't have TIME to go into the depths to characterizations. I am still a bit confused as to why the MC's sister Kara decided to do all this. Like, she went from never speaking to her mother to deciding to uphold her mother's viewpoints and try to upgrade the world? A big leap, I will admit!

I was honestly more interested in learning about the Mother and things about her. We obviously got snippets but like homegirl seemed off her rocker after the many things she did that lead up to this book.

But as an action thriller? I didn't love it. As a ... science... thriller? (Is that what you can call it?) I didn't love it.

Honestly, I've read all of Blake Crouch's books and this just might be the last one! I think Dark Matter was such a fast paced read that I enjoyed it but if I thought about it for five minutes, I didn't like it anymore. I don't remember Recursion at all despite reading it a few years ago.

So. Well. For a final book for me, it was absolutely fine.

Thank you Ballentine and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blake Crouch is a master of taking science and turning it into both plausible and comprehensible science fiction. This book is no different. I am thrilled to have been offered a chance to read this early, it was well worth diving into.

This book is so amazingly good that I honestly don't know how to rave about it.
Crouch writes a near-future where geneticists can alter crops, animals, and people at will and it, of course, results in the death of millions and the beginning of a highly-regulated, police state. In the middle of it all is Logan Ramsay, the son of the geneticist who accidentally created a famine that killed millions. His guilt has him working for the agency that now polices scientists, but an attack now has him running for his life with the knowledge that he might just be the only one who can save humanity.
It's a page-turner full of very complex scientific terms that I didn't even mind because that's how into the story I was. There is action, emotionally impactful moments, moral quandaries, and points that will keep you thinking about them long after you turn the last page.
Trust me, this is one of the very rare books that deserve all the praise and more.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the phenomenal early read!

This was a riveting read. I haven’t read Blake Crouch since the first in the Wayward Pines series so it’s been a while since I’ve read his intricate writing, dense with scientific verbiage.

The plot to this one was wild and imaginative, but so intriguing and I had such a great time. The idea of the changing of your genetic code on such a level that alters all of your functions to a higher level is incredible. But there is so much more in this one…

This was a great dive back into the world of science fiction at the hands of a true great writer in the field. Blake Crouch can do no wrong when writing in his vein of entertaining expertise.

This was both a dense read but also easy to follow. It follows Logan who is living on an earth many years in the future that is dealing with a new world order. Logan was living under the shadow of his family name until a raid changes his life forever. After his “upgrade”, Logan must figure out if he will use his powers for good or evil. There’s lots of genome talk and explorations on human capacity to make choices. Could have done less genome talk and more relationships talk but it was a thrilling read! There was plenty of action and with an ending that kept me on my toes. Perfect for sci fi readers and even those who don’t but enjoy thrillers.

Upgrade
By Blake Crouch

A Breathless Read into Our future

SUMMARY

Miriam Ramsay, a world-renown genetic engineer, believed that the world’s future sustainability is extremely bleak. Hunger, disease, war, and global warming is prevalent. If people were smart enough to understand what was happening she believed more could be done to save the planet. Miriam is now gone, and things are even worse. Most of Manhattan and Florida are underwater.

Logan Ramsay, Miriam’s son, is a government agent with the Gene Protection Agency. He has been the victim of an ice bomb explosion that injected him with a genome-modifying virus. The virus is rewriting portions of his DNA. Physically he hurts everywhere, but his brain is sharper than ever. He can concentrate better, read faster and remember everything. Who was responsible for the genetic altering ice bomb? How is he being altered, and for what purpose? When Logan is kidnapped from an observation laboratory, the purpose of the virus injection becomes apparent, and he must make a difficult decision.


“ Life never really goes the way you want or expect. Usually, even getting exactly what you want turns out not to have been what you really wanted.“

REVIEW
UPGRADE is a breathless science-fiction ride into what may very well be our future reality. If this book isn’t on your reading list, it should be. Readers will love the challenge of an action-packed, emotional, and thought-provoking read. Author Blake Crouch keeps your eyes on the page with a timely and morally meaningful message.

Couch showcases Logan Ramsay’s character, who singlehanded propels the timely narrative through the minefields of being genetically altered and into a world at risk of ultimate destruction. Before the ice bomb Logan was a bright, sensitive, and dedicated family man whose favorite activity was playing chess with his teenage daughter. Now that Logan has been upgraded, he has to make a gut-wrenching choice, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Ballantine Books
Published July 12, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Both of his other books felt refreshing. They were both fast paced and mysterious. With both of those, I couldn't figure out how it would end. Particularly with Recursion, I loved how we explored time travel in what felt like a completely new way. I felt like both the thriller aspect just didn't hit as hard. I thought the sci-fi element was there. And it was very poignant as gene editing is a real thing and there have been many ethical debates over what should and should not be allowed.

In this world, gene editing has been taking to new level, where you bioweapons have been created to target specific genes to hack. People also illegally edit their genetics in order to bring out certain traits. Logan has been "upgraded" against his wishes and has become something of a super human. That is pretty much where the sci-fi feel stops. The world is teasing at dystopian in the fact that the food people eat is fake and things like that, but Crouch didn't lean into that at all, instead choosing to focus on this cat-and-mouse chase between Logan and his sister.

Kara has also been upgraded and wants to go in a different direction than him. She wants to give the upgrade to everyone and see who survives in order to make a better humanity while Logan doesn't want to. It didn't really get "thrilling" until near the end and I thought the pacing throughout was very slow and repetitive.

Sadly, I don't feel like this lived up to his other two sci-fi thrillers. I didn't hate it by any means, but I had a hard time connecting to Logan. Perhaps that was because of the upgrade that he felt emotionless and apart from the world, while in the other two books I was easily able to get inside the main characters minds.

I did really enjoy the epilogue, however. It gave a great perspective on humanity as it stands now. We do very much have a compassion and empathy problem, especially in this country. Maybe if people decided to come together instead of tearing each other down, we could actually make a better place to live.

Let me start by admitting to being a Blake Crouch fan--his more recent novels have been mind-blowing science fiction, but I don't know how he's going to top Upgrade, which was, quite simply, among the most brilliant, futuristic science fiction novels I've read since his novels, Dark Matter and Recursion, as well as every novel Arthur C. Clarke ever wrote. It more than earned a 5-star rating.

I'll also warn prospective readers that you might find some, if not all of the medical/technological/biological jargon in this novel baffling, but stick with it, because this cautionary, dystopian, futuristic tale and it's message are all too possible about our future on this big blue marble spinning in space, its human inhabitants given, in this novel, a mere 150 years until extinction.

Logan Ramsay is the son of Miriam Ramsay, perhaps the world's most brilliant geneticist, whose genetic editing attempt to control a specific insect species from devouring crops in the Far East led to 200 million deaths and what became known as the Great Starvation. It also led to the federal criminalization of all gene editing, and the formation of the Gene Protection Agency, for whom Logan works. All Logan ever wanted was to learn enough to someday join his mother in her work, but his IQ was no match for hers. and an encounter with another brilliant geneticist and a raid on a possible dark gene lab lead to Logan being infected with a genetic upgrade, which soon has him locked up and studied like a lab rat as the effects of the upgrade being to manifest themselves, and that's only the beginning of this fascinating and gripping read.

As Logan's upgrade continues to improve his body and mind, an outbreak of some weird pathogen in the most remote town in the U.S. has him heading for middle-of-nowhere Montana, where he soon realizes that the inhabitants of this town have also been subjected to some sort of genetic upgrade, one that's turning some of them mad and eventually killing them. Someone is following in this mother's scientific footsteps and he believes he knows who that is. And so the chase is on to find and stop this mad scientist before they infect the entire world population, ignoring the fact that doing so will eventually result in at least one billion deaths.

This cautionary tale is both a fast-paced action thriller, and a study of the human condition and conscience, both with deep psychological and sociological implications. It warns of our impending doom as a species unless we act soon to turn things around and strive to make vital changes that, if you follow the news, make our possible demise all too possible. It's a brilliant piece of writing, and Blake Crouch follows in the steps of such giants as Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov, who saw what our possible future could be, and strove to warn us in time--if we only listened.

This is a brilliant, emotional and frightening look at our near future, gives us much food for both thought and action, and it's final paragraph had me smiling through my tears. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Set in the not too distance future, Logan Ramsey becomes upgraded. He is able to think more clearly, absorb more data, and read and speak faster than any 'normal' human. His physical abilities have also improved. Who did this to him and why? He grew up the son of a 'mad scientist' - his mother wanted to improve the world - the environment, animals, and humans could all benefit from her. But things went wrong.

This book takes you on a journey of 'what-if' and makes you think what could possibly happen if science got out of control. I enjoy Blake Crouch's books because they are easy to read while also making you really think and imagine the life he creates. They are fast-paced and thrilling with some crazy twists.

Logan was a great character and I felt sorry for the way he became isolated in the world. A great sci-fi read that I highly recommend.

Blake Crouch continues to write science fiction that is fast-paced and movie-like in its readability. Upgrade tells the story of a not-so-distant future: gene editing is far more advanced but also illegal. Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency (GPA), and in a lab raid gone wrong is targeted by an 'upgrade' to his own genome. His memory is near-perfect, he can split his attention to do two tasks at once, and his IQ is off the charts. Things take a turn when Logan learns more about why he was targeted for this upgrade, and what it could mean for the future of humanity.

If you love speculative science fiction, you'll love this book! Exploring how different people would react to a gene upgrade and how that could potentially save (or destroy) the human race was so interesting. I thought the message this book left was hopeful and again reminded me why I love the science fiction genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

• thought provoking sci-fi thriller
• action packed
• perfect epilogue

This is the second sci-fi thriller I've read (the other being Dark Matter). I really felt like I was on the run with our MC all across America. The heart of this book is family and ethics. I love when books make me THINK and I definitely feel smarter after having read Upgrade!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse / Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Logan Ramsey works for the Gene Protection Agency (GPA) in a futuristic world where gene alteration is illegal. He is hit during a raid and injected with a DNA modification virus that upgrades his intelligence and physical abilities. He realizes this is related to his past and his family and he must figure out how to stop this from happening on a global scale.

This is my first book by Blake Crouch. This was a really interesting concept for me and I enjoyed the idea of how gene modification could be used for good and bad. I have a biology degree and work in healthcare so I really liked the heavy science in the book. I do think you can follow and understand, as well as enjoy it, even without any background. It is smartly written, faced paced and thought provoking. I’ll definitely read his others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC for an honest review.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Upgrade by Blake Crouch is an action-packed thriller about a secretly started Genetics War on humanity. Suppose people are made more intelligent, stronger, and faster. Does that mean they will make better decisions on a global scale, or do the forces behind the human upgrade have it all wrong?

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The cover looks science-like, and the blurb on the back of the book confirms that the story is a sci-fi thriller. I love the premise. I find genetics endlessly fascinating, and it seems like the story will be about upgrading humans on a genetic level.

Actual Reading Experience:
I loved the premise mostly because I love studying genetics and believe that messing with nature always has unintended consequences ranging from mildly undesirable to catastrophic. So, you can see where a story like this would immediately draw me in. And it definitely did – even when the narration became so technical that it went in one ear and out the other (metaphorically speaking). That just added to the authenticity, which in turn added to the scariness of the story.

The pacing was a bit discombobulating for me. It alternated from fast-paced, violent action scenes to almost overwritten in-between periods to a highly technical discussion on genetics. So, sometimes the pages just flew, and other times I got bored with the inaction. Then, I would hit the technical parts. My reading dramatically slowed as I tried to use my most basic genetic knowledge (gleaned from a college class on genetics many moons ago) to grasp what I was being told.

However, I found that the family dynamics/story grabbed my attention even more than the gene manipulation story. The family story is more reflective of the human condition. However, the Gene War tale provided an excellent foil that better shined the spotlight on the missing part of the Upgrade plan.

To Read or Not to Read:
Overall, I found this book endlessly fascinating to read and contemplate. I don't know that I agreed with the main character's conclusion, but it gave me a lot of food for thought about my actual opinions.

I absolutely loved this fast-paced, interesting novel. I want to call it “fun” but can a pre-apocalyptic story be classified as fun? If so, this is it. The plot was scarily plausible, and Logan’s relationships with both his family of origin and the family he created kept the story from being too technical and cold. There was a lot of science in this book, but it wasn’t overwhelming or off-putting at all.

A suspenseful action story that would probably make a great screenplay. As a novel, it didn't always work for me—I thought many of the core events and twists were more obvious than interesting. And I thought the focus on certain types of intelligence as valuable (based on things like IQ scores!) was pretty confusingly and disturbingly pro-eugenics—the core of the novel is the main character basically fighting against a eugenics movement, but there's also a lot of idealization of good genes and certain kinds of brains, and thus a strong sympathy for the idea. In a shorter form (like a movie!) the message would probably be less garbled.