Once again Blake Crouch knocks it out of the ball park with his latest sci-fi thriller. Heavy on the science, but remaining accessible to the average reader, his fiction novels are best described as “fiction for now” because everything he writes about is plausible as something that could happen in the future. A thought that is both wild and terrifying in equal measures honestly.

This one delves into genetic engineering, including gene sequencing, gene splicing and overall gene modification/manipulation. We get to wrestle with thoughts about the creation of a “superior man” and would that really be superior based on genetics alone. Can humanity survive and thrive a genetic upgrade - or do our moral flaws carry over too?

A definite must read in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Ballantine Books/Random House publishing for an early copy of this truly thought provoking book.

I enjoyed this story. The beginning was almost too much info for my brain to handle, I’ve obviously not been upgraded. This genre is not my typical read and I almost set the story aside but I’m glad that I slogged through the gene pairs to get to heart of the story.

I'll start this by saying this book is so not my normal choice of reading material. I like romance, suspense and mystery and usually stick with those and likely wouldn't pick this book up just from the description. I was offered an advance copy from NetGalley and decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. I read this book very quickly because I really couldn't put it down. Each page kept me going to get to the next to find out what was going to happen. The descriptions of what Logan was experiencing was so well written that I could see every scene in my head as I read. I truly felt like I was drawn into the book and was experiencing it with him. Even weeks later, I can still pull those images back into my head. I completely recommend this book to anyone. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Upgrade is a fast-paced, action-packed science fiction thriller. Logan is an ordinary man with a slightly above average IQ in a complicated job. He is a complex character with his own baggage, unwittingly thrust into a role that he grudgingly accepts because he understands that not to do so is insupportable. There is a lot of terminology regarding genetics and DNA that often went over my head, but I felt that it supported and justified Logan’s search for answers. Despite what he is tasked with having to do, Logan manages to maintain his compassion for other as well as the love he has for his wife and daughter. Nevertheless, his actions in the Epilogue seemed a bit out of character after all Logan has been through. All-in-all, Upgrade kept me on the edge of my seat, anxious to find out what Logan would do next. A great thriller!

Thank you Random House Ballantine for the gifted digital ARC!

📖Pub Date: 7/12/2022

QUICK TAKE: In this not-so-far-off future a man undergoes an accidental DNA modification that upgrades his human abilities and is tasked with saving humanity.

This is a fast paced, sci-fi thriller that will leave your head spinning, which is totally on brand for a Blake Crouch novel. I love the thought experiment of what would happen if we had regular access to modifying our DNA, something I don't feel like is a far off possibility.

There's a lot of DNA science jargon that was daunting at first but don't let that discourage you. I ended up skimming over most of that and didn't lose out on the story so I'd recommend doing the same if you're not well versed on the in's and out's of DNA.

If you're a fan of Blake Crouch, I'm sure this one is already on your radar, but if not I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you're trying to dive into more sci-fi books or just looking for a quick read that will make you think.

This is one of the July BOTM picks so if you haven't already picked out your box, add it now!

FINAL THOUGHTS: 👍

Holy heck!!! What a chilling story with twists and turns I never saw coming! This was scarily amazing with its mirror image of what we currently face in society.

This had an explosive beginning that never slowed down. I couldn’t set this book aside even for a moment as I fell into a story that entrapped me with its dangerously parallel elements of what is happening in our world today. At each turn I found myself comparing it to situations that have already occurred and driven to find out what steps the main character was going to take next.

While there were a few times I had to reread a passage in order to understand the technical jargon, overall, it is written in a way that I never felt lost. Logan’s relationship with his family, as well as his backstory, helped me to connect with him on a personal level in a way that had me viscerally reacting to his struggle.

I found this to be a wild journey to a place that opened my eyes and yet did so in a way that didn’t whack me upside the head but simply pointed me at what had always been in front of me. Mr. Crouch revealed a problem I have recognized but have never been able to adequately define. Overall, an amazing read that I’ll definitely be rereading.

I'm not normally a fan of sci-fi, however completely engrossed with this book. Upgrade is equal parts thoughts provoking and deeply disturbing. It was an extremely intense read that kept me up way past my bedtime glued to my Kindle screen.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did Blake Crouch really write this? I really enjoyed his last few books so I was looking forward to this one, but I found Upgrade to be an uninspired rehash of an unoriginal idea, riddled with scientific inaccuracies, predictable plot twists, and flat characters that make the whole story feel low stakes even as they are trying to change the world. Ted Chiang did this concept better in under 50 pages.

This was my first read from Blake Crouch. I am not a science fiction reader, but Upgrade had me questioning my genre loyalties. About 20% in I was hooked .... I love when a storyline can hook me that quickly.

Upgrade’s story centers around a man, Logan Ramsey, infected virally with a synthetic disease that alters his genetic structure. Logan must interpret his own mutations, while also working to save society from the same fate.

Crouch managed to make a complex plot, centered around genetic engineering, easily digestible and extremely engaging. The characters weren’t extremely likable or unlikeable, but their actions and thoughts were fascinating which propelled me through the book. This novel could easily be included under so many genres: suspense, thriller, philosophy, science fiction and even a bit of family drama. Regardless of your genre preferences, read to the end. It’s a beautifully, haunting book about humanity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely my favorite of Crouch's books. It was much easier to get into and follow than Recursion and Dark Matter. If anything, it was a little freaky how realistic it felt.

Buckle your seatbelts people, because Blake Crouch takes you on a sci-fi ride as only he can! This one is about DNA and genetic mutation and all that jazz. It’s very science-heavy, but also easy to understand for those of us who barely passed biology in high school. Or was it physical science? Doesn’t matter, I got low C’s in both.

Upgrade is set in the near-future when Logan Ramsey begins to notice that he is changing. He’s becoming smarter and stronger and basically an “upgraded” version of himself. He’s not sure what’s going on at first but when he discovers someone else who has also been upgraded, he soon begins to get some answers. And realizes that a much bigger fight is at stake; the fight for humanity’s survival.

I liked this one. It’s definitely a page-turner, the plot moves really fast and the last quarter of the book reads like an action movie script. My only complaint is that it seemed a little preachy and repetitive about climate change and how awful humans are in general, yada yada… I mean I know, we’re the worst, but I’m tired of reading about it. It seems to be a theme lately in popular fiction. I read for entertainment and relaxation, not to feel guilty about my carbon footprint.

WOW - another amazing book by Crouch! I tore through this book. Read half yesterday and finished it today. I went into this novel mostly blind, and it was a wild ride. Logan Ramsay is a great character - Crouch really puts you into his mindset. This book touches on so many current events/elements: the environment; human capacity for compassion/selfishness; what it means to be human and what humans should do. I don't want to say too much - this is a thrill ride. The epilogue is perfect.

“'You are the next step in human evolution.'

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are mine.

Blake Crouch has a particular flair for presenting very-near-future we're-almost-at-this-stage couldn't-it-be-possible Science Fiction. Whenever I read his work, I ask myself, "What if this actually is fact?" Then I think of the world we live in and realize, "Whyever not?"


UPGRADE is a novel of Evolution-gone-wild, not over eons of gradual adaptations, but over months, weeks, days. It will blow your mind as you too ponder, "How soon will this be "real life"?

Logan Ramsay, son of Miriam Ramsay (whose genetic experiments led to the deaths of more than 200 million people), is the victim on an explosion during a GPA raid, and at first he feels normal….until he starts beating his daughter at chess. Then he starts to notice other changes. A routine doctor’s appointment leads Logan down a wild path leading to his sister and wild genetic experimentation. Will he save the planet….or will he doom it to mass extinction?

This book, while not as crazypants as both Dark Matter and Recursion, is probably one of Crouch’s best! Every step he takes is down seems plausible, especially since the story is build on the back of current events (climate change and the ethics of changing human DNA). It is action packed, and while it does contain a lot of complicated science, Crouch manages to explain it well enough that most lay people are able to understand where things are going. I highly recommend this one, especially if you are a fan of Crouch’s earlier books.

Logan Ramsay is doing his best to undo the evils his mother has created. Her research allowed her to create "upgrades": Ways to hack genetic material to improve certain aspects of living things to better allow them to survive in a world that has gone downhill after worldwide cataclysmic events and environmental disasters. The only problem is that the upgrades didn't go according to plan, and her experiments backfired, accidentally massacring millions. Now Logan's job is to track down anyone else involved in gene editing. During a stakeout for a known gene editor, Logan is accidentally injured during an explosion and learns (to his horror) that HE is now a victim of an unwanted "upgrade". He goes on the run, trying to find out what it means for him and whether it was really an accident all along.

There is a LOT more to this book than that, but it is HARD to take such a complex story and condense it into a summary. Blake Crouch's work takes a lot of concentration to keep straight, and there is a lot of science involved that, if I'm honest, I don't really follow. It's a lot like reading Andy Weir, except Weir takes super complicated science and makes it easier to understand. I can't say that for Crouch (at least in my opinion). It was a good book, not great, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so hard to follow. I know the science is important to the plot, but if you're like me and you want to just enjoy a story without thinking too hard, it may be tough to get through this one.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley, in return form my honest and unbiased opinion.

Science fiction might be my new genre after reading Upgrade.
If you want genetics, dirty bombs and a science thriller, then this is the read for you!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Upgrade, by Blake Crouch, is a compulsively readable sci-fi thriller about a potential new upgrade that can, or should be made to humanity in order to stave off our future extinction. It is close enough to some recent events that it makes this story absolutely gripping, but far enough removed from the Covid-story that it doesn’t feel overly familiar, or too tired from its proximity to real life.

Despite it’s scientific theme and the relevant data and jargon, Upgrade is an understandable and entertaining, fast-paced novel. There were admittedly a few short sections that I skimmed, but they were few and far between. And though I disagree with some of his premises, hypotheses and conclusions, Blake Crouch writes a riveting story that is surprisingly moving and also thought-provoking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering by Bake Crouch, and in fact, read it in almost one sitting. His sci-fi is really the only that I read in this genre and he has now proven to be an auto-buy author for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Random House publishing group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Set in the future, when climate change has caused major changes in day-to-day life, Logan works for the Gene Protection Agency, an agency tasked with monitoring all genetic research (as gene modification is now illegal), to protect earth's people.

As the world is still reeling from the effects of 'The Great Starvation' Logan questions a suspect, who sends him to a location suspected of being a genetic lab. During the raid, an explosion is triggered, and Logan is hit, with his bio-hazard suit shredded by shrapnel. Initially he is fine, but after a month or so, he notices changes to his body. His bones ache as they become more dense, his memory and recall improve, his physical abilities increase, and his mental acuity increases exponentially. Logan has been 'upgraded'.

I won't spoil the plot - as this is a fast paced thriller with some great twists and turns. Crouch asks some interesting philosophical questions, such as what it means to be human, how communities should work, what we need to do to combat climate change.

I'm still thinking about the ending. Always a sign of a great book! While it went in a direction I didn't expect, and that provided a satisfying ending, I'm still not sure if that direction was true to Logan's character. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the first one I have read by this author, but it won't be the last.

Logan is a very lucky man. He was hit by a bomb that infected him with a virus. What made him lucky was that the virus didn’t kill him or change his genetic structure. He is released to return to his family and then he notices some small changes … nothing major. He can finally concentrate long enough to finish a book, he can multitask, and he can beat his daughter at chess. Then he finds out the truth. His genome has been hacked and he is told “You are the next step in human evolution.” Logan is off the chart smart, now, and it will be up to him to try and stop the larger plan that has already been set in motion. Will Logan be able to stop this human evolution? What changes will he need to embrace in himself to protect everyone else?

Upgrade is a science fiction story that was also a wonderful escape. I loved the near future aspect with science that was only a little beyond what we do now. This story could be our future if we stay on the track we are moving and that makes this book that much more believable. We don’t need to suspend disbelief to accept aliens or far space travel. Everything happens in our true backyard and readers will want to get to the end to discover what happens next.

I received an ARC of this from Ballantine. I had heard of Blake Crouch and knew they had written quite a bit of stuff, but have never actually read anything by them. So, I went into this with no preconceptions of what to expect.
It starts off the action rather quickly with a raid on a rogue scientist's lab by a new-ish government agency set to deal with the ramification of illegal gene editing. This is set in the near future after a series of ecological disasters have occurred because of gene editing of crops and insects.
Logan Ramsey, the lead character and agent on the raid, is caught in an explosion that is later determined to contain a gene-editing bomb. Hi sbody begins going through changes and he becomes a fugitive from the very agency he worked for. After his escape, he begins to track down who did this to him and uncovers a conspiracy to unleash the edits on all of society.
It was a very fast read, with decent action and a moving plot. It wasn't particularly surprising or intricate, but it was fun. Definitely a great summer read, or something to pick up to get away for a bit.