Blake Crouch has done it again! His ability to balance high sci fi concepts and thrilling action is unmatched! This one follows a man separated from his family by an incident tied to his work (this seems to be a reoccurring theme in Crouch’s writing). He gets involved in a larger conspiracy with earth shattering stakes. The story is so captivating I couldn’t put it down! The one flaw I could find in this book was that the main character becomes pretty hard to connect to toward the end of the book, but I think it ties into the larger themes of the book.

Upgrade was one of my favorite books of 2022. Today, we're injecting fillers into our faces, freezing fat, and tattooing on our eyebrows. Blake Crouch explores a not-so-distant future when the technology is available to modify ourselves from the inside out. The government shut down any genetic modification after a horrific accident caused a worldwide family, and Logan Ramsay is on the task force assigned to find geneticists going against government orders. It's in one of those raids when Logan is hit by shrapnel and ends up in the hospital. At first, the doctors think it was just the flu and send him home. But within weeks, he notices subtle changes— his ability to multitask, his incredible reading speed, and the fact that he doesn't need much sleep. Soon, it's clear that Logan has been upgraded. But by who? And why?

Upgrade

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blake Crouch has books that are fast paced and so entertaining. I’m not a huge sci-fi person but his are so full of plot and the sci-fi stuff just naturally comes along.

This one starts in a post covid world where humans can be genetically modified. The book centers around Logan’s genetic upgrade and the surrounding people who intend to spread it everywhere.

If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller or sci-fi book, check this one out! Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC of Upgrade.

My first Blake Crouch - but not my last! This is the definition of a summer beach read….fast-paced, twisting and turning with a plot that is believable enough to freak you out. From the first few pages, this novel takes off and doesn’t let go until the very end. Highly recommend. Thanks to Ballantine for the advanced copy and for introducing me to this author that I had heard so much about for years and had never read.

I finished this one a few days ago and have been struggling to figure out what I want to say.

Was this an entertaining read? Sure. It was fast-paced with short chapters and easy to read sentence structures. I finished the book quickly and was reasonably entertained. I could see this easily becoming a typical action movie -- one you'll enjoy in the moment but ultimately forget a few days later.

This book follows Logan, a scientist turned government Gene Protection Agency worker who is infected with a virus that gives him a serious genetic upgrade including things like increased endurance and mental processing capacity. When he realizes there is a larger plan afoot that could threaten humanity, Logan goes on the offense to try to stop it.

I genuinely enjoyed the first portion of this book. I felt it was entertaining and fast-paced. I love how Crouch's books are easily accessible to all readers and not just sci-fi enthusiasts. I thought much of the science seemed well explained in simple terms, though I think most audiences could've done without the mentioning of specific genes for each trait that was changed.

The latter half of the book started to lose me. The overall plot relies on an assumption that I had difficulty buying into. That and the antagonist's actions and motives felt a bit unbelievable. The ending was very anti-climatic. Some plot points felt like they needed to be fleshed out more while others felt overdone. I'm being vague to avoid spoilers. Overall, I felt like the plot was very linear with a single motive and lacked Crouch's complex structure and twists and turns that I have experienced in some of his other novels.

So, this one was a bit of a miss for me, but that's OK. I have enjoyed other books by Blake Crouch, and I will continue to pick up his books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Question, what's the worst mess your parents left you to clean up? For me it was 30 year old parts for technology that doesn't exist anymore. Still waaaaaay better than what Logan Ramsay has to deal with in Blake Crouch's "Upgrade."

Basic premise, genetics are hackable in the future. But then a bad thing happens and now it is super illegal. But the MC works for the government hunting down illegal genelabs... And then gets his genome diddled with. And now he is "better" in some ways. Except he isn't the only target of this plan that would alter the course of human life and evolution.

OK this story hit me really hard from the jump by mentioning extinctions of animals I've worked with. First of all, rude. Second, damn it's probably likely unless folks listen to the people who traumatized themselves learning to be experts about conservation, climate change, and you know science in general. But they do need to be tempered with ethics. (Subtle self hype because of my Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, and Law MSc)

Reasons to read:
-The tone and word choice of the protagonist alters as his intelligence changes. This was a slow alteration, but if you look at the beginning and the ending of the story its noticeable
-The author double checked with scientists to make sure things he was righting were accurate, aside from future technology things that a a bit outside our scope right now.
-Scientific theories that I had to learn about being present or as an answer to things!
-Didn't see that heel turn
-Big fan of destroyed urban sprawls being reclaimed by nature

Cons:
-How dare you with the animal extinctions...

Blake Crouch is a favorite author of mine. His books are always well written, totally engrossing and original. Upgrade was no exception. The characters suck you in. He has another blockbuster on his hands with this book. I enjoyed every page. I'm off now to preorder a signed copy.

Although this was exciting, with action, great characters and relationships, and edge of your seat moments, it wasn’t quite as good as Recursion and Dark Matter. Still a good sci-fi thriller though! I'm not sure if maybe the premise/plot wasn't as interesting to me as his others, but I found myself not as invested as I was with his earlier novels. Still worth a read, and Crouch has a way of writing that is concise yet poetic!

I am not a fan of science fiction. But I am a fan of Blake Crouch. He has the ability to take us just further down the road, envisioning a possible future without requiring lots of imagination. Climate change has been allowed to proceed unabated and everyone realizes that there probably won’t be many more generations of Homo sapiens.
This time around, the subject is genetic engineering. Logan Ramsey was an undergrad, his mom a hotshot genetic engineer when one of her experiments goes horribly wrong resulting in the deaths of millions. Now, it’s twenty years later and Logan works for the Gene Protection Agency, a government agency that catches rogue genetic scientists. During a raid, he gets infected with a virus. Within a few months, he’s noticing changes to his memory, his concentration, his strength.
What makes Crouch’s story work is that it envisions large changes on the small scale - one individual’s story. Logan was wonderfully complex - guilt ridden over his mother’s catastrophe, unhappy in a job he holds only to resolve himself of his guilt, but still able to love his wife and daughter.
“The greatest threat to our species lies within us…it’s denial. Selfishness. Magical thinking. We are not rational beings. We seek comfort rather than a clear eyed stare into reality. We consume and preen and convince ourselves that if we keep our heads in the sand, the monsters will just go away. Simply put, we refuse to help ourselves as a species. We refuse to do what must be done. Every danger we face links ultimately back to this failing.”
As the story goes on, it does require a suspension of belief. Parts of it read like a James Bond movie. But by then, I was invested in Logan and what he was facing. I found the ending particularly satisfying.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

It is easy to categorize Blake Crouch’s novels as sci-fi thrillers. At the heart of his new novel, Upgrade, the story is more action than science fiction, with Logan Ramsay, our narrator, working with the Gene Protection Agency to stop people from illegal gene modifications. The novel is set in a future where scientists and criminals might be the same person. His mother was one of these people, and it feels like Logan has chosen his job as penance for the mistakes his mother made.

While on assignment with the GPA, he is injured, and shortly after, some strange things start to happen. He is getting smarter, stronger, faster, and has recollection of absolutely every piece of information he has ever received. This injury might not have been an accident at all. To quote an old adage, “With great power comes great responsibility,” so he is trying to keep doing the right things with his new powers, even when others are trying to use him for their own plans.

Blake Crouch’s novel does have some sections of heavy science elements, like when he is explaining DNA and what criminals are doing with it, but he is masterful with his pacing. There is not one time when the pages of information about what is going on at the science level get too long before he turns it off quickly with an action scene. While reading Upgrade, I knew that there was always some danger right around the corner, so if I needed to work through a couple of pages of information, the action would be right back. This kept me engaged in the story throughout the novel and made for a novel that is truly built like a page turner.

I also like that even though the structure of the novel leans toward action and danger, there are moments of cinematic and environmental intrigue. Logan travels around the United States, but this is kind of a post-environmental disaster version of the US. There are times that he travels to the bigger cities, like Las Vegas and Manhattan, and his descriptions of them and the way people live now in this new future is enough to where I want more Blake Crouch novels set in this world, I like that there are not only sections that have become inhabitable but also people who have not given up on these areas. It is as if we still find a way to overcome the adversities of our environmental woes, regardless of how bad it gets. The environmental climate aspects are not a focal point of the story, but in the end it is the backbone to everyone’s motivation. This dark backdrop makes the actions of Logan, regardless of the outcome, feel pretty bleak. Blake Crouch does not shy away from the science of how the world is changing for the worse in this novel, but at the central core, the story is about humanities continued hope for a better future.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gah! What did I just read?! This is my first Blake Crouch book and it will not be my last.

As someone who does not usually pick up sci-fi, I was hesitant to pick up this book but I know people rave about Blake Crouch so I figured I would give it a chance and I am so glad I did. This book sucked me in right away and I finished it in 48 hours - it was that good. While this book was clearly sci-fi (and well researched), I found that there was enough of a storyline for me to follow along and not get bogged down in the details.

If you are a fan of Blake Crouch, sci-fi books or just looking for something different to pick up - I would not hesitate to grab this book!

This is an exciting, futuristic novel in which gene editing has become a problem around the world. It is now a crime because of an experiment that accidentally caused millions of people to starve to death.

And now, Logan Ramsay, who is a member of the Gene Protection Agency, in the line of duty, has been unknowingly exposed to something that seems to be changing his body and mind -- “upgrading” him into a superhuman being. But was it an accident? If not, who is responsible?

This is a fast-paced, page-turning story that is scary because it feels so real. The wrong outcome could affect everyone on the planet. Could we be next?!

Crouch did an amazing job with the story and descriptions in this one. Just a warning: hang on tight, because it is a total rollercoaster ride!

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Blake Crouch does it again! As one of my favorite sci-fi authors, I had high expeditions of this book and it largely delivered,

I loved the setting of the book in a dateless high-tech future where ever-advancing technology and human interests have resulted in the decimation of natural resources and human life.

As with Dark Matter and Recursion, I felt completely captivated with this story from beginning to end. While the book certainly requires a hefty does of willing suspension of disbelief (despite the genre), I still very much enjoyed it.

The last fourth of the book felt a bit too “guns blazing” for my taste, but overall I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it. Fans of the movie Limitless and/or Minority Report are sure to devour this one.

4.5 stars

Love Blake Crouch and his sci-fi twisted mind. Always gets you thinking about how close we are to some of this craziness. This wasn’t my fave of his but definitely thought-provoking.

Ok, let’s chat about Upgrade, Blake Crouch’s latest novel, currently available to pre-order and out July 12. Blake Crouch is always a pretty solid read for me. His books are just my type of science-fiction: they’re set on earth, the only real world-building is the technology at the core of the book, and they are very much thrillers. I loved Dark Matter and thought that Recursion was ok. Upgrade is solidly in the middle of the two. I absolutely flew through this one.
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The book centers on Logan Ramsay. He works for the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) and while conducting a raid, a bomb goes off, and he is injured. And as he heals, he also begins to change both physically and mentally. His genome has been upgraded, but why? And at what cost?
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If you’re looking for a fast-paced summer read that will also make you think, this might just be the book for you. (Thanks, @netgalley, for letting me read this a bit early!)

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

WOW!!

Not too far in the future, there are a lot of problems plaguing the world. Worldwide famine has killed billions of people, some of it as a result of scientists attempt to wipe out the pests which had depleted the food crops but instead made them wipe out even more. Logan Ramsay's mother was the driving force behind that debacle and he went to prison for helping her. She drove her car off a canyon road to avoid prosecution.

But now Logan works for a powerful federal organization that is trying to stop DNA modifications. And then one day he is ambushed and he finds that HIS DNA has been modified. He is faster, stronger, smarter, but why? When his employers discover the changes, they once again jail him, but this time to use him as a lab rat and find out what has been done. One dark night he escapes from the captivity with the aid of another person who he soon realizes is his sister. She had also been modified and their mother is the perpetrator!

But this is only the beginning of the plan - and Logan is the one man on earth who can stop it.

Mr Blake Crouch Does it again. The Book is AMAZING! I enjoyed the book so much. Its dark and engaging

What I love most about Blake Crouch's writing is that despite it being fiction, it is eerily believable. The story and setting feel real, like I can actually picture it happening. Upgrade is such a story: a sci-fi thriller about a man who is genetically upgraded and tasked with saving all of humanity. It’s evident that Blake Crouch thoroughly researched the science behind this one to make it as realistic as possible. The book is well-written, the plot moves quickly and once again it leaves you pondering what you just read. Expect the usual mind melting, tense and wild ride that Crouch delivers so well.

Upgrade is a cautionary account, exploring the controversial & thought-provoking topic of gene editing and the dangers that come with it. Crouch takes things one step further by also examining the philosophical aspect of what makes us human - empathy and compassion - and if it's worth giving up in order to solve the world's problems. Do the benefits of DNA adaption outweigh the loss of our humanness? It reads like an action packed film and I think it would make an excellent movie! It's a little heavier on the science than his other books in a way that felt more like information overload, however it's still an immersive and accessible read.

While overall entertaining & enjoyable, it didn’t quite pack the same punch as Dark Matter and Recursion did. I personally felt it lacked the emotional connection I so badly wanted it to have. I didn't care enough about any of the characters to feel for them. Regardless, it’s still a compelling and thrilling sci-fi worth picking up and I recommend it!

**Thanks to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine and Blake Crouch for this ARC in exchange for my honest review**

I picked up this book with the intention of reading the first chapter; next thing I knew I was halfway through the book! It is an edge of your seat thriller that really keeps enticing the reader with what happens next. A must read!

Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency, a government agency that chases down rogue scientists who are suspected of working with and altering genetic material. While working a case, Logan is exposed to a genetic upgrade that rewrites and rewires his genetic code. His sister has also been upgraded, and the story follows Logan as he battles his sister as she tries to spread the upgrade across humanity.

The novel is told in three parts. Parts one and three allow Logan to show some emotion and humanity, so it is easier to understand the character and root for him. Part two removes his humanity, makes him harder to like, which is basically the point of the whole book. The book is an action-adventure thriller, that keeps our hero and the reader on their toes. It is easy to envision the story as a blockbuster movie. The science is complicated, but understandable enough to keep the reader engaged.

I liked the conclusion of the story and the things it made me think about. It will lead to some great discussions for book clubs. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.