What would you do to save humanity? Would the answer change if you lived every day with the consequences of your mother’s actions -- that caused the ruin of many scientific careers? What if her actions set you on a collision course with your genetics and the answer that might save the world?

Set in a realistic near future, we follow Logan as he struggles to adapt to sudden and painful genetic modification. In Crouch’s trademark style first seen in Dark Matter, we feel the angst of a man struggling with extreme change and ripped from the comforting routine of a life he held dear. The separation from and love for Beth and Ava drives Logan throughout the novel. He finds he now has the ability to make sense of the past, his past, and hopes that clarity will help him fix the future.

This novel, like Dark Matter and Recursion before it, is full of technical details sure to delight science fiction fans, especially if they enjoy stories about genetics and biology. You don’t need to be an expert in current technologies or CRISPR – the scientific prose is written in an approachable manner. There’s a sliver of thriller to help drive the story. While the ending isn’t a complete surprise, as with Crouch’s earlier novels it will take the reader on a fun ride.

Blake Crouch has done it again! I have loved everything he has put out, so when I received this copy, I was very pleased. This book of science was so brilliantly written like all of Crouch’s work. He makes you understand and delve into this world of science and horror that leaves you with that, “what?” feeling.

Very good!

TLDR: Blake Crouch has DONE IT AGAIN! An enjoyable, though somewhat predictable, one-sitting read.

Logan Ramsey works for an American agency in charge of tracking down and preventing illegal gene manipulation. After a job gone wrong, Logan suddenly finds himself with super-human abilities. He has photographic memory of every moment of his life and is stronger and faster than he's ever been in his life. He starts to suspect that he was targeted and sets out to prevent a disaster from striking humanity.

This is a fast paced, plot-driven book filled with incredibly interesting characters. What I liked about all of them (though I unfortunately cannot name many of them because of spoilers) is that everyone was morally grey. Each character had the same motivation: do what is best for the future of humanity. How this manifests itself in each person, however, is incredibly different. We got to see a wide variety of motivations and actions (or inactions).

The book presents an interesting moral question: What are you willing to sacrifice to ensure the survival of the human race?

I genuinely don't think that I would know what to do if I was in Logan's situation.

From Crouch, I have also read Recursion. While this one wasn't as mind-bending, it similarly makes us wonder what would happen if technology that was intended to be used for good wound up having unintended consequences.

The epilogue was FANTASTIC! I didn't know what to expect by the end, but I think it wrapped it up nicely.

I will be patiently awaiting the next book that Crouch writes!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

This is a thought provoking book that takes on what it means to be human and what it takes to continue to exist. Although it falls into the science fiction technothriller category, it is also a philosophically satisfying read.

Genetic engineering has become commonplace and widely practiced until a scientist, intending to wipe out a rice blight, unexpectedly causes a world wide famine that kills billions of people. Now such engineering is illegal and the Gene Protection Agency is tasked with stopping any further genetic engineering. One agent of the GPA is Logan Ramsay. Not only is he the son of that scientist who caused the catastrophe , he was working on the project with her. Now he is trying to stop illegal gene therapy from occurring. When he and his partner are called to a suspected site of illegal gene splicing, they walk into a trap. A bomb loaded with an unknown substance explodes and Logan, the only one to sustain injuries, figures out his genome has been hacked. In short order, he realizes that not only have his cognitive abilities drastically increased but his physical abilities have as well. And he's not the only one who has discovered the new, improved Logan; so has the GPA.

What follows is a question of what path humanity will take. Should we all become an enhanced race, or are the costs too high and the outcome too unpredictable? These are the questions Logan must answer, and quickly before it is out of his control.

This is a fast-paced read with underlying philosophical questions worth pondering. I imagined what I would do were I in Logan's position and I had the future of the human race in my hands. To upgrade or not? It's an intriguing dilemma and one each reader must answer for themselves.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is July 12, 2022.

First of all: I love science and genetics, and anyone who loves them should read this book too.
It was the first contact i had with Crouch but I intend to have much more in the near future, the story is well developed and involves a lot of science, genetics and studies (really) to develop this science fiction with a fun suspense and a very well.
The familiar situations - and all the others - in this book made me love it.

4.0.

I really enjoyed this book and think it’s Crouch’s most creative book in a while. Read it over a couple leisurely days and it was just perfect for that!

This was such an intriguing book, which is not surprising since it's by Black Crouch. I absolutely loved Dark Matter and this book was just as great! The character development was excellent and I enjoyed following the journey of Logan. I don't really know how to describe the plot without giving too much away. It was written so well! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy.

It pains me to write this review, but I just didn’t love Upgrade as much as I adored Dark Matter and Recursion!

To my friends who have the ARC teed up or will ultimately read it this summer when it’s released, I promise the writing is still amazing. Proof: I read it in 24 hours; could hardly put it down!

I also very much appreciate the story Crouch came up with: it’s timely and resonant. The best sci-fi books are able to deftly and naturally weave in commentary on social/ethics/global issues; however, Upgrade felt too heavy-handed at times.

Also- despite being able to get through the book quickly, the first half read slow to me. Granted, that’s a v subjective opinion from someone who prefers plot- vs. character-driven stories…just word to the wise that it felt different than his previous 2 books.

Overall I enjoyed the ride - I mean I binged the shit out of it - but comparisons to his other, absolutely *epic* books are going to have some people feeling a bit less enthused about this one.

Thanks to @netgalley @randomhouse for the chance to read and review this much-anticipated release! Out July 12, 2022.

I loved the sci-fi, mind-bendy thrillers Dark Matter and Recursion by this author and couldn’t wait to dive into Upgrade, the latest book from Blake Crouch.

This book focuses on genetic engineering and is definitely fascinating. The story moves very fast and makes it easy to just sit down and consume quickly. But the story, or narrative of the main character, in this book is just pretty straight-forward without a lot of the twists and turns I was expecting after reading previous books from this author. Which maybe that’s my mistake of comparing it to his previous work, but you can’t help not to at the same time. 😅 There are some action sequences in here that weren’t as interesting to me and a lot of the story felt a bit simplistic. But I enjoyed the discussion of how the planet is faring in the near future and how/why humans seem to care, but not care at the same time. Even not being my favorite Blake Crouch read, I still enjoyed this story as a whole and will continue to pick up future books from this author.

3.5 stars/rounded up on GR. Thank you to the publisher (Ballantine Books) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Upgrade has a publish date of July 12, 2022.

This book is set in a future where gene modification nearly wiped out humanity. Logan works for a government department investigation cases of gene modification. During a raid an explosion launches a virus into Logan's body which changes and enhances his genes. When the changes begin to manifest, his coworkers place him in a black site location to test and monitor the modifications. Logan's sister, who has also been modified, breaks him out of the black site. Together, they learn that their mother is behind the changes, with a plan to change the entire world.

I like Blake Crouch and his storytelling, but I did not enjoy this particular book. I am not a fan of "super" humans, and do not enjoy this type of book. The author did a good job with the subject matter, it just wasn't for me. I am looking forward to the author's next book, he is definitely one of the greats!

Years after going to jail for his part in genetically altering a food source, leading to the death of millions, Logan Ramsey finds himself again thrust into a situation where someone wants to genetically alter humans to be better versions of themselves. When Logan himself is upgraded he soon learns that sometimes better is not best for the whole.

Just like this authors previous novels he does a wonderful job of mixing some sci-fi in with world problems in a book that reads as an action film. This book was hard to put down and had such a great finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Upgrade was an awesome book. This was provided to me as an ARC from Netgalley and I have to say, I was blown away at the story, the depth of character, the action, the message (compassion is key), and the writing style. I truly loved the story and the journey of Logan Ramsey. I can go on and 0n on how cool the story was, but there are some big potential spoilers and whatnot, so I am going to say this... If you like SF, if you like genetic types of lit (I can't stop thinking of Greg Bear and Darwin's Radio), if you like engrossing storylines, a little heartbreak, some serious action, and a pleasant conclusion, then you should definitely read this book. You'll love it.

Let me start off by saying I love Black Crouch. He is one of my favorite authrs and will buy anything he has written or will write in the future. Thank you so much for this early copy. I was flabbergasted when I saw the e-mail go through and immediately pushed all other books to the side.

This new book was a bit lackluster for me. It tells the Story of Logan Ramsay who gets his genes altered when he and his team go to investigate an illegal lab. He gets advanced human cognition and memory and strength, etc. but who did this to him and why?
This book had my attention for about the first 60% and then it kind of dragged on. I felt my self scanning large portions cause it was pretty dull. The science lingo was a little overdone in the book. I found myself skipping alot of the math/science jargonor portions where he would talk about his upgrade because it was just too much. The story didn’t have the mind bending qualities of Dark Matter or Recursion. It was a little more straightforward of a story and I feel like it didn't offer much into the scifi genre that has not been done before (I was reminded a lot of the movie upgrade) Idk I just didn’t like it all that much? But will I still buy a physical copy? Probably.
I did like the ending. The epilogue was the saving grace for me. It was, like most of his stuff emotional and questions the value of life and our experiences. I like Logan too! He was a great character! Do I think people will love this book?! Absolutely. It just wasn’t for me.

Here is my review on bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbsNSnRL6Ph/

This is the first book by the author that I read. I found the story to be very intriguing and caught my attention early on. I plan to read more by the author

This new thriller takes us into the world of genetic engineering. Even though the author uses a great deal of scientific terminology he still simplifies it so that the reader can easily follow the story.
There are strong undertones of moral issues as we are enlightened to the assets and liabilities of man manipulating the genetics of nature.
Although Logan, our main character never wanted to be involved in his mother’s work again he involuntarily finds himself right in the center of her latest project. Torn by emotions from his past, and the realization of what he will lose Logan must make a difficult decision. Whether he want to or not, he knows he is the only one who stop this evolution that has begun.
I found this novel to be an emotional book as well as a thriller. I was deeply saddened for Logan and the things that he had to experience. It was also a terrifying book as I contemplated the seriousness of this issue and how very easily it could happen today.
The ending was a little inconclusive for me, so I am wondering is another book coming to close out the story.

Crouch hits the ground running with this sci-fi thriller in the likes of Michael Crichton. Crouch writing is crisp fast and character driven. If you like sci fi read Crouch. Fun stuff.

This book was action packed! I’ve only previously read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, but this one was just as good!

I enjoyed the suspense of not knowing how things would end and whether or not humanity was doomed. The ending was totally unexpected in the best way!

Another brilliant, blockbuster piece of science fiction writing from Blake Crouch. I ate this one up. What I love about his writing that there’s a lot of heavy science in it but he never loses the humanity, the soul and the emotion. You won’t be able to put down this story of a man whose genes get upgraded setting off an action packed race against time and impossible odds that will find him confronting his past, his future and the future of mankind. I highlighted a bunch in this because there’s so many wonderfully compelling thoughts. I’m a huge fan of his writing style. He just knows how to tell a compelling story that you can’t walk away from. Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Upgrade! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and it lived up to all of my expectations. Blake is an auto buy author of mine and one of the few sci-fi authors I read. I love all of his books and Upgrade is no different. As always, Upgrade is filled with a bunch of scientific information that makes it feel like a non fiction yet so much action that keeps me on the edge of my seat and constantly turning pages to see what happens next. I enjoyed so much of this book but hands down the epilogue was the best part. Learning all about genetics makes me want to go take a course on it and learn even more. I will say that I could’ve used more story about Logan and his mother and sister, I’m all about family drama and it sounds like we could’ve had a lot more. Also I will say, I’m gonna need a different word than ‘sheeting’ for the only descriptive word for the rain and blood throughout the book. I can’t wait for Blake’s next book!

Wow! Sci-fi is not my normal genre, but Blake Crouch always has me coming back for more. I really liked Dark Matter and Recursion, but Upgrade is definitely that, an upgrade.

This book is about genetic engineering, which presented in the wrong manner could be boring and/or over my head. Luckily, this book delivered it perfectly.

If you knew the human race was dying out what would you do to save it? How far would you be willing to go? Especially if you had the means to do the unthinkable?

Thank you to the author and Ballentine Bookd for the gifted copy to review through NetGalley.