Out of Blake Crouch's 3 standalone sci-fi thrillers, Upgrade is my least favorite, however an overall solid read. I loved the focus on genetics and ethical engineering.

I devoured this book over the weekend! I was simply fascinated. The chapters are long but somehow still too short. Heavy on the science but written in such a way it is easy to follow yet eloquent. The attention to detail is fantastic.

Thrilling and pulse pounding with twists at every turn. At the heart it is a family drama set in the near-future that is a profound exploration of science and philosophy and of what it means to be human.

Read this if you are fascinated by genetic engineering, evolution and like your sci-fi with a dash of heart.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
I am shocked - shocked I tell you - by how much I liked Upgrade (I'll explain in a second). Written by Blake Couch, Upgrade is set in the future- not sure how far into said future - and the world is a much different place. All vehicles are electric, they have hyperloops that travel at the speed of sound, commercial airlines are all supersonic with some much faster planes that fly in low-earth orbit, lower Manhattan is flooded due to climate change, and DNA editing has become a problem. So much so the government has created the Gene Protection Agency and outlaws the science. Which brings us to GPA agent, Logan Ramsay.

Ramsay is the son of the foremost expert in the field of DNA manipulation. While working as an underling for his genius mother in China, she edits the DNA of a locust and creates a famine that kills 200 million. Disgraced, she commits suicide and Ramsay is sent to prison for his mom's mistake. Fast forward 20 years, Ramsay and the GPA are raiding a suspected lab when he is injured by a bomb. After a few weeks in the hospital and all tests are normal, he is discharged and soon begins noticing things are changing. His body and mind are enhancing by the day and he is now considered a threat. Ramsay has to go on the run to find answers and to stop this enhancement from destroying mankind.

Back to why I'm shocked. I do not like anything sci-fi. Never seen Star Wars or Trek. Just isn't my thing. I would have never considered reading Upgrade had the publisher not reached out to me. After reading the summary I was expecting a dystopian world like Total Recall with lasers and spaceships flying all over the place. What it actually was was a badass thriller with a crap-load of science and quite a few twists. And I say that as a scientist. I was also surprised by how much I learned, which is always nice. It's a good thing when you can be entertained and learn something new.

The only gripe I have is around half way through, the story ground to a stop. It was a slog for the next 30ish pages. Then as fast as the story came to a half it took off again. It was like Couch flipped a switch.

If sci-fi isn't your thing but love thrillers, give Upgrade a shot. I bet you'll be as glad as I am that you took a chance on Upgrade.

My sincere thanks to Blake Couch, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Upgrade.

Blake Crouch wrote two of my favorite hard science sci-fi books of the last few years in Dark Matter and Recursion and even if Upgrade does not rise to the heights of those two books, it is an enjoyable, if emotionally distant, journey into genetic manipulation.
The story was initially very exciting, with Crouch developing an entire alternate future in which humanity discovered how to alter DNA in a more precise way than we can now only to have that technology banned due to reasons the book explains. Logan Ramsay is working for the Gene Protection Agency to try and stop individuals working with the technology, until he is "upgraded" with a litany of changes to his DNA. Do I know if these changes are realistic? Not even slightly, but like Crouch's other books he does a great job of explaining the science in a way that makes you say "Yeah, I guess so, why not." The book slows down in the middle section, but then picks up for a big finale that I thought was executed well.
Crouch wrote the transition from Logan's normal manner of thinking to his upgraded state of mind very well because there are clear distinctions as thought processes and memory changes. I think he wrote it very well, but it ended up leaving me emotionally unengaged with the work. It fits with the story, so I cannot fault Crouch too much, but I think his other books worked so well because of the main chracters of those stories being relatable protagonists that you could empathize with.
The central conflict Crouch explores is how humanity should respond to the reality of a world that is slowly falling apart. The epilogue seems to suggest Crouch has an answer to this question. THe passages where Crouch engaged with this issue were great to read and think about. Overall, another good book from Crouch that I imagine will be huge this summer. Probably an easier scientific concept to grasp than his prior thrillers, and I will continue to look forward to whatever Crouch writes.

This was an interesting read, and I really liked the information about genetics and the knowledge that the world of Upgrade could eventually become reality. However, I couldn't really get attached to the characters. 3/5.

In Upgrade, Blake Crouch stretches himself from sci-fi thriller over to dystopia. The novel follows a similar set up in Crouch’s prior books. We follow a law enforcement father who has a tragic past and is pulled into a covert research plot which has the power to upend society.

Upgrade’s specific take on that story arc follows Logan, an officer part of the Gene Protection Agency - an arm of the US’s burgeoning surveillance agencies focused on stopping illegal genetic modification. All goes well until Logan is attacked during a raid and his own genome starts changing.

Crouch leans into his strengths in this book - it has quick pacing, ongoing learning, and the whole book felt like a makeover, in which you see someone become the best version of themselves. He also manages to strike a good balance between tortured past vs. current challenging choices through Logan.

What makes this book even more interesting to me was Crouch’s foray into dystopia. Much of the book is a commentary on climate change and its immediate effects. This book is not set centuries in the future. In fact, Logan could be the 5 year old you see at the playground this week. The novel is set within our lifetimes, and Crouch fills the novel with various nods to currently failing systems - social security, the flooding of lower Manhattan, rain in January in Colorado, which all builds to a dystopia which is at once familiar and strikingly alien.

Despite having many thrilling aspects, the action of the novel is fairly tightly contained between Logan and his sister Kara. Due to this scale, the novel frequently feels unbalanced, as the sibling’s actions have global consequences of which only the two of them are aware.

Overall, Upgrade didn’t cause me to question my view on time or space the way previous Crouch novels have. However, the conclusion of Upgrade might be just as novel, if not imbued with the same star power. There’s a deep hypocrisy in the ending, which I just couldn’t overlook. I commend Crouch for his solution to climate change, but I’m not sure if the intent can offset Logan's choice.

Upgrade

Reading Walter Isaacson's book, The Code Breaker, last year helped me get a better grasp of the science behind Blake Crouch's newest book, Upgrade. As with his other works, this one is a nail-biting, mind-expanding, science fiction adventure with a lot of heart. In other words, it is classic Crouch and didn't disappoint.

The author has a brilliant way of mixing nerdy science, a touching romance, family drama and a suspense story that drives his readers to philosophical contemplation that asks, "What is the meaning of life? What make us human?"

Upgrade tells the story of Logan Ramsay who was forcefully upgraded via gene editing to develop above average human abilities then tasked by a genius scientist to save humanity. He is faced with a dilemma to either do the same to the rest of the world, or find another solution where the possible consequences wouldn't be as catastrophic.

Logan acts selflessly to his own loss and that makes him a hero we all want in our stories. Crouch develops Logan's character so well that I see myself in his shoes, both the sacrifice he is willing to make and its heart-wrenching consequences.

Some favorite quotes:
- Algorithms knew us better than we knew ourselves.
- Being smart doesn't make people infallible. It just makes them more dangerous.
- Maybe compassion and empathy are just squishy emotions. Illusions created by our mirror neurons. But does it really matter where they come from? They make us human. They might even be what makes us worth saving.
- To laugh and drink. To talk about nothing. It was almost as if that need for connection and touch was our...their...lifeblood.
- You can't kill humanity to save humanity. Human beings are not a means to an end.
- To save humanity, I needed my humanity.
- If I lose the ability to hurt, I also lose my grasp on joy-those brief moments of contentment that make consciousness worth the voyage.

I enjoyed this book immensely and just confirmed again how much I'm a Crouch fan. Why then do I gave this four stars and not five? The answer is in the spoilers below. You have been warned.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Throughout the book, Logan resisted and fought her beloved sister to the death in order to stop her from secretly infecting the world's population with gene-editing viruses, which she hoped would help humanity save itself from extinction. Yet, in the end, Logan did the very same thing, albeit with different genes to target.

The story would've been better if, instead of doing it without their knowledge, Logan offered the upgrade to anyone who wants to improve so they can collectively save the world. That would align more with what I expect his heroic and principled character would have done.

***EDITING ISSUES, QUESTIONS***
In location 3886, it says that Logan received his first nonviolent touch since being upgraded. This is not true since in location 2700, it says that Miranda embraced him.

In location 4708, "he hornets" should be "the hornets?"

Why did Logan's mom use a bomb to inject him with the virus while sending just a simple bee to infect his sister? Why take a risk of possibly infecting the wrong or more people with the bomb?

Towards the end, Logan dumped his sister's viruses into the East River to rid of them. Was he sure it wouldn't survive there and infect people anyway? She could've made them to be extra resilient since she knew her brother was determined to stop her.

I have the same experience reading Blake Crouch as I do reading Any Weir - I have no idea if any of the science is anywhere even approaching real or logical, but I always feel like I learned a lot at the end. UPGRADE, as a story, is great and kept me reading. I felt a little disconnected from the main character, but I think maybe that was intentional. This one also hits a little bit close to home in terms of current events and the feeling that the Earth is, in fact, falling apart around us.

After having his DNA modified by a gene-editing bomb, Logan Ramsey is on the run and running out of time to keep humanity, well, human.

This sci-fi thriller kept me on the edge of my seat as I raced through the chapters to the end. Upgrade is easily an early favorite for my top ten list of 2022.

Wow! Blake Crouch does it again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Ballantine Books for my advance reader copy!

Logan Ramsey works for the Gene Protection Agency, a government organization designed to protect the country from geneticists and criminals illegally exploring forbidden genetics research. On a raid of a potential illegal lab, Logan steps into a basement unaware his life is about to change forever. He hears the hiss of aerosol, an explosion, feels a shrapnel that punctures his hazmat suit. Next thing he knows, he’s waking up in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors in their own hazmat suits. He learns he’s been infected with a virus designed to modify his genetic structure. As time passes, Logan sees changes in both his mental and physical abilities. He’s becoming something more, something better. Who did this to him and why?

This story took me on a wild ride. From the start, I was hooked. I felt every emotion, from fear to shock to compassion to despair. In typical Blake Crouch fashion, the story was action-packed, full of suspense, and twists and turns galore. I was at the edge of my seat, not knowing what would happen next until the very end. Similar to Crouch’s other hit novels, the story heavily featured science ideas and topics, but in a way that was easy to understand to any reader. Without giving away a spoiler, at one point I did notice a similar notion/idea from Pines, so I’d be very curious to have a conversation with Blake Crouch about his thoughts on the fate of humanity.

While the ending provided a satisfying conclusion, I was left with a couple unanswered questions that I will forever spark my curiosity.

4.5 stars but rounding up. The only reason it wouldn’t be an automatic 5 stars for me is a decision made at the very end of the book, revealed in the epilogue, that seems to contradict the very premise and moral of Logan’s journey. But that aside, it was a fantastic read.

Out July 12, 2022, this is not one to miss!

Blake Crouch has a new adrenaline ride of a novel that is a frightening portrayal of what our world could look like in the near future.
Logan works for the GPA- The Gene Protection Agency, a branch of the government protecting DNA and gene editing from occurring by rogues and back room labs. Logan is on the front line of a raid when a bomb injures him and modifies his DNA. The modification has changed him in ways to make him smarter, stronger, even beyond a normal human level.
But a genetic upgrade has a cost. Before unleashing it on all of humanity, Logan realizes that there’s a downside. That’s when things turn deadly…
I love Blake Crouch for fast-paced action novels. I’d recommend this one to fans of thrillers, science, etc.

Blake Crouch can do no wrong in my opinion, and Upgrade is further proof of that. I don’t have any real critique for this amazing new book; it’s that good. The characters were well fleshed out, the pacing was perfect, and his writing impeccable. Crouch is so good at the scientific research behind his stories that I feel smarter just for having read them. Upgrade was no exception to this. Of course, I have no clue if any of it is accurate or even possible, but even if it isn’t, it all sounds completely plausible from him. Amazing novel. I already cannot wait for his next.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a big fan of speculative science fiction-I really really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the subject matter- what to do about our steady march toward extinction, as we turn a blind eye towards what is happening on our planet with a mixture of denial, and helplessness. We read about all the looming threats in the paper, we watch it on the news, and then we get on with our day.
Disgraced genius scientist Dr Angela Ramsey, in a second attempt to alter DNA to fix a problem ( the first attempt resulted in over a billion people starving to death when an enhanced locust goes horribly wrong) has an idea that issue is a lack of human intelligence and finds a way to hack our DNA . This change makes humans less emotional, more logic driven, and also stronger and more resilient. This upgrade she hopes will save the homo sapiens from self created extinction. She infects her children with the “upgrade” with instructions to spread the upgrade though the world. One of them disagrees with the approach and the risks it carries- then the race is on to stop the “virus “ form being released.
Despite the technical explanations, the story was easy to follow, and the payoff in the end- especially the epilogue was rewarding. Thought provoking stuff. Highly recommend .
Spoilers ahead…
Some of my favorite lines from the book- We don’t have an intelligence problem. We have a compassion problem. That, more than any other single factor, is what’s driving us toward extinction.” “But for all our progress, ten million people die of hunger every year. We have hyperloops and rampant nativism. Phones more powerful than the computers that took us to the moon, but no more coral reefs.
So someone, please invent that compassion upgrade soon. Time is running out.

Crouch has a wonderful premise here. Now that we know that CRSPR can effect genetic changes in the
human genome, fast forward a bunch of years to where the earth is suffering the global effects of rising sea levels wiping out New York City and Lake Mead being totally dry, wildfires and other climate changes caused by humans. And there is much worse in that society with the government watching everyone, CCR cameras, and with facial recognition being only one way of monitoring. Everything in this science fiction novel is super advanced, from transportation to weapons. Food is scarce and mostly synthetic. It is a world that cannot survive unless drastic change can be implemented.

Gordon Ramsay, who now works for the government, is a geneticist and biomedical genius, the son of the woman who caused millions of deaths when her genetic engineering set off disease and famine by killing off rice as a food supply. the question in the book becomes "How many lives are we willing to eliminate in order to "Upgrade" the survivors to bionic supermen?" And will they then be willing to make the hard choices in order to ensure the earth's survival?

Time for a confession here. Although I read and like science fiction, I have no tolerance for the suspense-thriller genre of the die-hard films. That's not Blake Crouch's fault, so I can't criticize him for that. But I can criticize the endless (and to my mind, unnecessary) page after page of pseudo-and real science, math and futuristic inventions. Readers who have commented about all the science miss the point. This is, at core, a blast-'em, shoot-'em, beat'-'em, survive unbelievable odds story.. And that's just not my type of book.

Thank you to Random house, however, for forcing me out of my comfort zone to read and review and early copy of this book.

Welp, Blake Crouch did it again! Such a fast paced thrilling ride. I will admit sci-fi is not my typical genre but this author never fails to deliver an engaging book.

Logan Ramsey is an agent with the GPA - Gene Protection Agency who is "infected" with an upgrade that allows him to think smarter and be able to analyze and see things others can't. Sounds weird right? It is, but it works. There is a ton of genetic data thrown at us that made me glaze over but it wasn't too OTT but was certainly needed to advance the story. The main question thrown out there is how far would you go to save humanity if you had the knowledge to do so and would it be worth it?

I think for those who may be in COVID overload, this may not be for you, but at the same token it really has some points that hit close to home and now may be the perfect time to read this. This will not be for everyone, but if you would like to dabble in sci-fi this author is the one to start with. Once it got going it was super action packed and did not let up.

The ending was so good and definitely made me think.


Thanks so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine for my advanced copy.

I always like a good Blake Crouch book. I devour them quickly, because they're always well-written, fast, and innovative. This new one from him is no exception.

It's no spoiler (given the publisher's blurb), the progenitor has been "upgraded" physically. The story answers the questions of how, by whom, is he unique, and what happens next.

The fun part of this book are the things that a good author brings. He has passages where there is extraordinary attention to detail, like this: "The metamorphosed sandstone boulders in the current. The stream velocity. The erosion pattern on the far side of the bank, which showed evidence of a summer flood. The four brook trout standing in the Curren t- two of them affected with whirling disease...."

Or his existentialist / relativist thoughts like "Right and wrong ar constructs born of human sentiment. Nothing but stories we've made up and assigned meaning to. They don't correspond to any objective reality. The only thing real is survival."

Or snippets of philosophical realizations like "It is a supremely cruel thing to have your mind conjure a desire which it is functionally unable to realize. No one teaches you how to handle the death of a dream."

Or even scenarios of a future you can envision happening, like "For every one hundred people in the United States, there were 48.7 surveillance cameras, and behind them a government network of AI-driven facial-recognition search engines, paired with deeply eroded privacy laws." (Can you say China, 2022?)

But over the top is ALWAYS some deep subject matter expertise. He's always excellent at dredging up people who know their stuff, and incorporating it in the book. Here, it's all about human genes, with passages like "My hunger - another sensory artifact that I was now blindingly aware was simply the serotonin (5-HT) and catecholamine neurotransmitters in my serotonergic neurons, intestinal myenteric plexus, enterochromaffin cells in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and blood platelets - telling me to eat." Yeah, I blurred a bit at this, too, but it lends SO much credibility to the writing that I wouldn't want the book to LACK this.

Over it all is an exciting story that develops credibly, and is way fun to read.

I reserve 5-stars for books that are really, really amazing; books that you put down, say "Whoa", then pick up & read again; books that you would call one of the best books you've ever read. This isn't one of those. BUT, it's an excellent book for those who read sci-fi, and I recommend it highly.

Netgalley emailed me to say that I had been per-approved for this ARC! Thanks for the opportunity to provide a review prior to the street date.

Here is the setup: Logan's mother has used gene editing to alter the DNA of locusts in an attempt to produce more abundant rice crops in China. The experiment goes horribly wrong and instead produces a famine. Billions of people starve to death; Logan's mother commits suicide; Logan ends up in jail for his part in the experiment; and a new government agency, the GPA (Gene Protection Agency), is formed. As a kind of penance for his mother's sins, Logan goes to work for the GPA after being released from prison.

During a raid of a gene-editing lab, Logan sets off an explosion and is hit with ice shards which infect him with a virus that begins altering his DNA. He develops phenomenal strength and stamina, his memory is photographic back to his earliest childhood, and his IQ is through the roof. How and why has this happened? Who is responsible? Is Logan the only one effected by this "upgrade?"

All questions that can't be answered without spoilers! Street date, July 19, 2022. You'll want to read this one!

Blake Crouch’s Upgrade is mind blowing. How the author can take an idea, gene editing, and turn it into a cautionary tale, a love story and a propulsive novel still has my heart racing. Crouch deals with questions about the effects of gene editing, humanity and hope. He takes you on a thrilling plot-driven ride with great character development not on a soapbox. The questions that come to mind reading this come from our own views of society. I love a book that has a great story, grabs me but also makes me think.

Logan Ramsey grew up feeling intellectually inadequate as the son of a now deceased, powerful but disgraced genetic engineer who caused a catastrophic global event. He joined the GPA (Gene Protective Agency) to ensure gene editing will not further destroy the planet which is suffering the effects of climate change and to ensure the future for his family.

Going on a GPA raid, Logan was felled by a booby trapped bomb which penetrated his protective gear. He wakes up in the hospital and is told he may have been infected by a virus. After a few days, he is sent home. Within a month, he starts experiencing changes to his intellect, ability to recall every detail of everything he ever experienced or read, his muscle mass and his pain tolerance. The government wants to study him. That’s not going to happen! At this point, the action goes into hyperdrive. Read it and let me know what you think!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m obsessed with Blake Crouch’s novels! From the moment I heard that he was writing a new one, I have been scouring the Internet and social media for details on what the latest book would be about. Not that it really matters, I’d read anything Blake wrote at this point. He’s officially received the designation in my mind as an “I will read anything this person writes author.” To be honest, Blake has bumped Stephen King from the top of my list because I’m always enthralled with Blake’s ideas. To top it all off, as I was reading Upgrade, Blake announced that this book will be transformed into a movie! I mentioned to Blake on a social media post that as I was reading this book, I felt as if I was watching a movie. This is going to translate incredibly well onto the big screen. I’d love to hear casting ideas from other readers, and from Blake himself. I hesitate to write more about the book itself here in my review simply because Blake’s books need to be read and experienced first hand by the reader. If I sat here and summarized the story, and told you how I felt reading it, it would take away from your individual experience. So I will just say, that if you are a Blake Crouch fan, and especially have enjoyed previous novels of his such as Dark Matter and Recursion, you will love Upgrade. It has the hard science, mixed in with Blake’s humanity driven characters at the forefront as always. This near future setting is definitely something that humans may eventually see occur. While reading this I kept trying to figure out what side of the argument I would find myself on. To Upgrade, or not to Upgrade?

Five Stars!

Thank you very much to the publisher and Blake Crouch for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are honest, and my own.

An exciting action/thriller set in the not so distant future, where the fate of humanity rests in the hands of one ordinary man.

While this is a complete oversimplification of the plot, Upgrade delivers plenting of twists and turns to keep you engaged from start to finish.

If you enjoyed Blake Crouch's recent work, you will not be disappointed.