Member Reviews

I've read almost all of the books by Blake Crouch and I think UPGRADE is his best. I loved the relentless pacing and the story is incredibly believable. Blake reminds me a lot of Andy Weir and Michael Crichton. I can't wait to handbell this book. We still sell a ton of Dark Matter in my store. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

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In Upgrade, Blake Crouch continues to explore scientific possibilities and to posit an opinion on how the world might end. In this fast-paced novel, the protagonist Logan receives a genetic upgrade from his genius mother, and this unexpected gift sets him on a path that first destroys his life and then shows him a way in which he might rebuild it, and possibly, the world.

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Set in the not-so-distant future Blake Crouch’s Upgrade revolves around Logan Ramsay, an agent with the Gene Protection Agency (GPA). The GPA tracks the development and application of genetic research to prevent it from being used for any purpose that would be detrimental to the human race. This is a world where the application of genetics is highly regulated and gene modification or editing has been outlawed. Though the Gene Protection Act had effectively ended all private and university-based genetic research some scientists and researchers have been continuing their work illegally. The GPA is responsible for tracking down and arresting illegal researchers and the closure of all underground research labs/facilities.

Logan’s mother Miriam Ramsay had been a gifted scientist whose discovery of 'Scythe' - a revolutionary, biological DNA modifier system, had ushered in a new era of gene editing. However, her experiments with genetic modification resulted in the Great Starvation, a disaster that led to the death of millions of people, food shortages and economic ramifications that the world is still recovering from. Since then Scythe has been deemed illegal.

Logan, in the process of a raid on a suspected rogue genetics facility, is exposed to the Scythe virus. He is quarantined while recovering from his injuries and a high fever that he recovers from. When test results reveal no other effects of his exposure, he is discharged and returns home to his wife and daughter . However, as the days progress, he notices changes such as improved memory and cognition. Genome analysis reveals that his cognition, memory, concentration and pattern recognition have been enhanced among other changes happening within his body . In other words, he has been “upgraded”.

Under suspicion for self-injecting and illegal use of genetic modification tech, Logan goes on the run, learning to balance and hone his enhancements while trying to comprehend the full scale implications of all that has happened . Is his exposure a freak accident or was he targeted? Who is behind this advanced Scythe-like genetic modification sytem and to what end ? Was his exposure an isolated incident or is the world on the brink of another disaster? Who can he trust to help him find the truth?

Blake Crouch’s Upgrade is a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi thriller that is hard to put down. Though some of the science might be hard to understand, that hardly detracts from enjoying the suspenseful narrative. While I enjoy watching sci-fi movies, I haven’t read much in the sci-fi genre in the recent past but I’m glad that I got to read this novel. I had heard a lot of good things about Blake Crouch’s books and now I can see why. This was my first Blake Crouch novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kathleen Quinlan and Random House for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

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As a big fan of the author's "Dark Matter" and "Recursion", I was thrilled to get to be an early reader for "Upgrade"!! While this latest tale had much less focus on "time or memory" concepts, it was still very engrossing, as we follow Crouch's hero protagonist, Logan, who is going through a personal "Upgrade" set in our collective near-future. (although at times it did remind me of both the "Six Million Dollar Man" and "Capt. America") The science did not seem too far-blown in this, however, as we all do know about the work on human genome & editing/cloning, et al. I found it quite enjoyable and fast-paced, however, the ending was a bit of a let down. Still massive props & highly recommend. My sincere thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, the exchange of which did not affect my opinions.

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Many thanks to Blake Crouch, Random House - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book. Although I do not read a lot of sci-fi, I read Crouch’s previous book, Recursion, and enjoyed it a lot, so I was thrilled to read Upgrade.

Upgrade has an interesting premise, poses a number of tricky ethical questions, and moves along at a brisk pace. I enjoyed much of it, but found it uneven — for much of the book I felt disconnected from the main character, and then at the end there was a tidal wave of emotion. Also, while I found some of the science fascinating, there were often times when the level of detail really slowed down the narrative.

Overall, an enjoyable read that will no doubt please sci-fi/thriller fans.

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This book was incredible! I loved the pacing, the storyline, and all the twists. I binged this in one sitting and now I’m so sad it’s over. I’ve loved Blake Crouch’s last two books but I think this was my favorite. My only criticism is that sometimes I got a little bogged down in the scientific explanations but rereading them more slowly helped me understand them.

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Blake Crouch is right about one thing: we can’t do nothing. The overarching theme of humans knowing what is going to happen (whether it be in regards to climate change, the pandemic, or other disasters), and yet continuing on as usual, seemingly content to ignore impending disaster, felt very real. I couldn’t even feel much anger towards Kara throughout the novel, because at least she was trying to do something (albeit in a rather misguided way). The concept of gene-editing tools was done very well and created some interesting moral dilemmas, but overall this felt less sci-fi and more Hollywood-action-film. Which was still fun, but at the end I wasn’t completely floored like I was with the author’s other novels.

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Upgrade is the newest form of the scariness of the George Orwell novel "1984". It predicts, hopefully only a little, where humankind is headed if we are not careful. People are not aware of how much of our privacy is being shared because maybe we cannot understand what usefulness there may be in our personal information, especially beyond taking our finances. Upgrade is about genetic information shared without permission and some possible uses for it. There is scientific and political debate and little agreement about the correct course of action.

Scientists are capable of editing out genes that may not be desirable, and there may be good purposes for doing it. Genetic diseases can be removed using technologies currently available. Future generations will be passing on the edited gene, so that disease, condition, or characteristic ends with the edited generation. This is all true for us now. In the book, there are laws against genetic alterations. Of course, only criminal scientists are making new scientific exploration and advances.

Upgrade tells a tale of human hubris, unchecked. In the book, people seem unaware of the way the world is heading. They are not too worried about extinctions, rising water, the heat of the planet and the book explores reasons why this is the case. Only some concerned scientists are willing to do something about it. What they are willing to do may well be too much.

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Holy cow. For one day, I would love to be inside Blake Crouch’s brain. How does he come up with this stuff?? I was terrified all through this, because this can happen!!

I’m so glad Biology and Anatomy/Physiology were my best subjects in school, because he gets pretty scientific with this one. I had to slow down and reread paragraphs to make sure I understood what he was talking about and describing. This isn’t one you’ll fly through, but man was it worth it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!!

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Blake Crouch does it again, as he presents a moral quandary that could leap off the pages into reality in a matter of years. What if genetics really could move past the point of niche science and hit the black market? Would this marvel save the world (resilient crops, cure disease, make life easier) or leave it in ruins (super viruses, plagues, or modifications that mutate into our worst nightmares).

The protagonist, Logan Ramsey, has fought for years to atone for the sins of the past and of his family. Now, he finds himself further entrenched than ever before. After a devastating injury in the line of duty, he finds himself more than a man, but has he lost the very thing that made him human?

Blake's latest novel, Upgrade, brings home the real and present excitement, as well as the potential danger, behind genetic modifications and what they could do our world. Perhaps more profoundly, Crouch asks the reader not just if it is possible to shape the nature world around us; he begs the question, "should we?"

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I love speculative sci-fi and this book was right up my alley. I liked it as much as Dark Matter and Recursion, both of which I also gave 5 stars. This was a fantastic story about what could happen if CRISPR technology had black market availability. Very fast-paced and explosive! Great read and I can't wait for the next from Mr. Crouch.

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I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Once again Crouch has written a thriller -
Logan finds his body transformed - he is stronger, his brain works faster and better etc. Someone has hacked him for an upgrade. Is it possible that this person will cause others to have these changes?? Can Logan stop this from happening? Will they kill him to prevent his interference?

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Once again Blake Crouch forays into the near-future Sci-Fi thriller realm. Upgrade feels somewhere between Michael Crichton and Cyberpunk. It's a cautionary tale about tinkering with genetics, the hubris of science of scientists and the future of mankind combined with a Blade Runner-type Dystopian/post-cataclysmic world all rolled into one. Crouch's full immersion into this type of Science Fiction has brought forth some of his best writing. Although, while it's impressive how much he knows/ has learned about genetics and biochemistry and such, there's a bit too much explanation of it, a lot of which isn't going to make sense to the layman who has no previous understanding of what's put forth in the novel. But overall the story is full of exciting Sci-Fi action.

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I really wanted to like this! And I feel one of few people that really didn't, at least based on the reviews so far.

So you meet a family man fella in the near future who, through a series of events you'll have to read to find out what exactly, gets a major DNA upgrade. Well in this version of the future, that's not cool! So he gets targeted, jailed, and some other stuff happens.

I liked about 40% of this book and just lost interest halfway. Maybe I'm too charmed by Dark Matter. I only felt okay about Recursion. I still think Blake Crouch is an amazing sci-fi writer but this one just didn't do it for me.

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Wow!! Another fast paced brilliant sci fi thriller from Crouch. I could not put it down.

Logan Ramsay has had his genome hacked and starts to undergo a very startling transformation that affects his brain, his body and the way he sees and feels everything. He's been given an upgrade.

He was specifically targeted and without giving anything away, I loved this whole aspect of the book and who targeted him and who was targeted with him and the choices they have to make.

Logan is just the beginning of a much larger plan that will impact all of humanity but at what cost? What will they lose of themselves in the process?

Logan is the one person who can stop what has been put into motion if he chooses and I really loved the decisions that he ultimately ended up making in the end.

I really love the way Crouch brought in entirety of humanity and really made me think about the human potential, limits and our future.

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Upgrade skis the wake of other Crouch stories that explore the limits of what it means to be human. The central character in this story comes from a background of genetic experiments gone bad. Having "made a dent" in his debt to society with a prison term, he further attempts to make good on the debt by embarking on a career with a federal agency to hunt and foil unauthorized genetic experimentation. In the process, he becomes caught up in the web of an attack meant to "upgrade" humanity in an effort to save it from its own long-term destruction. What he learns is that the answer to mankind's survival is not what you would expect.

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Gripping and utterly fantastic. My first Blake Crouch and I will now read more from from him in the future:

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Interesting face-paced sci-fi thriller exploring human gene enhancement in the near future when a mad scientist 'upgrades' her grown children to save humans from self destruction.

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The premise of this book is very interesting. At first reading the description I thought of Limitless but it doesn't follow that line at all. If you enjoyed Dark Matter or Recursion you'll love this book. I flew through this book very quickly and then was sad that it was over. I will definitely purchase this book and read it again. Highly recommend.

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Upgrade by Blake Crouch reads like a made for the big-screen futuristic thriller. Fast-paced., action-packed and a great plot make this a great read. I didn't really understand all of the science information, but appreciate the attention to detail. Crouch's attention to detail and vivid imagination really brings this book to life in my mind.

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