I was really excited when NetGalley gave me an e-Arc for this particular novel. I have loved almost every novel I've read by this author so when I saw this on the website, I immediately clicked on it.
 
You can tell this was an early Blake Crouch where he was still fleshing out his style. I wanted to like this novel, and I tried so hard to get into the story. I will admit the book was unputdownable and I blazed right through, however I was left a little empty handed at the end wishing for more plot, more character development, and just a sense of what just happened. It had a kind of Stephen King effect without the real character development. It's not that I would not recommend the novel, but if someone had already read this author, I would warn them this was not exactly his best work. Worth reading, but not something to put at the top of your TBR.

Blake Crouch's books are a ton of fun, and Run was no exception. The story is filled with non-stop action with that "end of the world as we know it" tinge to it. I don't always love those types of books, primarily because there isn't much plot beyond running away to a new location. Even so, the main character Jack and his family ran into a lot of setbacks, all of which were entertaining - and a bit disturbing.

This isn't a literary masterpiece (it is Crouch's first book, after all) and this book didn't break any new ground, but it was undeniably a page turner. Dark Matter or the Wayward Pines series are better bets, but if you're looking for something quick and fun, don't cast this one out.

Full of apocalyptic action and intense dark scenes! I fell in love with this authors writing in Dark Matter and RUN did not disappoint. I had the best time reading it and it waa quite a ride! Cannot wait for the next books Blake Crouch releases!

After reading Dark Matter and then this, I don’t think I will be reading from this author again. Really do not prefer how he writes out the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for ARC.

I loved this author’s previous books. This one was entertaining but not unique. I enjoyed it while reading it but I may not remember which book it was a month later.

Well, I think this is my favorite book by this author because I was just entertained and didn’t have to contemplate so much sci-fi content like how parallel universes happen. This book is more dystopian sci-fi and is action multiplied all the way. Jack and his family are on the run after some sort of auroral event occurred and people who witnessed it are compelled to kill anyone who didn’t see it. The book is fast paced and there are a lot of exciting and narrow escapes. There isn’t much character development but that didn’t seem necessary when the entertainment is constant. I did have some difficulty with so many gory scenes and this could definitely be a trigger warning for some readers. But I enjoyed the book overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for providing me with an eARC of Run in exchange for my honest review!

What a brutal and tense book from Blake Crouch, whose writing I've already greatly enjoyed via Recursion (one of my all-time favorite sci-fi novels) and Dark Matter. Following Jack and his family as they try to outrun the monstrous humans who are suddenly bursting with rage and committing massacres, this ends up becoming a different type of book compared to what I'd read from Crouch before. Recursion and Dark Matter draw you into sci-fi mindfucks that force you to question your reality, while Run keeps things relatively more grounded. Because of that, it does come across more formulaically, almost (but not quite) like I'm reading a zombie tale. To be clear, though, it's still gripping to dive into thanks to the suspense and the devastation that Crouch is able to pump into his tale. I'm a little surprised at how vicious this is wiling to get with its violence, but it does effectively convey just how terrifying and barbaric this new world is.

Overall, I'm officially rating Run 3.75 out of five stars, which I'm rounding up to four stars. It's not anything too groundbreaking, but the execution remains a blood-pumping sort that continues to keep me invested in Crouch's writing. I'll have to check out another book of his, Upgrade, sometime.

This book just wasn’t for me. It felt very predictable in a post apocalyptic way. I enjoy thrillers but maybe not end of he world types. I do usually enjoy Blake Crouch.

I was initially really intrigued with this story, but it ended up feeling like Leave the World Behind; mysterious and a bit creepy with no real explanation.

The genre is also hard to identify since it’s equal parts horror, thriller, and speculative. But regardless it was never boring and kept my heart pumping!

I wish there was more explanation as to what was going on. I also would have liked to see more of the present day since majority of the book is more of a flash back to the event that only seems to have affected the US.

I would recommend this one to fans of Crouch’s other books and thrillers in general.

Anyone reading this review know of the song, Fuel by Metallica?
“So give me fuel, give me fire
Give me that which I desire, ooh!”

Run by Blake Crouch is a little like that. Instead of fuel, it’s a straight shot of adrenaline being pumped into your veins until the last page.

This book was initially published in 2011, but I believe it was republished this year and I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this one.
I’ve always enjoyed Blake Crouch’s books. They tend to be more on the sci-fi side but that’s not the case with Run.

It’s a gripping dystopian thriller that’s relentless in pace, brutality, action and utter chaos throughout the entire book.

Our main character Jack Colclough and his family are running for their lives.

Senseless murders are happening throughout the entire United States, and the killers have just become organized.
One night over the Emergency Broadcast System, Jack hears his name mentioned. The killers are finally coming for him and his family. He must leave his home, run as fast as he can, and get to a safe place.

Jack still doesn’t understand why rage and murder is sweeping across the United States, but he can’t focus on “why” this is happening. All he can do is run, protect his family and try to survive.

If you enjoy books by Blake Crouch, I think you’ll love this. It’s exciting, overwhelming and I couldn’t put it down.

This was such an interesting read now that I know it was originally self-published. I can see Crouch's trademark voice and style in this story, but I can also see how much his writing has evolved since 2011. I wonder if he had any idea back then how popular his writing would be. In any case, I loved this story. It wasn’t just your stereotypical dystopian story, although it is that. This is a very emotion driven story, which, at its heart, is about a family’s struggles during a dystopian event. How do you survive when you have no idea who to trust and it seems everyone wants to kill you? How do you keep yourself from completely losing hope, even after you’ve lost everyone that depends on you to stay alive? It’s an interesting question. Because in this story, it wasn’t hordes of zombies as the main bag guy and a few bad apples upsetting the cart. In this story, there were far more bad entities than good, and the only monsters were as human as you and I. And in this horrific experience, a family learns to find themselves again. A great story from Crouch. I think I understand where he’s come from now.

Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

2.75 rounded up to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a couple of Blake Crouch's books before (Recursion and Dark Matter), and I absolutely loved them. I have had the Wayward Pine series on my TBR for a hot minute as well, along with Upgrade. When I read the premise for Run, I was excited because this is typically the type of story that I usually really enjoy, and Blake has such unique, disturbing science fiction-esque storylines, I figured it would be groundbreaking. Unfortunately, it fell a little short of my expectations.

As this was originally an earlier book of his, it makes sense that his style was different from his more current books. Sadly, I found the characters to be forgettable and one dimensional, and the plot was just extremely basic and predictable. There wasn't really anything that stood out to me and kept me coming back for more. I didn't necessarily dislike the book, it just didn't stand out and I couldn't really care to even learn the names of the characters because they were so cliche.

That being said, the writing wasn't bad by any means, and there was plenty of action, with crazy secondary characters, which I actually found more interesting than the main ones. It reminded me of a Mad Max type movie, or even something along the lines of The Walking Dead but without zombies. I would say, if you like a more simple plot that's action-movie oriented, this would be great for you. My husband was definitely into this one. It just wasn't for me, I expected more out of the characters and the plot itself.

Five days ago, a rage epidemic began sweeping across the United States. Suddenly groups of people are murdering others for no discernible reason. When Jack hears his name called out over the radio, his only choice is to take his wife and kids and run. What do you do when lawlessness reigns and you don't know who to trust or where to run?

When I saw Blake Crouch had a new thriller, I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy. Only to discover that I was fooled by the marketing for a re-release. Run is far from new; it's Crouch's debut novel and it shows. This survivalist story was a pure-action thriller that rushes you through a brutal apocalyptic world at a breakneck pace. Who needs character development or good dialogue anyway?

I'm a big fan of Blake Crouch and was very excited to read something new from him. I'm actually pretty sure this is a reissue of his older material, but it's still something I hadn't read before. This is an "apocalypse in progress" novel where the protagonists don't get much rest from the very first page. So just know that low hum of anxiety is present from the beginning, and the tension only ratchets up higher and higher as the max dash continues. I think it still needed some spit and polish to make it the same quality as his present day work, but Run is a thrill ride, in any case. Thank you to Netgalley Ballantine Books for the review copy.

This was a quick and entertaining read, but compared to his recent masterclass novels, this one was kind of a letdown. It was fun to see where he started and how far he's come, but overall, it was just meh.

I loved Dark Matter and apocalypse fiction is my jam, so I was so excited to dive into a new novel by Blake Crouch!

This story is pretty dark, even for Crouch. From the opening, the reader is thrust into the world of chaos as it descends upon our characters. The short version is that Jack Colclough is a husband and a father in New Mexico, and people are coming to find him and kill him and his family. He does not know why, and he has no where to go. All Jack knows is they need to RUN (hence, the title!).

One of the things that endears me to Crouch is that all of his book's center around the importance of family and loved ones, and this book is an epitome of that theme. Like I said though, it is dark, so check your trigger warnings!


Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Blake Crouch for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book very quickly - it was definitely a page turner (and a bit more gory than I’m used to) - and my only complaint is that it resembles a lot of other end of the world/family in the run tropes that are popular today. However since this book was written a while back I can’t blame the author for that.

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors and I was ecstatic when I got a copy of Run. This book will grab you by the face in the first chapter and drag you around by your eye sockets until it finally releases you at the last page. If you can actually stop reading this book you have more personal strength than me - I'm glad I started reading this early in the day because I finished it all in one day and I don't know if I could have gone to sleep without knowing how it ended. This book is also super relevant to real life right now - so many people that have "seen the light" that are now out to destroy the lives of others - so reality made the book that much scarier. Highly recommend, you won't be able to put it down.

The country is in chaos as citizens are killing each other and burning towns to the ground. A voice on the radio announces that Jack Colclough is a target for the next hit. Jack's only course of action is to immediately pack up his family and run. It is the only way to save them.

I had a hard time reviewing this book because while I like the premise and Crouch is an incredible storyteller, I just don't think this story was for me. As a parent to young kids in 2024, this story feels all too real and terrifying. It was a little too gruesome for me as well. I will continue to read everything by Crouch, but this one made me very uncomfortable and scared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Run.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher. This is a reprint of a book Blake Crouch published in 2011.

This is definitely not my favorite of his as I couldn’t even finish it. I tried a few times and couldn’t get past 30% which is a great deal of this shorter novel.