I understand this was Crouch's first book so I don't want to be too harsh but it was certainly lacking, at least compared to his more recent novels which I have loved. The idea doesn't feel unique. I never really had any attachment to any of the characters. It just overall felt a bit underdeveloped.

Blake Crouch’s re-released debut novel Run combines the very human savagery of The Purge, with the hectic horror of 28 Days Later, testing the resolve of one family against the worst elements of nature, and the capacity of human violence!


Having read his recent works, Recursion, Upgrade, and Dark Matter, I was intrigued to find a new review copy by Blake Crouch in my ARC rotation, and quickly grabbed it, thinking it was a new novel. Part of me felt bamboozled when I discovered this was a re-issue of one of his earliest novels. Changing gears, this was a good exercise in observing the path of growth of the author, by going back to the beginning!

Blake Crouch has always toyed with intriguing concepts in his sci-fi novels, but he made his start in the spookier side of the horror-thriller genre. Run is a post-apocalyptic survival horror novel following one family’s harrowing struggle to survive a world infected with homicidal mania, thereby showing the true power of the human spirit contrasted with the very worst that mankind has to offer.

Unfortunately, Run felt rough around the edges and highlighted Crouch’s earlier beginnings before he got into his own. The novel, being marketed as hectic survival horror, failed to capture the hectic aspect of the pitch, owing to the author’s uneven pacing, always maintaining more distance between our protagonists and the horrors of the world being inflicted upon them.

Crouch spends an inordinate amount of time putting the family against the forces of nature, in seemingly scenic locations from the wide open arid spaces of New Mexico to the frozen climes of Colorado, as the family miraculously makes their way through the breadth of the country in hopes of escaping the plague of violence. The backdrop made large swathes of Run feel more like a showcase of Americana, rather than being another malicious force against which the family has to test their mettle. In regards to the location, Run is found wanting.

The horror is presented to us in the form of an “unexplained” reason that has driven major portions of humanity wild with bloodlust and rage, inflicting sadistic ultraviolence on those unaffected by their condition. Crouch tries to impress upon us the visceral nature of the horrific side of humanity as our protagonists have run-ins with marauders, raiders, and all kinds of frankly, generic baddies. Perhaps, this is an artifact of us consumers being inured to these tapestries of violence, with universes like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, both of which do significantly better jobs of creating bleak yet terrifying set pieces. By contrast, even the most harrowing parts of Run largely failed to inspire the adrenaline rush that would keep a reader invested in horror in prose.

Much of the horror also feels subdued by the fact that our leads are hyper-competent protagonists, with adamantium plot armor. Our lead protagonist, Jack is a paragon of calm-under-terror, showcasing survival and combat skills that make no sense against his own character brief. Brushing off serious bullet and blade injuries throughout the book, he also shrugs off the psychological malaise that would have made Run a much deeper read in more profound hands. His wife, Dee, a smidge less technically competent, is yet another powerful archetype of skill under fire, taking away more of the dread the reader would feel as they follow more “normal” people put in these horrific situations. Their interpersonal conflict felt incredibly hamfisted and caused more eye-rolls than added to their character dynamics. Throw in two generic children with bog-standard personalities for their character briefs, and you have a tired trope of a family in survival horror.

Crouch really throws every survival horror cliche at us, with moustache-twirling opportunists, to cult-like religious settlements, coming off more as a list of plot checkpoints that our protagonists are pulled towards, yielding a rather anemic product.

Run fails to incite horror by having uneven pacing, and unbelievably competent protagonists, set against horror set-pieces that are cliched creating very little sense of terror, either psychological or physical. Crouch proves yet again that he is among the better authors when it comes to writing a concept brief but continues to fumble while executing his own ideas.

4.5⭐️

This was such a fast paced, non stop, gripping apocalyptic thriller! I absolutely flew through this book.

Really not much to summarize - this story follows Jack Cloclough and his family as the flee north from the chaos and extreme violence that has suddenly gripped the nation. There’s plenty of violence and disturbing scenes, topped off with what I thought was a very satisfying ending.

As someone that had only read Crouch’s newer novels, it took a minute to adjust to the style of this older book that is about to be republished. I was expecting more of the sci-do elements I’m used to, but this was just non stop action without much explanation or speculation as to what was going on. Which did definitely make it a page turner!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital advanced copy! Despite this being a rerelease, I was still SO thrilled to receive a Blake Crouch ARC😍

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors so when I saw Run on NetGalley I had to put in a bid for an arc. I didn’t realize that this was his first novel that put him on the map. He self-published this book in 2011 and it is now just releasing in the States.

This book is a wild ride. Not quite the twisty layered inception style book that has become his signature, this is a pure edge-of-your-seat action thriller. The suspense was almost unbearably so. I was page-turning late into the night with heart-pounding adrenaline.

Full disclosure, this is a fairly bleak book. There is violence, humanity at its worst, carnage, genocide and it’s mostly giving frantic desperation. If I had to liken it to something, I’d say The Purge or even a zombie movie.

There were some plot holes but just as I enjoy movies like Die Hard or John Wick, because they are exciting and entertaining, you’ll need to suspend your disbelief and roll with the punches.

If you’re looking for the next page-turning plot-driven binge read, make sure you pick up this banger now!

Blake Crouch is one of today's best sci-fi writers and I love how he weaves thriller aspects into his stories! Dark Matter is still my favorite.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I like post apocalyptic stories and this one was fast paced enough for me. Family of four on the run from violence? Sign me up. Jack's family were a little unlikable but I was able to power through. Blake Crouch books are must-read books for me so I'm glad I was given this ARC. Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

“‘Are they going to shoot at me, Daddy?’
‘They might, Cole.’
‘Why?’
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅.”

Holy action, Batman. This book never let up! I think it would make a fantastic dystopian movie. It kind of reminded me a bit of the premise of The Walking Dead.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was originally self published by @blakecrouch1 in 2011 and I am so happy for him that his very first breakthrough novel will now be available in stores!

The audiobook is narrated so well. Scott Brick really keeps that momentum going and the action and stress high, so much so that if I could have listened to it faster just to know what was going to happen I would have.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Random House-Ballantine, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was iffy on this book going in, since I’m not really a fan of apocalyptic books but oh my gosh did I love this. About half way through, I was hooked and binged the rest in one evening. I felt so emotionally connected to the characters by the end. This is my second book by Blake Crouch, and I’m a huge fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5 rounded up.
It was an action packed story for sure, but I wish we learned more about the phenomenon behind the attacks. Plus it seemed that all the plot points went the same way - characters find salvation and food/shelter, people find them, they run. Rinse and repeat. And the wife and kids characters were not likable and made the whole experience of being stuck in a car that much more unbearable.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I’m out of breath after reading this book.

Phew! I’ve read and loved 3 of Blake Crouch’s other books, and this one might be a top-contender for “most likely to put me on edge”. The premise of this book is what drew me to it, and the action starts right from the first few pages. I will say that the first 1/3 of the book felt a bit slow in certain ways and maybe a little repetitive, even though there was a lot going on plot-wise. That said, that was a pretty minor issue for me.

I found myself picking this up every chance I got, and the race to find out what was going to happen to these characters kept me going. There were times where things got a little gory, but nothing too intense. I really enjoyed how we got dual POV between Jack and Dee for a lot of the book, and it was great seeing what each of them was going through/thinking during those moments. I loved how Crouch packed such an emotional punch with the character dynamics; it helped balance all the action. The fast-pace keeps up all the way to the last chapter, and I was really happy with how everything wrapped up.

This book was non-stop action from start to finish. In Blake Crouch fashion he hooks the reader in right at the start and makes it very difficult to put down. In this story we are following a family who heard their name on a national broadcast of people are going to be unalived if they don’t escape fast enough as an epidemic of violence and murders has occurred throughout the country. There is a big vibe of the apocalypse and end of the world that permeates the whole book as we follow the family on through run. I was rooting for them the entire time and became invested in the plot. I am surprised that this book has not had more buzz, I totally recommend it.

4/5 Stars

This takes place in a world where something (or someone) has caused some people to “change” in such a way they violently kill those that haven’t “changed” and we follow a family of 4 trying to survive. For a good part of this book I had no idea what the heck was going on. It was hard to put down because it was broken up into short sections and had a lot of dialogue which made it easy to read. I also kept thinking if I just read a little more I would understand what was happening. It was extremely fast paced and a very compelling read and I really felt a sense of fear when it came to encountering some of the crazy people, but the lack of emotion from the characters (especially from the mom and dad) about the whole situation in general was a bit frustrating. It wasn’t very realistic or genuine, UNTIL the last quarter of the book. Another thing that was strange about Crouch’s writing was the lack of pronouns. There were so many sentences that should have started with “He” or “She” or “They” and he just dropped the pronoun. For example: Went on. It was really annoying. The last quarter of the book, though was excellent and I really enjoyed the ending. I think he really nailed it. His characters also started showing real emotions at the end that I could relate to. It’s obvious that this was an early work by Crouch, but still quite excellent. Definitely recommend!
***Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Crouch actually wrote Run over a decade ago; this publication is a reissue. I didn’t read the original, so I’ve no idea if if he’s made any significant changes to it, but it’s very much in character for Crouch’s work. The premise itself is your run of the mill dystopian scenario – essentially the world as we know it is ending, and the protagonist is racing to get his family to safety. At this point such things are a dime a dozen.
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Crouch doesn’t break any new ground with the genre here, but he puts his own spin on it. While Run has action in plenty and will easily keep your eyes glued to the page even when they ought to be closing in slumber, the best thing about the book is actually the protagonists. Jack, Dee, Naomi, and Cole – parents and their two children, on the book’s namesake trek - could be any family from anywhere, but as Crouch often does, he turns his characters inside out and takes the reader along for the emotional roller coaster ride. Every single one of Crouch’s books is a journey of discovery as his protagonists find things within themselves that they never expected to find, often leaving the reader touched in profound ways as well, and Run is no exception.
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for the review above, but I will eventually purchase the final version. Run is the kind of book that, having finished, you sit with for a spell. And then read again. 5⭐️.
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#run #blakecrouch #bookstagram #bookreviews #booknerds #booklover #booklife #netgalley

When I requested this ARC, I didn't realize that this was a rerelease from Crouch's backlist but I'm so glad that I discovered this title. In Run, people exposed to the Northern Lights become violent. The MCs are a family of four on the run from this violence.

This was an entertaining read but Crouch's writing has clearly improved in the intervening years since this title's original release. A funny, frothy thriller but nothing exceptionally original.

This book was emotional whiplash and stress in written form. I spent most of the book feeling the panic of the characters and wanting to know what on earth caused their world to devolve into chaos and craziness. Read if you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic novels or if you’re looking for a book to raise your heart rate to unsafe levels.

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors and I really wish this would have worked for me, but unfortunately it didn’t. This was obviously one of his earlier books because it just didn’t have the same vibes, but that’s okay! It shows that he has grown so much! This was a family oriented thriller that was pretty gripping with each chapter ending with a cliff-hanger, but this is very repetitive and felt more like a mob/action movie. I prefer his sci-fi dystopian tales, so this just wasn’t a new fave of mine but I still liked it a bit. He’s still a fantastic storyteller and writer but the ending was also pretty ambiguous. Overall, not terrible and I do recommend it, but also not a new favorite.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was originally published 13 years ago, but it could have been written last week. In a country filled with political division and then a major viewing of the northern lights (hey! sound familiar?), people start behaving erratically, attacking and killing those around them. The reader follows a family trying to escape the violence. Parts are a tad too unbelievable, and I wish there had been a clearer resolution the initial problem, but it was a thrilling adventure that feels a bit too realistic/possible.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC of this insane survival/horror read!!

I love Blake Crouch, and this one didn't disappoint! HOWEVER--you *will* be disappointed if you go in expecting a deep understanding of sci-fi that are prevalent in his other works. This one isn't about the science or navigating the science. This one is about *surviving* it.

What would you do if seemingly overnight, your neighbors and friends suddenly became blood thirsty, violent people? If they were hunting you to torture and kill you? But...it's not just your neighbors and friends. It's a large portion of the entire United States population. We have a nationwide purge that lasts for months and weeks, but not everyone is impacted--you only become a monster if you saw the lights. And if you didn't? You better run.

Y'all this book basically solidified that I will not do well in any sort of apocalypse scenario. I absoLUTELY do not have the will to live through anything even remotely resembling this. And I'm saying that in the "good" times--forget it if I was actually living this scenario. I was HOOKED from the first page and couldn't put this down. Because as much as I don't want to live it, it absolutely feels like you're part of this family of 4 running from something you don't understand to a place you don't know is safe.

Are the characters loveable? Not really. Was I necessarily cheering for them to survive? Also know. Do I 100% expect to look at reviews and read how awful everyone found the FMC? SURE DO! But that's honestly one of the best parts of this--how do you react when the world falls apart around you? How do you cope? When everything devolves and you just need to SURVIVE--what kind of person are you willing to become to keep your family safe?

The short chapters, the time jumps, and the dialogue all make you feel as though you're living through it too. The suspense is amazing, and it's violent and gruesome without being overly gory and "ick" inducing. If you read James Patterson's "Zoo" and wondered what it would be like if people were the ones impacted--this book is absolutely for you!!

Blake Crouch is an auto-read author for me. It doesn't matter what it is, if he wrote it, I will read it. So I was very excited to receive an ARC of Run. I had high expectations after Dark Matter and Recursion, but unfortunately, Run wasn't up to par with them.

Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting premise, and was entertaining, but I felt like it kept repeating. They run, they stumble upon the 'bad' people. They hide. Then they run some more. Then they hide, etc. Then suddenly, it is just over?! How?! Why?!

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Run in exchange for an honest review.

Theme/Tropes: Thriller, Survival Story, Apocalyptic Sci Fi

This book is nothing if not a story of enduring love and survival. As a global events causes people to go into a murderous frenzy one family must try to escape and survive as the world falls apart.

This book is violent and graphic at times as it is a book for those who loved the survival aspect of shows like The Walking Dead. It lives up to the name Run as this is what most of the book is about. I found myself engrossed in their survival story and wanting to see an happy ending for this family. The end was worth the wild ride and the endless ups and downs. I felt myself cheering for Jack and his family as they beat the odds.

This is not a light hearted story and please take care of yourself if you as sensitive to certain themes. I could see this being a tough read for some audiences but overall I did enjoy it. The writing style, character development and the overall story made it hard to put this one down.