Prior to reading this book I had read 3 other Blake Crouch books and really enjoyed them! It was part of the reason why I requested this one on NetGalley and was so excited when I got approved. From my understanding, this is a re-release of this book.

Run is a post-apocalyptic thriller and throws you almost immediately into the action. If you are somebody who doesn’t like a slow build you’ll probably really enjoy this aspect! For most of the book we as the reader have no idea why this is happening, but you’re also just rooting for Jack and his family to survive. While I didn’t dislike this book, I ended it feeling a bit lukewarm and very neutral about it.

Things I enjoyed:
-The storyline between Jack and his family was really a centerpiece for me
-I appreciated the tension that built in so many scenes - Blake Crouch tends to do this really well across the books I’ve read at least

Things that missed the mark:
-I feel like this story teetered on the edge of being Sci-fi but never committed. I wish it would have so we maybe could’ve gotten more explanation about why this was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this advanced readers copy!

Overall Rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow- this book was really a page turner for me. I was hooked from the minute I started reading it and ended up finishing it in one day. It follows a family as they try to escape from citizens of the US who have become indiscriminate killers. The killers are often working as groups together hunting down people to kill. Run was fast paced and had lots of action. You could feel the tension and stress the family was under on their journey. There were plenty of unexpected turns in the story and it kept my on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have been making recommendations to friends to check it out as well. Thank you to Ballantine Books for the ARC of the new edition.

Listen up fam….this was dark and hard to read. And it genuinely pains me to have to rate this book.

I love Blake Crouch’s books; Dark Matter and Recursion were both amazing, and I rated both 5 stars, so I’m working my way through his backlist. Ironically, Run came available on NetGalley, so I had to check it out. Originally published by Blake in 2011, it is being re-published under his publishing house.

This was suspenseful right from the beginning; my heart was racing so much! Apocalyptic, violent, action-packed. My anxiety was through the roof.

But it was so violent and terrible. Truly horrifying. I had to stop reading multiple times. Maybe I needed to read it at a different time? It was so different from his more recent works that I read so maybe I was jarred by the change. I’m not sure what it was, but the horror of the events made it difficult to read. And irrespective of that, I didn’t like the ending; it felt rushed, a little confusing, and not believable with the rest of the book.

⭐️⭐️ (it pains me, it really does)
New Pub: 10/22/24

Thank you Random House Ballentine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Run by Blake Crouch was a WILDDDDD ride!!

I'm not totally one for an apocalyptic thriller (I've never seen an episode of Walking Dead...l know), but this book had me completed hooked. At the 60% mark I knew there was no sleep to be had until it was finished.

This is the story of Jack Colclough, his wife Dee, and their children, Naomi and Cole, literally running for their lives in an America gone bananas. Killers have mobilized the country, pillaging and murdering by the thousands, and Jack and his family have left Albuquerque fleeing towards...safety? Their only chance for this ordinary family to survive is to run.

The pacing of this book was top-notch. It definitely kept my heart stopping and I couldn't get to the next page fast enough. If you're looking for an adrenaline-pumping read...it's this one!

It's worth noting that this book was also totally life affirming and had a lot of life lessons within it.

From family drama, to recognizing and appreciating what you have, this book left me extra thankful to be snuggled up with a blanket in a warm house with my family!!!

It looks like this was previously published in 2011 and maybe got a glow up when Blake Crouch's fame took off? This book releases October 22 and is definitely the perfect thriller for the season!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Reading this right when the Northern Lights were visible to the majority of the US was a weird coincidence that really upped the antee yet, it didn’t give me the jitters I was looking for. The plot was certainly intriguing but I wanted more drama as much of the book is a family wandering the wilderness. It definitely felt repetitive and I skimmed a bit because there is only so much “I haven’t eaten in days” content you can read without getting bored. Now knowing this was self-published by Crouch over a decade ago makes this story a little clearer and probably one you could skip.

This seemed really familiar right from the get go. I thought maybe it was very similar to something else I’ve read. But no. I got to one particular scene and realized I had read this one years ago.

Reading this book is like watching an episode of The Walking Dead. Constant moving. Characters in and out. Long periods where the tension builds up. Maybe something happens. Maybe it doesn’t.

Not my favorite Blake Crouch book but still exciting to read.

Trigger warning: Scenes of rape and torture.

This really didn't work for me, probably because there are plot holes and coincidences galore that just never get explained. The ending didn't really work either. I think with what came before, it strained believability.

"Run" was first released back in 2011, but with Crouch's success, it has been re-released. I can't speak to any changes between the 2011 and 2024 version, but can say that this is just a passable horror end of the world book that you can't spend much time thinking about.

"Run" starts off with a woman [unnamed] who goes to a mass grave site and we find out that it contains men, women, children who who were shot and then cut up with chainsaws. She and another man make mention of New York. Then the book follows Jack Colclough and his wife Dee, his 14 year old daughter, Naomi, and 7 year old son, Cole. We don't know what is going on, but know they are fleeing their home and trying to make a run for it. Something has caused most of the Americans to turn suddenly violent and to rape and kill anyone else that is not like them. The book follows the family as they try to get to a "safe zone" in Canada [shades of Stephen King's 'The Stand."]

I don't really have an opinion on the characters we follow. I think because of how Crouch plops into the story, we don't get to see them as a family as much as a family on the run. Some things are revealed here and there, but it's mostly us following Jack for the majority of the story and reading about the things he has seen and he and his family do to survive. I think I had a harder time for why and how the mass murdering started. I won't spoil, but I went okay this is dumb like a thousand times. I think it may have worked better if Crouch had let that part alone. But instead it becomes central and it turns into a whole us versus them thing.

The flow of the book has it's up and downs, no spoilers, but the book moved much quicker when we shifted perspectives, and then when went back again it slowed down a lot. I also can't get away from the ridiculous coincidences that crept up with one character we see at the beginning and end. It didn't even make sense with the central plot point of hey [redacted] makes us murder and kill, but not in this one case cause reasons.

The setting is America, with Jack and his family trying to get from New Mexico to Canada. I think if you drove non-stop, you can get to Canada in something like 30 hours, but of course with the U.S. becoming a wasteland, Jack and family take much longer to get there and there just seems to be stops along the way that are just...I don't know I mentioned Stephen King earlier, it felt like parts of that were trying for "The Stand" vibes and fell. And since so many people were the villains' in this one, you just start to feel disaffected by the whole thing.

I don't know just don't think I was in the mindset to read a book about mass murders and rape right now. Also, I think things would have been a thousand times worse with the fact that most Americans have more than one weapon. So the ending felt very fantastical to me in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this backlist title from 2011. Did I have to suspend all the disbelief in the world that this family survived every horror that came their way? Yes. Was it ridiculously violent and gory? Absolutely. Was it a read that I flew through in just a few hours? Also yes. You will likely find Crouch's evolution interesting if you have read any of his recent novels. This is a nice reminder to take an occasional dive into the backlist.

I loved it!! Very good! Very bad, scary things happened in this story. Not one dull page to read. Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors for a reason and this is it!

Run by Blake Crouch

If you were lucky enough to know that Mr. Crouch self-published this book back in 2011, you may have already read it. Lucky you! I was offered this book as an advance reader’s copy, so I assume that this is a re-release by Ballantine Books. The Acknowledgments give you more details on the history of this book. I had never heard of this book and was excited about reading another book from one of my favorite authors. If you read my reviews of Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade, you know what a fan I am.

Run was written before those books mentioned above. It is Wayward Pines-esque in terms of tone, mood, excitement, and overall breath-taking suspense. It is not a Wayward Pines story, though. I loved it. The first thing you will notice about this book is that it contains no numbered chapters. There are occasional space divisions. I generally do not like books without chapters for this reason. If I like/love the book, I cannot put it down. If you have this problem, beware. I read this book in about a day and a half. I was glued to it.

Starting a few weeks ago, the news began reporting that the aurora borealis would make appearances much further south in the U.S. than ever before. When you begin reading Run, you won’t be able to stop thinking about that. Is the release of this book tied to that? I cannot help but think that it has to be. Maybe just an unbelievable coincidence? Have you seen the aurora lately? How are you feeling? I have not seen it, and now I do not even want to. Ha!

I am not going to spoil anything in this book for you. I have just one last comment. I am a pretty harsh judge of families and family members in books. I seem to run into families who have members making obviously ignorant choices. I have little patience for that. The Colclough family was a wonderful exception to this. The family endures nightmare after nightmare and makes the best possible decisions every single time based on all of the horrific circumstances they encounter. I liked them all…even the kids.

Oh…a reading suggestion: once you finish the book, go back and reread the first section again. I’ll bet you will have forgotten it. I had forgotten it or just not understood the context. It makes for additional closure.

I hope you enjoy Run as much as I did.
Star rating: 5 stars

*this is a republish of Crouch’s 2011 novel* it’s a pretty good, high-action and fast-paced survival thriller, Crouch’s signature character work is still present. I personally definitely prefer his newer sci-fi leaning stuff though. this was fun and quick but not my usual genre choice.

Readers should know that this is not a new book by Blake Crouch, but it rather a wide release of a book he initially self-published in 2011. The novel follows a family on the run as they try to make their way from New Mexico to Canada while fleeing individuals who have been struck by an inexplicable rage virus.

The plot is an interesting premise and I love dystopian fiction. I have had the opportunity to read some of Crouch's more recent sci-fi novels and appreciate his dark, thought-provoking stories. However, I found this novel extremely unpolished and the plot holes distracting. The widespread nature of the virus seemed implausible given its origin, and I was very frustrated by the book's sudden resolution. The book sank to a one-star review for me during an episode of needless body horror and torture that just made no sense to the plot.

I regret that readers might pick up this book thinking that it is a new release from Crouch and up to the caliber they have come to expect from him. I know that I was disappointed that the rage virus was not better developed as a plot point and wish that the publisher had taken this opportunity to assist Crouch in crafting a better version of this novel.

Run by Blake Crouch was a WILDDDDD ride!!

I'm not totally one for an apocalyptic thriller (I've never seen an episode of Walking Dead...l know), but this book had me completed hooked. At the 60% mark I knew there was no sleep to be had until it was finished.

This is the story of Jack Colclough, his wife Dee, and their children, Naomi and Cole, literally running for their lives in an America gone bananas. Killers have mobilized the country, pillaging and murdering by the thousands, and Jack and his family have left Albuquerque fleeing towards...safety? Their only chance for this ordinary family to survive is to run.

The pacing of this book was top-notch. It definitely kept my heart stopping and I couldn't get to the next page fast enough. If you're looking for an adrenaline-pumping read...it's this one!

It's worth noting that this book was also totally life affirming and had a lot of life lessons within it.

From family drama, to recognizing and appreciating what you have, this book left me extra thankful to be snuggled up with a blanket in a warm house with my family!!!

It looks like this was previously published in 2011 and maybe got a glow up when Blake Crouch's fame took off? This book releases October 22 and is definitely the perfect thriller for the season!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Blake Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this book is brutal. The horror of close up warfare, loss of humanity, end of the world apocalyptic events and my personal worst - mountain climbing without a map. I could not put this down. I didn’t realize when I got the ARC from NetGalley that this was a re-release of Blake Crouch’s first novel. It was my first exposure to his books but won’t be my last. Propulsive, ominous, mysterious and sad - highly recommended.

No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run.
Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.
Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation.
Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold.
Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize.
One day ago, the power went out.
And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.
Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son. He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past. His only chance is to run.

This book follows Jack Colclough & his family as they travel across the U.S. trying to reach the Canadian border where they hope they will be safe. They have no idea what they are up against when they leave home. The scenes reminded me of those in the Walking Dead, only without zombies. Instead, there were a lot of gun-toting murderous men & women bent on killing anyone that did not also have "the glow". What caused "the glow", you ask? Apparently seeing the auroras that had lit up the skies of the entire United States and Northern Mexico. Before reading this book, I had always wanted to see an aurora, but I have never had the opportunity. Now, I don't know that I want to anymore. This book was excellent. It set me on edge, kept me captivated the entire book, had me wanting to tell other people about it. If you are a fan of high octane thrillers, then you should definitely check this out!

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.