Run (just rereleased after being self-published in 2011) is very different from Crouch’s most recent sci-fi novels. This is more of an entertaining apocalyptic suspense/thriller (similar to a lot of movies I feel like I’ve seen). The interesting premise drew me in right away, but it got bogged down by the inconsistent pacing and plot holes. While I enjoyed the story as a whole, I was a bit let down by the ending, which could’ve used more explanation/resolution. I’m giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the entertainment factor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was intense from beginning to end! This story starts with a family of 4 running for their lives. They have no idea why there are people trying to kill them, but they run from everyone and anyone. They don't know who they can trust.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, non-stop action, apocalyptic thriller, this is the book for you! I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it very hard to put down. Just as a warning, there are many scenes in this book that are VERY descriptive and gruesome.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Bantam House Books for the ARC.

3.5 Rounded Up

I've previously read this author and really enjoyed the scientific aspect of his stories, so this one was a little different. Overall I enjoyed this one, and it was a pretty easy read as well. It's definitely more action than story plot, and the characters aren't super likeable (even the children). I'm glad this wasn't my first experience with a Blake Crouch book, but I would still recommend this book if you're looking for a quick action-y/suspense read.

I’m a big Crouch fan and have loved most of his work. It started with Dark Matter and Recursion and then expanded in to some of his earlier works. I think Run is a solid thriller but doesn’t quite have the magic present in Crouch’s later books.

We’re still gifted with Crouch’s direct punchy prose which manages to be both efficient yet still includes some very vivid imagery. There was one scene where my acrophobia had me going nuts. The pacing is FAST. The book starts off in chaos and really only goes up from there. It was difficult to put the book down (sans mountain climbing scene of course :D).

I will say there are some aspects that make it evident it’s an early work of Crouch’s. The characters aren’t very lovable. Honestly, I was rooting for some of the side characters they briefly meet over the family. And also, Cole Colclough? I’m not sure if Crouch ever said that full name aloud. The story is very cinematic and I struggled with that aspect of plausibility. I enjoyed where the ending seemed to be heading but then comes to an abrupt stop which was a bit unfathomable. It’s kind of like we’re driving super fast in a car with Crouch and then realize a cliff is up ahead and he just jumps out and lets the car keep going.

Overall, it’s still a really solid read. The aurora aspect was neat but I would’ve loved some more detail on the why and how of that. Crouch is up there in my top authors and this book only solidifies that stance. It lacked a bit with characterization and storyline, but the pacing and writing are all Crouch. I can’t wait to see what else he puts out into the world.

Loved this, but I always love crouch, I haven't read one that I didn't at least enjoy reading.

This isn't my favorite but it's not bad at all, and had the good thriller writing I look for on his books.

This reminds me less of Wayward Pines and Dark Matter and more of a traditional thriller, something very John Grisham, which I love lol.

Check this out if you want a good solid read and love Blake's writing.

Don't be disappointed this isn't Dark Matter

Run by Blake Crouch had me on edge from the first page. The story followed Jack, his wife Dee and their two children as they tried to survive massive attacks as they fled their home. I finished the book but it gave me nightmares. It was overly gory and detailed. I enjoy Crouch's other books but this was not for me.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I believe this book was a rerelease but nonetheless it was thoroughly enjoyable! The perfect story for a road trip or anytime you want to stay up late reading. It’s a non stop adventure from the very first page to the last! There’s so much action and adventure and nail biting moments as you cheer this family on and I was just hoping they made it out unscathed. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves continuous movement and if you’ve read any of his other books, his style of writing is always on point!

The writer's first, self-published book, re-released! It's a fabulous tale and also a look at how the writer has gotten even better in his craft. His themes remain the same: In a sci-fi universe, how does a man save his family? So glad I got to read this.

This was my first time reading a book by Blake Crouch and it was so good! This story had my heart racing and thinking about what I would do in the same situation. I highly recommend for something fast paced!

I love Blake Crouch books and this did not disappoint! This one was definitely more gruesome and chilling than the other books I’ve read by him but I wasn’t sad about that. It was page turning, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The end did sort of fall flat and didn’t feel like it really came together as much as I wanted it to but the rest of the story was good so I’ll allow it. Definitely faster paced and thrilling and easier to read than some of his other books! Highly recommend!

💀🪦𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🪦💀

📖: Run by Blake Crouch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫{4.5}
KU🚫

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, non-stop action, apocalyptic thriller, this is the book for you! I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it very hard to put down cuz I was a little stressed the whole time lol. Just as a warning, there are many scenes in this book that are VERY descriptive and VERY gruesome. This one really delves into questioning what how far you will go to protect those you love and humanity in general. I wouldn’t say this one was overly unique, but it was a wild ride that I would recommend for sure!

The majority of the US population seems to have gone mad, there are mass murders taking place all over. Jack and Dee are forced to flee their home in Albuquerque with their teenage daughter and young son, but it seems there is no safe place to run to. A large majority of the population seems to have been ‘infected’ and have all grouped together to torture and murder the non-afflicted people. But what caused it? And where will they go? And what lengths will they go to in order to protect their family?

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🪦thrillers
💀 non-stop action
🪦 questioning humanity
💀 apocalyptic vibes
🪦 lots of (v descriptive) mvrder
💀 dual-ish POV

𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦.”

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛, 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝙰𝚁𝙲. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

This edition of Run is a re-release of the author's self-published novel from 2011. After murderous rampages break out across the US, Jack packs his wife and two kids in a car and heads out to places more sparsely populated. Attacked at every turn, the family fights to survive with little water, less food, and no plan.

There is an explanation for what caused the violence. To say it's a stretch of the imagination is an understatement. However, the author's writing style makes up for it. Short sentences in short paragraphs ramp up the tension and push the action at blazing speeds. There is no character development for the kids, but the parents learn valuable lessons about what is important in life and how far they would go to protect those they love.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of the author and to those who love fast paced action.

Not family friendly due to profanity and the sometimes graphic violence (the body count is ridiculously high).

Right from the beginning I have to say I usually read epic fantasy and science fiction. I wanted to travel a little bit outside of my comfort zone and this seemed like a very interesting synopsis.

As far as the characters go, you’re following a family that is currently traveling across country in hopes to find a safe Haven from a recent apocalyptic type event that resulted in a good percentage of the population going homicidal. The story is told in the third person which I feel like really doesn’t do the characters thoughts and emotions much of a service which seemed a little more important for this type of story. I did not really connect with the characters until more than halfway through and even then I feel like it was very surface level.

The majority of the story takes place on the open road or traveling in open fields. I think this is a normal expectation for this kind of story however, it felt very redundant as you got further into the story the characters are in the car. The car breaks down, they’re walking, they find another car, the car breaks down, they’re walking, etc.

The writing style again was not something I’ve really read before, it felt very broken up, I’m not sure if that is the right way to describe it but a scene start and then abruptly stop and another one would start but this every paragraph half the time. So it felt like you were getting a snapshot of what was happening. It was very easy to read, not as much description as I’m used to.

The story made sense and was believable and easy to wrap your head around. The concept didn’t come off as outlandish, which I enjoyed. It kept me somewhat engaged when they would randomly provide a little bit of information about what potentially could’ve caused people to go homicidal.

Overall, I enjoyed bits and pieces of it, and I’m not sure if I would recommend it unless thrillers were something you read regularly and you were looking for a little bit of suspense and gore rather than character development and depth.

WOW. THIS IS ACTION PACKED!

I won’t recap the plot, but from page one I was extremely stressed out about this book and could not put it down. It’s one of those you’ll stay up all night reading it type of books because there is no way to fall asleep midway.

I loved the mom in this book. (Ok, minus her slowly packing at the beginning during a crisis.) She was such a bad**s.

I left this book thinking this has to be a movie! Fans of “The Walking Dead,” will love this one!

What an absolute thrill ride of a book! I was completely hooked from page one until the very end. Crouch is a master of pacing and he knows exactly how to ramp up tension to keep you on the edge of your seat while also giving you small reveals along the way. I loved our two protagonists and how flawed they were as characters and I just had the best time reading this one!

I wonder wondering why this one was being re-released but the timing ( after a solar flare - northern lights - people stay up to watch ) I totally get it with all the Aurora Borealis
Viewings around the world in the last year

Overall I had a lot of fun listening to this story - although the wife and the son definitely got on my nerve quite a bit - especially in the early chapters.

It is somewhat violent and not necessarily for the faint of heart

Fast-paced, intense, horrific, and real. Run had me in a chokehold from the beginning with muscular, vivid writing that doesn’t hold back. Crouch is a master at immersive storytelling. Every detail of this is real to me.

When Jack's name is read out on the radio, he and his wife and children go on the run.  This novel's hair-raising, horrific, and heartfelt. The breakneck pace kept me captivated. I couldn't look away. The book took me on an emotional journey through a nightmare event and a marriage. It's a high-impact experience.

There were implausible instances and the ending frame dialogue struck an odd note, yet the novel kept me engaged with relatable characters and excruciating suspense.

Highly recommended to readers of dystopian, apocalyptic, horror, and speculative fiction.

3⭐️

Following an Aurora Borealis that was visible across the United States, people who witnessed the lights start to become violent. In a span of five days, brutal, senseless murders escalate to a full blown apocalypse. Electricity across the country is gone and the Emergency Broadcast System is being used to list the name of people to be killed. When Jack Colclough hears his name on that list, he and his family go on the run towards safety.

I've loved every Blake Crouch book I've ever read, but I can tell this was his first book (currently being republished!). The premise of this sounded very interesting and I can also see parallels in the story to current political unrest which caught my attention. The characters were relatively interesting and there were a lot of cliff hangers that kept me hooked.

But I did feel like the story got a bit repetitive at times. The characters were interesting, but they were also infuriating. I wasn't expecting them to be Doomsday preppers who were ready for the end of the world, but a lot of the mistakes that were made by Jack and his family just seemed like very obvious mistakes. The kids were old enough to realize how bad things were but they did very little to save their own lives. The explanation of the apocalypse didn't feel completely fleshed out; I understand it was the people that saw the lights that went mad, but why? Is it contagious? The end also felt very underwhelming. I'm glad that I read Crouch's newer books first, so I know his writing gets so much better.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing this ARC to me!

After reading Dark Matter, you already know you will become a Blake Crouch fan. Dark Matter is still one of my favorite reads of all time.

This one is definitely different as it was something he self published years ago. Jack, Dee and their two children are on the run. They are being hunted. This is an apocalyptic nightmare. There is not a lot of character development or intricate plot scheming. This is a straight action run-for-your-life slaughter story.

I do think fans of The Walking Dead and violent apocalyptic books/ movies will still enjoy this. I will always be a Crouch fan no matter what!
3.5⭐️

#bookreview Run by Blake Crouch

A sci-fi thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the end. This is an early self published novel by Crouch that recently was picked up. It tells of a family on the run from a sickness that is causing madness in everyone they know.

This was a fun and exciting read that reminded me of many apocalyptic stories like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us. While this is labeled as a scifi this feels more like a thriller, there just isn’t enough of the scifi elements that would make it such.

We follow a family of four through the challenges they face of getting to safety, low resources, other people, the apocalyptic sickness and the dangers of the wild.

I did enjoy this read for the simplicity that it was, it’s exciting and keeps your pulse racing throughout that I didn’t put it down. For me at the tjme of reading this, I was just coming out of a reading slump and I really needed something light and fast paced.

That being said, if you’re looking for the typical feels of a scifi, it really isn’t that. There’s little social dilemma and a brief interaction with the off world and almost no techno vibes. I will add that if you’re new to scifi and want to dip your feet in the genre but are nervous about the technical side of it, this is a great starter read.

Overall it’s a fun read but if you are looking for deep scifi I stress of a beach read, this isn’t the book for you.

Thank you to Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review!