Literally over 300 pages of nothing actually being explained as to why it all happened or how it was resolved. Lazy plot work. This is a generous three star.

I was sweating reading this whole book. After Dark Matter, Blake Crouch could never write a book I don’t enjoy. This book was no different, but was so dark.

This book revolves around a family who is running away from an apocalypse that causes people to murder those around them. The family is trying to outrun the evils that be.

The writing in this book was amazing, and although there are so few characters, the book never felt dull to me. I will definitely be recommending this book.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or pain.”
Revelations 21:4

When I received the ARC of Blake Crouch’s Run I didn’t realize that it is a republication of a book Crouch set-published in 2011. Upon learning that, I came to Goodreads to check out its reviews. I was discouraged to read some less than stellar reviews. Well, I’m glad I decided to read and decide for myself. Four stars from me!
Run follows the typical format of a post-apocolyptical, the sky is falling, fright novel. One man, Jack Colclough, struggles to save his family from unthinkable acts of violence committed by people affected by viewing an unusual aurora borealis.
Jack and his family face nearly insurmountable odds as they race from their home in Albuquerque to hoped for safety in Canada. The trials they face along the way will shock you and keep you flipping pages, anxious to learn the outcome of their escape.
I offer just one caution: some very gruesome stuff goes down in this book! You’ve been warned!
My thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and the author in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for the ARC.

I had fun with this book. It was a perfect fast paced thriller. That being said it didn’t do anything new for me that makes it crazy memorable. But I would still recommend it for people depending on what they were looking for!

When I requested this book to read in advance of release, I had just finished Dark Matter and was so excited by the idea of reading another Blake Crouch novel. What a disappointment to discover this is a re-release of an older novel without any updates from this brilliant author. I am not someone who reads horror and so I was so put off by the extreme amount of violence. I could not finish. So sad that this was not up to this authors usual writing standards.

This was my second Blake Crouch book and it was great! Very entertaining from start to finish. My husband even read this one too and thoroughly enjoyed it! We will be purchasing a copy for our library when it comes out!! With the way the world is right now, it kinda makes you think! Great book, thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

Jack and Dee are an unhappily married couple with two children. They've been having problems for a while now and as their marriage splutters out, the world around them erupts into chaos. The US is tearing itself apart and nobody knows why. All of a sudden a large portion of the population just went feral- parents killing children, husbands killing wives, mass shootings, home invasions- all getting progressively violent until all the power in the country goes out. So Jack throws himself and his family in the car and they run for their lives. With no phones or technology to aid them it's a fight for survival as US civilization crumbles. They have to find somewhere safe for their family, but navigating highways full of convoys of rageful and brutally violent people make travelling in the usual way impossible. As they try to make it all the way from New Mexico to Canada, the trials this family faces pushes everyone to their limits, and Jack and Dee find new life starting to grow in their relationship as the adrenaline fueled journey goes on. This thrilling story is darkly compelling and readers will find it as hard to put down as it is grisly and violent. Crouch writes a very real feeling cast of characters that make this emotional journey worthwhile right to the end.

Run is a story about a family of four going on the run after Jack(the dads) name was announced over an Emergency broadcast system to be killed. His only chance of survival for his family and him is to RUN. An epidemic of rage has begun, power has gone out, and killers are mobile and taking over the country. We follow the family along their journey of survival and see the lengths they will go to in order to save themselves and their loved ones. However, what happens when one of their own is affected??

This story was a very easy and quick read, a gripping apocalyptic thriller, that was sometimes disturbing. Each chapter was filled with intense and sometimes difficult to read action. This story focuses on the strength and courage of our characters, and the persistence to overcome. However, as someone who loves Blake crouch and enjoys his other books, I would have to say this one is my least favorite. There were parts of the story that didn't mesh well together and after reading the whole book did not make sense. Also the story started to feel repetitive after time, for instance run, seek shelter, food and water, survive, killers come, run, seek shelter, food and water, survive, killers come and repeat. This repetitive story made the storyline become predictable, which I found boring the further I got along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for early access to an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Net Galley Arc Review.

Very riveting. I felt genuine fear. I went into this book not knowing anything about it and became hooked from the first page. This was my first Blake Crouch novel. It won't be my last. I felt a sense of impending doom the entire time while reading, "Run." Time flew through this novel. Jack and his families' fight for survival was so tangible. It felt like I was right there running with them. At first, I was unsure about the story's direction as the climax drew nearer. In the end, I was not only satisfied with the conclusion, but the way Blake Crouch chose to address my unanswered questions, 4 stars.

Blake Crouch's latest novel, "Run," is an adrenaline-pumping, heart-pounding thriller that had me hooked from the first page to the last. Known for his mastery in the sci-fi thriller genre, Crouch delivers once again with a story that is as gripping as it is thought-provoking.

The plot centers around Jack, Dee, and their two children who are thrust into a terrifying situation when a select group of individuals across the United States begins a murderous rampage. The urgency and danger escalate as the family is forced to flee their home, embarking on a harrowing journey for survival. Crouch vividly portrays their struggle, capturing the raw emotions and intense desperation as they traverse mountains, scavenge for food, and confront the ruthless killers hot on their trail.

What sets "Run" apart is Crouch's ability to make the reader ponder their own survival instincts. As I followed Jack and Dee's relentless fight for their lives, I couldn't help but think about the lengths I would go to protect my loved ones in a similar scenario. The story's pacing is relentless, making it nearly impossible to put the book down as I anxiously awaited each new twist and turn, eager to find out who would survive.

However, while the book is undeniably thrilling, there were moments when the narrative felt somewhat repetitive. Despite this minor drawback, the intensity and suspense never wavered, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout.

"Run" is a testament to Blake Crouch's prowess as a storyteller. It's a chilling, thought-provoking adventure that challenges both its characters and its readers. If you're a fan of high-stakes survival tales and enjoy pondering the darker aspects of human nature, this book is a must-read.

I didn't realize this was a re-printing of an older Crouch book when I requested it; I've already read this! Didn't realize that until I was a fair amount into my second reading - trials and tribulations of being a committed bookworm!

Holy hell…probably my favorite Crouch book. Definitely not for everyone, a very heavy book the entire time but so addicting. By the far the fastest I’ve read a book this year. I cannot explain the suspense and dread you will feel while reading but what an incredible experience.

Run by Blake Crouch was originally published in 2011 and is being rereleased in October this year.

This is the story of a family on the run in a post-apocalyptic world. People everywhere have turned violent and nowhere is safe. The family is trying to survive when almost everyone they encounter wants to kill them. The details in this story are truly horrific. Holocaust level unimaginable annihilation. I can’t say I enjoyed reading it. I was drawn in by the suspense at times and bored and wanting to skim at others. It’s a very fast paced story and I wanted to know what was going to happen, so I kept picking it up.
Be aware there are many details and images that could make a person sick. It’s truly horrific.

I absolutely loved Recursion and Dark Matter was good as well. Crouch’s newer titles are more my style than this one. I look forward to what he writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Run.

* spoiler alert ** **Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC from Blake Crouch's original self-published "Run".**

★★★/5 - I would call this a strong 3 star review. With the author's more recent novels and seeing his true potential with 4 and 5 star books, "Run" ends up with a solid 3.

First off, the book's pace is thrilling. I did not mind the short chapters and thoughts that organized the story of the book. It kept me reading and was a refreshing style not found in other books.
Secondly, I found the possible reason of the phenomenon caused by the lights fairly interesting, but the author kept it enough of a mystery and didn't ruin it by trying to explain and rationalized something that likely wouldn't have been possible.
Thirdly, the characters were unlikable in the beginning, but being a good author and taking the reader through the tragedies and challenges experienced by the family in a post-apocalyptic environment, I grew to like them! Even Cole......
Lastly, a semi-climax of the novel was a slight negative in the story for me. Specifically, the meetup between Jake and his wife, Dee's, side lover. That took the story for a bit of an odd turn, especially when even Dee ends up in the same location to save the day. I know the location was a significant one in Jake and Dee's relationship, but it was the hardest part to believe in the story (aside from little Cole climbing a mountain his parents could barely climb).

Overall, it was a quick and easy read with a lot of enjoyable, and horrifying moments in a story that relates to how a family would react in a post-apocalyptic world.

★★★/5

R/
Aldo

I started this book while waiting for new episodes of Dark Matter to be released on Apple+. I just can't get enough of Blake Crouch, and Run certainly satisfied that itch. 

An epidemic of rage swept the nation, culminating in utter chaos and senseless killings. After the power goes out nationwide, Jack Colclough hears his name on his battery-powered radio, calling for his murder. He and his wife waste no time getting their children in the car and running— knowing that the affected will be at his door soon. Whatever happened turned seemingly normal people into bloodthirsty killers, and no one knows why. 

This thriller is quite violent and unsettling, keeping you on the edge of your seat for the entire novel and making you question what you would do if the world went topsy-turvy and you didn't know who to trust. Where would you go? And who would you want by your side?

After reading Dark Matter and Upgrade, this was a letdown. Heavy on the gore and violence and light on the sci-fi. A family is running for their lives literally the entire book, which makes it a quick read. But there was no substance to it. Try the author's newer books instead! 2.5 stars

I love Blake Crouch's books! If you love his others, definitely try this one out! This one is horror, post-apocalyptic, and science fiction.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the ARC.

This was intense. I don't know that I have ever read a book that was so intense when for the majority of the story you didn't really know what was happening, or why it was happening. You just know your characters need to run at a minute's notice. The dark setting and the intensity of the high stakes for Jack, Dee, Naomi and Cole gave very much The Walking Dead vibes. Where every day is a struggle to live, to keep going somewhere, but not knowing if that somewhere would be worse and if there was any true actual escaping whatever is going on. It is not a relaxing story in the least, I felt onthe edge of my seat the whole time, and worried for this family. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this!

3.75

Tbh this book scared me a lot more than I expected it to? That's fully on me though, I should have read the summary more carefully and thought about it before reading it.

Plot-wise, it didn't feel the most original. Basically, Jack and his family are on the run after their names are called out on the hit list. They run through the mountainous part of the country (Wyoming, Colorado, etc), trying to find food and to survive the other humans. Some of the population has gotten extremely violent, trying to kill as many others who are unaffected as possible, in pretty brutal ways.

I liked the family aspect of it as Jack reignites his relationship with his wife Dee after their emotional separation, and both Dee and Jack work really hard to protect their 14 and 7-year-old kids. I thought the inclusion of the children was interesting as they felt realistic--most kids their age would react like that to the circumstances, unlike other survival books where the kids act much older than they are.

However, I had a couple issues with the plot. First, it wasn't hugely original, as I said earlier. I read 5th Wave within the last year and the survival aspect felt pretty similar. Also, as other reviewers have said, I wish we zoomed out a little and explored the humanity aspect of what was going on. <spoiler>the rage being caused by the aurora and then suddenly going away could have been expanded on so much more, especially focusing on themes of morality and evil. Cole was affected by the aurora but never went "crazy". why is that? Why did we not explore that? What about showing the aftermath of the people who were affected--how did they cope with all the violence they committed? because after all that stress, I like a happy ending.

Overall, this was a very thought-provoking book. It's very short so it's not a huge time commitment which is a great plus. I just wish it looked more at some of the deeper themes rather than focus in on the family and their attempt to survive.

Oh my gosh, this was so unsettling and terrifying. This stayed with me long after I turned the last page, Blake Crouch continues to tick all the eerie boxes leaving you unsettled about the world.