Upgrade
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-01 03:19:39
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Blake Crouch
- ISBN：0593157532
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Summary
“You are the next step in human evolution。”
At first， Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different。 He just feels a little 。 。 。 sharper。 Better able to concentrate。 Better at multitasking。 Reading a bit faster， memorizing better， needing less sleep。
But before long， he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain。 To his body。 He’s starting to see the world， and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways。
The truth is， Logan’s genome has been hacked。 And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade。 A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past， and a horrific family legacy。
Worse still， what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan， one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost。
Because of his new abilities， Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion。 But to have a chance at winning this war， he’ll have to become something other than himself。 Maybe even something other than human。
And even as he’s fighting， he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution？
Intimate in scale yet epic in scope， Upgrade is an intricately plotted， lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation， even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential。
At first， Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different。 He just feels a little 。 。 。 sharper。 Better able to concentrate。 Better at multitasking。 Reading a bit faster， memorizing better， needing less sleep。
But before long， he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain。 To his body。 He’s starting to see the world， and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways。
The truth is， Logan’s genome has been hacked。 And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade。 A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past， and a horrific family legacy。
Worse still， what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan， one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost。
Because of his new abilities， Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion。 But to have a chance at winning this war， he’ll have to become something other than himself。 Maybe even something other than human。
And even as he’s fighting， he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution？
Intimate in scale yet epic in scope， Upgrade is an intricately plotted， lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation， even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential。
Reviews
Gayle Noble
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Review to follow。
Jennifer
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Blake Crouch is one of the few sci-fi authors I can 100% trust。 He meshes sci-fi with thriller better than anyone and this one may be my favorite one so far。 The story follows Logan who ends up getting his genetic material modified from a dirty bomb。 What happened to him was the first step to either saving the world from it's self destruction or sinister plan。 Crouch does a fantastic job of creating plausible fantastic stories of science/technology and getting us to consider how far is too far。 Blake Crouch is one of the few sci-fi authors I can 100% trust。 He meshes sci-fi with thriller better than anyone and this one may be my favorite one so far。 The story follows Logan who ends up getting his genetic material modified from a dirty bomb。 What happened to him was the first step to either saving the world from it's self destruction or sinister plan。 Crouch does a fantastic job of creating plausible fantastic stories of science/technology and getting us to consider how far is too far。 Another exciting， thought provoking thriller*Thank you to Random House Publishing group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review* 。。。more
Laura | prose_beforehoes
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Honestly， I was kind of let down by this one。 I felt like the pacing was slower than his last book and there were a lot of unnecessary details。 Disappointing for me since I am a genetics researcher so I felt like the topic of this book was made for me :（
shannon
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OKAY WOW！ per usual， blake crouch got me back on the sci fi kick 🧬what I love most about his novels is the easy blend between science， thriller， and emotional capacity。 and I legit almost failed chemistry and biology， so you know ya girl here will understand probably next to nothing 😅UPGRADE was a perfect blend of all of these elements … except for the emotional end。 the MCs were not fleshed out at all， and when the reader was supposed to care about the characters， I found the backstories and pe OKAY WOW！ per usual， blake crouch got me back on the sci fi kick 🧬what I love most about his novels is the easy blend between science， thriller， and emotional capacity。 and I legit almost failed chemistry and biology， so you know ya girl here will understand probably next to nothing 😅UPGRADE was a perfect blend of all of these elements … except for the emotional end。 the MCs were not fleshed out at all， and when the reader was supposed to care about the characters， I found the backstories and personalities severely lacking。 however， the plot line of gene editing was so realistic that I could see this happening in our not so distant future - and I think that’s the scariest element of them all 🤪🥴logan has a battle with humanity ahead of him， and y’all， I was battling alongside him。 one second， I was like YES SAVE THE LOWLY HUMANS and two seconds later， I remember all of the BS happening in america and I’m like why would you want to save us 😅ANYWAY I love blake crouch’s books and I would die to read another one 🫶🏼 his writing is gorgeous！！！ thank you to ballantine books， netgalley and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest t review！ rating: 4 starswine pairing: california merlot 。。。more
Justyna Pinski
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WOW。 I absolutely love this new novel by Blake Crouch。 I’m not usually a sci-if reader， but this was easily accessible to me as Dark Matter and Recursion were。 This might be my new favorite。 Upgrade is incredibly fast paced and a puzzle that you’ll be more than happy to dive into as a reader。 This reads like a thriller， an unputdownable thriller at that。 This book will have you racing through the pages to see what happens next。
Sarah-Grace （Azrael865）
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This story takes place in a world in a not to distant seemingly future。 The world is falling g apart in ways that you can currently see。 Deserts are expanding; rain （not snow） is falling in the Rockie mountains， in January; Manahattan is under water and only a fit place to live for the massive homeless community。 Geneticists have learned how to re-write DNA code and are using it to try and improve the world， until it back fires badly。 I genetically altered insects were developed to end a crop b This story takes place in a world in a not to distant seemingly future。 The world is falling g apart in ways that you can currently see。 Deserts are expanding; rain （not snow） is falling in the Rockie mountains， in January; Manahattan is under water and only a fit place to live for the massive homeless community。 Geneticists have learned how to re-write DNA code and are using it to try and improve the world， until it back fires badly。 I genetically altered insects were developed to end a crop blight。 Instead they kicked off a global famine。 Gene editing became a crime and scientists in that field， criminals。 Logan is the son of the scientist who started the famine。 He works for the GPA， the police force that captures and monitors gene labs and scientists。 Until an "accident" during a raid turns him into one of the hunted outlaws。 As he changes he becomes aware of a misguided egalitarian plot， but only he has the ability to stop it before the unintended consequences would cause more harm than the good intended。Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine / Random House for the opportunity to enjoy this action packed， sci-fi e-ARC。 。。。more
Megan
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*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions are my own。 Thank you NetGalley！* This is the third novel I've read by Crouch。 The others I absorbed via audiobook - this one， I read as an ebook。 I don't know if it was reading it vs。 listening， but this one， though good， I found uniquely irritating。 It's the story of a man who is genetically "upgraded" against his will， by someone who believes such an upgrade would save humanity from certain eventual extinction。 I *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions are my own。 Thank you NetGalley！* This is the third novel I've read by Crouch。 The others I absorbed via audiobook - this one， I read as an ebook。 I don't know if it was reading it vs。 listening， but this one， though good， I found uniquely irritating。 It's the story of a man who is genetically "upgraded" against his will， by someone who believes such an upgrade would save humanity from certain eventual extinction。 It's an epic tale， and a great idea， but the delivery fell flat for me。 So much time is spent describing Logan's new abilities， it was obnoxious。 His character comes off as perfectly righteous， not quite believable even considering his upgrade。 Overall a good book， but I preferred Crouch's previous works。 。。。more
Ipek A
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Technology has progressed to a point where gene modifications are incredibly simple， however they are heavily regulated， mostly due to a devastating incident Logan Ramsay's family was involved in creating。 To repent Logan is working as essentially a gene editing police。 Following an operation that turns out to be a setup， Logan realizes he's starting to get better at a lot of things， focus， strength and memory。 Soon he realizes there is a lot more to why this is happening and it might have reall Technology has progressed to a point where gene modifications are incredibly simple， however they are heavily regulated， mostly due to a devastating incident Logan Ramsay's family was involved in creating。 To repent Logan is working as essentially a gene editing police。 Following an operation that turns out to be a setup， Logan realizes he's starting to get better at a lot of things， focus， strength and memory。 Soon he realizes there is a lot more to why this is happening and it might have really big ramifications for the world if he can't interfere。This one was incredibly fast paced and made for a great action read！ It was a lot simpler in logic than his previous two books so if you're intimidated at all by his books this one is a great start！ I felt less attached to the characters than i did in dark matter and recursion， which is the only reason why I've rated a little low！Thank you so much Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Heather
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This was about a 3。5 star read for me。 Still enjoyable， as I love Blake Crouch， but it didn't do as much for me as Recursion or Dark Matter。 This was about a 3。5 star read for me。 Still enjoyable， as I love Blake Crouch， but it didn't do as much for me as Recursion or Dark Matter。 。。。more
Jill
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Anything by Blake Crouch has been frequently revered by friends of mine， yet I haven’t read anything by him until now。 Let me just say…Wow！ This story packs a punch。 It brings up the realms of possibilities when man plays with human DNA in effort to perfect the species to survive the possibility of eventual extinction。 Logan works for the GPA， Gene Protective Agency where they monitor those who try to create and implement viruses and such that would affect human genes。 In essence， they are tryin Anything by Blake Crouch has been frequently revered by friends of mine， yet I haven’t read anything by him until now。 Let me just say…Wow！ This story packs a punch。 It brings up the realms of possibilities when man plays with human DNA in effort to perfect the species to survive the possibility of eventual extinction。 Logan works for the GPA， Gene Protective Agency where they monitor those who try to create and implement viruses and such that would affect human genes。 In essence， they are trying to control or regulate human science。 Logan became an agent in an effort to overcome the guilt from a catastrophic event in which his mother， a renowned geneticist， caused a mass calamity worldwide attributed to millions of deaths。 Twenty years later， during a raid， Logan is exposed to a virus which infuses within him that quickly changes his genetic makeup。 He’s been given an upgrade where he is smarter， stronger， almost indestructible。 This had been a dream that his mother had talked about in theory。 Now Logan is seen as a potential threat to the government and needs to be stopped but there is a bigger threat out there – someone else has also been given the upgrade and desires to implement this worldwide。 But Logan realizes there is more to being a super human than high intelligence and he is the only one who can save humanity before it’s too late。 Fast paced， this story grabbed me from the beginning as it wove its way through all the intricacies of science。 This sci-fi thriller about the human genome experience had me reading this story in one sitting， staying up quite late。 Can your DNA be altered？ This book makes you think of all the possibilities and ramifications and that as humans we are not always in control， no matter what which makes some of this scary。 I loved it。 The characters are well developed and the plot is well detailed。 I’m thinking that I will have to check out Crouch’s other books as well now。 This is a book that will make you think long after the last page and is certain to garner a lot of excitement for discussion。 Many thanks to #netgalley #blakecrouch #upgrade #randomhouse for the possibility to read and review this book。 。。。more
Nicholas Masters
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The concepts behind Blake Crouch’s ‘Upgrade’ are so near-future and tangible that they will send shivers down your spine。 What will happen if the field of genetic modification is allowed to progress unchecked？ What will happen if genetic science has the freedom to not only explore concepts and theories， but to actually make changes， en masse， that can impact evolution and our futures？ I do not know， but ‘Upgrade’ definitely explores what could happen。Not only are we introduced to a world where g The concepts behind Blake Crouch’s ‘Upgrade’ are so near-future and tangible that they will send shivers down your spine。 What will happen if the field of genetic modification is allowed to progress unchecked？ What will happen if genetic science has the freedom to not only explore concepts and theories， but to actually make changes， en masse， that can impact evolution and our futures？ I do not know， but ‘Upgrade’ definitely explores what could happen。Not only are we introduced to a world where genetic modification is ‘normal’ （although outlawed and controlled）， we are also reminded of the stark reality that our near-term future is essentially effed if we don’t do something about it as a global humanity。 Blake Crouch does an amazing job of providing a thrilling read， but also implores the reader to consider why the human race is so reluctant to take action to ensure our future is secure。 Lack of intelligence， or lack of empathy （or something else altogether different） is holding us back。 But we certainly cannot do nothing。Anyway， the story is definitely gripping and enjoyable whilst not neglecting the emotional aspects that make us human （damn was that a great Epilogue）。Thanks NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy。 。。。more
Nickie
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3。25As someone in STEM， I’m disappointed in the unrealized potential
Michael
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Thanks to Ballantine Books， Penguin Random House， and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair review。 All thoughts are my own。Stop me if you've heard this before。 A dystopian future wrecked by climate change and other semi-apocalyptic events。 An overreaching police force enforcing questionable laws。 And an officer who quickly finds himself turning into the very thing he's been hunting。 If you immediately thought of a dozen different sci-fi books and movies， that's completely unders Thanks to Ballantine Books， Penguin Random House， and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair review。 All thoughts are my own。Stop me if you've heard this before。 A dystopian future wrecked by climate change and other semi-apocalyptic events。 An overreaching police force enforcing questionable laws。 And an officer who quickly finds himself turning into the very thing he's been hunting。 If you immediately thought of a dozen different sci-fi books and movies， that's completely understandable。 Despite how fun a read Blake Crouch’s new novel， "Upgrade，" is， I wouldn't call it very original。 However， what it lacks in originality， it more than makes up for with intricately plotted twists and turns and plenty of thrilling action sequences。 "Upgrade" reads like the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie in the best way possible。 It's a compulsive read from start to finish and a perfect book for a summer vacation。Sometime in the future， all forms of gene therapy， experimentation， and research have been banned after a devastating famine caused by a genetic experiment gone wrong。 In charge of enforcing the ban is the GPA， an FBI-esque government agency tasked with tracking down any and all rogue geneticists。 After a botched raid， GPA agent Logan Ramsay discovers he's been infected by an unknown virus。 A virus that slowly changes his DNA， upgrading his mental and physical prowess and turning him into the kind of anomaly the GPA hunts down。 To make matters worse， Logan believes his upgrade wasn't an accident at all。 That it's the beginning of something worse， something with a dark connection to his past， and something only he can stop。Boiled down to its simplest elements， "Upgrade" sounds like any number of similar sci-fi stories。 A little bit of "Blade Runner" here， a little bit of "Matrix" there。 You get the idea。 However， that's not necessarily a bad thing。 While "Upgrade" doesn't add much to those well-worn tropes， it never fails to be absolutely captivating。 Between the quick pacing， the restrained exposition dumps， the thrilling action sequences， and the moments of tense political intrigue， "Upgrade" hits the ground running and never takes its foot off of the gas。Sure， the middle of the novel simultaneously feels too short and too dragged out， resulting in a climax that doesn't land quite as effectively as it could have。 But there's honestly little to be mad about。 It feels like "Upgrade" is trying to be the literary equivalent of a fun blockbuster movie。 And in that sense， "Upgrade" succeeds with flying colors。For as similar as Logan feels to dozens of other characters， Crouch ensures you always feel connected with him。 There's never a moment you don't sympathize with him， even when he questions his humanity or does questionable things。 To talk too much about Logan’s backstory would venture too far into spoilery territory， and "Upgrade" is a book best read unspoiled。 So， keeping it as vague as possible， there's a genuinely captivating family drama at the heart of this book。 And it's that drama that helps the book stand out against the crowd of similar stories。Unfortunately， "Upgrade" doesn't focus anywhere near enough on that family drama。 In large part， this is the reason that the middle of the book sags。 It's the part of the story where you'd think the author would delve deeper into its themes， exploring all sides of the central conflict。 But "Upgrade" only flirts with doing this， as though it's constantly in a hurry to get to its climax as quickly as possible。On the one hand， this approach keeps things fairly lively。 But on the other hand， it keeps the story from reaching its full potential。 Despite all of this， though， Crouch does do an excellent job of focusing on the humanity at the center of "Upgrade。" Both on a macro level and on a micro level。 And those parts of the book prove surprisingly emotional。 I wish some of the other characters had gotten the same attention paid to them as Logan did。 But sometimes you take what you can get。Overall， "Upgrade" is an absolutely delightful read。 Yes， it's easy to see how it could've been even better， had it focused a little bit more on its themes and dived a bit deeper into some of its interpersonal conflicts。 But for what it's trying to be， it's never anything less than fun。 It's the very definition of a fast-paced， compulsive read。 The kind of book you could easily read during a relaxing summer weekend。 It's a tense， action-packed thrill ride that's as exciting as the best summer blockbuster。 If you're a fan of similar dystopian sci-fi stories， "Upgrade" is well worth a read。 。。。more
Amarily Pool
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BOOK REVIEW ‘UPGRADE’ …Officially out 7。12。22★★★★I screamed when I received the notification for this e-ARC！ I have been such a big fan of Crouch since his ‘WAYWARD PINES’ series。 If you loved Ethan Burke， meet Logan Ramsay！ （Thank you， Crouch - they totally reminded me of each other） Although， this doesn’t top ‘DARK MATTER’ for me， it still holds a steady 4 stars because Crouch doesn’t disappoint。 I love that the sci-fi jargon is just enough to keep my interest peeked and just enough so I don’t BOOK REVIEW ‘UPGRADE’ …Officially out 7。12。22★★★★I screamed when I received the notification for this e-ARC！ I have been such a big fan of Crouch since his ‘WAYWARD PINES’ series。 If you loved Ethan Burke， meet Logan Ramsay！ （Thank you， Crouch - they totally reminded me of each other） Although， this doesn’t top ‘DARK MATTER’ for me， it still holds a steady 4 stars because Crouch doesn’t disappoint。 I love that the sci-fi jargon is just enough to keep my interest peeked and just enough so I don’t feel stupid。 I knew nothing about DNA but somehow became an expert reading this。 Who would’ve thought that editing genes can be so detrimental to our entire existence？ Highly recommend if you are looking for a character driven story。 Crouch can definitely write up an amazing male character with his eyes closed and hands tied behind his back。 I can’t wait for his recent 3 releases （including this one） being adapted to the big screen！ 。。。more
Kaitlin
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While not quite as unputdownable as Blake Crouch's last couple books for me， Upgrade was still an enjoyable read！ What I love about his books， is that the fictional scientific premise sounds like something that could be real， so it's always so cool to see how it plays out。 In this case， the MC Logan lives in the not too distant future where advancements in gene editing and the consequences from that shape his world。 It was almost scary how realistic his world looked。 With a few more decades of c While not quite as unputdownable as Blake Crouch's last couple books for me， Upgrade was still an enjoyable read！ What I love about his books， is that the fictional scientific premise sounds like something that could be real， so it's always so cool to see how it plays out。 In this case， the MC Logan lives in the not too distant future where advancements in gene editing and the consequences from that shape his world。 It was almost scary how realistic his world looked。 With a few more decades of climate change， for example， our world may look a bit like his。 But they are dealing with a technology that allows DNA to be rewritten meaning that new species can be created along with new scary viruses that can either help or be devastating to humanity。 The story explores the idea of what extent we should go to save the human race。 Logan fights against what he feels is the wrong way and at the end， what he discovers was a really interesting approach to solving humanity's downfall。The story was fast paced and high stakes。 The science behind the premise was easy to understand。 Biology isn't as interesting to me as time travel and parallel universes， which were the topics of his previous books， so that's the only reason I wasn't as sucked in。 So while it's not my favorite of his， it was still super good！Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Elodia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Blake Crouch's books keep getting better and better。Upgrade was intense from beginning to end。 With twists and betrayals， you never know what will happen next。Set in the near future， Upgrade follows Logan Ramsey， an average man working for the GPA- Gene Protection Agency- trying to stop gene modifications。 This is until he unwillingly receives an upgrade; his mental and physical abilities improve， making him a sort of super-human。 His upgrade is only part of a bigger conspiracy， and humanity's f Blake Crouch's books keep getting better and better。Upgrade was intense from beginning to end。 With twists and betrayals， you never know what will happen next。Set in the near future， Upgrade follows Logan Ramsey， an average man working for the GPA- Gene Protection Agency- trying to stop gene modifications。 This is until he unwillingly receives an upgrade; his mental and physical abilities improve， making him a sort of super-human。 His upgrade is only part of a bigger conspiracy， and humanity's fate suddenly rests on his shoulders。 Crouch goes into the fine details of genetic editing， and while I do not know much about this subject， it made the book easy to understand。Ultimately， this book is about humanity and compassion; the last chapter， along with the epilogue， delivers its message in full。 I got teary-eyed by the end of this book。 。。。more
BookwormishMe
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4。75 starsBlake Crouch is the master of strangle happenings。 Wayward Pines is one of my favorites， and I was so excited to get to read Upgrade。 Spoiler alert… I wasn’t disappointed。It’s the mid-21st century。 Logan Ramsay is an agent for the GPA。 The GPA protects our world from those who wish to genetically alter the human race and other things。 Genetic alteration is no longer legal after the great starvation。 Logan and his partner Nadine are called out to investigate the possibility of a genetic 4。75 starsBlake Crouch is the master of strangle happenings。 Wayward Pines is one of my favorites， and I was so excited to get to read Upgrade。 Spoiler alert… I wasn’t disappointed。It’s the mid-21st century。 Logan Ramsay is an agent for the GPA。 The GPA protects our world from those who wish to genetically alter the human race and other things。 Genetic alteration is no longer legal after the great starvation。 Logan and his partner Nadine are called out to investigate the possibility of a genetic drop in Denver， Colorado。 They arrive at the drop house but cannot find anyone there。 Nor any evidence of a lab。 In the basement is a strange cube and a camera recording。 The cube unfolds and inside is an ice bomb。 Nadine gets out in time but Logan is hit。 When Logan awakens in a hospital， he is in isolation。 Apparently he’s had some sort of virus。 He recovers， but over the next month or so， he starts to notice changes。 He’s more alert and aware。 Something is happening to him。 What was that ice bomb and what did it do to his DNA？This is sci-fi at its best。 Hyperloop travel， DNA alteration， global warming wiping out cities。 It’s a brilliant look at a possible future for earth and the human race。 A scary one at that。 But Crouch truly understands how to write a novel with a topic way beyond my comprehension， yet something that I can truly enjoy。 This one is amazing。I think I’ll go rewatch Wayward Pines now。 。。。more
Roz Gay
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Yes yes yes。 This was such a fun ride。 I've read both Dark Matter and Recursion and this one is definitely now in the top spot。Logan's genetic DNA is hacked and now has the fate of humanity on his shoulders because of who his mother was， a famous geneticist。Crouch has a way of crafting a lifelike world where you can imagine these crazy scientific situations happening - in a terrifying and fun way。 Yes， there is a lot of science but you don't have to be a genome expert to enjoy this one。 Honestly Yes yes yes。 This was such a fun ride。 I've read both Dark Matter and Recursion and this one is definitely now in the top spot。Logan's genetic DNA is hacked and now has the fate of humanity on his shoulders because of who his mother was， a famous geneticist。Crouch has a way of crafting a lifelike world where you can imagine these crazy scientific situations happening - in a terrifying and fun way。 Yes， there is a lot of science but you don't have to be a genome expert to enjoy this one。 Honestly this reads almost like a thriller to me with the pace with which I was turning the pages。This needs to be a movie ASAP！Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Femisapien
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Best book of the year。Unpredictable， intricate clever plot that deals with science but also with human emotions。 Read at a time in my life that made it unforgettable。The whole idea of an upgrade of the human being is fascinating and the author smartly focuses his plot so that readers aren't left speculating。 It's a very ambitious purpose but it absolutely delivers。 Best book of the year。Unpredictable， intricate clever plot that deals with science but also with human emotions。 Read at a time in my life that made it unforgettable。The whole idea of an upgrade of the human being is fascinating and the author smartly focuses his plot so that readers aren't left speculating。 It's a very ambitious purpose but it absolutely delivers。 。。。more
emily • emilybookedup
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Blake Crouch is BACK BABY！！！！ UPGRADE was the perfect escape and came at the perfect time for me between some meh reads。 his writing， research， plot， storylines… 🤯 i swear sometimes he’s in another stratosphere with his writing。 while his books are science fiction， they’re action packed and so suspenseful/almost “thriller-y” that you won’t even notice much of the confusing science jargon。 his originality is so impressive， and he makes a futuristic world and “invention” seem so unbelievably reali Blake Crouch is BACK BABY！！！！ UPGRADE was the perfect escape and came at the perfect time for me between some meh reads。 his writing， research， plot， storylines… 🤯 i swear sometimes he’s in another stratosphere with his writing。 while his books are science fiction， they’re action packed and so suspenseful/almost “thriller-y” that you won’t even notice much of the confusing science jargon。 his originality is so impressive， and he makes a futuristic world and “invention” seem so unbelievably realistic—it’s impressive！！ such as， a guy whose family did something unthinkable and now he mysteriously receives a genetic upgrade and is tasked with saving the world that’s about to collapse？！？！ 🙌🏼while this wasn’t as good as RECURSION or DARK MATTER for me （i connected with those characters a bit more and wanted more human interaction in this one—most of the book is the MC only）， it’s still super good and deserves at least 4。5 or 5 stars。 when comparing my other 4 star reads to this… they’re not even close！！！ full review to come on my IG this week。 it comes out into the world July 12 and i’m already hoping it gets adapted like RECURSION + DARK MATTER are。 THANK YOU to Randomhouse/Ballantine for the gifted copy。 。。。more
Shandi York
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I decided to go out of my comfort zone with Blake Crouch’s latest sci-fi thriller novel， Upgrade。 I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi， I find myself getting easily distracted with it and when it’s heavy on the science， it can sometimes go over my head。 That being said， Upgrade was so good！ It was intense and while it was definitely science-based， I was able to comprehend everything that was going on， and really appreciated the amount of research and knowledge I can only assume went into this。 I flew th I decided to go out of my comfort zone with Blake Crouch’s latest sci-fi thriller novel， Upgrade。 I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi， I find myself getting easily distracted with it and when it’s heavy on the science， it can sometimes go over my head。 That being said， Upgrade was so good！ It was intense and while it was definitely science-based， I was able to comprehend everything that was going on， and really appreciated the amount of research and knowledge I can only assume went into this。 I flew through this and was constantly wondering how Logan would get himself out of the mess he was in。 I hope they make it into a movie， my husband would love it。 I’m looking forward to picking up more of Crouch’s work and excited to dip my toes into a new （to me） genre。 Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse， Ballantine Books and NetGalley for my review copy。 Upgrade is expected to be published 7/12/22。 。。。more
Suzze Tiernan
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This book takes place in what seems very likely to be the future of Earth。 Theme: Don’t Do Nothing
Stacie Lauren
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Upgrade is my new favorite Blake Crouch book！ It is edge of your seat， nail biting， sci-fi greatness。 There were so many times during this book where I would run up to my fiancé and go "OMG guess what happened？！？" To be fair， I think he is a little tired of me now interrupting him with Upgrade antidotes， but I just literally had to talk to someone else about it immediately。Logan Ramsay gets a little genome upgrade。 It reminded me a bit of the movie Limitless where Logan now has superior capabili Upgrade is my new favorite Blake Crouch book！ It is edge of your seat， nail biting， sci-fi greatness。 There were so many times during this book where I would run up to my fiancé and go "OMG guess what happened？！？" To be fair， I think he is a little tired of me now interrupting him with Upgrade antidotes， but I just literally had to talk to someone else about it immediately。Logan Ramsay gets a little genome upgrade。 It reminded me a bit of the movie Limitless where Logan now has superior capabilities and more ability to understand what is going on around him。 I do not want to give anything away about this book， but I found the genome upgrade fascinating。 Crouch gave just enough scientific information to understand what was going on without it bogging down the book。 Very fast paced and thrilling novel！Thank you to Random House Publishing Groups， Ballantine Books， and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Lindsay
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I'm not a huge sci-fi reader。 When I do pick one up， I like the writing of the science to be accessible， and science that feels like it's reasonably possible in the not-to-distant future。 I really enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion， and Blake Crouch has done it again with Upgrade。 I loved how this was told first person and going on this ride with Logan。 Lots of twists and turns， a total page turner。 And raises some interesting philosophical and existential questions to ponder！Thanks to NetGalley I'm not a huge sci-fi reader。 When I do pick one up， I like the writing of the science to be accessible， and science that feels like it's reasonably possible in the not-to-distant future。 I really enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion， and Blake Crouch has done it again with Upgrade。 I loved how this was told first person and going on this ride with Logan。 Lots of twists and turns， a total page turner。 And raises some interesting philosophical and existential questions to ponder！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC， in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Haunna
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This is my third Blake Crouch novel。 While I think recursion is still my favorite this book is still a masterpiece。 I truly feel Blake writes to the highest level of his readers。 I have three advanced science degrees and I feel like no other author engages my brain the way he does。 I love that he always seems to write himself into a corner that I think couldn’t possibly be fixed but always manages to eloquently deliver the plot resolution。 This book had a lot more social commentary than his usua This is my third Blake Crouch novel。 While I think recursion is still my favorite this book is still a masterpiece。 I truly feel Blake writes to the highest level of his readers。 I have three advanced science degrees and I feel like no other author engages my brain the way he does。 I love that he always seems to write himself into a corner that I think couldn’t possibly be fixed but always manages to eloquently deliver the plot resolution。 This book had a lot more social commentary than his usual but I felt it was very timely and well done。 Will absolutely be recommending upgrade to my complex science-fiction loving friends。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book！ 。。。more
Linda
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Blake Crouch’s newest novel explores what a super-genius might do to save the human race from extinction。 It all starts out reading like a fast-paced movie， but soon one major flaw after another crops up in the super-genius fan。 Despite all the ups and downs of the plot， I found the full story to be a satisfying and quick read。
Stacy DeBroff
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Crouch， the author of Recursion and Dark Matter， has done it again with a super smart， future-speculative， scientific thriller that reverberates with you long after finishing it。 Logan’s brilliant genetic scientist Mom Miriam mutated locusts in China to introduce crop gene changes for better vitality， only to have the unintended consequences of the gene mutation spreading to destroy crops around the world。 Over 200 million people die from starvation as a result。 Miriam subsequently suicidally dr Crouch， the author of Recursion and Dark Matter， has done it again with a super smart， future-speculative， scientific thriller that reverberates with you long after finishing it。 Logan’s brilliant genetic scientist Mom Miriam mutated locusts in China to introduce crop gene changes for better vitality， only to have the unintended consequences of the gene mutation spreading to destroy crops around the world。 Over 200 million people die from starvation as a result。 Miriam subsequently suicidally drives her car off a cliff。Her son Logan in contrast has to do years in federal prison convicted of genetic alteration crimes his Mom committed in her lab， in which he only worked as an underling。 Meanwhile， Logan’s sister， who had escaped their Mom by joining the military， serves as a special forces soldier。Logan in an attempt to make up for his Mom’s wrongs and get out of jail earlier， now serves as an agent for the Gene Protection Agecny （GPA）， dedicated to detecting and stopping gene editing。Unknown to Logan， before her death Miriam managed to create a highly complex genetic upgrade for humanity， improving everything from intelligence to stamina， strength to disease prevention。 Logan gets called on in on a raid for work， explosives ignite while he’s in a basement investigating， and shrapnel pierces his hazmat suit。 And just like that， Logan has been infected with his Mom’s virus that begins upgrading his entire genetic structure。 Written into a “safe harbor” in his upgraded genetic code Logan finds a message with latitude and longitude co-ordinates- and he and his sister are off to find the source。 Fasten your reader’s seatbelt for what comes next！ Thanks to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy。 。。。more
Debbie
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4。5 starsBlake Crouch is an auto-buy author for me， having been thoroughly blown away by both Dark Matter and Recursion， and Upgrade is no exception to his sci-fi storytelling prowess。What makes Crouch’s books so engaging is his masterful integration of high-level scientific explanations for his plots that feel simultaneously realistic yet approachable。 Nothing feels dumbed down， but everything still makes sense and feels like it could be a real occurrence。 This， paired with his thriller-esque p 4。5 starsBlake Crouch is an auto-buy author for me， having been thoroughly blown away by both Dark Matter and Recursion， and Upgrade is no exception to his sci-fi storytelling prowess。What makes Crouch’s books so engaging is his masterful integration of high-level scientific explanations for his plots that feel simultaneously realistic yet approachable。 Nothing feels dumbed down， but everything still makes sense and feels like it could be a real occurrence。 This， paired with his thriller-esque pacing and writing style， makes for some very compelling reading。In addition to its captivating plot， Upgrade also explores some very interesting and timely themes， ranging from philosophy and ethics， to bioengineering and environmentalism。My only issue with the book was I found some mid-chapter scene changes to be very abrupt， but that might be the nature of me reading an ARC （there were no visual line breaks， asterisks， etc。 to indicate a mid-chapter scene shift， so this might not be an issue in the final copy）。Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
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Well this was a hugely enjoyable and slightly bonkers tale。Logan Ramsey is slowly but surely starting to feel different。 He feels sharper， more alert， he can concentrate better。 His memory is much better。 Something is changing in him。In a future world where the altering of genetics has become outlawed， Logans geonome has been hacked and he has been targeted for an upgrade。 He doesnt know why but soon finds out it is connected to his dark past and there are plans in place that will change humanit Well this was a hugely enjoyable and slightly bonkers tale。Logan Ramsey is slowly but surely starting to feel different。 He feels sharper， more alert， he can concentrate better。 His memory is much better。 Something is changing in him。In a future world where the altering of genetics has become outlawed， Logans geonome has been hacked and he has been targeted for an upgrade。 He doesnt know why but soon finds out it is connected to his dark past and there are plans in place that will change humanity forever and at a huge cost。 Can Logan use his new found upgrade to stop plans for the ultimate upgrade before it is too late for humanity？Wow this one was a wild ride。 My first read of Blake Crouch and I was very impressed。 An ingenious story about the planet and about humans and their strengths and weaknesses， either being a positive or a negative depending which side of the fence you are on。There is a lot of scientific speak in parts and I can only presume it is accurate in theory（reading the authors notes he seems to have researched heavily） but it in no way takes away from the flow of the story。My only slight criticism is that the characters are a little weak and thin。 There was so much to say though in the book that it left little room for proper character development。I really enjoyed this one though。 A fascinating take on climate crisis and the human condition。 Get your hands on a copy if you can。Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley。 。。。more
Elaine Hall
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I was really in it for the first half of this one， but things started to get a little repetitive （and honestly kind of boring） towards the end。 I knew going in I’d have to skim over a lot of the science heavy portions because I am a dum-dum when it comes to this stuff， I just didn’t anticipate to continue skimming when we got to the climax of the story。 ‘Dark Matter’ was such a hit for me that I keep picking up the new Blake Crouch releases even though his books are SO outside my typical reading I was really in it for the first half of this one， but things started to get a little repetitive （and honestly kind of boring） towards the end。 I knew going in I’d have to skim over a lot of the science heavy portions because I am a dum-dum when it comes to this stuff， I just didn’t anticipate to continue skimming when we got to the climax of the story。 ‘Dark Matter’ was such a hit for me that I keep picking up the new Blake Crouch releases even though his books are SO outside my typical reading taste。 This one ended up being pretty down the middle for me， definitely can see the story making a great TV/movie adaptation though。 Also worth mentioning that I so often find epilogues unnecessary but I thought this one felt purposeful and added some unexpected sentimentality to the ending of the book。Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Upgrade
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Upgrade&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Upgrade&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0