Upgrade
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- Create Date：2022-07-13 04:19:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Blake Crouch
- ISBN：B09L9V486F
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Summary
11 hours
Logan Ramsay is about to get the brain he always dreamed of。 But will he be transformed into something more than human…or something less？ The mind-blowing new thriller from the 'New York Times' best-selling author of 'Dark Matter' and 'Recursion'。
When the SWAT team gives the all-clear and Logan Ramsay steps into the basement， he has no idea that everything's about to change。
Then there's the hiss of aerosol。 The explosion。 The shrapnel that punctures his hazmat gear。 Logan wakes up to find himself in a hospital bed， attended by doctors in their own hazmat suits， his wife and daughter looking on from behind the glass。
The doctors say he's been infected by a virus - one designed not to make him sick， but to modify his very genetic structure。 In a world where the next-generation gene-editing tool known as Scythe is widely available - and has already reaped disastrous consequences - the possibilities are too many and terrifying to count。
Except that after the fever， the pain， the fear。。。the virus is gone。 And according to his government bosses， Logan's got a clean bill of health。
But the truth is that with each day that passes， Logan's getting smarter。 Seeing things more clearly。 He's realizing that he's been upgraded in ways that go beyond even Scythe's capabilities - and that he's been given these abilities for a reason。
Because a holy grail of genetic engineering - one that could change our very definitions of humanity - has just been unearthed。 And now it's up to him to stop it from falling into the wrong hands。
Logan’s becoming something more。 Something better。 Even with the whole world hunting for him， he might be able to outthink his opponents and win the war that’s coming。
But what if it’s at the cost of being himself？
©2022 Blake Crouch （P）2022 Random House Audio
Logan Ramsay is about to get the brain he always dreamed of。 But will he be transformed into something more than human…or something less？ The mind-blowing new thriller from the 'New York Times' best-selling author of 'Dark Matter' and 'Recursion'。
When the SWAT team gives the all-clear and Logan Ramsay steps into the basement， he has no idea that everything's about to change。
Then there's the hiss of aerosol。 The explosion。 The shrapnel that punctures his hazmat gear。 Logan wakes up to find himself in a hospital bed， attended by doctors in their own hazmat suits， his wife and daughter looking on from behind the glass。
The doctors say he's been infected by a virus - one designed not to make him sick， but to modify his very genetic structure。 In a world where the next-generation gene-editing tool known as Scythe is widely available - and has already reaped disastrous consequences - the possibilities are too many and terrifying to count。
Except that after the fever， the pain， the fear。。。the virus is gone。 And according to his government bosses， Logan's got a clean bill of health。
But the truth is that with each day that passes， Logan's getting smarter。 Seeing things more clearly。 He's realizing that he's been upgraded in ways that go beyond even Scythe's capabilities - and that he's been given these abilities for a reason。
Because a holy grail of genetic engineering - one that could change our very definitions of humanity - has just been unearthed。 And now it's up to him to stop it from falling into the wrong hands。
Logan’s becoming something more。 Something better。 Even with the whole world hunting for him， he might be able to outthink his opponents and win the war that’s coming。
But what if it’s at the cost of being himself？
©2022 Blake Crouch （P）2022 Random House Audio
Reviews
Stephanie
，
I don't know if this was meant to read as a horror - nothing in it is inherently horror-ish - but it absolutely read as a horror for me。With the vibes of Dark Matter and a realistic dystopian "how advancements in science and technology could go wrong" plot， Blake Crouch has once again made my brain hurt and questioned what makes us， us。 I really appreciate the way that he as clearly as possible explains the science without treating his readers like they're dumb。 I need someone else to read this I don't know if this was meant to read as a horror - nothing in it is inherently horror-ish - but it absolutely read as a horror for me。With the vibes of Dark Matter and a realistic dystopian "how advancements in science and technology could go wrong" plot， Blake Crouch has once again made my brain hurt and questioned what makes us， us。 I really appreciate the way that he as clearly as possible explains the science without treating his readers like they're dumb。 I need someone else to read this so I can talk with someone about the scientific and philosophical themes in this novel。arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittney
，
So。。。 I was never into science throughout school and have never been into science fiction books。 Blake Crouch has changed my mind！ This book is very science heavy - specifically， genomes/gene editing。 Some of this stuff I haven’t even thought of since biology many years ago。 That being said， I thoroughly enjoyed how Crouch introduced the information。 It did NOT read like a textbook you’d be forced to learn from in school。 Yes， it provided the same information but in an interesting way。 I have ne So。。。 I was never into science throughout school and have never been into science fiction books。 Blake Crouch has changed my mind！ This book is very science heavy - specifically， genomes/gene editing。 Some of this stuff I haven’t even thought of since biology many years ago。 That being said， I thoroughly enjoyed how Crouch introduced the information。 It did NOT read like a textbook you’d be forced to learn from in school。 Yes， it provided the same information but in an interesting way。 I have never wanted to learn more about genes than I do now after reading Upgrade！ I always try to guess the ending when starting a book。 I was not able to do so with Upgrade。 The book reads between a slow burn and a fast read。Pre-upgrade， the main character （Logan） is likable and an average American family man。 Post-upgrade， Logan is a badass fighting to protect those he loves and the rest of humanity。 If you aren’t super into sci-fi but love a good thriller， try Upgrade！ 。。。more
Amy Kennison
，
4。5 maybe even 5。
Angie Powers
，
This book is like reading a decent movie on Netflix。
Tim
，
Wow！ Crouch is such a smooth writer。 If you enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion， this is right inline with those。
Coffee&Books
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I've never read a Blake Crouch novel that was not intense， tightly packed and mind bending。 Wayward Pines， Dark Matter， Recursion。。。 this man has a gift for delivering compelling sci-fi to people who don't read sci-fi （*points at self*）。 This one was supremely geeky and broke my brain （again， but not as bad as Recursion）。 Delightful。 I've never read a Blake Crouch novel that was not intense， tightly packed and mind bending。 Wayward Pines， Dark Matter， Recursion。。。 this man has a gift for delivering compelling sci-fi to people who don't read sci-fi （*points at self*）。 This one was supremely geeky and broke my brain （again， but not as bad as Recursion）。 Delightful。 。。。more
Nicole Stanley
，
4。5
Peter Butler
，
Blake Crouch is my favorite author， so it should be no surprise to anyone that I loved his latest book。 Great story-telling， compelling ideas， and thought-provoking dilemmas。 If you're a fan of Crouch， I highly recommend this book。So， do I have anything other than praise to share about Upgrade？ Sure， if you insist。 While I gave it 5/5 stars， I didn't love it as much as Dark Matter or Recursion。 What I loved most about Dark Matter and Recursion is that both books kept surprising me well into the Blake Crouch is my favorite author， so it should be no surprise to anyone that I loved his latest book。 Great story-telling， compelling ideas， and thought-provoking dilemmas。 If you're a fan of Crouch， I highly recommend this book。So， do I have anything other than praise to share about Upgrade？ Sure， if you insist。 While I gave it 5/5 stars， I didn't love it as much as Dark Matter or Recursion。 What I loved most about Dark Matter and Recursion is that both books kept surprising me well into the final chapters。 There were plot points that， after they were revealed， made perfect sense， and yet I didn't see them coming。 Upgrade， on the other hand， was slightly more predictable for me。 That didn't make it a bad story， or even poor writing; it simply wasn't as mind-bending as Crouch's other recent works。 That's really my only nitpick， though。And for those who are interested， I'll share my favorite quote from Upgrade below。 Be warned， however: those who are extra sensitive to spoilers may want to wait until after finishing the book to read it。 It's just the teensiest bit spoilery…––––––––––"We don’t have an intelligence problem。 We have a compassion problem。 That， more than any other single factor， is what’s driving us toward extinction。" -Logan Ramsay （Upgrade by Blake Crouch） 。。。more
Ethan
，
"Being smart doesn't make people infallible。 It just makes them more dangerous。"It is finally here！ Blake Crouch's Upgrade was one of my most anticipated reads of the year， especially given how much I adored his previous two novels Dark Matter and Recursion。 If you haven't already read them， go ahead and add both of those to your TBR list too。 His publisher sent me an advanced copy of this latest book months ago， and I read it lightning fast。 I've been not so patiently sitting on my review ever "Being smart doesn't make people infallible。 It just makes them more dangerous。"It is finally here！ Blake Crouch's Upgrade was one of my most anticipated reads of the year， especially given how much I adored his previous two novels Dark Matter and Recursion。 If you haven't already read them， go ahead and add both of those to your TBR list too。 His publisher sent me an advanced copy of this latest book months ago， and I read it lightning fast。 I've been not so patiently sitting on my review ever since。 As it publishes today， I can finally share my thoughts and encourage you to read it yourself。 The novel opens in the not-too-distant future， a world that has seen today's pressing problems such as climate change， pandemics， and widespread starvation amplified to crisis levels。 Logan Ramsay is an agent with the Gene Protection Agency （GPA）， a federal organization tasked with upholding the laws against modifying DNA。 The banning of this practice came in the wake of a well-intentioned， mass-scale genetic alteration that triggered tragic deaths across the globe。 Simply put， in the wrong hands， adjusting an individual's biological nature on the molecular level has the potential to be weaponized by terrorist organizations。 Logan and his team are raiding an illicit genetic lab when they trigger a trap and are shocked by a large explosion。 When Logan wakes， he sees the extent of his injuries。 Tiny cuts envelop his entire body。 The GPA places him into quarantine， worried less by the injuries than by the potential that Logan was infected by a rogue virus meant to alter his DNA。 After days under constant observation， he is released from the hospital， assured that no virus made its way into his body。 It is during his recovery at home， however， that Logan begins to notice subtle signs that contradict that assertion。 It begins as he beats his daughter at chess， a rare occurrence in his household。 Soon Logan can think clearer， recalling minute details from his past with ease。 His body changes too。 Logan is plagued by intense aches as his bones become denser， his muscles strengthening with each sleep。 More startling is his ability to process large amounts of new information， becoming an expert in moments。 This new mental acuity sees Logan eager to reckon with his past， a time that saw invigorating progress but devasting results。 I don't read a ton of science fiction。 In fact， I often find works in the genre to be difficult to absorb。 Blake Crouch， however， has become the exception。 He's long been one of my must-read authors， and Upgrade only further validates this status。 The novel imagines a world where adjustments to DNA can amplify traits or characteristics within a person。 Crouch daringly shines a light on humanity's apathetic approach to dealing with a global crisis and employs his fiction to propose and question the bold solutions that could be on the horizon。 There isn't an easy way forward， and Crouch's novel veers into the moral ambiguity that comes with tackling the complexity of issues on a global scale。 He has a knack for layering intricate concepts into a breakneck thriller that unrelentingly propels the plot forward。 At the heart of Upgrade lies a cast of characters who ground the futuristic world through universal themes of family， love， and loss。 It is in these nuanced characters that the true brilliance of Crouch's storytelling comes alive， drawing the reader deeper into the world he builds， one mind-blowing page at a time。 。。。more
Gloria Arthur （Ms。 G's Bookshelf）
，
Review coming
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
，
𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨！Omg， this book was mind-blowing and epic， Dark Matter is one of my favorite books ever and this one is close second。 From the first page I was immersed and couldn’t stop reading until the end。 All the stars！Thank you Penguin Random House for this gifted copy。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨！Omg， this book was mind-blowing and epic， Dark Matter is one of my favorite books ever and this one is close second。 From the first page I was immersed and couldn’t stop reading until the end。 All the stars！Thank you Penguin Random House for this gifted copy。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more
Tyler
，
3。6/5
Riley
，
Upgrade is about human genetic engineering。 In this case， a geneticist has figured out how to enhance human genes to achieve the best of everything。 Strength， speed， perception， cognition， disease-resistance。 You name it。 Well， not everything and that is the problem。 Logan Ramsay is the first ‘beneficiary’ of this upgrade。 It makes him a target and a science experiment。 He loses his family。 He goes on the run。 Eventually Logan learns more details about the upgrade and the creator’s intent。 Tryin Upgrade is about human genetic engineering。 In this case， a geneticist has figured out how to enhance human genes to achieve the best of everything。 Strength， speed， perception， cognition， disease-resistance。 You name it。 Well， not everything and that is the problem。 Logan Ramsay is the first ‘beneficiary’ of this upgrade。 It makes him a target and a science experiment。 He loses his family。 He goes on the run。 Eventually Logan learns more details about the upgrade and the creator’s intent。 Trying to avoid spoilers， I will just say that when I read this part of the story， my first thought was this – what about the unforeseen consequences of the upgrade。 After all， before the story started， Ramsay’s mom had been responsible for a world-wide starvation apocalypse – all because she was trying to fix a problem。 Ramsay will be the first to come to the same conclusion I did。 This leads him to the tense， action-packed path to save the world in his own way。 Logan is one of my favorite characters in books I have read this year。 As part of his upgrade， he is forced to reign in emotions。 And even though I did not realize it at first， even this defense was from his heart。 And it led him to create a solution with a lovely twist that gave me an ending to smile about。Through Netgalley， the publisher provided a copy of this book。 My review is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Karlie Schaefer
，
"Life really never goes the way you'd expect。 Usually， even getting exactly what you want turns out to not have been what you really wanted。"Upgrade is the newest novel by Blake Crouch。 Similar to Dark Matter and Recursion， Upgrade is a believable yet thrilling science fiction story。 Taking place in a not so distant future where gene editing has become easy to accomplish but is illegal due to the dire consequences that can occur when doing so。 Crouch does an excellent job mixing real science wit "Life really never goes the way you'd expect。 Usually， even getting exactly what you want turns out to not have been what you really wanted。"Upgrade is the newest novel by Blake Crouch。 Similar to Dark Matter and Recursion， Upgrade is a believable yet thrilling science fiction story。 Taking place in a not so distant future where gene editing has become easy to accomplish but is illegal due to the dire consequences that can occur when doing so。 Crouch does an excellent job mixing real science with fiction， causing the reader to really question our own knowledge and morals in a future world that may someday become our own reality。 I definitely recommend Upgrade if you have enjoyed Crouch's other books。 You definitely won't be disappointed。𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 Penguin Random House 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸。 。。。more
JASARA HINES
，
Upgrade is a magnificent example of speculative fiction and eco-literature。 Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake， Crouch examines the "new" universal fear: what would happen if we "upgraded" our DNA。 The novel's protagonist， who is wrought with guilt over his role in the death of billions of people around the globe， continually questions the ethical nature of DNA manipulation。 His sister， on the other hand， does not have any misgivings about tweaking human DNA so that only the best mi Upgrade is a magnificent example of speculative fiction and eco-literature。 Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake， Crouch examines the "new" universal fear: what would happen if we "upgraded" our DNA。 The novel's protagonist， who is wrought with guilt over his role in the death of billions of people around the globe， continually questions the ethical nature of DNA manipulation。 His sister， on the other hand， does not have any misgivings about tweaking human DNA so that only the best minds and bodies will remain on earth。 An allegorical tale that cautions the reader about the potential impact of genetic evolution that has been initiated by man， Crouch masterfully engages with the reader throughout this narrative。 This is one of my best reads of 2022。 。。。more
Eileen Hutton
，
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。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。Because of his new abilities， Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s 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。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。Because of his new abilities， Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion。 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？Upgrade is fast-paced， and stunning in concept and delivery。 Highly recommended。 #Upgrade #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors 。。。more
Tory
，
He becomes a super man。 Then superer。 Etc。 This could've been a short story and I'm pretty sure it already has been。 He becomes a super man。 Then superer。 Etc。 This could've been a short story and I'm pretty sure it already has been。 。。。more
Chelsea Hudson
，
4。5⭐️ rounded up。 My full review is on Instagram。com/chelseahudsonreads 4。5⭐️ rounded up。 My full review is on Instagram。com/chelseahudsonreads 。。。more
Lorena
，
This is the first story I’ve read by Blake Crouch， so I can’t compare it to any of his previous work， but I found this story fun and exciting。 I was immediately drawn into the story， wondering what was going to happen next。 The plot offers plenty of well-paced action and excitement， and I found the science easy to understand and believable enough。 I liked that the author mentioned genetic SNPs that I am familiar with。I appreciated how the author explored not only how the genetic upgrades affecte This is the first story I’ve read by Blake Crouch， so I can’t compare it to any of his previous work， but I found this story fun and exciting。 I was immediately drawn into the story， wondering what was going to happen next。 The plot offers plenty of well-paced action and excitement， and I found the science easy to understand and believable enough。 I liked that the author mentioned genetic SNPs that I am familiar with。I appreciated how the author explored not only how the genetic upgrades affected Logan， but also how he was affected by past events and his relationships with family and even random people he encounters。 A couple of scenes at the end were surprisingly touching， and I loved how the story concluded。Be aware that this book contains many scenes of violence and frequent swearing。 Thanks to Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley， which I volunteered to review。 。。。more
Rithubedh Satwik
，
This is a must-read book， especially during this pandemic。
Paul Bard
，
Very professional and polished novel， written for a popular audience。 I enjoyed reading it。It was basically a family drama about who was really smart and who was not really smart， played out against a backdrop of genetic engineering。
Debbie Staszak
，
3。5。 Epilogue kind of ruined it
Emily
，
This is the sixth book I read by Blake Crouch。 Previously， I read Wayward Pines trilogy， Dark Matter， and Recursion。 I don’t love this book as much as the other two stand-alone novels I mentioned， but it is a quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting。I’ll start my review with some general comments。 Similar to his other works， Upgrade is a highly plot-driven story with fairly minimal focus on characters。 Readers do follow the protagonist’s inner dialogue， but other characters are rather This is the sixth book I read by Blake Crouch。 Previously， I read Wayward Pines trilogy， Dark Matter， and Recursion。 I don’t love this book as much as the other two stand-alone novels I mentioned， but it is a quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting。I’ll start my review with some general comments。 Similar to his other works， Upgrade is a highly plot-driven story with fairly minimal focus on characters。 Readers do follow the protagonist’s inner dialogue， but other characters are rather simplified and there is not as much depth in character relationship。 In his stories， characters are often a means to carry out the central idea。 However， this is not a negative criticism， but rather a description of the story type。 I like how fast-paced the story is， but a character-driven reader may find the story hard to engage。Also， Blake Crouch’s writing is very direct， and the story can feel like a script。 （Side Note: I think his books will make great TV show or movie adaption because of how straight-forward and action-packed the stories are）。 The action scenes are not too detailed， but one can easily imagine them from a cinematic perspective。 This is not the story to go for if one wants lyrical writing。With the general observations out of the way， I will go into comments more specific to this story。The GoodBlake Crouch’s writing and characterization continue to improve。 His writing in previously book can sometimes feel overly bare-bone， but the writing in this book is sufficiently eloquent and flows well。 He also greatly improved the pacing and made sure action is evenly distributed。 For example， in Dark Matter， there were sections of the book where not much progress is made， which were then followed by several chapters of intense action and plot twists。 In Recursion， the first half of the story can feel quite disorienting and I really to push hard， but the shocking reveal at the half-way point was worth the effort， In Upgrade， the story is evenly paced and I never felt bored by inactivity or mentally exhausted from continuous action。 I never found character work to be Blake Crouch’s forte， but I still think there is improvement。 In previous books， some characters are extremely flat and filled with stereotypical behaviours that I felt they existed simply to push plot forward。 While the characters in Upgrade are by no means complex， they are no longer movie/ TV show stereotypes。 I enjoy how the protagonist feels more mature in the way he thinks and acts。 Also， I think the focus on familial relationship， as well as the protagonist’s conflicting rational sense of duty and emotional bonds， is well-down。Additionally， I enjoy how Blake Crouch incorporates recent environmental/social issues in a “traditional plot line” to add his own twist。 （view spoiler）[In this case， he combines the ethical issue of genetic modification with a typical plot of the protagonist’s experience acquiring “super power”， which made the story feel familiar yet excitingly refreshing。 （hide spoiler）] The story feels relevant to the world we live in and prompts the readers to think in these concepts while having fun。 The Not-So-GoodThe plot of Upgrade is relatively straight-forward， and I miss the mystery factor of his previous stories。 What attracted me to his books is the slow unravelling of mystery through twists and turns， and this is missing from Upgrade。 As the result， this book is missing that wow factor for me。Also， I find final resolution somewhat unsatisfactory to my logic-requiring brain。 I will put two specific examples inside spoiler。 （view spoiler）[First， I thought Kara’s final injections are highly transmissible virus。 How is dumping them into the River a good solution？ Wouldn’t the virus just travel along in the water and infect everywhere？ Isn’t the protagonist essentially unleashing the virus into the world？ I know this is science fiction and I won’t beat myself over the speculative science， but it does feel weird to me。 Second， I find the protagonist’s action in epilogue to be loot convenience。 Logan is unwilling to unleash his mother’s genetic upgrade because he is afraid of side effects， but he is okay with releasing his own compassion upgrade？ Sure， he did some beta testing， but it doesn’t seem vigorous enough for me。 Moreover， it just seems so convenient for plot development that Miriam’s upgrade creates immediate fatal side-effects， while Logan’s compassion upgrade is all smooth-sailing。 Both tempers with the brain， it just feels like convenient writing that the antagonist’s upgrade is blatantly bad。 （hide spoiler）]Overall， I think this is decent story that is great for those who want an action-packed and fast read。 。。。more
AJ
，
Advance Reader Copy provided by Ballantine BooksReview cross-posted on NetGalley______As someone who normally reads fantasy or historical fiction， I found myself stumbling upon this sci-fi on a whim。 I can't comment on the accuracy of the jargon except for some tech speak， but the language sounds plausible and competent enough。 What really carries the story is the heart。 Our main character Logan is not the hard-boiled anti-hero I know （and hate） in this type of story。 He's full of messy but earn Advance Reader Copy provided by Ballantine BooksReview cross-posted on NetGalley______As someone who normally reads fantasy or historical fiction， I found myself stumbling upon this sci-fi on a whim。 I can't comment on the accuracy of the jargon except for some tech speak， but the language sounds plausible and competent enough。 What really carries the story is the heart。 Our main character Logan is not the hard-boiled anti-hero I know （and hate） in this type of story。 He's full of messy but earnest human emotion， and his inner conflict is never forgotten in the midst of plot。 There is more moral introspection here than I would typically find in a hard sci-fi， and I appreciate all the better for it。Crouch has a lot to say about the world， our narrative as humanity。 He offers no easy applicable solution， but in the similar bittersweet tone of "Flowers for Algernon" he offers hope。 There are thrills and science speak and thought pieces on the nature of man; what's not to like？ 。。。more
Ashutosh
，
3。5/5This was 3。0 for me but made it 3。5 after the epilogue part。*An Engaging， Fast-paced， and Action-packed book with a not-so-good plot*Blake Crouch read Homo Deus and imagined doing something with that in his way。 However， apart from the thrilling pace of this book， the plot doesn't offer anything unique。 Maybe it would've been a different experience if this was released around 5-6 years earlier， but after reading and watching so much content in the past couple of years， this didn't feel uniq 3。5/5This was 3。0 for me but made it 3。5 after the epilogue part。*An Engaging， Fast-paced， and Action-packed book with a not-so-good plot*Blake Crouch read Homo Deus and imagined doing something with that in his way。 However， apart from the thrilling pace of this book， the plot doesn't offer anything unique。 Maybe it would've been a different experience if this was released around 5-6 years earlier， but after reading and watching so much content in the past couple of years， this didn't feel unique。 Logan Ramsay works for a Gene Protecting Agency， and as the name is self-explanatory， it's responsible for hunting down crimes related to gene editing that may result in disastrous events in this not-so-distant setting。 On one such hunt， Logan Ramsay gets subjected to a lab explosion that inflicts some genetic mutations in his DNA， resulting in him gaining superhuman abilities。 （Why does this sound like a Marvel Origin story。。）Furthermore， as he tries to figure out his senses that have been amplified to a frightening degree due to the virus that he contracted during the explosion， he is also subjected to a shocking fact related to his mother， which leads to a cat and mouse between him and his sister Kara Ramsay。 And on this tussle depends the future of humanity！！This cat and mouse hold the complete later half of the book with tons of gene and biotech-related terms to the point where it seemed he was just boasting his knowledge in the field because it didn't do anything significant to the plot as most the things were pretty obvious。 The ending was predictable and offered nothing extraordinary。The writing style is first-person so makes it a fast-paced and thrilling read， even though there's nothing significant happening。 The audiobook narration is the only best thing about this book that captures the thrill perfectly。 Lastly， this book can be a good thrilling， and action-packed movie， but as for the book， it wasn't that decent。Happy Reading😊。 。。。more
Kylie
，
Finished in just in time for release day！ Blake Crouch is incredible as usually！ Will form better thoughts later！
Kai Van
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CW: suicide， violence， blood， human experimentationI don't think I liked this more than Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy， but I DO think it's my fave of his more recent releases。 scifi is not a big go-to overall for me， but I am all here for a scifi eco-thriller in Crouch's capable hands！a lot of the book does essentially center on things like climate change， classism， environmentalism in general， and the downfall of humanity & humans as a species。 SO if ANY of those topics turns you off， maybe sk CW: suicide， violence， blood， human experimentationI don't think I liked this more than Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy， but I DO think it's my fave of his more recent releases。 scifi is not a big go-to overall for me， but I am all here for a scifi eco-thriller in Crouch's capable hands！a lot of the book does essentially center on things like climate change， classism， environmentalism in general， and the downfall of humanity & humans as a species。 SO if ANY of those topics turns you off， maybe skip this， or at least be aware ahead of time。this book absolutely made me cry in a couple spots， laugh a lot， and I had a hard time putting it down to go to work & such。 highly recommend， especially if you dig scifi/eco thrillers or crouch in general。all the stars！ 。。。more
Jordan
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4。5*
Amanda Crawford
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I read this book in TWO days。 I could not put it down。 Blake Crouch never ceases to amaze me。 The amount of research and knowledge he pours into his books。 I literally stopped at page 75 just to Google and fact check all the genes… and y’all they’re legit。 I was hooked。 The science that goes into his books is unreal。 If you’re deep down a science nerd you’ll geek out and even if you aren’t they aren’t super difficult books to follow！ I’m going to be honest， I would have never read a Blake Crouch I read this book in TWO days。 I could not put it down。 Blake Crouch never ceases to amaze me。 The amount of research and knowledge he pours into his books。 I literally stopped at page 75 just to Google and fact check all the genes… and y’all they’re legit。 I was hooked。 The science that goes into his books is unreal。 If you’re deep down a science nerd you’ll geek out and even if you aren’t they aren’t super difficult books to follow！ I’m going to be honest， I would have never read a Blake Crouch book if I hadn’t signed up for Book of The Month。 Final note: 👏🏻THAT LAST CHAPTER， I mean Bravo 👏🏻 。。。more
Jeremy Fee
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I received a free ebook advanced copy of this novel from Netgalley/the publisher。 This review is my honest opinion。Upgrade by Blake Crouch is an interesting sci-fi story with mystery/thriller elements mixed in， in a similar vein to the author’s previous novels Dark Matter and Recursion。 The story starts with the point of view of a government agent working as part of a group investigating people who manipulate genetics/DNA。 The story deals with important issues people are questioning today regard I received a free ebook advanced copy of this novel from Netgalley/the publisher。 This review is my honest opinion。Upgrade by Blake Crouch is an interesting sci-fi story with mystery/thriller elements mixed in， in a similar vein to the author’s previous novels Dark Matter and Recursion。 The story starts with the point of view of a government agent working as part of a group investigating people who manipulate genetics/DNA。 The story deals with important issues people are questioning today regarding our future， which usually makes for good science-fiction。 My only concern as a reader is that some people may still be feeling the pangs of trauma from the COVID pandemic and thus not interested in a story dealing with viruses and concerns of medical concepts regarding altered DNA。 I highly recommend this novel for people not psychologically bothered by those issues。 I also recommend it as an entertaining sci-fi thriller。Blake Crouch has once again delivered a fun， interesting story that pushes the boundaries of sci-fi。 。。。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