Good Fast Paced SF with a scientific basis for super powers
and a good plot line of what happened to create this future world

The science is excellent and well researched
I am not qualified to say if this is possible
but the whole idea that the Human race has reached a tipping point
and what if anything we could do is incredible
Fast paced and well worth rerading for the ideas
on what could be the near future

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).

Simply put, if you have any interest in where Homo Sapiens is heading, you really need to read this book. It may be a work of fiction but the amount of truths "hidden" in its pages are a lesson for us all.

For me, this small quote says it all - "Our species’ superpower is not caring. 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".

This is the first book I have read by the author, and it certainly will not be the last. I loved the concept of this novel - genetic modification and hacking and what happens when things go drastically wrong, and perfectly right.

Our main character, Logan Ramsay, has had to live with the disaster caused by his mother. Millions died in agony due to a genetic error. Logan was there as a youngster. I found this very emotional as I imagined how I would feel in that situation.

The DNA coding of numbers and letters at one point did my poor wee head in. But I got the gist and moved on. Please do NOT let that put you off this work, it's just my brain is unable to cope with these on a daily basis anyway.

This is a very clever story and the additional information that is provided is so fascinating, and adds much background to the tale. I don't want to tell you anything else out with the blurb as it would certainly spoil it for you. I want you to read this without any preconceptions. There's a number of points to take away and once seen, you'll never forget them. The more I think about this afterwards, the more I love this book.

Out of all the books I've read over the years, I loved this ending the most. It was astonishing. (Kudos, Mr Crouch!) A brilliant piece of work.

I chose this ARC from a selection which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author.

I'm a huge Blake Crouch fan, and Upgrade was a welcome addition to his canon! I loved the deep dive into gene editing and its implication, and as he's the master of the science meets morality conundrum, I highly enjoyed that aspect of the book. For me, it didn't quite have the same level of emotional heft as Dark Matter or Recursion, but a great read nonetheless!

This is my very 1st Blake Crouch book and I see why people enjoy his work. This book was a sci-fi action thriller based around the concept of Gene editing. It reminded me alot of a Michael Crichton type book and was really enjoyable.

The book is extremely fast paced, has a really interesting concept for its plot and is full of action sequences. At one point I could picture some of the scenes being adapted into a movie starring someone like Tom Cruise.

The books is split into 3 parts, the 1st part is the setup of the story. The 2nd goes into a mix of action and plot progression and the 3rd is just an all out action movie in novel format till the end.

I really enjoyed these action sequences and at points it reminded me of the Matrix. While i dont think this book will be for everyone as it has a massive dollop of science throughout the book that might put people off.

However i enjoyed it quite alot, this would be the perfect airport book if you want something easy to read on holiday. Though it has some thought provoking moments throughout the book (the epilogue is fantastic) I dont think it will be something that sticks with me much once finished.

Really good, fast paced, science action/thriller. I will definitely be picking up Blake Crouchs other books like recursion and dark matter.

3 stars! Thanks for NetGalley and the author for providing an Advanced Reading copy.

Upgrade By Blake Crouch

Mr. Crouch has been on a roll of late with his last couple of books and has set the bar for himself very high, so to deliver another book at that level is an exceptional achievement.
Upgrade tells the story of a not too distant future where man's skill with DNA gene splicing has reached an unprecedented level, but with the Earth slowly dying and half the world's population starving, mankind is heading for the apocalypse.
Blake Crouch weaves a splendid tale of mistrust in the science world and what the Human can become. The story is very detailed and good and the character of Logan is a joy to spend time with.
I had a wonderful time with this book and enjoyed all of its elements, from its emotional heart to the very believable science throughout the book.
Even though this is a very science-based book, at its heart is a story about family and the loss of it.
Outstanding read again from Mr. Crouch well worth your time and hard-earned cash.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishing house for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC.

In the not-too-distant future, gene editing techniques have been perfected. But while most have only good intentions, sometimes they can go wrong – disastrously wrong. After an attempt to blight-proof the world’s rice crops, a global starvation event instead sees gene editing made very, very illegal.

Bring forth our main character, Logan Ramsay, who has a lot of guilt around the past, and now works for the government agency responsible for cracking down on any gene-altering activity and research. It’s an uncomfortable role: is a former geneticist trying to make a new career for himself as a biology teacher really a threat? And are all the powers the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) has given itself going more than a little too far?

But then, sent out on a raid on an illegal lab, Logan instead walks into a trap – a genome bomb kind of a trap. Pierced with fragments of ice, he at first seems okay bar a few broken ribs. Until, that is, he starts getting smarter. And stronger, faster, and just… better. But if someone wants to roll out his ‘upgrade’ to the rest of humanity, they might be dooming rather than saving the planet. So can Logan evade his former bosses and track down those responsible before it’s too late?

Blake Crouch is a name I’ve seen a lot over the years, attached to titles with highly intriguing buzzlines. I’ve been meaning to try some of his work for years, and finally here I am. So?

To be honest, I was a little under awed, although not in a terrible way. Sometimes grand ideas don’t translate to story; here he does deliver, but in a rather shallow, airport thriller kind of a way. I’ve described this book to many as a ‘tech sci-fi Da Vinci Code’ – the DVC link being the pacing, highly gripping but ultimately rather superficial kind of story telling.

That’s not to say I don’t recommend it: there is a lot of place for non-deep, quick and relatively easy reads. In other hands we could have got utterly bogged down in all the motives; here it’s just ‘keep moving and people will accept it especially if we throw a bunch of cool-sounding tech at them’. And so it is.

Overall: no regrets at having read it, I’ll give the author’s work another go happily enough, but had gone in expected more than an action thriller airport novel, all pace and cool core idea, but fair from sophisticated or elegantly written. But hey, based on the success of DVC, chances are this will appeal a whole lot more to a large swathe of readers.

Crouch's mix of thrilling action and mind-bending sci-fi makes Upgrade another enjoyable and fast read that will appeal to lovers of this genre. However I did not quite found it living up to the heights of its predecessors, with the solid world-building not making up for a relatively predictable plot. 7/10

Another great read from this amazing author, this time we’re introduced to genetic modification and the dangers of messing with Mother Nature.
My favourite thing about the author is ability to give all of main characters such a wonderful human warmth, and in this case the descriptions of Logan desperately trying to hold onto his empathy and his love for his family was beautifully written.
I also feel like I learned a lot, there was a lot more science this time around and I did struggle a little to stay in the zone.

A superb read - gripping, intriguing, smart and, dare I say, a warning (!?!)
I'm a big fan of Michael Crichton and Stephen King and I found myself feeling that this fell into both camps as a science laden thriller, with enough described science to certainly feel real, and satisfy my inner laboratory geek, but not so much that it ever felt it would exclude anyone without that leaning.
A small glimpse into a possible (Black Mirror?) near future that could be already happening in places, and enough twists, uncertainty and danger to push the story along to what I found was an ultimately satisfying conclusion.

Another fantastic and incredibly clever sci-fi thriller from the wonderful brain of Blake Crouch. Set in the not too distant future (2060s) this is a pretty disturbing story about gene hacking. Although this is clearly fiction, veering very close to fantasy at times, it certainly makes the reader anxious about what could be in store for the human race down the line. A fast paced, engrossing read and highly recommended.

Think Limitless combined with This Mortal Coil and you won’t be far off. The first two thirds of Blake Crouch’s Upgrade were really enjoyable, there was plenty of action and a really good pace. As the story progressed and Logan got deeper into the upgrade process, the science took over a little, which if you’re a biology major probably wouldn’t be overwhelming, but it did start to get very technical at around three quarters of the way through.
While I enjoyed the story, I also found Logan’s ability to observe what was happening to him on a logical level, rather than respond to it emotionally, left me a little disconnected from his character. I think his ability to analyse ahead of what was happening to him also reduced the tension that I’d normally expect to feel in a thriller of this nature.
However, I m a sucker for a bit of sci-fi and, other than some of the very technical terms, it was a great read.
Big thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

This is an incredible read! Just like Blake Crouch's other books, this story takes you from one point and makes your head spin. It really makes you think about the future and where we might end up. This author always delivers!

I really enjoyed reading Upgrade, by Blake Crouch. I thoroughly enjoy all their books, and think they are an amazing author. Gripping from the start as always

Upgrade
By Blake Crouch

Whoa! Now that I've got my heart rate back under control, I'll try an elucidate my thoughts on this mind blowing, gut wrenching, thought provoking book.
Upgrade is set in the near future (2069?). Due to previous weather events and presumably global warming, Miami and Lower Manhattan are under 6 feet of water and genetic scientists, in an attempt to control disease in rice crops in China, developed a virus which inadvertently sparked a famine which killed 200 million people and impacted every continent. Gene editing has now been banned under Federal Law, policed by the Gene Protection Agency.

But that doesn't mean that genetic science has halted. Someone has engineered an upgrade, an edit to human DNA which can elevate a persons ability to the maximum capabilities of human potential.

Logan's sensory bombardment and mind expansion are so vivid. I really felt like I was on this journey with him. The science, which is coming at you might seem overwhelming but is completely digestible. The references to the post flood and famine environment are foreboding, eerily set against the still magnificent landscapes.

This is a race-against-time story; which is the better of two evils? How far can human evolution go before it consumes itself? The pace is frenetic, my heart was in my mouth as I grappled with a all the philosophical questions this book throws out. I predict a blockbuster.

Thanks to #netgalley and #PanMacmillan for the galley

I am afraid this was only a three star book for me. I have enjoyed the author's previous books but this one seemed a little more on predictable lines, with humans infused with superhuman qualities via a gene upgrade and then the battle between the good and the bad. It also had too much information about genetics (which of course was necessary for a lay reader like me to make sense of what was happening, but ended up bogging down the book) 3 stars.

I haven’t read many if any sci-fi books in my life, but this story was so well done that I haven’t felt like I’m losing my mind at all.

The suspense and twists, the characters and their interaction, along with some of the more reliable scenes and settings, made me read it in one sitting.

Working for the government, Logan has to fight against a biotech company that will devastate the world as he knows it. Lots of science and special effects I might add in this story, but they all just fascinated me because I’m quite the snob about it. Swing Logan transforming into this human 2.0 person was surreal and made me think of the all school RoboCop movie.

The author has a great gift in creating a world that feels real and intriguing without missing a beat. It’s really that captivating and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone that wants to get lost in a perfect story.

It's so fast-paced and addictive that you wouldn't want to miss it!

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy.
I’ll post my review on instagram closer to the pub day.

Every now and then you come across a book with a blurb that sounds so awesome, so outré, so "I've never read that before" that you grab it and swipe your card before you're even conscious of wanting to buy it. But then the author does not quite manage to pull the plot off, nothing is quite as great or new as you wanted it to be, and you're left feeling that this great idea really deserved a more skillful treatment.
Not so Blake Crouch. If he decides to take up a subject, you may be sure it won't disappoint; and Upgrade is no exception.

Upgrade is, on the face of it, a thriller; and just on that premise alone, it 100 % delivers; with twists and turns galore and page-turning non-stop action. But this book is so much more than that. In Crouch's trademark style, it opens up a glimpse into a possible world that is not quite ours - not quite yet - but so plausibly close to it that it's absolutely terrifying. If a history book from twenty, thirty years into the future fell into your hands, it might read something like Crouch (well, it would probably be less thrilling, but you see my point).

Add to that the third layer, which is the science. I LOVE science. I'm a science geek. I understand a bit more science than the average person (or so I like to flatter myself), but this book left me in the dust. I ended up leaning back and enjoying the ride, trusting that the author (and the scientists he cites in the thanks-section) knows what he's talking about.

Blake Crouch is to speculative science thrillers what Andy Weir is to space sci-fi. It just doesn't get much better than this.

But wait, we're not quite done, because... there's also the ethical layer to it all. Because things in this book are not black and white, and not good and evil. Instead the question it asks is, can you do great evil while trying to do the right thing? And what price is too high to pay for the greater good of humanity? And if you're faced with the choice between inaction in the face of great calamity on the one hand and the potential of unleashing a catastrophe that just might stop that calamity - how do you choose? And who gets to make that choice?

If I haven't convinced you to pick this up at this point, probably nothing will; so I'll wrap it up here; but if you're looking for a compulsive, fast-paced science thriller with depth, great writing and likeable, well-rounded characters, look no further. I fully expect to see Upgrade make an appearance in this year's Goodreads Awards.

I want to thank Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.

I read Crouch's previous book Recursion and was mightily impressed. I wondered whether this latest one would be as good - in fact it's better

So...Logan is a member of a government agency that's fighting against an illegial biotech undrerground. It's quite difficult because Logan's late mother was the person who releasd a "bio hack" with disastarous consequences - millions died.. On a raid, Logan's infected with biological material that changes him - upgrades him to human 2.0 - and then the real actions begin - a rescue, the truth about his family...and lots more

Top marks for this - its sci fi that's totally readable just as an interesting, well charactered, pacey novel. It kept me on the page and I raced through it. If you like somethimng a bit futuristic, then it hits the mark for that too. Crouch has a knack of effectively blending these elements togther to create a novel that's great for readers of a range of different genres

Final verdict - get this even if you don't like sci fi - great story, pace and action. If this is your first Blake Crouch book, go back to Recursion and then read Dark Matter - this book isn't a flash in the pan!