https://lynns-books.com/2024/11/11/review-run-by-blake-crouch/
4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Constantly Moving and Tension Packed

I had a good time with Run. This is actually my first book by this author, although I do own others, and in some ways I dare say this makes it easier for me to love this one because I’m not comparing it to what I’ve already read or holding it up to some very lofty expectations. I went into this completely in the dark, I had no idea what the story was really about and I think this was something else that also worked out well for me.

As you may imagine from the title this is a story of a family trying to flee to safety. There is constant movement with this story and the characters (and reader) gets little chance for a breather. In fact I found myself hoping that the author would cut his characters a little slack – but he didn’t. Anyway, let’s work back and see what’s what.

I will say that I just went back to check the description for this one and if you still haven’t read it – I suggest you don’t do so. I found this so much better going into the read with no preconceived notions.

With that in mind I’m going to be very cagey about the plot. Yes, this is a family on the run trying to survive. They’re not the only ones and they have no idea what’s going on. Likewise, as a reader you’re equally in the dark and discovering things on the fly as this family try to stay one step ahead of what’s coming for them.

This is such a tense story. It’s the type of survival story that keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what comes next. I won’t lie, there is violence here and death aplenty, it comes with the new territory, but, at the same time, there are moments where you can see this family coming together and in fact that’s one of my favourite aspects of the story. This family, over the duration of this story, and everything that the author puts them through, definitely achieve massive character growth. This is a family that comes together in their time of need. Before everything hit the fan they’d been on the brink of giving up the ghost. Now, I’m not saying that with hindsight they’d wish this disaster onto themselves in order for their relationships to survive, but, the way they react and grow during the story made for addictive reading.

I liked the characters, which also helps. Like I mentioned, as the story begins they’re certainly not the perfect family, the father is the last person you’d expect to become your hero and yet all of them step into new shoes and adapt. Sometimes accompanied by a bit of screaming and crying and other times by starvation and thirst.

In terms of crticisms. Well, sometimes it doesn’t pay to question the whys and wherefores too deeply but instead roll with the punches and go where the story is trying to take you. I was, without doubt hooked to this from a very early point in the story and so I didn’t look too finely at the plot or any potential plot holes so can’t really say whether they were present or not. I think the ending felt a little hasty which was perhaps my only real issue.

Overall, this was very entertaining and definitely the sort of story that I think would make a great adaptation to the big screen. I’m now really looking forward to picking up some of my already owned books by this author to see how they compare. Any suggestions where to start always welcome.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 stars

What a great read I couldn't put it down. This was a fast paced book

Thank guy for the opportunity to review

5 days ago strange and brutal murders sweep across the country with no apparent explanation commited by friends, family and neighbours.
4 days ago the murders increase.
3 days ago The president addressed the nation and begged for calm.
2 days ago the killers begin to mobalize.
Yesterday power was lost.
Tonight They’re reading the names of those to be killed on the Emergency Broadcast System. You are listening over the battery-powered radio on your kitchen table, and they’ve just read yours.
Your name is Jack Colclough. You have a wife, a daughter, and a young son. You live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. People are coming to your house to kill you and your family. You don’t know why, but you don’t have time to think about that any more.
You only have time to….RUN

I LOVED this !! Blake crouch has done it again another brilliant thrill ride of shocks and emotion! This story had me hooked right from the start. Loved how the prologue tied in at the end. A gripping and fast paced post apocalyptic thriller.
No idea why this is getting bad reviews it was A FIVE STAR READ ☺️

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Blake Crouch for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading a lot of books by this author lately and was really pleased to hear about this one.
It has a real dystopian post apocalyptic feel to its and reminded me a lot of the walking dead. The story starts straight in and does not let up the tension. You really care bout the characters and it twists and turns so well and has you guessing what will happen next and what the outcomes will be. Saying a lot will give the plot away but this is right up there with his best - I was shocked when I heard that it was republished and was first out years ago.

couldn't put this book down! It's like a roller coaster ride of suspense, with twists and turns that will leave you breathless. A perfect blend of excitement and wit.

Headlines:
Read in one day
Far fetched but good
Zombie chase

Okay, so it wasn't really zombies, nor am I going to explain the plot because that is best found inside the pages when reading. That said, Crouch could have given us a better explanation at the end...

This was a fast-paced story that was easy to keep abreast of, coupled with a focus in on one family with a dysfunctional partnership from the off. The dramatic start to the opening chapters had me immediately with my ears pinned back (this was an audio listen). The US was thrown into sudden dystopia with sci-fi elements underpinning and I had many questions.

Jack and Dee, with their children Naomi and Cole were compelling to read about. This family went through a heck of a lot of trauma and I enjoyed reading it! Was it far-fetched in its roots? Yes but I didn't mind too much because Crouch can write the pants off a thriller.

I did want more explanation in the end but I enjoyed the final twists we got and the suspense over that final twist. I will keep turning up for Blake Crouch, I know I'm always going to enjoy the experience. The audio was a great format for this read.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the netgalley copy.

In this tense, apocalyptic thriller, we meet the Colclough family: Jack, his wife Dee, and their children, Naomi and Cole.

Something strange is happening all over America, including extreme acts of violence that seemed to have gained momentum and spread like wildfire.

Then the power went off, going online became virtually impossible with poor mobile reception everywhere.

Jack was listening to the Emergency Broadcast Channel, where he heard the name of his family read out.

This means that someone is now coming to kill them all.

Jack and his family have to run to save their lives.

I really enjoyed this tense and gripping thriller which had me hooked straight from the beginning.

What was causing the violence? Was it some sort of madness? Why did it escalate to murder? These were just a few questions that I was wondering as I was reading the book.

Being on the run has certainly brought Jack’s family closer. Before the strange events, his marriage to Dee was crumbling, and now as they faced adversity, their bond grew stronger than before.

This book has raised a point that when it comes to it, humans only need the basics to survive. We don’t need all the fancy stuff, it’s not important.

What’s important is family and our health. Otherwise, who are we without those two things?

Many thanks to Macmillan for approving my NetGalley request.

I was intrigued to read this early book by Blake Crouch, before he had established himself as a writer of dystopian/twisted science/speculative fiction, which I love.
After strange lights appearing in the sky, America is gripped by a violent crisis, where seemingly normal people are going on killing sprees, attacking people, and destroying everything they can.
Jack decides to travel north towards Canada with his wife and two young children, to escape the carnage, but they become more and more involved in the fight, having to decide between good and evil, who to trust, and to do the unthinkable. The book certainly raises questions about how far should you go to protect those you love.
The explanation for the killing, and why it ended was never really clear, and also whether it was just limited to the USA.
I enjoyed the book, not so much the violence, but appreciated the dilemmas faced by the family, and I’m glad I read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and PanMacmillan for the opportunity to read this book.

A quick fast paced read that sucks you in. America divides into killers and those to be killed. We follow a family that tries to get to Canada which is a safe place. A good solid story from Blake. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this review copy.

It's almost impossible to divorce a book from the expectations that comes with some authors. Run is one book that is hard to read without high expectations only to realise it doesn't come close to Dark Matter and Recursion.

Run follows the story of a family trying to escape the many killers on their tail. They move from place to place with danger following their every move.

Thankfully, Run is a fun read that continuously excites. There's enough danger to make you feel unsure of who will make it to the final pages. Also, the way the story begins sets an immediate urgency rather than a slow build. This does come with the consequence of mid-point repetitiveness as many of the events seem to follow the find safety then run from danger.

The biggest issue with the story is its derivative nature. There's very little that is unique or distinctive. While there are suggestions of a story that offers something different those differences are never fully realised. The story is too similar to many zombie story (just without the zombies). It's a story of the uninfected trying to escape the infected.

If I had read this book before reading other Crouch I might have enjoyed it more but as it stands I can't really get passionate about it. For fans of Crouch it is a necessary read but for people new to Crouch start with Dark Matter or Recursion and not Run, it doesn't reflect the author at his best.

The upside of a rereleased debut like this is a reminder that authors take time to find their voices. Very few come out the gate succeeding and Run shows authors it's ok to take your time. Both Run and Abandon are my least favourite Crouch books but neither of them derail my excitement for future books by him but they are far from his best work.

A good solid thriller that had me gripped from the start. It’s quite a dark survivalist story that was fast paced and a tad unbelievable in places. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going it headed off in a different direction. I felt the ending was a bit sudden but other than that a great read.

This was a tense dark thriller focussing on a situation none of us would want to be in. Waking up to discover nearly everyone you know wants to kill you. There were some parts of this book that were slightly unbelievable but with the background of menace it held its own.

Over a period of a few days, the US divides into killers and those to be killed. It's thought to be a virus but nobody can pin it down, and those infected won't stand still to be tested. It's a fantastic, exciting and very unsettling look at an imagined future. As you'd expect from Blake Crouch there are close shaves for a family whose head has just been named as one to be killed. Things get more frenzied as the small family make their escape towards the uninfected Canada. My heart was in my mouth on a number of occasions. I feel this would make a superb film.

This is the 5th book i have read by Blake Crouch and it did not disappoint.
It was fast paced and just like all his other books the shock and awe factor just got better the further you got into the story.
I was captivated from the beginning, I had no idea in which direction it was going, when I thought things might be predictable then the direction changed again.
This is a survivalist fantasy because there is no way anyone can be that lucky to get that far. Parts of the story were cliche, other bits I had no idea why they were there, I couldn't predict how it would end- although I found it abit abrupt. However all in all I really enjoyed this.

I didn’t realise this was a re release and I have actually read it before! Not my favourite book of Blake’s but still a solid enjoyable thriller.

The story follows a family of four who has to flee their town suddenly - in the middle of the night. There is chaos all around them. All they know if that a large portion of the US and Mexico are affected and going on massive killing sprees. It's like everyone all of a sudden woke up and became murderous psychopaths. Jack, his wife Dee, and their two kids Naomi and Cole, embark on a perilous journey to safety without even knowing where safety is. It's a story of survival and the lengths they will go to save themselves and their loved ones.

One night, across the United States mysterious lights are seen in the sky. Those who have seen them are changed and combine to massacre those who did not see the lights. Every night on the emergency radio, a voice reads out the names of those who are next to be killed. If you hear your name, you've got to run. And so a family takes off from their home in Albuquerque to try to get up to Canada where refugee camps are being set up. A dangerous journey across a ruined America, clearly inspired by cormac McCarthy's The Road, if the writing is not quite in his league.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I recently read “Dark Matter” by this author, and really enjoyed certain sections and elements.
“Run” has some of that shining through. This novel is dark, following a family as they run across America during the fallout of a strange celestial phenomenon that has turned most of the population murderous. Some scenes in here are extremely difficult, very well written.

But most of this is just a constant stream of the family running, finding supplies, running, getting shot at, running again, almost dying-, and after a while it sure did get repetitive. The part where the family got split up was the best bot, and there should’ve been more of that.

Blake is an auto buy author for me. Absolutely love some of his other books. This one for me personally just didn’t hit like the others.
I felt that the theme of the story has been done a lot and that the trend running through it was very similar to another story.
It didn’t stop me from enjoying the book and wondering how it would all play out. I did throughly enjoy reading this it just didn’t blow me away as others have done.

As a fan of Blake Crouch I was very happy to receive a review copy of Run, originally self-published by the author in 2011. Thirteen years later, the book reads as if it was written only recently. It’s still fresh and interesting and yes, scary!
Well, I don’t think I have to rehash the story here, after over 2.000 reviews on GR alone. Run was for me not so much a book about the very unexpected and unexplained rage that came over so many people after they’ve watched ‘the lights’, but more about how strong and resilient people can become when faced with mortal danger. It reminded me a little of Swan Song by Robert MacCammon, in which an old man and a little girl have to flee after ‘the bombs fell’ although no-one knows who started shooting first. The world is ruined and people are killing each other left and right.
So, our main character Jack Colclough runs, because he has no choice. They are coming for him and his family and nobody knows what will follow.
I enjoyed the book because in between all the running and fighting and shooting Jack’s character developed well and I could really admire him.
Thanks to PanMacMilland and Netgalley for this review copy.