“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?

This week’s review is Upgrade by Blake Crouch. It’s a hybrid science fiction/action thriller that’s not afraid to ponder the most complex of questions including the biggest question of all – in order to save humanity, do we need to remake humanity?

A traumatic incident leaves special agent Logan Ramsay forever changed. At the most fundamental level he begins to evolve into something new, something beyond human. Is he the precursor to the next step on our evolutionary journey or is he a genetic mistake? Should scientists be playing God or are they tinkering with forces they don’t properly understand?

What follows is a race against time as Logan attempts to stop a cataclysmic biological event being unleashed upon the world.

As the plot unfolds you sense Logan is losing his old self. Crouch’s writing deftly explores the human cost of Logan’s transformation. Logan was a devoted family man, but things like emotion become more of an abstract that he can compartmentalise as necessary. It’s quite the trade off, Logan’s newfound abilities increase exponentially as his own humanity slips away. I felt sorry for him. In order to save us, Logan can no longer be one of us. It’s a hell of a sacrifice.

The tension and pace of the novel escalate as Logan is forced into direct action against an unexpected antagonist. A cross country game of cat and mouse against the clock plays out, building to a climactic showdown. I’ll admit it, I loved how the Upgrade ends. No spoilers, obviously, all I’ll say is that it has a really smart conclusion. I must admit a burning curiosity to see if the author plans a sequel.

At first glance, Upgrade might look like just a science fiction tech thriller, but there is so much more going on under the hood. Crouch’s taut narrative explores all manner of topical subjects, everything from environmental change to modifying the human genome. I’m always pleased when a novel forces me to engage my brain and question how I view the world.

Perhaps, if we’re really lucky, one day this story will make the jump to the big screen. I’d love to see what someone like Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve would make of it. It could be amazing.

Ultimately, I think Upgrade is the sort of thoughtful science fiction that is going to prompt a certain amount of introspection in any reader. In Logan’s position, you’re bound to find yourself asking the same questions as him. Would you be able to make the tough decisions he is forced to? More importantly, should you? Science fiction is the perfect genre when it comes to exploring the morally grey areas of our humanity. What’s next for our species? Do we deserve to move beyond what we are now or should we just accept our lot safe in the knowledge it will likely lead to our destruction?

Macmillan publishes Upgrade on the seventh of July and it comes with a highly recommended rating from me. If you like your near-future thrillers with a conscience, then this is a story well worth checking out.

My musical recommendation to accompany the novel is the soundtrack to Upgrade by Jed Palmer. If that choice is a bit on the nose then another option is the soundtrack to Archive by Steven Price. Both capture aspects of the narrative well. The choice is, as ever, yours*.

*Heck, you could choose to listen to nothing at all. That’s weird, but it’s entirely up to you.

This was my first Blake Crouch book, and I can see why so many people enjoy his stories. This was fast-paced, easy to read, and compelling to boot. Our main character is the son of the woman who caused one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history, resulting in gene manipulation being banned. To atone for his mother's sins, he joined the Gene Protection Agency. But while acting on a tip, he gets exposed to something that begins to alter his own genes. He just doesn't know into what.

Parts of this do get pretty science heavy. I didn't feel like I missed anything or didn't understand what was happening, but I did feel overwhelmed sometimes by the lists of genes that we get throughout the book. I guess it does add to the science fiction vibe. It's nowhere near the level of, say, Andy Weir, though, so if you enjoy that you probably won't mind it here. The idea of gene manipulation and how it was used was interesting. The story lags a bit in the middle, and there's a time jump that didn't really make sense to me, but I was entertained and look forward to reading the author's other works.

This was a fun and yes - thrilling - read. Logan Ramsey works for the GPA or Gene Protection Agency, raiding scientists who are still modifying humans or animals in the wake of a disaster that killed millions.

One job takes him to a home where there's no lab, as expected, but a bomb of sorts. The only one caught in the explosion, Logan soon realises that his mind and body are changing. He's stronger. More intelligent. He's been modified. It doesn't take long for the GPA to figure that out either - they want to study him and keep him in a box.

So what can Logan do next? What's right for him to do next? He's not the only one who's been modified and some people think it needs to be applied to all of humanity. Because we should all be geniuses, we should all be able to put our emotions away at will.

But Logan regrets losing part of himself on this journey. He sees the dark side of losing your emotions. He works out that people who think they're the best don't care too much for the opinions of others, that they will try to apply an 'upgrade' no one else wants or could even consent to. So what does one of the world's most intelligent men do next?

So yup. It's a thriller. You have to suspend belief a little and go along for the ride - because it's a hell of a lot of fun. Now I've got to go and explore Crouch's other work... 4.5/5

A rollercoaster ride! I literally did not put it down from the moment I started page 1. My favourite title of Blake's yet.

Ever since we have understood the concept of DNA there has existed the idea of editing our DNA to help make better versions of humans. This story takes that idea and runs with it in the way Blake Crouch has done so well with other ideas in the past. It's a fast-paced action story with a high concept idea at the heart that propels the characters through a just about plausible scenario where the future of mankind is at stake and the hero of the story has to wrestle with complex moral questions as well as overcome a range of fiercely difficult obstacles. The main strength of the story is the break-neck speed that you hurtle through the story, which doesn't allow you to spend too much time questioning the speculative pieces science or clunky bits of plot. You're too busy turning pages and wanting to see what happens next to worry too much that some bits don't make loads of sense and that's OK. In fact, I finished the book feeling that this story might have been better suited to being made straight into a film rather than a novel as it's packed full of action but there's little time or space for the kind of introspection or character development you usually get in a novel. I don't think that's a good or a bad thing, it's just a matter of what you prefer. If you like action-packed thrillers then this is definitely something that will keep you entertained. If you prefer kitchen sink dramas then this is one to avoid. Overall, I think this was a fun story that explores some interesting ideas in a way that doesn't leave you having to stretch your brain too hard.

Upgrade is a dystopian near-future thriller in a world where it is possible to edit genes in an adult human and our hero has to stop the evil scientists trying to do that to unsuspecting members of the public. Unfortunately I found the hero annoying before he was upgraded and pretty much insufferable afterwards.

Very US-centric, very whizz-bang. Recommended for lovers of action movies.

A mind-bending cocktail of fascinating science and human emotions!

Synopsis -

Logan Ramsay is experiencing extraordinary changes to his body – better memory, focus, increased learning and multitasking abilities. To his dismay, he discovers that his DNA genome has been hacked. Already tarnished by a bitter past and the legacy of his name, he seems to have been targeted for this “upgrade”. But by who? And to what end?

Review -

Having read and loved Dark Matter and Recursion, I was super thrilled to receive Crouch's new one as an ARC! Thanks NetGalley and PanMacmillan!.

Going in blind, I was surprised at how quickly I connected to Logan. As he begins to understand the myriad changes he is experiencing, we also come to understand the “human” side of him. The love and bonding he shares with his wife and daughter as well as glimpses from his past where it had all gone wrong.

Set in a futuristic world, probably about 30 years from now, it was truly scary what the world had turned into. With incredible advancements in the fields of genetics and AI, yet at the same time ravaged by famines and devastation killing millions, our planet was both a terrific and terrifying place.

Obviously, the most fascinating part is the “upgrade”. As an engineer myself, I enjoyed the descriptions of genomes & DNA editing, although some of the concepts flew over my head.

The plot gradually starts brimming with tension moving at a fast paced narrative that is sure to keep you hooked. My only qualm was with some of the stunts Ramsay pulled off that seemed unrealistic and my brain simply blanked out instead of visualising.

However, what I loved most was how Crouch brings the scientific and emotional aspects of his storyline together. Although, this is all about a rapidly changing world with technology taking over from all sides, it all finally comes down to what it is to be a “homo-sapien”- being true to the human conscience and doing what is right for our species.

“Upgrade” is an enchanting sci-fi thriller that gets you thinking about the future of humans on earth and what might be the consequences if science evolves the way it does here.

Definitely recommended to sci-fi/dystopian thriller fans!

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is a clever book that rides the line between science fiction and thriller, blending both genres into an entertaining page turner.
Set in a not too distant future, the planet is struggling to recover from a global famine that has dramatically reduced the population and changed the landscape. Our protagonist Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency, a government organisation that was formed to regulate and control genetic research and engineering as a response to the genetically engineered plague that caused the global famine. Logan does not love his job, but he feels it is his responsibility as the son of the scientist who caused the plague, to try to atone for the sins of his mother. When he is exposed to a genetically enhanced virus in a raid gone wrong, Logan begins to change, to "upgrade" in terms of both physical strength and mental acuity. As soon as his work realises what is happening he becomes a target, especially since they have been hiding a huge secret from him for years , a secret that may explain why he was exposed to the virus in the first place. Soon Logan begins to understand that he is just the "guinea pig" , part of a plan to upgrade the rest of the population no matter the number of lives lost in the process, and if he is to stop that happening he will have to give up much of what still ties him to his humanity, a truly terrible cost.
This is a tense and action packed thriller, full of adventure that will keep the reader turning the pages. As readers of this author may expect , especially given the description given above, there is a fair amount of science woven into the story, but it is all explained clearly and simply in a way that did not impact on the pacing or tension of the book. The characters are engaging and entertaining, and the author uses them to pose some interesting questions for the reader to ponder.
I did enjoy the book but if I have one criticism it is that it lacked some of the originality and complexity of books like Recursion or Dark Matter , both of which I really loved . This was a much more straightforward (even somewhat predictable ) book, but an entertaining one for sure.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The premise for this science fiction thriller sounds particularly exciting, and it is why I decided to give it a try. I only read ‘Recursion’ from Blake Crouch last year and really enjoyed it.

In this one we follow Logan, who lives his life haunted by the sins of his genius mother, who caused a global scientific tragedy years ago, which resulted in millions of deaths. Logan is reminded every day of his mother’s horrific legacy through the work he does and the world around him. During one of his assignments he is exposed to a virus, which is suspected to cause genetic modifications to his DNA.

That sounds interesting, right? I thought so too, but this book is not for the average reader. We are bombarded by scientific jargon, which I assumed was done because we experience the story through Logan’s eyes and as his IQ rises, he uses more complicated terms, but then he explains them, dumbs them down in some cases. Why not just write them in a way non-scientists would understand in the first place.

As the plot takes place in the future, there are mentions of Covid and war in Ukraine, which to me just sound like trying too hard. I mean the war in Ukraine just started, and this book is already marking it as a blip in the history. It just did not sit well with me.

All in all, this story had great potential, but in the end I just found it quite predictable, and if you look on Netflix, you can find about 10 sci-fi films with a very similar plot. I think there is even a film called ‘Upgrade’. Just saying.

LIKES
☀️ As always with Blake’s books, the concept was unique and gripping.
☀️ A true dystopian book that served up serious creepy ‘this could actually happen’ vibes.
☀️ Blake’s writing is always full of detail, which I really appreciate in a sci-fi book as science is NOT my strong suit 😅
☀️ The exploration into the psyche of how the smartest, most powerful people in the world would behave during an impending doom situation.
☀️ How it really made me think ‘how would I feel if I were in this situation?’

DISLIKES
🌙 It lost a bit of its momentum in the middle for me.

Dark Matter is still my favourite of the two I’ve read, but I absolutely want to read more of Blake’s writing as it’s just fantastic. I’d definitely recommend his work to fans of thrillers, sci-fi and/or dystopian novels!

4.5 stars

Headlines:
The arrogance of humanity
Futuristic thriller with a shade of dystopia (or reality)
All the science goodness

"We don't have an intelligence problem. We have a compassion problem."

I could not put this book down and for 24 hours, the themes of this book have truly invaded my thoughts. The subjects of environmental demise, political and international inertia to make change and the break neck speed of scientific and genomic progress felt close to where we are in 2022. So, this story set in a future felt utterly believable.

This story started and ended with the arrogance of individuals, thinking they knew best and being sure their intelligence superseded others. The sacrifice of some outweighing the many was part of this arrogant belief. Imagine if you could upgrade the intelligence and strength of humans...would that be the answer to all our problems? Logan the protagonist was the epicentre of this conundrum and this whole problem was through his eyes over a number of years.

The story was fast-paced, immediately gripping and it kept the reader's attention throughout. The science was fascinating, not beyond my grip and I'm no geneticist. Nevertheless, this kind of science dominance of the story was right up my street, I could see how much research and expertise was sought to make this story work so well.

This story provoked the reader to consider individual morals and societal ethics and yet, this was not a heavy read. The pacing, the plot and characters kept the reader moving through the story as fast as their normal-speed mind could manage.

The triumph of this book was in how it ended, basically as well as it started. When a book tackles such a big plot and dilemma as this storyline presented, there's always the risk that it'll disappoint as it culminates. Crouch finished this superbly, with some bittersweet-ness and a bang.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Black Crow PR for the review copy.

Can one man save the world!
After being involved in an explosion Logan Ramsey starts to feel different his body and mind are improving his senses heightened his life is thrown into turmoil as he realises what he has to do to save humanity.

Another amazing read from Blake Crouch. MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK ! The Science at the beginning is a bit daunting and complicated but the story is still easy to follow.
This is just a brilliant fast paced and action packed Sci fi Thriller. I was hooked right from the start and could not put it down. The ending just blew me away.
STOP WHAT YOUR DOING AND PRE ORDER THIS BOOK NOW !

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

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.

I’m not a big sci-fi reader but do enjoy this authors style of writing. It was an interesting plot but in my opinion not as good as Dark Matter or Recursion and a little more predictable. I personally enjoyed Part 1 the most.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is set in a dystopian near-future, when gene manipulation has become a crime following a world-wide disaster, caused by the science.
Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency, seeking out unauthorised laboratories. During the course of his work he becomes infected and finds himself effectively being “upgraded”. His brain is working faster and more efficiently, his body is stronger, his memory is amazing.
Is this the way for mankind to go? Will an upgrade make us all better people? Or will it make evil people more evil, violent people more violent?
This whole conundrum is addressed in a very accessible way, as Logan discovers why he has been upgraded, and by whom.
A very though-provoking, as well as an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely loved Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, a sci-fi thriller based around multi-verse travel, so I was really excited to read Upgrade.

It didn't dissapoint! Crouch builds an uncomfortable near-future world where high-tech marvels like holographic fountains fail to solve the crumbling human infrastructure and collapsing ecosystems worldwide, kind of like the situation we find ourselves in today. How we got ourselves in this situation seems so illogical, right? Clearly, making humans more logical is the way to fix things. Or is it?

In addition to world building, Crouch is also very good at high-concept, high-tension plotting. The action scenes are all good, and I can see them converting well to the screen, of course. There is a price to pay, though, for writing a high-concept book about a complex topics such as the Anthropocene, human intelligence, genetics, and civilization. Crouch clearly researched the genetics to get that right, but the intelligence-enhanced characters on all sides acted more like brain-washed fanatics than actually intelligent people able to understand nuance and complexity. The ending was particulary annoying in this regard, and was a pretty jarring note in an otherwise excellent tale. However, I guess I'm okay with it. Progagonists can be flawed themselves and fail to learn lessons. I look forward to the sequel, when everyone has to figure out how to fix the even worse mess they've gotten humanity into now.

I feel like the books I love the most are sometimes the hardest to review. Because I just want to scream how much I loved them, instead of analysing the reasons why I did in a more "professional" way. So let's start by saying that Upgrade is my favourite book I've read this year so far. And I've read a few. Some have even become all-time favourites. Yet Upgrade takes the number 1 spot.

This is my third Blake Crouch book and I can only say that he keeps getting better as an author. "Recursion" was a book I adored, but I still felt like there were a few pacing issues for me personally. With Upgrade, that's gone. The pace of this book is exactly what I look for in a sci-fi book like this. I was reading it while in the middle of a mild reading slump, and I still felt the need to at least read a couple of pages every day. I needed to continue. I couldn't stay away from this story.

The characters were also very intriguing. Even if we didn't really spend that much time with most of them. It's mostly just Logan walking us through what's going on. Yet I felt like I knew Klara, Beth, Ava, Edwin, Miriam... and that's not easy to do.
But what's so incredible is the evolution of Logan. It's obviously not a natural evolution but it still felt so human. The way his character arc ends is beautiful.

Plot-wise, I really enjoyed the premise. But I feel like this is really the book where those Crichton comparisons really were massively obvious. Michael Crichton was always ahead of his time with the content of his books. His social commentary was spot on and reading his books nowadays makes you notice it even more. The way he could read how things will evolve and how humans will behave is quite stunning. And Crouch does the exact same thing here. All throughout the novel, really, with the commentary on whether having the power to do something means we are justified to do it no matter the cost. But then, we get the epilogue.
I am usually not a fan of epilogues. There are so many great books with terrible epilogues that I pretend don't exist. But this one...I just want everyone to read it. It's clear the author has looked at the world in the last 2/3 years and has come to the same conclusion many of us have come to. But the way he mentions that lack of compassion, and what it means to all of us as humans, is just absolutely perfect. Again, I want to read that letter that Logan wrote to Ava and Beth to every single person I know. It could not have been said better.

Do I recommend this book? I think it's obvious I do. A book that entertains you while making you think so much has to become a favourite of mine.

In a futuristic America, Logan Ramsey works for a branch of the government which outlaws the manipulation of genes. This is ironic as he was part of the team, led by his brilliant but arrogant mother, responsible for the deaths of over a billion people from starvation when gene manipulation, trialed in insects, went badly wrong. The current case sees him arrest a gene courier who directs them to the address where they made the drop & Logan is caught in an explosion. He wakes up in isolation & learns that the explosion exposed him to what could be a deadly infection.

After a touch-and-go period, Logan starts to recover & realises that he feels different. He can read faster, retain information better, remember things from the past in precise detail, & doesn't need to sleep as much. He's not the only one who has noticed though & he is kidnapped by his employers & his wife & daughter are told that he died on a mission raid. He learns that he has been 'upgraded', certain genes have been manipulated to make him stronger, faster, less prone to injury & illness, & more intelligent. As he tries to work out how to escape from the prison he is in, someone from outside breaks in & rescues him, & Logan is shocked to learn it is someone from his past - his estranged older sister who has also been 'upgraded'. As they investigate what has happened to them, they come to realise that they are fighting for humankind's very survival.

If this was to be a film, Logan would be played by Tom Cruise. It just has that type of feel with lots of action set pieces, betrayal, double bluffs, & the plot moves at breakneck speed. There are parts which nearly made my eyes go crossed when it talks about all the different genes & what they do etc, & there are some laments on what we are heading towards as a species, but on the whole, it's more a blockbuster entertainer than anything deep & meaningful & there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I thought it was an interesting choice that the author went for pathos for the ending rather than the usual 'Happy Ever After', but it was definitely in keeping with the rest of the book. Overall, it's like an action film, you enjoy it at the time but wonder just how long you will actually remember it. 3.5 stars (rounded up on sites without half star ratings).

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher, Pan Macmillan, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

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).