Upgrade: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “If Michael Crichton had written a superhero novel, it would look a lot like Upgrade.”—The New York Times Book Review
“You don’t so much sympathize with the main character as live inside his skin.”—DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series
“Mysterious, fascinating, and deeply moving—exploring the very nature of what it means to be human.”—ALEX MICHAELIDES, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Maiden
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, She Reads
The mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion—currently in development as a motion picture at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners
“You are the next step in human evolution.”
At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.
But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.
The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.
Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.
Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.
And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?
Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.
“You don’t so much sympathize with the main character as live inside his skin.”—DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series
“Mysterious, fascinating, and deeply moving—exploring the very nature of what it means to be human.”—ALEX MICHAELIDES, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Maiden
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, She Reads
The mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion—currently in development as a motion picture at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners
“You are the next step in human evolution.”
At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.
But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.
The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.
Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.
Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.
And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?
Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Upgrade* by Blake Crouch is a thought-provoking, fast-paced sci-fi thriller exploring gene editing and its ethical dilemmas. Many appreci...
IT'S PUBLICATION DAY!!!!
I love Blake Crouch's writing and am so grateful to have received an advanced reader's copy of Upgrade from @Netgalley and Random House Publishing!
Upgrade is right on par with what you'd expect from Crouch. It's fast-paced, propelling, and intense. His lead character is thoroughly developed and endearing. Like several of Crouch's main characters, Logan is a family man, deeply involved in his family life, he loves his wife and adores his daughter. His past until the accidental death of his mother is rife with self-doubt and expectations he can't reach, all he has ever wanted is to be a light to her instead of a shadow. Several events unfold which propel the story quickly. Government conspiracies, DNA editing, military involvement, not to mention the impending end of the world threat. What's not to love. Crouch's writing style is abrupt and fast-paced, but still, he has the ability to flesh out characters and events in a way that makes you hold your breath to the very last page.
I would highly recommend Crouch to anyone who loves science fiction, especially sci-fi based on legitimate sciences... in some cases, he reminds me more of a theoretical physicist than a fiction author with the way he sees the future. Man, I'm rambling, anyway, pick this up and read it. Or any of his other books. I promise you won't regret it.
I love Blake Crouch's writing and am so grateful to have received an advanced reader's copy of Upgrade from @Netgalley and Random House Publishing!
Upgrade is right on par with what you'd expect from Crouch. It's fast-paced, propelling, and intense. His lead character is thoroughly developed and endearing. Like several of Crouch's main characters, Logan is a family man, deeply involved in his family life, he loves his wife and adores his daughter. His past until the accidental death of his mother is rife with self-doubt and expectations he can't reach, all he has ever wanted is to be a light to her instead of a shadow. Several events unfold which propel the story quickly. Government conspiracies, DNA editing, military involvement, not to mention the impending end of the world threat. What's not to love. Crouch's writing style is abrupt and fast-paced, but still, he has the ability to flesh out characters and events in a way that makes you hold your breath to the very last page.
I would highly recommend Crouch to anyone who loves science fiction, especially sci-fi based on legitimate sciences... in some cases, he reminds me more of a theoretical physicist than a fiction author with the way he sees the future. Man, I'm rambling, anyway, pick this up and read it. Or any of his other books. I promise you won't regret it.
Blake Crouch’s latest sci-fi thriller set in the near future reads like a bellwether of terrifying atrocities and fantastic capabilities human beings might actually achieve someday soon. Upgrade is the third book I’ve read by the author, and he always manages to entertain, surprise, and illuminate me. Action-packed with a lead character to rally behind, I didn’t want to put this book down.
With the world being the dumpster fire it currently is and has been for the past few years, the imaginative things that occur in this book don’t really seem that far-fetched. I mean, at this point it seems like anything is possible, right? But while other books of this nature have just depressed me, this one was a welcome distraction. And I couldn’t ignore the similarities between Upgrade‘s futuristic world and the one we currently inhabit.
Logan Ramsay doesn’t love his job at the GPA, the Gene Protection Agency, but he takes the life and death choices he must make very seriously, knowing personally the consequences of where one wrong decision can lead. Throughout the book he battles within himself over the hard choices he’s forced to make, often having to choose between himself, his family, and humanity. He’s a flawed hero who’s easy to root for.
Crouch does a wonderful job of building tension, keeping the reader guessing about what will happen, and keeping the reader turning pages. I thought the book was just the right length, with plenty of time to get to know the characters, but no lulls that I felt I needed to skim. And while Upgrade is a sci-fi thriller, it also contains some very moving passages about humans and our struggle to persevere.
While I was reading, I could see scenes playing out like a movie in my head, so I was happy to discover it will be adapted by Steven Spielberg! I have a feeling Upgrade will be the thriller to read this summer. And it deserves all the hype!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (prompt #36 - A book you know nothing about)
With the world being the dumpster fire it currently is and has been for the past few years, the imaginative things that occur in this book don’t really seem that far-fetched. I mean, at this point it seems like anything is possible, right? But while other books of this nature have just depressed me, this one was a welcome distraction. And I couldn’t ignore the similarities between Upgrade‘s futuristic world and the one we currently inhabit.
Logan Ramsay doesn’t love his job at the GPA, the Gene Protection Agency, but he takes the life and death choices he must make very seriously, knowing personally the consequences of where one wrong decision can lead. Throughout the book he battles within himself over the hard choices he’s forced to make, often having to choose between himself, his family, and humanity. He’s a flawed hero who’s easy to root for.
Crouch does a wonderful job of building tension, keeping the reader guessing about what will happen, and keeping the reader turning pages. I thought the book was just the right length, with plenty of time to get to know the characters, but no lulls that I felt I needed to skim. And while Upgrade is a sci-fi thriller, it also contains some very moving passages about humans and our struggle to persevere.
While I was reading, I could see scenes playing out like a movie in my head, so I was happy to discover it will be adapted by Steven Spielberg! I have a feeling Upgrade will be the thriller to read this summer. And it deserves all the hype!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (prompt #36 - A book you know nothing about)
Five amazing stars!
Get ready for one of the best books you are going to read this year. It has been a long time since I have read a book that totally captivated me from start to finish but this one did it. We have Logan Ramsey a agent for a, not so distant future, government agency called GPA: A small agency created to fight against gene editing. He has his perfect family with a wife and daughter he loves. Then one day on a SWAT raid against a possible gene editing lab he is accidently? injected with a virus which starts to modify his genetic structure.
And for the better. Everything about him from mental to physical aspects gets enhanced. He starts to get stronger and smarter right before our eyes. And its totally fascinating. Especially when the bullets start flying! And the twists were genuine WTF moments.
This book was beautifully paced and written. From the pace, to the science which was mind blowing but not overbearing. And more importantly the overall emotional impact of the book.... We feel for Logan and his family and what he has to go through is not only suspenseful but soul crushing at times.
Just so hard to explain the book without spoilers but just know it's a great science thriller. This is my first book by Blake Crouch but it definitely won't be the last as I will fast track all his books to my TBR. If I had any complaint with the book is that it started to slow down towards the end but only briefly as it picked up steam again.
Once again, I don't really give out five start reviews so easily but this book was so entertaining on every level that it is well deserved. Now we just have to wait for the Netflix or HBO series which I hope gives it justice.
Book given free for honest review.
Get ready for one of the best books you are going to read this year. It has been a long time since I have read a book that totally captivated me from start to finish but this one did it. We have Logan Ramsey a agent for a, not so distant future, government agency called GPA: A small agency created to fight against gene editing. He has his perfect family with a wife and daughter he loves. Then one day on a SWAT raid against a possible gene editing lab he is accidently? injected with a virus which starts to modify his genetic structure.
And for the better. Everything about him from mental to physical aspects gets enhanced. He starts to get stronger and smarter right before our eyes. And its totally fascinating. Especially when the bullets start flying! And the twists were genuine WTF moments.
This book was beautifully paced and written. From the pace, to the science which was mind blowing but not overbearing. And more importantly the overall emotional impact of the book.... We feel for Logan and his family and what he has to go through is not only suspenseful but soul crushing at times.
Just so hard to explain the book without spoilers but just know it's a great science thriller. This is my first book by Blake Crouch but it definitely won't be the last as I will fast track all his books to my TBR. If I had any complaint with the book is that it started to slow down towards the end but only briefly as it picked up steam again.
Once again, I don't really give out five start reviews so easily but this book was so entertaining on every level that it is well deserved. Now we just have to wait for the Netflix or HBO series which I hope gives it justice.
Book given free for honest review.
another thrilling read by crouch. preferred dark matter and recursion to this one, but still had s lot of fun reading this. lord of family drama and action and suspense to keep me wanting to turn the page. sometimes it gets too science-y for me, but dug all the balancing of ethics and humanity in the face of near future degradation.
Blake Crouch is in my top 10 of favorite authors but this book just fell flat for me. Uninteresting characters, a story that I had to force myself to push through, and and overwhelming feeling of describing this book as "smart man writes book to convince others he knows things." Very mediocre and entirely skippable if you're a Blake Crouch fan.
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