Set in the not-so-distant future Blake Crouch’s Upgrade revolves around Logan Ramsay, an agent with the Gene Protection Agency (GPA). The GPA tracks the development and application of genetic research to prevent it from being used for any purpose that would be detrimental to the human race. This is a world where the application of genetics is highly regulated and gene modification or editing has been outlawed. Though the Gene Protection Act had effectively ended all private and university-based genetic research, some scientists and researchers have been continuing their work illegally. The GPA is responsible for tracking down and arresting illegal researchers and the closure of all underground research labs/facilities.

Logan’s mother Miriam Ramsay had been a gifted scientist whose discovery of 'Scythe' - a revolutionary, biological DNA modifier system, had ushered in a new era of gene editing. However, her experiments with genetic modification resulted in The Great Starvation, a disaster that led to the death of millions of people, food shortages and economic ramifications that the world is still recovering from. Since then Scythe has been deemed illegal.

Logan, in the process of a raid on a suspected rogue genetics facility, is exposed to the Scythe virus. He is quarantined while recovering from his injuries and a high fever that he recovers from. When test results reveal no other effects of his exposure, he is discharged and returns home to his wife and daughter . However, as the days progress, he notices changes such as improved memory and cognition. Genome analysis reveals that his cognition, memory, concentration and pattern recognition have been enhanced among other changes happening within his body . In other words, he has been “upgraded”.

Under suspicion for self-injecting and illegal use of genetic modification tech, Logan goes on the run, learning to balance and hone his enhancements while trying to comprehend the full scale implications of all that has happened . Is his exposure a freak accident or was he targeted? Who is behind this advanced Scythe-like genetic modification sytem and to what end ? Was his exposure an isolated incident or is the world on the brink of another disaster? Who can he trust to help him find the truth?

Blake Crouch’s Upgrade is a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi thriller that is hard to put down. Though some of the science might be hard to understand, that hardly detracts from enjoying the suspenseful narrative. While I enjoy watching sci-fi movies, I haven’t read much in the sci-fi genre in the recent past but I’m glad that I got to read this novel. I had heard a lot of good things about Blake Crouch’s books and now I can see why. This was my first Blake Crouch novel and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kathleen Quinlan and Random House for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest review. ( )

This one simply didn't do it for me.

I will admit to being hot and cold with Crouch. I'm not a fan of his Wayward Pines trilogy, but I enjoyed Dark Matter , and absolutely loved Recursion.

But this one? I've been trying to put my finger on it. Yes, I understand that Logan went through an upgrade and saw and maneuvered through the world differently. It's actually a really cool concept and it was handled far better than the Limitless movie ever did.

However, I do have a problem when an author establishes a new reality...such as this novel, where Logan's entire being is upgraded, or even in Gwendy's Final Task where Gwendy was old and suffering the onset of Alzheimer's. And in both of these novels, the authors choose to not just remind the reader at every opportunity, but more to beat the reader over the head, bludgeoning the information into their brains.

Again, I understand this is a SF novel, and some science is gonna be thrown at me. Hell, I read The Martian and Project Hail Mary and absolutely loved the science. But where Andy Weir made it fun and it flowed with the narrative, Crouch seems to shoehorn it in, or turn it into "as you know, Bob" dialogue, where it begins to feel like, hey readers, I did all this research for verisimilitude, and I don't want to waste it, so I'm putting it all in here to kind of show off a bit.

But it's more than just the reams of technical jargon and information. I also found Logan just a rather dull character, even after the upgrade. His sister, who shows up out of nowhere...twice...is infinitely more interesting, and I actually would have probably enjoyed the book more if it had been from her POV.

And finally, while there were some cool things happening story-wise, overall, it wasn't engaging enough as a whole, with wide swaths of events happening off-stage, to hold my imagination or attention.

When Crouch is on, he's really on. Unfortunately, this one felt very much more "by-the-numbers" for me. ( )

A disappointment. I almost disbelieve Blake Crouch wrote this book. ( )

I loved Dark Matter, I liked Recursion, and I had high hopes for this book too. But I was disappointed.

While the other books by Blake Crouch were about theoretical physics (in a sense), with time travel and multiple universes, this one is more down to earth. Set in a dystopian near-future with much of the world in ruins (but still functional), Crouch turns his attention here to genetic research. His hero is the son of a female scientist who while attempting to do good unleashed a genetic mutation that caused hundreds of millions of deaths. The whole book is the story of the attempt by the hero to prevent his mother and sister from doing even more damage.

It’s very violent with lots of shooting and explosions and chases (is Hollywood listening?) and it’s full of detail about gene editing and the like, much of which I found tedious. Crouch was wearing his research on his sleeve, I thought. And after a while, the gun battles and explosions do become a bit repetitive and uninteresting. Of the three books I’ve now read by Blake Crouch — an author I like — this is the weakest. ( )

A Sci-Fi Thriller about gene editing. Fun read; though limited in emotional complexity and with a heavy-handed message. ( )