Upgrade

4.25 very enjoyable read with a well executed plot

Once again this is a fast-paced, cinematic tale with solid characters and high-stakes. There are very strong shades of the movie/TV show Limitless (in a good way), but the plot itself doesn't evolve past a some pretty famaliar story beats. It does, at the same, lay out a clear challenge to the world's future but seems to fall short in providing fasntasical, sci-fi, or dramatic elements that we haven't seen before.

4.5. Nearly perfect, it lagged enough in the middle that I put it down for a week, but it fully redeemed itself in the end. This is my first Blake Crouch book and I'll be reading the others. It's a surprising mix of heavy science (no idea how real or accurate it is but it was believable and not eyeroll-y), thriller, and also super emotional with some beautiful writing. It definitely made me think and feel. So good!

This was great! Crouch is 2 for 2 when it comes to a gripping premise, and I have to say I am enjoying contemporary SF that includes modern scientific advances instead of re-hashing warp drives and ring worlds. It is a shame then that this book takes a killer premise and kind of goes no-where with it. Maybe it's more accurate to say that it doesn't go anywhere new; this was one of those books with a super strong first half that just fizzles out by the end. Overall, this was a very entertaining and pleasant read, even if I didn't love the direction the latter half took. I bet this will make a fairly gripping Netflix movie/series some day.If you've heard of CRISPR, then you'll be pretty familiar with what's going on here. This story follows Logan, a former geneticist who is walking the path of atonement after he and his mother accidentally cause a global catastrophe. Logan's mother was the world's foremost geneticist, and her major advancements in gene editing technology made it possible to make large-scale changes to any genome. Her scientific advancements are overshadowed by her mistakes and as a result of her actions genetic engineering is highly regulated and a specialized police force called the GPA is established to enforce those regulations. Logan now works for the GPA and while working his latest case he is exposed to a mysterious virus that begins to re-write his DNA. Shenanigans ensue.This book was interesting for more reasons than just the killer premise. This is an SF Thriller, which in my experience so far is a surprisingly uncommon subgenre within SF. The combo really works here, it takes the best parts of both genres and plays to their strengths; the intrigue and “just one more page” elements of a thriller meshes perfectly with the rich lore and philosophical edge of Sci-Fi. It's a unique blend, and it works exceptionally well here, you get the driving and insistent pace of a Thriller and when the story takes a breath or two it comes in the form of philosophical and moral exploration. In practice, this made the latter half of the story really focus on its themes and framing, which is extremely fresh in the context of a Thriller. My issue with this book comes in the form of its antagonist and the false dichotomy that exists between them and the MC. Trying not to spoil anything here, but there is a point in this story when it becomes clear who the ultimate antagonist is and what their plan is. That person has a close relationship to the MC, and their change of heart and their master plan as the antagonist felt rushed/thematically forced. I spent the entire second half of this story thinking two things: “Wow, they couldn't have even tried to talk it over?” and “if they're so smart, how is it possible that they just ran with literally the first thing they thought of.” It speaks to my biggest problem with the book, which is that things are “bad” because the author says they are and not because he's shown them to be so. This is a very personal take, the Author does take their time to rationalize these story choices- I just happen to disagree with them; to me, it all felt extremely elementary.I think I would have more to say about this book if I hadn't read [b:Blood Music 340819 Blood Music Greg Bear https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388694820l/340819.SY75.jpg 2563510] first. These stories are very similar, they both deal with a man-made disaster of genetic origin. These are both telling a cautionary tale that concerns itself with man's hubris and the function of wisdom in a scientific context. Blood Music is kind of like the weird/wacky older brother of Upgrade, you know the kind? He grows and eats his own mushrooms and collects minerals in his free time, but he also went to MIT? What separates these books for me is the strength of that thematic discourse. Where Blood Music is timeless and to some degree impenetrable, Upgrade came off as simplistic and a little patronizing. The overall message is the same: Genetic manipulation is a Pandora's box, but I felt that Blood Music did a fantastic job of SHOWING that it is, whereas Upgrade spends most of its time TELLING us that it is. Of the two, I would recommend Blood Music every time, but if you can't find a copy, Upgrade is a fine substitute that scratches the same itch.TL;DR: Gene Manipulation focused thriller. Strong start with a weak finish. Cool ideas and easy to read.

-Is it any good?
-well, no not really
-so its bad?
-well, no not really?

For me “Upgrade” was sort of middle of the road.

Pros:
Fast paced, pretty thrilling, decent plot, quite a bit of action, easy to follow.

Cons:
Felt weirdly cliché, characters didn't feel too deep, too many info dumps, wasn't too into the writing style.

What a frustrating read. It truly felt like one of those sci-fi movies you play in the background, except you can't really read books in the background.

It's difficult to figure out the author's intentions. Does he think the future is dystopian or futuristic, when he describes traffic jams with EVs or hyperloops (reads quite like Elon's dreams)?

The motivations make no sense. The issue isn't everyday people, it's people in power and companies going unchecked and insufficiently regulated.

His descriptions of intelligence are not convincing. It reads more encyclopaedic than anything else.

I appreciate his concluding chapter though. that was more thought provoking than the entire book.

*2.5 stars

Blake Crouch is just such a beautiful human. The empathy and love for family that all of his characters have, while also being brilliant beyond comprehension, is just so refreshing every time I finish one of his books. I thought Logan was too unfeeling for most of this book because of his upgrade and I was upset that he just moved on from his wife and daughter, BUT HE DIDN'T AND I CRIED!! I loved that Ava was so excited to see him. I loved that Beth was still so in love with him. I loved that his sister still loved him. I wish she could have made it, but been in a forced coma or something until he sent out his empathy upgrade. I just loved it.

Exciting, interesting and well written

boring white guy gets superhuman abilities and doesn't make a single smart or logical decision throughout the whole book but somehow the women are the villains in this? fuck off

Been raining for 3 days here. I started Upgrade and finished it just now. Feels like I've watched a movie across these 3 rainy days!

This was a pretty fun read, which felt a lot like a Jack Reacher novel or something similar. Characters were OK with believable decision-making.
The story premise was interesting: it's the near future and certain genetic engineering has come of age, but has already had unintended consequences, with a gene mod intended to kill mosquitos leading to a worldwide famine and significant human die-off. The gene scientist who designed and released the fateful mod was the protagonist's mother and he bore the brunt of punishment for the incident but now works for an agency fighting against rogue genetic engineering groups to prevent future similar mistakes.

That's the set-up, and from there, it's essentially a thriller that is fun. but not overly deep.

I'm a big fan of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter. It remains one of my favorite and fastest book I have ever read. It engulfed me entirely and I adored its every word.

Upgrade is worthy of similar praise. Blake Crouch's ability to deliver the scientific breakdown of concepts rivals Andy Weir's. What separates these two author's is that Blake Crouch's storytelling is masterful. Upgrade is a wonderful sci-fi thriller that will keep you guessing. It is inherently human in its themes, and totally relevant to the 21st century's problems. I was hooked from the start and heartbroken by the end for Logan Ramsey.

1.5

I received an eARC of Upgrade by Blake Crouch from the publisher, although I also purchased the audiobook and a BOTM edition. All opinions are my own.

Upgrade is another great sci-fi thriller from Blake Crouch. The author has a great talent for blending what reads like authentic science into his narratives while still creating a suspenseful and engaging story. This one features a dystopian near future in which the study of genetics is highly regulated and gene engineering is outlawed. The protagonist Logan is an agent of the Gene Protection Agency, and embarks on a series of events that will change his life and possibly the world. Compared to Dark Matter, which I read and loved, this one felt a little more technical and the stakes of the plot didn't have the same urgency in my opinion. With that said, I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers of Crouch, Weir, etc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 I have mixed feelings about this book.

minor spoilers
The world building (aka our world in the near future) was great; I think it was fairly realistic. And the book was quite enjoyable, but I wish the pacing was different. Someone dies but you don't really care because you don't KNOW the character yet. I love the concept of someone getting a ‘genetic upgrade' and the consequences from that, but it's a little too convenient for the story. Someone shoots at him? Well his upgrade allows him to dodge it. He needs to know how to perform a surgery? His upgrade allows him to know that for some reason. It felt a bit lazy. Also it got a bit preachy at the end, even if I do agree with his message.

I did enjoy the random multi-page explanations of scientific concepts. Were they accurate? Who knows. It reminded me of Michael Crichton's style of writing.

Overall I enjoyed the story. I wouldn't mind reading another one of Crouch's stories - I like his scifi concepts. but this one could've used some more planning.

3.3
The concept at the heart of the story is well executed, but otherwise this felt like an average thriller to me. It was good, but I'm not a big thriller person so I was hoping for a little more in the way of character development or great sci-fi. I feel those were done better in Recursion.

After a worldwide tragedy is caused by genetic manipulation, laws are put into place banning the research. Having played an unknowing part in the devastation, and serving time for it, Logan Ramsey now works for an organization that takes down gene labs. But his latest bust may be his last. As he and his partner enter the lab, an explosion causes ice shrapnel to lodge in Logan's body. As it melts, something races through his body, rewriting his genetic code. At first, it seems like he only has a case of the flu. But when his intelligence increases and his body begins to change, Logan’s fear of being genetically mutated comes to a startling reality. And his employer would rather lock him away in a black box than risk his genetic mutation from spreading.

The concept behind Upgrade was fascinating. What would happen if scientists could manipulate the human genome, making them faster, stronger, smarter, and impervious to disease? But then again, if they were able to do that, would it be taking things too far? Upgrade explores the reasons behind gene manipulation and possible complications resulting from it. And it throws in a dash of family conflict too.

Logan has always wanted to be as smart as his mother. Her comprehension and ability to manipulate genes made her one of the top geneticists. However, she was more dedicated to her work than being a parent, leaving behind an absence of emotion Logan carries throughout his life. Not to mention Logan served time behind bars for the devastation his mother’s last experiment caused. It’s no wonder Logan pursues a job he can’t stand in an attempt to make up for past mistakes. When Logan’s sister was introduced into the story I was hoping to see the complicated family dynamics play a large part in the story. However, the focus remained on the implications of gene science versus family drama.

While conflicts arise between Logan and his sister, they are captured in short clips. This allows the reader to uncover how they feel about their mother’s impact on the world but doesn’t fully delve into how Logan and his sister feel toward each other. Rather than exploring their bond by allowing them enough page time together, the reader is told how they feel and immediately the story time jumps after a major conflict between them. I would have liked to see more time spent on Logan's inner thoughts and how he felt clashing with his sister. There is an obvious anger reaction, but nothing much outside of it. And each time they meet years down the road, similar time jumps occur, never focusing long enough for the reader to see a full picture of the two other than reacting to whatever current problem is occurring.

However, the way Blake Crouch explores Logan’s evolution is fascinating. As his intelligence increases, Logan is finally able to function at a higher level on par with his mother. And he fully explores the capabilities of his body and mind. This draws the reader into otherworldly possibilities the human body could potentially experience. It also leads the reader into contemplating the ethical implications of such an upgrade.

For readers who enjoy plot-driven science fiction novels, Upgrade will be the book for you. There is a mix of gene science and ever evolving problems caused by it. Instead of dwelling too long on the repercussions against relationships and personal needs. The story steadily moves along, sometimes doing time jumps to accentuate the progress of forced gene evolution. But if you enjoy more character based storylines as I do, I would not suggest you read Upgrade.

aaaaaand the illusion Blake Crouch had cast on me is completely shattered.

2/5 instead of a 1 because despite everything, I really like the way Blake Crouch writes. His books are so tightly edited and efficient that I just kind of look at one of his books out of the corner of my eye and suddenly I'm 150 pages in. I don't know how he does it and as much flak as he gets for it, it takes real talent to put so little obstacle between the information on the page and the brain of the reader. His style reminds me of like.. a super simple dish done to perfection, or maybe even a Barnett Newman painting. The kind of painting where at first you're like ‘ok, just a big red canvas' then you walk closer and realize how absolutely flawlessly it's done. It takes a lot more confidence and dexterity to perform this efficiently than he really gets credit for.

Everything else about this book suuuuuuuucks. Holy shit.

I am so disappointed. I thought maybe, just MAYBE, in the Crouch novel where the protagonist is a failed scientist who accidentally gets upgraded into a hyper-intelligent post-human genius we'd get a plot that isn't just resolved by meathead jingoistic pewpew gunfight bullshit. But I guess not.

It blows my mind how hard the ball got fumbled on this. Like what even does Crouch think intelligence is? Because the answer he comes to in this book is being smarter = being better at shoot gun good.

You would think, that in a novel pitting the two smartest humans who ever lived against each other in a high concept battle of wits to decide the philosophical path the human species will take in their race against a self-imposed extinction due to climate change / inequality, that maybe there would be some cat-and-mouse style twists and turns? Plans and subterfuge and subversion and tricks and backstabbing and I dunno, drama? Maybe a philosophical debate or two where we can see their opposing viewpoints? Nah, of course not. It's a Blake Crouch book. So fuck all the pretense, here's some pewpew gunfight bullshit.

Great near-term sci fi with gene manipulation and lower Manhattan under water. Rollicking good read.

Remember that shitty movie, “Lucy”, this is what it should have been. 4.5 stars rounded up.

A short fun read with a similar trying-to-put-the-genie-back-in-the-bottle plot to the author's other recent releases. I found the final resolution more satisfying than I expected.

3.5

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is a mixed bag. While the fast-paced plot and exciting premise make it an enjoyable read, the constant over-description and use of scientific terminology felt unnecessary at times. Additionally, I found it difficult to connect with the main character, Logan, as he is not particularly engaging. However, fans of Crouch's work will likely find something to enjoy in Upgrade. Overall, it's a decent read, but I preferred Dark Matter.