Upgrade by Blake Crouch

About the Book:

“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.

My Review:

This is a very thought provoking novel taking place in the not too distant future. It focuses on the possibilities and evils of genetic manipulation. It raises many ethical issues, such as being willing to kill the few to save the many. Another issue is what we can and should do to save the world for the next generation. In that sense, this novel is very timely. The plot development is good and reading the novel goes well. The extrapolation of current DNA manipulation makes for a thrilling read. There are many exciting scenes and twists.

I felt the science aspect of the novel was mixed. I enjoyed the future aspect with electric vehicles and other innovative technology. There was a great deal of technical genetic information, with many references to DNA sequences and gene sections. I have to admit, some of it was overwhelming and I skimmed through it. Some of the suspenseful scenes almost had a screen play feel to them, they were so expansive. And I had trouble liking any of the characters. All were deeply flawed, giving a dystopian feel to the novel.

This is a novel for readers who like a thought provoking and engaging novel exploring a possible future. Be ready for a good deal of bio-technology and scenes full of suspense. While there were aspects of the novel that did not grab me, I did like it in general and think it is worth reading.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author:

Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His novels include Recursion, Dark Matter, and the Wayward Pines trilogy, which was adapted into a television series for FOX. Crouch also co-created the TNT show Good Behavior, based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He lives in Colorado. Photo by Matthew Staver. 

Ballantine Books, 352 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)