Regina's Reviews > Upgrade
Upgrade
by
by
If you got all tingly at the mere sight of this book, what you really want to know is if it’s an upgrade or downgrade from Dark Matter and Recursion, right? Here’s my quick take:
Dark Matter ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
Upgrade ⭑⭑⭑⭑
Recursion ⭑⭑⭑
I’ll get back to you tingly people in a moment, but for anyone completely lost right now (Hi Mom!) I’ll take a moment to explain that Blake Crouch is an extremely popular author of modern sci-fi novels that are accessible to mainstream readers that only dabble occasionally in the genre (Hi Self!). He really does lean hard on the “science” part of sci-fi though, so your brain can get quite a workout reading them.
2016’s Dark Matter was such a page-turning thrill ride, and it made me feel super smart! Then 2019’s Recursion came along, which to me felt repetitive in parts and over my head in others. 2022’s Upgrade started like a thrill, lagged a little, but then won me over in the end.
The science of focus in Upgrade is genetic engineering. In the near future, the government has had to establish an ATF-like agency to regulate and crack down on civilian manipulation of DNA. I mean, you can’t have people just willy-nilly making weird unnatural shit in labs! Our book’s hero, Logan, is a member of that agency, and during a raid he gets blasted with DNA-modifying particles that make his intelligence - you guessed it - upgraded.
There’s no denying that there’s a bit of a “save the earth” agenda to the story, so if you don’t agree at least on some level that human kind is on an unfavorable trajectory then this book is most definitely not for you. It’s also not for you if you don’t like a little adrenaline in your thrillers, because this is some action-packed drama. No surprise, adaptation rights have already been snapped up by Amblin Entertainment.
What is surprising is the epilogue. Nine times out of ten epilogues are completely unnecessary turds, but this one was so thoughtful, heartfelt, and unexpected that it nudged my rating up a full star. Now that’s a worthwhile upgrade.
My thanks to the author and Ballantine Books for the gifted review via NetGalley. Now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
Dark Matter ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
Upgrade ⭑⭑⭑⭑
Recursion ⭑⭑⭑
I’ll get back to you tingly people in a moment, but for anyone completely lost right now (Hi Mom!) I’ll take a moment to explain that Blake Crouch is an extremely popular author of modern sci-fi novels that are accessible to mainstream readers that only dabble occasionally in the genre (Hi Self!). He really does lean hard on the “science” part of sci-fi though, so your brain can get quite a workout reading them.
2016’s Dark Matter was such a page-turning thrill ride, and it made me feel super smart! Then 2019’s Recursion came along, which to me felt repetitive in parts and over my head in others. 2022’s Upgrade started like a thrill, lagged a little, but then won me over in the end.
The science of focus in Upgrade is genetic engineering. In the near future, the government has had to establish an ATF-like agency to regulate and crack down on civilian manipulation of DNA. I mean, you can’t have people just willy-nilly making weird unnatural shit in labs! Our book’s hero, Logan, is a member of that agency, and during a raid he gets blasted with DNA-modifying particles that make his intelligence - you guessed it - upgraded.
There’s no denying that there’s a bit of a “save the earth” agenda to the story, so if you don’t agree at least on some level that human kind is on an unfavorable trajectory then this book is most definitely not for you. It’s also not for you if you don’t like a little adrenaline in your thrillers, because this is some action-packed drama. No surprise, adaptation rights have already been snapped up by Amblin Entertainment.
What is surprising is the epilogue. Nine times out of ten epilogues are completely unnecessary turds, but this one was so thoughtful, heartfelt, and unexpected that it nudged my rating up a full star. Now that’s a worthwhile upgrade.
My thanks to the author and Ballantine Books for the gifted review via NetGalley. Now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Upgrade.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
February 1, 2022
– Shelved
February 1, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
February 6, 2022
–
Started Reading
February 13, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 116 (116 new)
message 1:
by
Michelle
(new)
Feb 15, 2022 07:30AM
reply
|
flag
Thank you, Michelle. His books most definitely are not for everyone. xo
Thanks Holly! I'm super excited to hear what you think of it.
Give this one a shot then, Ellie! This is an epilogue I'll be thinking about - and discussing with anyone who will listen - for a long time.
Much appreciated, Colleen! And trust me, I most definitely am not a science person. Or a sci-fi person. But for some reason I cannot resist his books.
I GET IT
Thanks Chris -- you'll want to give this one a try then!
Aw, sorry to hear Dark Matter was a disappointment for you, Rosh! Fair choice to skip this one then. The style is pretty similar, even if the science is a bit different.
Thanks Jen, sounds like Crouch just isn't a fit for you. xo
Why thank you, Diana!
Oooh, you must read Dark Matter if you haven't yet! Thanks, Melissa. :)
Thank you kindly, Michael!
Thank you, Luna! Happy to hear you're a Crouch fan too.
+20pts for giving your mom a shout out
-20pts for giving yourself a shout out 🤷♂️
Awesome review! Good reminder to start this series. Would you say this is similar to Jon Marrs work?
Thank you! I'm not really into sci-fi either, but I make an exception for him.
Thanks so much, Jim! Your kindness is always appreciated.
Thanks so much, Jim! Your kindness is always appreciated.
+20pts for giving your mom a shout out
-20pts for giving yourself a shout out 🤷♂️
Awesome review! Good reminder to start this series. Woul..."
LOL! I suppose I deserve that. ;)
To clarify, this isn't a series. He did write a trilogy called "The Pines," but the books I referenced in this review are stand-alones.
Funny you ask about John Marrs, as I was pondering that myself. I suppose there are similarities, though I would say Crouch's lean much more heavily on science. They also feel less sinister to me somehow.
Thanks for the clarification! Definitely missed that :)
Thanks for the clarification! Definitely miss..."
My pleasure, my friend. ;)
Those were my exact thoughts going into this, Tara! Hope you enjoy it too.
Will do, Kerrin! I'm sure she'll appreciate it. ;)
Oh yay! So glad to hear you're having a great time with it Kerry.
Thanks! For an epilogue, it certainly was, in my eyes at least.
Thank you, Jayme. I hope you love this one most of all when you get to it.