Meredith (Trying to catch up!)'s Reviews > Upgrade

“The future was here, and it was a fucking mess.”

Upgrade is a sci-fi thriller about a man who is genetically upgraded and tasked with saving humanity.

The plot is complicated and has many layers. The novel takes place in the future in which people are trying to survive the ramifications of “the great starvation.”

The plot is divided into three parts, all narrated by Logan, a man who works to put scientific criminals attempting to genetically engineer genes in jail while at the same time living with being the son of the scientist who caused the great starvation. He is a complicated and compelling character, but at the same time, he is cold and distant. At times, I didn’t fully connect with him.

Of the three parts, I liked part one the best. Part two slowed down my reading momentum. Part three brought everything together and posed some provocative questions about humanity.

This is a fast-paced, action-packed read filled with suspense, drama, and lots of science. There were times when the science was too much, but I think I understood the scientific threads more in this book than in Crouch’s other books, so that was a win for me.

There are many layers to this novel. It is more than about a man trying to save the world, and one can apply the events that occur to the current state of the world. The overall message is profound and impactful, especially in response to those lacking compassion and empathy for others.

“You can’t kill humanity to save humanity. Human beings are not a means to an end.”

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.