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A review by jenpaul13
Upgrade by Blake Crouch
4.0
Humans have limitations for what they’re capable of, but with some genetic tinkering that can significantly change and have impactful ramifications on humanity in Blake Crouch’s Upgrade.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency and his latest case leads him to an unassuming home presumed to be a lab used for illegal genetic activity. Soon after getting an all-clear to enter the basement, Logan realizes that there are ice bombs about to go off; caught in the explosion, his hazmat gear is punctured and ice particles reach his now broken skin, melting in to the wounds. When he awakes in the hospital, he’s quarantined as they investigate the virus that infected him and see if his genetic structure has been modified as a result. After fevers and pain, it’s determined that Logan is fine and no modifications have been made; released back to his normal life he slowly notices increases in his mental acuity, making him curious if the virus was a sleeper and used technology that his infamous mother developed. Upon confirmation of his genetic upgrades, he is detained by his employer, escapes with assistance from an unlikely source, fights with that person as to what to do about the upgrade potential, and goes on the run to stay hidden while considering how to outmaneuver his opponents in the fight for what’s best for humanity.
An engrossing and quickly moving story that raises important moral questions, the premise is equal parts interesting and frightening in what it portrayed as a possibility for the next state of humanity’s development as scientific progress is made, specifically around genetic engineering and the benefits and perils that come with that exploration. The pacing and general presentation of the plot had a cinematic feel to it, which is in line with Crouch’s writing style. There was a fair amount of technical terminology used throughout the text, some of which felt like gibberish and was highly skimmable as strings of numbers and/or letter acronyms, but the information necessary to understand the base of what’s shared was made clear to readers, though more in a telling versus showing manner. A certain level of remoteness or coldness to the characters’ presentation kept them at arm’s length, likely due to the highly analytical presentation from Logan’s augmented perspective, in this highly interior-facing story with vast external implications.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency and his latest case leads him to an unassuming home presumed to be a lab used for illegal genetic activity. Soon after getting an all-clear to enter the basement, Logan realizes that there are ice bombs about to go off; caught in the explosion, his hazmat gear is punctured and ice particles reach his now broken skin, melting in to the wounds. When he awakes in the hospital, he’s quarantined as they investigate the virus that infected him and see if his genetic structure has been modified as a result. After fevers and pain, it’s determined that Logan is fine and no modifications have been made; released back to his normal life he slowly notices increases in his mental acuity, making him curious if the virus was a sleeper and used technology that his infamous mother developed. Upon confirmation of his genetic upgrades, he is detained by his employer, escapes with assistance from an unlikely source, fights with that person as to what to do about the upgrade potential, and goes on the run to stay hidden while considering how to outmaneuver his opponents in the fight for what’s best for humanity.
An engrossing and quickly moving story that raises important moral questions, the premise is equal parts interesting and frightening in what it portrayed as a possibility for the next state of humanity’s development as scientific progress is made, specifically around genetic engineering and the benefits and perils that come with that exploration. The pacing and general presentation of the plot had a cinematic feel to it, which is in line with Crouch’s writing style. There was a fair amount of technical terminology used throughout the text, some of which felt like gibberish and was highly skimmable as strings of numbers and/or letter acronyms, but the information necessary to understand the base of what’s shared was made clear to readers, though more in a telling versus showing manner. A certain level of remoteness or coldness to the characters’ presentation kept them at arm’s length, likely due to the highly analytical presentation from Logan’s augmented perspective, in this highly interior-facing story with vast external implications.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.