Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

49 reviews

sfbookgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was so unmemorable I truly do not even remember what happened despite reading it only a few months ago. I don’t recall much about what I didn’t like about the novel except for the fact that it dragged and felt unoriginal. Crouch set a really high bar with his other two novels so I was bound to be disappointed at some point. 
 
Upgrade’s plot revolves around something involving genes and a man named Logan who discovers his genome has been hacked. And there is something to do with his mother being involved in a gene editing scheme? All and all, it felt like the plot went nowhere and I was just pushing myself to finish it. I recommend reading Dark Matter and Recursion though - those are the books I have placed into the hands of a lot of library patrons time and time again.
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kirstym25's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 I loved this book. The ending was perfect! You don't get a perfect ending with everything told to you. It doesn't end happily ever after, but that's what I love about Blake Crouch's books! I would have liked a bit more about his wife, Ava, Nadine, and Kara, but other than that perfect! It was a wild ride. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped in surprise. It was just a great book! 
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katrinarose's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Dark Matter and Recursion were both better than this one, but I still enjoyed it. Fast paced, interesting sci fi concepts, balanced with some philosophizing about humanity, but just a bit lacking in character development and the truly mind bending stuff of his other books.
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cynthiareads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Logan Ramsay is genetically modified without his knowledge or consent, becoming a super strong, intelligent, upgraded human.  He and his (also upgraded) sister fight over conflicting views of how to save humanity from self-imposed extinction.  

Fast-paced thriller about the benefits and perils of genetically modifying humans.  What aspects of our nature are worth upgrading and at what cost?  

Lots of lists of gene names!

Fave quote:

"We don't have an intelligence problem. We have a compassion problem.  That, more than any other single factor, is what's driving us toward extinction."

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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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daniellecheri's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I felt very nostalgic reading this book. It reminded me a lot of the dame feel as sci-fi movies I watched in the late 90s-early 2000s. I was captured from the start. My only complaint is that it was very wordy at times with scientific jargon. While this helped ground the science side of the story, it bogged down the story for me. But I did like the overall story and I would recommend this book to others.
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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Upgrade by Blake Crouch lived up to my expectations and was a quick, exciting read.  My first Crouch novel was back in 2017 when I read Dark Matter, and I remember loving the fast-paced science fiction mood.  When I saw the plot for his latest book, I was intrigued… and when I heard from a friend that it held its own against Dark Matter, I knew I’d be buying it.  
 
In Upgrade we meet the protagonist, Logan, in a presumably future world where genetic engineering has gone awry, and the government has put in place restrictive laws.  Scientists have been jailed and remain on watch lists, artificial intelligence scans identity in the streets, and the world is recovering from a global famine.  
 
One day Logan wakes with the feeling that he is changing.  He can’t put his finger on how or why, but once he starts to understand what’s happening the pace accelerates.  As Logan pieces it together, the reader does too, and it’s a battle of morality and survival for humanity. 
 
I’m drawn to science-fiction and particularly enjoy stories that are a degree away from the current reality.  This novel has fictional elements that feel both futuristic and incredibly plausible.  It begs the question of whether this could be reality and as the story progresses, it pushes moral and scientific questions to the surface for consideration.  
 
The mystery unfolds and solves itself with satisfaction, with minimal loose ends to consider, and the epilogue was my favorite part.  If you enjoyed Dark Matter, this is worth the read.  This reminds me of a Jason Bourne type plot with an injection (terrible pun… forgive me) of futuristic science fiction.  
 
Content warnings: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Self-harm, Torture, Grief 
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theoceanrose's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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chambersaurusrx's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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