Lisa of Troy's Reviews > Upgrade

Blake Crouch’s newest fantasy novel, Upgrade, will be unleashed on the public on July 12, 2022.

Sorry I couldn’t help myself.

Logan Ramsay is feeling great! He is able to concentrate better, multitask, read faster, and sleep less. However, Logan’s enhanced well-being isn’t due to diet and exercise. His genome has been hacked!

Here’s the catch: This hack isn’t random. Logan has been targeted for a reason relating to his past and family history. Will Logan be able to stop history from repeating itself? Can he and should he stop the hack from spreading?

ALDH4A1. Just one little gene that I have mutated. But those 7 characters mean everything to me. Because it causes a rare genetic defect (Fun Fact: I am part of the Mayo Clinic Rare Disease Database).

In the past, doctors have generally treated the symptoms of a genetic illness. For example, if you have Wilson’s Disease where you can’t process copper, the doctors will remove the copper from your bloodstream and put you on a low copper diet. However, there is a new technology coming out called CRISPR. Big thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! It works by cutting out the mutated or “bad” DNA and replaces it with “good” DNA.

Upgrade has such a great discussion of the good uses of DNA and some of the potential pitfalls. Currently, cloning is outlawed, but if CRISPR goes forward, and we can tweak some of our DNA, how far is too far? Could you program your DNA so that you could have the creativity of Walt Disney? The mind of Leonardo DaVinci? Play pro basketball? Have higher cheekbones? Where is the line? And who gets to draw the line? And who enforces the line?

All very interesting questions.

Upgrade is my very first Blake Crouch work, but I hope it isn’t the last. The book is incredibly interesting, and it has short sentences and paragraphs which keep the action flowing. It kept me guessing until the end.

In addition to the little problem of the fate of humanity, there is some first-rate family drama! This book really reminded me of Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy so if you enjoyed Upgrade I highly recommend giving that a go.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities

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