Upgrade by Blake Crouch - 3 stars

[Ellen]

Logan Ramsay has been infected by a virus, one that cannot be cured with anything yet known to mankind. The virus has attacked his genome and he is about to become someone he cannot imagine. He is smarter, faster, nearly invincible, immune to all disease, and the recipient of an 'upgrade' from a surprising benefactor. Others who have received the same upgrade have become violently ill and have died within a few days. Logan knows that he must stop the spread of the virus or there will be widespread chaos. Unfortunately for Logan, there are people who will stop at nothing to keep him from interfering with their plans to upgrade the world.

The basic storyline is interesting but the science is way above my head. I was totally lost throughout most of the book and seeing so many 5 star reviews I'm beginning to think I may need the upgrade myself.

[Kristian]

Ellen wrote: "seeing so many 5 star reviews I'm beginning to think I may need the upgrade myself. "

Now I am utterly perplexed. I don't know what to do with Blake Crouch. I am admirer of hard science fiction, but people frequently say that Blake Crouch is not as hard as most people think. Which once again begs the question : To read or not Blake Crouch. And probably I already know the answer. I have to try at least with one of his books. I hope I won't be disappointed. Blake Crouch is one of the most toughest choices I have to make. And now I am fairly convinced that there are two ways out of the situation : Blake Crouch will be boring to death or will be frightfully spiffing. I am all agog to see which one. :)

[Ellen]

Kristian, I first encountered Crouch's writing in horror novels and I enjoyed them. There was always a touch of the sci-fi even in those. Apparently I do not handle complicated science well and this book was chock full of it. Don't let my opinion dissuade you because I seem to be in the minority

[NancyJ]

Darn, I was hoping this would be good. I have the book on hand as a possibility for the moral dilemma tag. Did it have any moral dilemmas?

Kristian, if you haven’t read Dark Matter yet, you might start there. It’s his most popular book. I gave it 5 stars. Recursion had a few too many recursive loops for my comfort, but I liked it. The ratings were just as high. The average ratings for the new book are lower already.

[Ellen]

Gosh, Nancy, I never even thought about moral dilemmas. Looking back on it I think it truly does. Logan's final decision about the virus is a big one!

[Kristian]

Ellen wrote: "Apparently I do not handle complicated science well and this book was chock full of it."

That's the problem. I don't know who to believe. One would say it is a complex matter, and another will say quite opposite. Truth be told, I adore hard and cutting edge science. But I seek also deeper meaning, a profound message. Characters who seek and dive into the deep. I want them cogitate and I don't want answers, but questions. I want descriptions in detail, not only raw action. And what I read heretofore about Blake Crouch sounds fairly attractive to me. But the opinions are so different and I really don't know who to believe. Briefly, I am perplexed. But I decided, I am starting with "Upgrade", for I am quite intrigued by this topic. I read several pages of "Upgrade" and, at least, I like the writing style. Well, I will give it a whirl and see what will happen. Wish me luck. I'll back to share the results. :)

[NancyJ]

I hope you like it. I really like this topic too.

In term of philosophical questions, you might think about how it relates to what science (not science fiction) is able to do already. With gene splicing, geneticists can now manipulate genes to “upgrade” babies in some ways. The moral implications are huge. To start with, there are always unforeseen consequences, which may impact these children *and* their children, and so on, and so on.

[NancyJ]

Ellen wrote: "Gosh, Nancy, I never even thought about moral dilemmas. Looking back on it I think it truly does. Logan's final decision about the virus is a big one!"

Thanks Ellen. I like his books but they always spiral out of control at some point. It’s not real science though, so don’t worry if you can’t understand it. It‘s like trying to explain (scientifically) why vampires in books look more beautiful than they did in real life. It’s all fantasy.

[Kristian]

NancyJ wrote: " It’s not real science though"

Come on! :) :) :) I just started reading it. :) :) :) I talked to my friend and he told me : "It was boring. As if Blake Crouch wrote this book hoping to become a movie one day."

And now this.... Well, I don't want to hear anything more about Blake Crouch. I am going to read "Through the Looking Glass", I know, at least, this will be an outstanding read.

[NancyJ]

Kristian wrote: "NancyJ wrote: " It’s not real science though"

Come on! :) :) :) I just started reading it. :) :) :) I talked to my friend and he told me : "It was boring. As if Blake Crouch wrote this book hoping..."

And it’s all real. 😁( imagine that’s the Cheshire cat smiling)

Oh, you never know. You might love it!! Every book has some fabulous reviews and some terrible reviews.

[Barbara M]

I just finished this and am about to post my review. I quite liked it and I've read most of Crouch. I'm not big into hard science but I find that I can just force myself to skip the heavy science and just believe (as if I were reading fantasy) and enjoy the characters and the situations. This is definitely in the moral dilemma camp!

[Kristian]

NancyJ wrote: "And it’s all real. 😁( imagine that’s the Cheshire cat smiling)"

If this is the case I prefer to stick to the Cheshire Cat and Star Trek. :) :) :) It is a difficult choice, but as captain Picard says : "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." Thank you, Nancy. Live long and prosper.

Respectfully,

Kris