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By: Blake Crouch
Narrated by: Henry Levya
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About this listen

''It's clear you're in the hands of a master storyteller' - Alex Michaelides
Upgrade is the mind-bending thriller from Blake Crouch, author of the bestselling Dark Matter and Recursion.. . .


‘You are the next step in human evolution . . .’

What if you were capable of more?

Your concentration was better, you could multitask quicker, read faster, memorize more, sleep deeper.

For Logan Ramsay, it’s happening. He’s beginning to see the world around him, even those he loves the most, in whole new ways.

He knows that it’s not natural, that his genes have been hacked. He has been targeted for an upgrade.

Logan’s family legacy is one he has been trying to escape for decades and it has left him vulnerable to attack. But with a terrifying plan in place to replicate his upgrade throughout the world’s population, he may be the only person capable of stopping what has already been set in motion.

To win this war against humanity Logan will now have to become something other than himself . . .

Intricately plotted and epic in scope, Upgrade asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity – and our boundless potential. Are you ready for the impossible?

* * *

'Amazingly gripping and totally immersive' - Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series

'Blake Crouch has invented his own brand of page-turner - fearlessly genre-bending, consistently surprising, and determined to explode the boundaries of what a thriller can be' - Karin Slaughter, author of Pieces of Her


'Blake Crouch doesn't pull any punches in this taut and evocative examination of what humanity really is - and how it fails us' - Veronica Roth, author of Chosen Ones and Divergent

Fiction Genre Fiction Medical Psychological Science Fiction Suspense Technothrillers Thriller Thriller & Suspense Technology Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

From the first page of Upgrade, it’s clear you’re in the hands of a master storyteller; Blake Crouch leads you on a rollercoaster ride in this highly original science-fiction adventure thriller, by turns mysterious, fascinating and deeply moving - exploring the very nature of what it means to be human. Spellbinding. (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens)
Amazingly gripping and totally immersive. Brilliant (near-future) world-building and impeccable plot. You don't so much sympathize with the main character as live inside his skin. (Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series )
Blake Crouch doesn’t pull any punches in this taut and evocative examination of what humanity really is—and how it fails us. Upgrade is a hugely entertaining and emotionally resonant thriller that you’ll be thinking about long after you turn the last page. (Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Chosen Ones and Divergent)
Blake Crouch has invented his own brand of page-turner – fearlessly genre-bending, consistently surprising, and determined to explode the boundaries of what a thriller can be (Karin Slaughter)
Blake Crouch’s fantastic, mind-blowing philosophical thriller
Blake Crouch is brilliant. His innovative novels never fail to grip! (Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling co-author of The Wife Between Us)
Imaginative, perfectly paced, and extremely clever. UPGRADE walks the fine line between page-turning thriller and smart sci-fi. Another killer read from Blake. (Andy Weir)
The incomparable Blake Crouch has, once again, completely blown my mind. Upgrade is more than a brain-bending thriller; it’s a siren in the night, warning us all of the dangers of playing God with the human species (Justin Cronin, The Number One New York Times bestselling author of The Passage Trilogy)
Blake Crouch has a mind like Crichton and a heart like King—Upgrade is riveting, tense, scrupulously researched, and deeply heartfelt (David Koepp, author of Cold Storage and screenwriter of Jurassic Park)
Upgrade is sleek and propulsive, a page-turner with unexpectedly beautiful passages that give you pause amid the thrills.
All stars
Most relevant
I've listened to a few of Blake Crouch's books, including the Wayward Pines series, Dark Matter and Recursion. This book never quite hits the heights of those books in terms of really making me think about the concepts covered, and never had me as emotionally invested in the characters as any of those. I've listened to his other books multiple times but whilst I enjoyed listening to this story, I doubt I'll re-listen to it again.

One other note: If you've read Ted Chiang's short story "Understand", you will find quite a few parallels in this book. In fact, some of the examples of the ascension of the protagonist in this book seem to have been taken virtually directly from that story, such as the scene where the protagonist is able to work on a complex task whilst taking a phone call simultaneously. This wasn't a huge issue for me but it did detract a little from the story.

Not quite what I'd hoped

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enjoyed the story.
found the narration occasionally jarring. not sure why, but wasn't a big deal.

enjoyed it.

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Looking forward to see what Amblin do with this for sure. I am a recent discoverer of Mr Crouch and I can’t get enough, I love his mind. A great ride of a book that got me thinking.

Blooming brilliant

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Thought provoking plot. Sci fi it may be but not too far away from where reality is heading. I enjoyed the story and the performance. I can't wait for the movie!

Another quality Blake Crouch novel

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Amazing pacing for the story, I lost focus a few times but when I really understood what's happening it felt good.
Food for thought is a great way to describe it.

Absolute banger

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