In the years following a global famine, caused by the release of genetically modified locusts, gene manipulation is outlawed in Blake Crouch’s Upgrade.
Logan Ramsay, one of the unwitting instigators of the famine now works for the GPA, a law enforcement division utilising the latest technology to prevent any wayward scientists from trying to play God.
Despite their best efforts to put the genie back in the bottle, and his own moral quandaries around the practice of DNA modification, Logan manages to find purpose and absolution in trying to prevent would-be genetic terrorists – that is until a routine lab raid leaves him severely wounded and recuperating in the ICU.
During his recovery, Logan realises that his own DNA has been unwillingly hacked and his genome upgraded, making him faster and smarter, the next step in human evolution. More worryingly though, it appears the attack wasn’t random, and that Logan was targeted for reasons that will force him to confront the darkest torments of his past…
From what starts as a standard super-soldier story, author Blake Crouch starts to sow seeds for a more layered intellectual and philosophical debate in Upgrade. Analysing the role humanity plays in the route to its own self-destruction, he pivots from discussing the impacts of climate change and genetic modification through to the human cost of the hubris needed to make a difference.
While Crouch may tease at other sci-fi threads that lie in the peripheral like AI and pre-destination, he never pulls hard enough to distract from the fast pace of the core story and themes. Upgrade is an action-packed sci-fi thriller that bears the hallmarks and appeal of a more mainstream Jack Ryan or Jack Reacher novel. But it never shies away from shoring up its scientifically backed premise, taking the time to create a strong foundation, allowing the reader to make the ‘what-if’ leaps the plot demands.
Addictive, exciting and incisive, Upgrade elevates itself beyond the boundaries of its genre by pushing the pulse-pounding story beats of a modern techno-spy thriller through a kaleidoscope of moral ambiguity and scientific intrigue.
Upgrade by Blake Crouch is out now.
