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A review by maxsebastian
Upgrade by Blake Crouch
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
While an intriguing premise, Upgrade never fully hooked me like my other foray so far into Blake Crouch's works, Recursion.
Like many pandemic era stories, Upgrade feels inspired and influenced by current events in 2020 in a way that sometimes upset its narrative structure. More frustratingly, major players feel like vectors for plot beats and messages. The mystery of the story extenuates this problem by making major characters feel inhuman.
Upgrade does have its strengths though. While a little on the nose, its social and political critique is well handled. Crouch's vision for the future is fascinating and disturbingly possible. Perhaps we are already living it.
Like many pandemic era stories, Upgrade feels inspired and influenced by current events in 2020 in a way that sometimes upset its narrative structure. More frustratingly, major players feel like vectors for plot beats and messages. The mystery of the story extenuates this problem by making major characters feel inhuman.
Upgrade does have its strengths though. While a little on the nose, its social and political critique is well handled. Crouch's vision for the future is fascinating and disturbingly possible. Perhaps we are already living it.