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The latest thriller from Blake Crouch is set in a world in which gene-editing technology has wreaked havoc. A scientist’s CRISPR-like invention killed millions of people, and her adult son Logan is living with the devastating consequences. But then something strange happens: Logan starts to feel off, but in a productive way. He can process information faster, sleep less, and multi-task with ease. Even his body is changing—suddenly his muscles are much stronger than before. Soon, Logan realizes his genome has been hacked. Determined to figure out who is behind what’s happening to him, Logan goes on a twisty adventure that tests everything he thought he knew about science and evolution. Like Crouch’s Recursion and Dark Matter, Upgrade is set in an alternate world that doesn’t feel so far away, with a very human story at the center. —Annabel Gutterman

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