Upgrade

I always feel smarter after reading a Blake Crouch novel. They are intense science thrillers and are perfect for anyone who loved The Martian. They are action packed, fast paced, and smart as hell. Every scenario seems plausible when it's backed by the science that Crouch provides. Upgrade is set in the not too distant future. Logan Ramsay works for the Gene Protection Agency or the GPA, stopping scientists who are working underground to edit genes. He hates his job, but he feels the needs to atone for his mother's sins. His mother was a world famous scientist who accidentally killed 200 million people after playing around with genes. While on a night raid of a lab, an explosion injects unknown genetic information in his body. Is it a plague or something worse? Soon he finds out that what's been injected in him should be possible, he's been upgraded - is he the next step in human evolution and what impact will this have on the world?

Recursion

I read this from start to finish in one day! I couldn't put the damn thing down. I was instantly riveted by the concept of "false memory syndrome" and how it had the potential to practically destroy the world. Helena builds a chair that will help capture memories of people suffering from dementia and Alzheimers, only the chair is far more powerful then she realizes. Used in a certain way, the chair is capable of more than memory or memory alteration, it can change the concept of reality. I don't want to give too much away; but imagine Minority Report mixed with Groundhog Day, mixed with Tuck Everlasting. It's one of the most unique concepts and plotlines I've read in a LONG time. I was very meh to read this, but I was so mistaken. This is a must read; one that will blow your mind and leave you feeling queasy anytime you experience the sensation on deja vu. One of a kind thrill ride!