Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Run by Blake Crouch Published by Ballantine on October 22, 2024
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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No time to think. No time to ask why. Only time to run.
Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.
Four days ago, the rash of senseless murders swept the nation.
Three days ago, the president addressed the country and begged for peace—even as the murders increased tenfold.
Two days ago, the killers began to mobilize.
One day ago, the power went out.
And tonight, the killers are reading the names of those to be killed over the Emergency Broadcast System.
Jack Colclough is listening over the battery-powered radio on his kitchen table in Albuquerque, and he just heard his name. People are coming to his house to kill him, his wife, his daughter, and his son.
He has no idea what’s happening, or why, but the time for questions is long past.
His only chance is to run.
Run was Blake Crouch’s first published novel. It has recently been republished with some minor updates. I can see how this novel helped start his career and set him apart as an author. It is fast paced and action packed with plenty of crazy moments. Everything that I’ve grown to expect from a Blake Crouch novel.
This is an adrenaline ride almost from the start. Jack and his family are about to go on the run. The world has gone crazy and there are bands of people who have decided who needs to die to cleanse the world. All of this comes after an Aurora borealis event that has Jack and his family trying to figure out how they are going to escape with their lives and stay ahead of the people who want to kill them. Jack never imagined he’d have to protect and care for his family like this and he is going to have to dig deep and do some horrible things if he is going to keep them protected.
While the premise is a bit far fetched ,it is a crazy adventure. I have enjoyed Blake’s ability to write some of the more complicated aspects of marriage and family relationships in his novels. Jack’s marriage was all but over before this crisis. His wife was in love with another man and they were trying to figure out how to separate without destroying their kids. That was until the world started falling apart. In their journey to save the family they built, there are some very tender and real moments to figure out where they went wrong in their marriage. I liked that even among all the running for their lives there were some quiet and true moments between a man and a woman who lost their way from each other, trying to figure it all out again.
Crouch is a strong writer and even though this is one of his earlier works it stands strong with some of his more sophisticated stories later. This is for people who really like end of the world types of stories with some of the philosophical quandaries that one might have when the world you knew is falling down around you. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading as I needed to find out what happened next and if/how Jack and his family would survive this craziness.
Overall a solid sci-fi, apocalypse type read with a satisfying ending.
About Blake Crouch
Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado with his family.
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Awesome review! I had a lot of fun with this too. And I’m glad you mentioned the marriage part, because that stood out for me too.
I really like the relationships in his books. They aren’t the main drivers but they feel real and like a great addition to the story. That could be a family I know.
I like crazy dystopian adventures, so I think I would really like this one.
It was really a fun and crazy ride. I hope you get a chance to read or listen to it. I think it would be fun on audio too.
Seeing the cover and title I expected this to be an atypical Mystery/Thriller. Imagine my shock reading, “Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy”. Very cool. 🙂
Yeah…he does strange urban fantasy / sci-fi stuff. It is always smart with some heart during all the chaos.