In 2019,Blake Crouch revealsrecursion, sci-fi thriller that causes neurological disorders Memories of people in no life. Prior to that, in his 2016 novelDark Matter, he introduced his readers to a professor of physics who was kidnapped and jumped into an alternative universe. Both books enable the type of technology with that capability in the imaginary world. To change humanity. Therefore, when Krauchi began writing about the highly realisticgenetically modified CRISPR, he knew it would be another outlook. "Unlike quantum mechanics, we're right there because no one believes we're on the cliff of opening the multiverse through genetic editing and entering another world," the author says. "There are some breakthroughs as we will be able to truly rewrite the meaning of being human."
Clauch puts the idea into his new book {Upgrades, July 12,, centered on. In the upgrade, Logan Ramsey is the adult son of a defamation scientist who has killed millions of people through technology likeCRISPR. When Logan's own genome is hacked, he becomes his own "upgraded" version. He can improve his concentration, read faster, and significantly reduce his sleep. But his upgrade comes at a cost. And he is determined to find out who is behind what is happening to him.
As Clauch explores Logan's changing spirit, he asks big questions about the future ofgene editingand what it means for society. The author told TIME why he was "feared" by the book he was about to release, why he stopped thinking of himself as a science fiction author, and how to find hope when the future looks darker and darker.
Time:You have done a lot of research on gene editing for theupgrade. Did you notice anything you learned?
Blake Crouch:The big thing I came up with is how scary scientists are about this research and this technique. Not only the optimistic potential of this technology, but also the pitfalls awaiting us, we didn't know how nervous everyone was.
How much freedom did you have in science?
Not as much as I thought I had to take, it scares me. This book will be sold as science fiction as a thriller of the future. But I don't think so. We are already living in the future — I don't think science fiction exists anymore. All the threats and promises of this book are at our fingertips. Jennifer Doudna, one of the co-creators of CRISPR, talks about Hitler's nightmare discovering it. It always stuck to me: The person who discovered this genetically modified therapy is awake at night for fear of what will happen.
Read more:How Jennifer Doudna's life has changed since the discovery of CRISPR 10 years ago
Wait a minute. When did you start believing that science fiction no longer exists?
In this book. [My 2012-2014 trilogy] FromWayward Pines, I consider myself a sci-fi writer. I was writing about what the future might look like. Now we have groceries, cars, and a phone that can call our future spouse. We are living in the future. I'm not a writer who wants to say that science and technology are bad. No, it's amazing. Technology is why we still have a civilization. But this is the most powerful tool we have ever invented. You need to be careful.
If not science fiction, what is aupgrade?
I wanted to accelerate some of the climate change, so this book will be set up a bit in the future. -Weed technology was advanced, but it's a mirror of where we might be five minutes from now. I have three children. I'm confused. Everyone seems to feel that way. Are we mainly coming here as seeds in 100 or 75 years? It is strange that a fully sensitive species ponders its death. The last dodo bird did not know it was the last dodo bird.
Read more:27 New book to read this summer
He upgrades After doing, Logan realizes that he can essentially turn off his emotions. He says: "I was able to put my feelings in this cage, I was able to close the door." Have you ever wanted such an ability? ..
I wear my heart on my sleeves. That's how I use characters. One of the reasons I wanted to be a science fiction writer before avoiding the idea that I was a science fiction writer is that I love all that imagination. What I missed was the character I was interested in. I always felt like the writer came up with a really cool idea, but at the end of the day everyone forgot that it was the character's journey that everyone cares about. We just want to read about other people in our lives. I would like to bring it into a high concept and quote science fiction that is not quoted.
Do you watch the showSeverance
Oh, I love you show. It was the first time I saw it in 10 years that I was crazy jealous of not having come up with that idea. very.
It also raises this question of whether it is possible to literally turn off some of yourself to accomplish something. The idea resonated with many fans of the show. Why do you think so?
We always see only bad news. What Severancefinally used, and perhaps what I was aiming for but didn't realize, is that this is a very difficult time to live. We face headlines every day, but I don't know if a sane, compassionate, empathetic person didn't want to forget it all and do your job to some extent. I wrote theupgradein the days of COVID, but it was the most difficult book I've ever written, as no one knew how bad this pandemic would be, not just the subject matter. When I was looking at the contagion, everything did not return to normal.
Read more:Severanceis a smart "Galaxy Brain" show enough to blow your mind
There are pandemic events in this book. Do you intentionally nod to COVID?
Started in September 2019. The first attempt was a completely different approach. I was almost imagining doing something aboutJurassic Park. I explained in detail how gene editing affects new things. Life. Then COVID hit and I noticed this. Think about what we are doing now. Why not write about this technology to humanity? I wrote almost every novel, but eventually I threw it away and started over.
The world is scary in its own way, so what gives you hope?
There is a moment in this book saying that Logan cannot sacrifice humanity to save it. Then you will give up the whole game. I fell into it like trust fall. It's not necessarily my first instinct, but that's all we have at the moment: trust and compassion. Believe you've got it so far. We are ultimately a collaborative species. We must trust that we are trying to get over this very dark time together.
This interview has been summarized and edited for clarity.
Annabel Gutterman (annabel.gutterman@time.com)
