Quick Synopsis

A gripping apocalyptic thriller about a man and his family running for their lives in an America gone mad—from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion.

Publisher’s Synopsis

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.

Following an ordinary family on a desperate race through an America that’s destroying itself, Run is a terrifying, brutally stripped-down thriller from master storyteller Blake Crouch.

Book Review

Originally, Blake Crouch was an independent author and self-published a few novels. Crouch published Run in 2011, and it has just been re-released by Ballantine Books. I am a fan of Crouch’s recent books, but I have never dived into his backlist. So I was excited to see what his older novels are like.

Run is a dystopian thriller/survival horror novel about an event that suddenly affects large portions of the U.S. Run chronicles the Colclough family’s fight to survive after an atmospheric event causes everyone who sees it to become murderous overnight. Because they slept through the event, the Colclough family must leave their home in the middle of the night and embark on a perilous journey to find safety, without knowing where safety lies. 

From the other reviews I have read, it seems that opinions are split about Run. Personally, I think the book has a very intriguing concept that I have not previously encountered in any kind of media. While I would not call Run brilliant, I am still thinking about it months later, which I consider a hallmark of a great book.

Run starts out a bit slowly to establish the family and preceding events, which I found interesting. But as society breaks apart around the Colcloughs, they face ever increasing danger and must run for their lives. Once the plot takes off, it does not stop until the very end. The story is action-packed and unrelenting. I found Run to still be compulsively readable. The story is absolutely gripping with heart-pounding intensity that propelled me to read it in one sitting.

I really enjoyed that the plot is centered around a family that is far from perfect. Crouch did an excellent job capturing the family dynamics and writing children who actually acted and spoke their age. Despite being deeply flawed people, I ended up really liking and cheering for the Colcloughs. I do wish that the characters were better developed, but I know this is often difficult to do in a fast-paced thriller. If the characters had more complexity outside of their relationships to one another, Run could have been a truly phenomenal book.

Run is definitely not as polished as Crouch’s more recent novels, but that is expected when you consider he wrote and independently published the book over a decade ago. I found it interesting to see first-hand how Crouch’s writing has improved over time. I also think it is important for me to note that this book is graphic and grisly. So if gore is not your forte, I would skip it.

Overall, Run is a suspenseful, riveting novel that will both entertain you and provoke thought. If you enjoy fast-paced books that you can get lost in, I highly recommend Run.

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