Book: “Upload”
— C1-C2 (advanced) —
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
REVIEW
One of my all-time favourite reads is Upload by Mark McClelland. It is a dystopic science fiction/romance that tells the story of an intellectual who struggles with socialization. His difficulty leads him to preferring virtual space and time over reality–though in his eyes, what is virtual is reality, or at least that is what he so deeply desires to be true. As a result, he dedicates his life to the development of a technology that can upload human consciousness onto a computer, thereby extending one's life, and, consequently, altering what it means to live and to die. This is not without challenge, however, as romantic intrigue unexpectedly enters his life of research and quickly complicates his plans.
This innovative novel provides a thrilling and suspenseful look at the human psyche. It explores themes of love and desire, mortality, ethics, corruption, self-sabotage, and even whispers about toxic masculinity and mental health. It is a study of human righteousness in the computer science and technology industry; it challenges the meaning of life and death, and the limits that humans have in both. It is richly and intelligently written, with world building that verges on cinematic, and character development so visceral that it fuses the reader to the protagonist in his very much relatable, personal reflections on life.
WHAT TO LEARN
Despite this book’s alternative plot, it is a fantastic tool for advanced learners of the English language. Elements of the language that one can improve upon and/learn include:
reading comprehension
American English
informal language
slang
idioms
American culture
past simple
past perfect
future tense
neologisms
vocabulary
information technology jargon
computer science jargon
work
work/life balance
society
corruption
relationships (coworkers, superiors, peers, romance, users, self, etc.)
emotions (curiosity, fear, regret, uncertainty, anger, hatred, loneliness, longing, gratitude, etc.)
problem solving
and much more…!
SEASON ONE TRAILER
Interestingly, the rights to McClelland’s novel was purchased by Amazon and was adapted to a series format. Though it is quite different from its original source material, it is an excellent TV show that will capture your attention with both its intrigue and hilarity. Its third season is expected to premiere sometime in the near future, hopefully later this year.
Have you ever read a science fiction and/or dystopia novel? What are your favourite books in these genres? Let me know in the comments below.
