Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
Tor Science Fiction (2015), 336 pages
Description
"Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in"...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....John Scalzi's Lock In is a novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern science fiction"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobertDay
I recently read Scalzi's 'Redshirts', which immediately preceded this novel. Although 'Redshirts' won the Hugo award for best science fiction novel of 2013, I was disappointed in it; I felt it was a one-trick pony that relied far too much on people recognising the trope at the heart of the story
The answer was that Scalzi was saving it up for his next novel. From the very first page, I was fully engaged with FBI Agent Chris Shane and their first day on their first assignment. Slowly, the world Agent Shane occupies was revealed to me: a world of neurological catastrophe alleviated for the survivors by technological advancement. In this near-future world, a global pandemic, Haden's Syndrome, has left a sizeable minority of the population "locked in" - fully awake and aware, but unable to communicate or respond to stimulus. They are released from this state via implanted neural nets, allowing them to interact with the world via telefactored robots, known as "threeps" (for a Star Wars character), or occasionally via an 'Integrator', a pandemic survivor whose brain structure has been changed by the infection and has left them fully functioning but able to act as organic threeps.
After 25 years, Haden's Syndrome has changed society, technology and almost everything else from restaurants to real estate. And politics. And business. And this is the world that Agent Shane walks into on their first day at work. Scalzi shows, rather than tells; and he shows so seamlessly that the world is convincing from the outset. Onto this premise, he maps what is a fairly standard procedural story of corporate skullduggery, though the plot could only exist in this world. I was struck by the sheer ordinariness of the world depicted - ordinary in a good way, in terms of narrative. The characters, Shane and fellow agent Vann, are well-drawn, if slightly stereotyped as sardonic, wise-cracking law enforcement officers; but then again, I can cope with sardonic. Scalzi does pull a minor character twist about two-thirds of the way through (it's the same one Robert Heinlein pulled in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'), but he hides another such twist in plain sight, which is clever.
This novel works for me on all levels, although I have to admit that the motive of the crimes sort of emerged for me from about half-way through; but that was my years of reading science fiction allowing me to guess the sort of things that could be classed as a crime in this particular world. But I wasn't disappointed, either with that or with anything else in this book.
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and having a laugh at jolly old science fiction's expense. All very clever, but where's the sense of wonder? I asked myself.The answer was that Scalzi was saving it up for his next novel. From the very first page, I was fully engaged with FBI Agent Chris Shane and their first day on their first assignment. Slowly, the world Agent Shane occupies was revealed to me: a world of neurological catastrophe alleviated for the survivors by technological advancement. In this near-future world, a global pandemic, Haden's Syndrome, has left a sizeable minority of the population "locked in" - fully awake and aware, but unable to communicate or respond to stimulus. They are released from this state via implanted neural nets, allowing them to interact with the world via telefactored robots, known as "threeps" (for a Star Wars character), or occasionally via an 'Integrator', a pandemic survivor whose brain structure has been changed by the infection and has left them fully functioning but able to act as organic threeps.
After 25 years, Haden's Syndrome has changed society, technology and almost everything else from restaurants to real estate. And politics. And business. And this is the world that Agent Shane walks into on their first day at work. Scalzi shows, rather than tells; and he shows so seamlessly that the world is convincing from the outset. Onto this premise, he maps what is a fairly standard procedural story of corporate skullduggery, though the plot could only exist in this world. I was struck by the sheer ordinariness of the world depicted - ordinary in a good way, in terms of narrative. The characters, Shane and fellow agent Vann, are well-drawn, if slightly stereotyped as sardonic, wise-cracking law enforcement officers; but then again, I can cope with sardonic. Scalzi does pull a minor character twist about two-thirds of the way through (it's the same one Robert Heinlein pulled in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'), but he hides another such twist in plain sight, which is clever.
This novel works for me on all levels, although I have to admit that the motive of the crimes sort of emerged for me from about half-way through; but that was my years of reading science fiction allowing me to guess the sort of things that could be classed as a crime in this particular world. But I wasn't disappointed, either with that or with anything else in this book.
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LibraryThing member ViragoReads
This was fantastic. Scalzi is a brilliant writer and Wheaton a brilliant narrator. They are quite the team.
It's a scifi mystery adventure.
The worst "flu" epidemic takes out a huge portion of the population in three stages. First it's basic flu symptoms, many people died. But for those who didn't,
After years of research and development and billions upon billions of dollars, neural networks are created for those "locked in" and they are able use this to at least communicate. And later, personal conveyances are created, which allow the locked in to link through their network, control the conveyance and actually go out into the world.
An entirely new subculture of humanity is born and with it prejudices, and the usual exploitation. Then the newly voted in government voted to rescind much of the funding which is the lifeblood of many locked in citizens.
Insert greedy people and the thought of massive profits and then there is corporate espionage, plots and murder. It was a fascinating story/listen! The bonus novella after told the origins of the disease, Haddon's, and how it was handled by the world at large. I'm glad it was included because the only part of the original story I was salty about was not knowing more about where the disease had come from and how people dealt with it in the early years.
It's a scifi mystery adventure.
The worst "flu" epidemic takes out a huge portion of the population in three stages. First it's basic flu symptoms, many people died. But for those who didn't,
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just when a patient feels well, the meningitis symptoms hit; many more people died. And for many a third stage hits them, which locks that person inside their body. They are conscious, but unable to walk or talk or physically function on their own.After years of research and development and billions upon billions of dollars, neural networks are created for those "locked in" and they are able use this to at least communicate. And later, personal conveyances are created, which allow the locked in to link through their network, control the conveyance and actually go out into the world.
An entirely new subculture of humanity is born and with it prejudices, and the usual exploitation. Then the newly voted in government voted to rescind much of the funding which is the lifeblood of many locked in citizens.
Insert greedy people and the thought of massive profits and then there is corporate espionage, plots and murder. It was a fascinating story/listen! The bonus novella after told the origins of the disease, Haddon's, and how it was handled by the world at large. I'm glad it was included because the only part of the original story I was salty about was not knowing more about where the disease had come from and how people dealt with it in the early years.
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LibraryThing member Petroglyph
This is a police procedural, set a few decades in the future. Self-driving cars are the norm, and a meningitis-like disease called Haden’s Syndrome has caused millions across the globe to experience lock-in, a condition where their bodies are completely paralyzed but their minds are largely
I don’t have much to say about this one: it’s a futuristic crime novel, and that’s exactly what you get. It’s competently done, but not something I will remember the plot of two years from now. A tad predictable sometimes (the Navajo data centre, for instance, was way too obvious ).
(Also, the main character’s gender is never revealed, leaving readers’ interpretations wide open. The audio book comes in two versions, read by a man and a woman.)
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unaffected. And so a concerted political push for alleviation has augmented neurological research to the point where brain implants allow the Hadens to remote-control human-shaped robots. (The setup is slightly similar to the Bruce Willis flick Surrogates) Twenty-five years after the disease hits, those robots are a normal sight, and Hadens (while piloting their machines) enter the workforce -- including the FBI. Some crimes, too, start cropping up where either Hadens or their robots are a factor. I don’t have much to say about this one: it’s a futuristic crime novel, and that’s exactly what you get. It’s competently done, but not something I will remember the plot of two years from now. A tad predictable sometimes (
(Also, the main character’s gender is never revealed, leaving readers’ interpretations wide open. The audio book comes in two versions, read by a man and a woman.)
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LibraryThing member Codonnelly
Have you ever read a book based solely on the blurb on the back cover? I picked up Lock In by John Scalzi at my local library because I found its summary fascinating. The book itself did not disappoint. Not only was I blown away, but I discovered a new favorite author in the process.
Lock In begins
The main character, Chris Shane, is a famous Haden and a new FBI agent. His first day on the job, he meets his partner, Agent Vann, tours his new facility, and begins an investigation of a murder committed by an Integrator, someone who had the disease and survived without becoming locked in, but can now give a locked in person use of his or her body. Unsurprisingly, things get complicated. Just a day in the life, eh? Shane has an incredibly sarcastic sense of humor and the majority of his conversations end in a hilarious quip. In fact, most, if not all, of the characters enjoy a certain sense of levity, which really adds to the reading experience.
Scalzi possesses an astounding sense of imagination, emphasized by how difficult it is to label the genre, as the book is equal parts sci-fi, mystery, dystopian and speculative fiction. He also composes striking physical and mental illustrations of characters, as many of the locked in characters must either use a Threep, a controllable personal robot, or an Integrator to move around in their daily lives. It also takes a lot of finesse to effectively create a world that resembles our own, but in a slightly alternate future, which Scalzi accomplishes beautifully.
The book’s themes also parallel many issues in today’s political atmosphere. From debates over whether or not more money should be thrown into Haden-related government programs, to the appearance of a violent political revolution, and finally to the media’s effect on an already high-strung populace, there are some very uncanny similarities. It’s fascinating to view these issues in a new light and from differing perspectives.
The plot, the writing, and the characters in Lock In by John Scalzi impressed me immensely. As someone who had no prior knowledge about his writing and who had heard nothing about the book beforehand, I walked away with a fabulous first impression. I highly recommend this book to everyone, even those of you who have never forayed into the realm of science fiction. Go for it; you won’t regret it!
Lock In begins
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with a description of a virus that ravaged the world. No country was immune to it, and the entire world suffered immensely. If you somehow managed to survive it, you may have escaped mostly unscathed. Unfortunately, roughly 1% of the disease’s survivors end up paralyzed with locked in syndrome, also known as Haden’s Syndrome, for the rest of their lives.The main character, Chris Shane, is a famous Haden and a new FBI agent. His first day on the job, he meets his partner, Agent Vann, tours his new facility, and begins an investigation of a murder committed by an Integrator, someone who had the disease and survived without becoming locked in, but can now give a locked in person use of his or her body. Unsurprisingly, things get complicated. Just a day in the life, eh? Shane has an incredibly sarcastic sense of humor and the majority of his conversations end in a hilarious quip. In fact, most, if not all, of the characters enjoy a certain sense of levity, which really adds to the reading experience.
Scalzi possesses an astounding sense of imagination, emphasized by how difficult it is to label the genre, as the book is equal parts sci-fi, mystery, dystopian and speculative fiction. He also composes striking physical and mental illustrations of characters, as many of the locked in characters must either use a Threep, a controllable personal robot, or an Integrator to move around in their daily lives. It also takes a lot of finesse to effectively create a world that resembles our own, but in a slightly alternate future, which Scalzi accomplishes beautifully.
The book’s themes also parallel many issues in today’s political atmosphere. From debates over whether or not more money should be thrown into Haden-related government programs, to the appearance of a violent political revolution, and finally to the media’s effect on an already high-strung populace, there are some very uncanny similarities. It’s fascinating to view these issues in a new light and from differing perspectives.
The plot, the writing, and the characters in Lock In by John Scalzi impressed me immensely. As someone who had no prior knowledge about his writing and who had heard nothing about the book beforehand, I walked away with a fabulous first impression. I highly recommend this book to everyone, even those of you who have never forayed into the realm of science fiction. Go for it; you won’t regret it!
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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
If you like NCIS or a zilion other long-running TV mystery shows, you'll probably like this. This is detective-lite, with amusing banter between the main character and his partner, on his first week as an FBI agent, and lots of action. It's no Altered Carbon or When Gravity Fails. The science
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fiction concept is good enough: after a plague, a large number of people were left conscious but locked into paralyzed bodies. After a ton of rapid research, these Hadens can transfer their consciousness into robot bodies, for normal activity, or into human Integrators for temporary purposes. Our hero is a Haden. This is not ground-breaking SF. There are info-dumps galore, and the rules of magic -- I mean, neural coding -- seem engineered to fit the needs of the plot. Put this under breezy fun. Recommended as long as you like that, as I do. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
The story starts about 25 years after a pandemic. What would eventually be called Hadens syndrome. It started as a serious flu which was just as deadly as most others, only more virulent. It also had a long gestation time, so those sick and spreading it, were not aware of doing so until it was too
The name Hadens was attached to the disease after President Haden’s wife suffered Lock In. The President initiated a full court press on finding ways to help the millions of people suffering from Lock In. After about 2 years it really paid off, those afflicted with Lock In were fitted with neural nets that allowed them to send and receive input from different devices, and controllable robots were made to fill a need. Along with the robots, they had web based system that allowed them to communicate with each other.
Now to the present day. Chris Shane is starting his first day on the job as an FBI agent, just when millions of Haden’s are taking to the streets in protest over a bill that was passed cutting funding subsidizing health costs. This is the start of a rollercoaster ride for Chris’s first week of work. He travels across the country to investigate and even spends some time on the Navajo reservation. There is a big conspiracy going on and with a lot of money behind it. Not everything is as it seems and known ‘truths’ are needing to be questioned. Haden’s appear to be behind the crimes, but who, how, and why are all tough questions to answer, and they are running out of time.
I found this book to be a great read and it brought up a lot of issues in how minorities are treated as well as how we all treat and view each other. The mystery was less of a who did it, and more of a ‘how was it done’. Still I really liked the social commentary mostly because it was so well blended in as part of the story. Great job by both John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton.
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late. Some recovered like normal, some had a second stage of meningitis like symptoms and it was just as dangerous as catching that. Of those that survived a small percentage suffered Lock In. Lock In was basically like being a conscious person stuck in a comatose body. No body movement, no eye blinking, nothing. The name Hadens was attached to the disease after President Haden’s wife suffered Lock In. The President initiated a full court press on finding ways to help the millions of people suffering from Lock In. After about 2 years it really paid off, those afflicted with Lock In were fitted with neural nets that allowed them to send and receive input from different devices, and controllable robots were made to fill a need. Along with the robots, they had web based system that allowed them to communicate with each other.
Now to the present day. Chris Shane is starting his first day on the job as an FBI agent, just when millions of Haden’s are taking to the streets in protest over a bill that was passed cutting funding subsidizing health costs. This is the start of a rollercoaster ride for Chris’s first week of work. He travels across the country to investigate and even spends some time on the Navajo reservation. There is a big conspiracy going on and with a lot of money behind it. Not everything is as it seems and known ‘truths’ are needing to be questioned. Haden’s appear to be behind the crimes, but who, how, and why are all tough questions to answer, and they are running out of time.
I found this book to be a great read and it brought up a lot of issues in how minorities are treated as well as how we all treat and view each other. The mystery was less of a who did it, and more of a ‘how was it done’. Still I really liked the social commentary mostly because it was so well blended in as part of the story. Great job by both John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton.
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
Integrator, who are rare individuals that survived the flu and the meningitis stage and didn’t get locked in, only to develop a brain structure which would allow Hadens to link up their minds to use their bodies as if they were their own or a Threeps’.
As you can see, the concepts in this novel
And while this book is a tale of mystery at its heart, what I liked best about its was its subtle societal themes and messages about topics like disability, ethics in medicine, and other tough questions for a country in which millions suffer from a very expensive and life-altering condition. Scalzi explores the implications of this and the effects that Threeps might have on the population. I’ve always thought of his books as more “popcorn reads”, like with novels such as Redshirts or Agent to the Stars, but Lock In also surprised me with its depth and moments of thoughtfulness.
That being said, this book is still pure Scalzi in terms of his light, easy prose and plenty of humorous and snappy dialogue. Lock In was fun and entertaining, and I had a fantastic time reading this, but I also feel this is a next step for the author. It’s a huge part of what made this book such a great read, because to be honest, as mystery or suspense novels go, it’s not as mysterious or suspenseful as it could be (after all, it was pretty obvious who the bad guy was, and there’s really no having to guess whatsoever). But the writing, the premise of the story along with the background of Haden’s Syndrome and what it means for the world all came together in one perfect package for me. As a result I devoured this book in a bit more than a day and I loved every minute of it.
As you can see, the concepts in this novel
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are quite intricate and complex, and I’m actually really impressed Scalzi was able to get all the relevant information across without having to commit the cardinal sin of shameless, wholesale info-dumping all over these pages. After having a peek at several early reviews of Lock In from readers who found themselves slightly lost and confused especially at the beginning of this novel, I was a bit concerned that I would feel the same way, but surprisingly I did not. It’s true that not all the details and answers about the world are available right away, but I still found the story easy to follow and I ultimately liked the way knowledge about Haden’s Syndrome and its history were gradually presented to us. All the information came to light eventually, and it happened very naturally and in a way that didn’t distract from the storytelling.And while this book is a tale of mystery at its heart, what I liked best about its was its subtle societal themes and messages about topics like disability, ethics in medicine, and other tough questions for a country in which millions suffer from a very expensive and life-altering condition. Scalzi explores the implications of this and the effects that Threeps might have on the population. I’ve always thought of his books as more “popcorn reads”, like with novels such as Redshirts or Agent to the Stars, but Lock In also surprised me with its depth and moments of thoughtfulness.
That being said, this book is still pure Scalzi in terms of his light, easy prose and plenty of humorous and snappy dialogue. Lock In was fun and entertaining, and I had a fantastic time reading this, but I also feel this is a next step for the author. It’s a huge part of what made this book such a great read, because to be honest, as mystery or suspense novels go, it’s not as mysterious or suspenseful as it could be (after all, it was pretty obvious who the bad guy was, and there’s really no having to guess whatsoever). But the writing, the premise of the story along with the background of Haden’s Syndrome and what it means for the world all came together in one perfect package for me. As a result I devoured this book in a bit more than a day and I loved every minute of it.
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
The most challenging part about reading Lock In, and arguably one of its strengths, is getting enough of the backstory of what Haden's Syndrome is and what the new present day looks like. The answers to questions like "What's lock in?" or "What's a threep?" or the one that took me the longest to
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figure out, "What's an integrator?" are not spoon fed to the reader. You have to build the world in your mind as the story takes off. The main plot is a detective novel but the rules of reality have changed due to the backstory. And as I said above, this is still a strength because being forced to work harder for the story makes it that much better for immersion. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChristineParker
This book starts off with an interesting techno-premise somewhere between Avatar and Robocop: in the not-too-distant future a very large segment of the population has been infected by a disease that causes them to become "locked-in" (fully conscious but immobile). To cope with this catastrophe a
The world is elaborate for what the story turns out to be, which is a crime solver mystery with some elements of a thriller. The main characters are FBI agents (semi-spoiler: one is locked-in, hence Robocop) who are out to solve a murder case. The locked-in officer (also called a Hayden - named for the disease that leaves one locked-in) is able to move about the country by sending himself into various robots, or "threeps", and gets beat up in several scuffles as their investigation moves closer to the truth. The final whodunit is closely tied into both the world as it has been built, and the special case of "Integrators" who are a special case of human beings that can act as vehicles for those who are locked in.
It's a very short book that wraps up quickly after introducing what could have been an immensely interesting world. You never really get to experience "the Agora" which is something like a disembodied meeting place for Haydens. There are some mind-to-mind interactions, but perhaps the sci-fi geek in me just wanted more of them. A retelling of the past of one of the main characters delves a little into what it would be like to be an Integrator, but I wanted to see the actual struggle between the bad guy and his foe-who-shall-remain-nameless-to-prevent-spoilers in that mind space. Overall I really wanted to give this book 4 stars, but the storyline felt kind of ho-hum after the build up of such a cool setting.
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new form of technology is created to allow those who are locked-in to "ride" robots or other bodies with their mind (hence Avatar) and thereby lead fulfilling lives in society. When you first start reading the book it's not entirely clear what's what, but as the opening chapters progress you eventually figure out who's walking around and who's laying in a bed back home.The world is elaborate for what the story turns out to be, which is a crime solver mystery with some elements of a thriller. The main characters are FBI agents (semi-spoiler: one is locked-in, hence Robocop) who are out to solve a murder case. The locked-in officer (also called a Hayden - named for the disease that leaves one locked-in) is able to move about the country by sending himself into various robots, or "threeps", and gets beat up in several scuffles as their investigation moves closer to the truth. The final whodunit is closely tied into both the world as it has been built, and the special case of "Integrators" who are a special case of human beings that can act as vehicles for those who are locked in.
It's a very short book that wraps up quickly after introducing what could have been an immensely interesting world. You never really get to experience "the Agora" which is something like a disembodied meeting place for Haydens. There are some mind-to-mind interactions, but perhaps the sci-fi geek in me just wanted more of them. A retelling of the past of one of the main characters delves a little into what it would be like to be an Integrator, but I wanted to see the actual struggle between the bad guy and his foe-who-shall-remain-nameless-to-prevent-spoilers in that mind space. Overall I really wanted to give this book 4 stars, but the storyline felt kind of ho-hum after the build up of such a cool setting.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
"Lock-In" is Scalzi's most serious science fiction novel yet and one you've got to pay attention to. It's got a lot of heady issues. Not to say his other books, like "Old Man's War", don't bring up existential puzzles. But they usually make up for it with whiz bang sci-fi gizmos or cynical humor.
At its core, this is a robot story, but without artificial intelligence. A disease has rendered a significant portion of the populace catatonic, but new technology allows their brains to venture out in walking automatons. The Hadens (Haden's Syndrome is the name of the disease and becomes the identifier of people with it) have created their own culture, like the deaf and handicapped community. But the government funding that kept them provided for is about to be rescinded. That means a lot of opportunities for private companies, civil rights leaders, and millions of people who had been getting a free lunch wondering what's going to happen. This is all narrated to the reader through Chris, a Haden who's new on the FBI force.
It does what a good novel should do, not make answers but bring up questions, much like Gaiman's novels. I think the murder mystery was definitely the way to go. It makes a lot of the head-wrapping around the Haden culture (like people who hitch a ride in other people's bodies) easier to understand and a plot that keeps moving forward.
It's not my favorite Scalzi of all time, but it's pretty good. The world-building is at an intermediate level, and the characters suffer from his famous "blank slates, no development, no sympathy" that his other books have. But the fast and intriguing plot will keep you wondering what happens next.
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This one, no. It's essentially a police procedural that involves semi-artificial beings. At its core, this is a robot story, but without artificial intelligence. A disease has rendered a significant portion of the populace catatonic, but new technology allows their brains to venture out in walking automatons. The Hadens (Haden's Syndrome is the name of the disease and becomes the identifier of people with it) have created their own culture, like the deaf and handicapped community. But the government funding that kept them provided for is about to be rescinded. That means a lot of opportunities for private companies, civil rights leaders, and millions of people who had been getting a free lunch wondering what's going to happen. This is all narrated to the reader through Chris, a Haden who's new on the FBI force.
It does what a good novel should do, not make answers but bring up questions, much like Gaiman's novels. I think the murder mystery was definitely the way to go. It makes a lot of the head-wrapping around the Haden culture (like people who hitch a ride in other people's bodies) easier to understand and a plot that keeps moving forward.
It's not my favorite Scalzi of all time, but it's pretty good. The world-building is at an intermediate level, and the characters suffer from his famous "blank slates, no development, no sympathy" that his other books have. But the fast and intriguing plot will keep you wondering what happens next.
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LibraryThing member tlockney
Perhaps Scalzi's best yet.
LibraryThing member mamzel
A flu like disease causes different kinds of brain alterations that result in a whole new culture. Some victims end up totally paralyzed while the brain continues to work resulting in the condition known as 'lock in'. Others recover and are able, with the help of cranial implants, to host those
This book stands as both a great science fiction story as well as a great detective mystery.
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lock ins. An industry is invented to provide Personal Transports for the lock ins nicknamed threeps in a nod to C3PO. Chris Shane, the son of a professional basketball player turned politician contracted the disease when very young and became a kind of poster boy. Wishing to be a productive member of society he becomes a police officer and is assigned to Homicide for his particular expertise and personal experience. This book stands as both a great science fiction story as well as a great detective mystery.
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LibraryThing member nmele
Mr.Scalzi mixes together science fiction, mystery and thriller in a suspenseful novel with a conscience.
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
Any novel by John Scalzi is going to be worth reading, and while this one wasn't my favorite of his work, it was certainly an entertaining way to spend a few hours. He does an interesting thing with gender in this novel, and after I figured it out I was fascinated to see it followed through until
That said, even my least-favorite Scalzi is a lot more entertaining than many things, and I will, as always, be early awaiting his next project.
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the end. My biggest quibble with the book is that it seemed to end very abruptly - like it was building to a climax, and then for some reason he just quit writing. It felt a little bit like the two-hour premier of a new series - lots of build-up, and then a bit of an unsatisfying ending to draw people in for the next installment. That said, even my least-favorite Scalzi is a lot more entertaining than many things, and I will, as always, be early awaiting his next project.
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LibraryThing member CinderH
I enjoyed this book. I thought the concept was interesting, as were the characters. The narration flowed well and the characters interacted well with good conversations and easy banter throughout. The concept was a little muddled for me at times and I found I had to go back and read the paragraph
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again to make sure I got what was being explained. I felt like this might be the first in a series and we will see this world again. I would read the next one if I am right. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisalangford
I was eager to read Scalzi's latest, as I'd read some of his previous books and really enjoyed them (Old Man's War and Redshirts, both of which I enjoyed immensely). This I found to be a little more technical than his others I've read. I loved the characters in Old Man's War and loved loved the
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whole premise of Redshirts (such a fun read, especially if you have ANY knowledge of Star Trek at all). This was a little more clinical...and perhaps that had to do with the premise of Lock In. There was a lot to explain here (Haden's, which is what they called people who contracted a particular form of meningitis and ended up "locked in" their bodies, Integrators, who were able to allow others to use their bodies, threeps (nice Star Wars reference), and the Agora... I did like Chris Shane, a Haden FBI agent. Interesting for sure. Not my favorite of his. So far. Show Less
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Fast-food novel leaves me hungry.
Extended review:
I must not be the right audience for this author's work.
This is the first novel I've read by John Scalzi, who's pretty popular among some of the groups I frequent on LT. And I can see why: it's imaginative, action-oriented, and edgy.
WHAT IF a terrible disability were so bad and so widespread that enormous resources went into creating therapies and compensations, which turned out to confer amazing advantages that normies couldn't enjoy?
WHAT IF a human/software interface had been perfected?
WHAT IF one human being could take total control of another? (This is an old idea, from the gods pulling the strings of human puppets to zombies and hypnotism and all the way to Being John Malkovitch, but it doesn't seem to be worn out yet.)
WHAT IF someone in this day and age (or a little while from now) managed to evade all the standard ID traps that typically have everyone nailed before they can walk--so they were completely outside the record system?
I give Scalzi full marks for handling these and a number of other ideas very capably. Still, the result seems kind of phony to me. This is no one's story; it's a plot hatched by what-ifs, without an emotional core--more like a futuristic action movie on paper than a substantial work of well-wrought fiction.
And maybe all I'm saying is that it's not quite lit'ry enough for me.
Not that I'd want to disparage the mechanical, plot-driven novel--I wouldn't apologize for it if it were mine; but it leaves a big part of my inner reader unsatisfied.
Extended review:
I must not be the right audience for this author's work.
This is the first novel I've read by John Scalzi, who's pretty popular among some of the groups I frequent on LT. And I can see why: it's imaginative, action-oriented, and edgy.
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Aside from a few annoying stylistic habits, including a thing with commas and dialogue tags, I wouldn't fault his craftsmanship. The fast-moving plot explores an interesting constellation of what-ifs. For example:WHAT IF a terrible disability were so bad and so widespread that enormous resources went into creating therapies and compensations, which turned out to confer amazing advantages that normies couldn't enjoy?
WHAT IF a human/software interface had been perfected?
WHAT IF one human being could take total control of another? (This is an old idea, from the gods pulling the strings of human puppets to zombies and hypnotism and all the way to Being John Malkovitch, but it doesn't seem to be worn out yet.)
WHAT IF someone in this day and age (or a little while from now) managed to evade all the standard ID traps that typically have everyone nailed before they can walk--so they were completely outside the record system?
I give Scalzi full marks for handling these and a number of other ideas very capably. Still, the result seems kind of phony to me. This is no one's story; it's a plot hatched by what-ifs, without an emotional core--more like a futuristic action movie on paper than a substantial work of well-wrought fiction.
And maybe all I'm saying is that it's not quite lit'ry enough for me.
Not that I'd want to disparage the mechanical, plot-driven novel--I wouldn't apologize for it if it were mine; but it leaves a big part of my inner reader unsatisfied.
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LibraryThing member clark.hallman
Lock In by John Scalzi – This is another fine science fiction novel by Scalzi that brings the reader to a future that is enduring a strange virus that has left millions of people “Locked In.” Tragically these “Lock In” victims are conscious, but they suffer complete paralysis of the
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voluntary nervous system. They cannot move or speak. However, “Lock Ins” can experience the world via a network that enables them to interact through robotic proxies and certain people who have the ability to “Integrate” with them. The story focuses on FBI Agent Shane and his female partner Agent Vann. They become enmeshed in stopping a sinister corporate takeover that would make the World even more difficult for “Lock Ins.” It’s a terrifying premise and Scalzi delivers a fascinating story with enough action to keep the reader invested. Show Less
LibraryThing member beserene
I enjoy Scalzi's sense of humor and his clean writing. In this novel, essentially a near future sci-fi police procedural, the latter is on display more than the former. Those used to the metafictional pop snark of some of Scalzi's previous pieces may be surprised to find this novel takes a more
The near-future scenario is a post-plague USA, where a significant portion of the population has experienced the after-effect of an influenza-like virus that leaves them "locked in" -- conscious, but unable to move their physical bodies. The novel begins a couple of decades after the first wave of the disease, in a society that seemingly has sorted out issues of accessibility and inclusion, creating robots and cyber-spaces that allow those locked in to participate in both real and virtual worlds. But change is again at hand, and how the country is dealing with that next shift forms the back-drop -- and some essential threads -- for a classic murder mystery, handled by rookie FBI agent Chris Shane, himself one of those locked in.
The mystery has satisfying twists and turns and an even more satisfying ending. The near-future world and its defining plague are thoughtfully extrapolated and manage to feel logical as well as just distant enough for appropriately engaging discomfort. If there are a few too many passages where people stand around and explain things, well... blame that on the procedural heart of the story, which makes such things difficult to avoid. Scalzi doesn't bother with inflated prose or complicated characterization, but he is a dab hand at plain ol' good storytelling. So, dig in. And, while you're in there, think about it -- the mystery is a quick read, but the bigger ideas may stick with you for a long while.
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serious, even mainstream tone -- evoking CSI or Law & Order more than Star Trek or other science fiction norms -- with an intriguing commentary on attitudes toward disability in modern culture that could start good and necessary conversations in today's world.The near-future scenario is a post-plague USA, where a significant portion of the population has experienced the after-effect of an influenza-like virus that leaves them "locked in" -- conscious, but unable to move their physical bodies. The novel begins a couple of decades after the first wave of the disease, in a society that seemingly has sorted out issues of accessibility and inclusion, creating robots and cyber-spaces that allow those locked in to participate in both real and virtual worlds. But change is again at hand, and how the country is dealing with that next shift forms the back-drop -- and some essential threads -- for a classic murder mystery, handled by rookie FBI agent Chris Shane, himself one of those locked in.
The mystery has satisfying twists and turns and an even more satisfying ending. The near-future world and its defining plague are thoughtfully extrapolated and manage to feel logical as well as just distant enough for appropriately engaging discomfort. If there are a few too many passages where people stand around and explain things, well... blame that on the procedural heart of the story, which makes such things difficult to avoid. Scalzi doesn't bother with inflated prose or complicated characterization, but he is a dab hand at plain ol' good storytelling. So, dig in. And, while you're in there, think about it -- the mystery is a quick read, but the bigger ideas may stick with you for a long while.
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LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
A future book about a disease that locks people in, the technology to deal with it, and political maneuvering. Oh and it's a murder mystery.
This is well-written, with a good meaty backstory but delivered deftly enough I enjoyed it the whole way. The characters were all fun, the backstory was
This is well-written, with a good meaty backstory but delivered deftly enough I enjoyed it the whole way. The characters were all fun, the backstory was
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faaascinating (but then again, I am a nurse), and I am always down with a political-financial mystery. I really, really liked this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Future crime story. After an epidemic leaves hundreds of thousands of people “locked in”—unable to move their bodies, but able to participate in virtual reality and to use “threeps” as robot bodies, one of the poster children for the locked in becomes an FBI agent. Almost immediately,
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Chris is thrust into murders and conspiracies galore. It helps that Chris is really, really rich: kind of Fox Mulder with a robot body and no missing sister. I read it in a day and enjoyed it, but I doubt it would bear close scrutiny. Show Less
LibraryThing member csweder
This was a fun play on the type of novel that focuses on pandemics and the future of the world. I thought that the opening chapter was brilliant, and set the only foundation for the book that is needed. This is a fun, fast paced book with a futuristic, sci-fi feel as well. It was fun, read it!
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
This is a surprisingly good novel. I think I expected it to be a bit more science-fiction than it was since I've only read one other Scalzi novel and it was clear sci-fi. This book is not, really... it's more like an urban fantasy with the setting being post-disease-apocalypse. The technology is
Primarily, it's a detective novel, and it has a decent mystery to be solved. They mystery does stem from the nature of the world/tech, but it is regular detective work that solves it in the end. Or, maybe cyber-detective work, to be a bit more accurate.
I really enjoyed the world that was developed here. I don't, of course, believe a word of it - president's wife or no, this type of tech development would never be government funded/subsidized and, even if it had been, it would never have been given only to people "locked in". In fact, if this tech existed, it would likely not *even* be given to those locked in, it'd be reserved for the super wealthy who would become essentially immortal, and safe from stalkers/fans.
The story was very nicely paced, with just enough background and tech info provided in small doses so you weren't constantly trying to figure out the tech parts. I actually wanted to read it in a single sitting it was that engaging. I am also planning to go dig up a bunch more Scalzi books since this was the second one I read by him and they were both very good.
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not really that far-fetched or unbelievable, and the bulk of the story is not at all about this tech.Primarily, it's a detective novel, and it has a decent mystery to be solved. They mystery does stem from the nature of the world/tech, but it is regular detective work that solves it in the end. Or, maybe cyber-detective work, to be a bit more accurate.
I really enjoyed the world that was developed here. I don't, of course, believe a word of it - president's wife or no, this type of tech development would never be government funded/subsidized and, even if it had been, it would never have been given only to people "locked in". In fact, if this tech existed, it would likely not *even* be given to those locked in, it'd be reserved for the super wealthy who would become essentially immortal, and safe from stalkers/fans.
The story was very nicely paced, with just enough background and tech info provided in small doses so you weren't constantly trying to figure out the tech parts. I actually wanted to read it in a single sitting it was that engaging. I am also planning to go dig up a bunch more Scalzi books since this was the second one I read by him and they were both very good.
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LibraryThing member dougcornelius
A great sci-fi premise, but is melts into a police procedural.
LibraryThing member bfister
SF/crime. After an epidemic leaves millions "locked in," conscious but unable to move, scientists develop a way to link their brains to "threeps" (androids); others affected are "integrators," able to host locked in people who want to borrow a human body. A locked in man joins the FBI (getting
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around with a threep) and is quickly involved in strange murder case in which it appears a murderer was hosting someone else when committing the murder. Sounds preposterous but it worked for me - the scene-setting was handled so efficiently it had a great pace. Show Less
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2016)
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2015)
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2015)
Alex Award (2015)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Science Fiction — 2015)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Finalist — 2015)
Otherwise Award (Long list — 2015)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Science Fiction and Fantasy — 2014)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — August 2014)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2015)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-08-26
Physical description
6.83 inches
ISBN
076538132X / 9780765381323