Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2014.
Description
Discover the history of Haden's Syndrome, the virus that created the world of John Scalzi's inventive near-future thrillers Lock In and Head On, in the prequel novella Unlocked. Not long from now, a virus will sweep the globe. Most will suffer no worse than flu-like symptoms, but an unlucky one percent will be changed forever. Hundreds of millions become "locked in", awake, aware, but completely unable to control their bodies. This is the story of the doctors, scientists, engineers, politicians, and heroes who remade the world. It is the story of the chaotic outbreak, the fight for a cure, the changes that followed. It is an oral history, straight from the mouths of those who survived the most dynamic period in human history.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stefferoo
If you haven’t read Lock In yet and have concerns about being overwhelmed by the details of Haden’s Syndrome, or if you’ve finished the book and would like to know more, I highly recommend checking out this companion novella that you can actually read online for free here.
Told in an
Through the various perspectives, we get to find out what the devastating flu was like, how it was spread, as well as the response when everyone realized that the illness was unlike anything the world has ever seen. The most relevant part, of course, is what happens afterwards, when Haden’s Syndrome rears its ugly head. As someone who read Lock In first before checking this out, I knew that President Haden had a major role in galvanizing the country and uniting everyone’s efforts in finding a way to help victims of the condition, and I was so happy that I got to have the whole story of how it happened here, in all its glory.
Just in keep in mind that this novella is meant to inform, so it wouldn’t be fair to go into this with the usual expectations for a story. There’s not a lot of plot or character development, which is okay because that’s not its goal. Nonetheless, I was completely fascinated by the way this book went through the different stages of the whole Haden’s Syndrome saga. Several of the characters also made themselves stand out with distinct “voices” as they related stories of their experience with Haden’s.
Unlocked shows just how invested John Scalzi is into the world of his book Lock In, and perhaps he rightly recognized that readers will want to know more about it. It probably doesn’t matter whether or not you read this before or after you read the full-length novel, but all I can say is, either way it will be worth it.
Told in an
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epistolary format in the form of collected interviews, Unlocked features narratives from many different people, all in one way or another intimately involved in the history of Haden’s Syndrome and the Great Flu that precipitated it all. It’s meant to give you more information about the condition, as well some history on how the world struggled with and recovered from the epidemic only to end up trying to find a way to help the millions that experienced “lock in”.Through the various perspectives, we get to find out what the devastating flu was like, how it was spread, as well as the response when everyone realized that the illness was unlike anything the world has ever seen. The most relevant part, of course, is what happens afterwards, when Haden’s Syndrome rears its ugly head. As someone who read Lock In first before checking this out, I knew that President Haden had a major role in galvanizing the country and uniting everyone’s efforts in finding a way to help victims of the condition, and I was so happy that I got to have the whole story of how it happened here, in all its glory.
Just in keep in mind that this novella is meant to inform, so it wouldn’t be fair to go into this with the usual expectations for a story. There’s not a lot of plot or character development, which is okay because that’s not its goal. Nonetheless, I was completely fascinated by the way this book went through the different stages of the whole Haden’s Syndrome saga. Several of the characters also made themselves stand out with distinct “voices” as they related stories of their experience with Haden’s.
Unlocked shows just how invested John Scalzi is into the world of his book Lock In, and perhaps he rightly recognized that readers will want to know more about it. It probably doesn’t matter whether or not you read this before or after you read the full-length novel, but all I can say is, either way it will be worth it.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
The subtitle of this short story / novella is "An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome". And that's what it was - short segments from various people - medical professionals, scientists, government officials, historians, Haden's patients, etc. - detailing the origin and spread of the disease and its
I'd read the text version before tackling the main novel, although the Audible version of the book also contains a reading of the short story after the main novel. Reading it first (or at all) is not necessary; Scalzi explains what's going on well enough in the book itself. And it's not really a story so much, more like solid worldbuilding. But as someone who appreciates good and detailed worldbuilding, I was all over this - I thought it was fascinating, bringing up lots of interesting thought questions, and I think I did appreciate some more of the references and some of the deeper issues going on under the surface in the novel itself.
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immediate aftermath.I'd read the text version before tackling the main novel, although the Audible version of the book also contains a reading of the short story after the main novel. Reading it first (or at all) is not necessary; Scalzi explains what's going on well enough in the book itself. And it's not really a story so much, more like solid worldbuilding. But as someone who appreciates good and detailed worldbuilding, I was all over this - I thought it was fascinating, bringing up lots of interesting thought questions, and I think I did appreciate some more of the references and some of the deeper issues going on under the surface in the novel itself.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
Far, far too short. If you are thinking about buying this, the page count is deceiving, this book has extra wide margins, headers, footers and quadruple spacing between the short paragraphs. This should be a $5 book, at most.
This is a prequel to Scalzi's Lock In series, about victims of Haden's
Get this one used or on a 50% off sale and it might be worth it. If you are thinking about reading this in 2021 or 2022, also note that it may resemble the current coronavirus situation a bit too much for comfort for some people. Given what has happened in the last 18 months, it also makes some of his speculations invalid, which is a really short timeline for speculative fiction to be off.
This is a prequel to Scalzi's Lock In series, about victims of Haden's
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Syndrome. It does not reveal much that we already didn't know from the books, so if you haven't read the series yet, this will be useful. If you have read Lock In, you won't learn much. I thought it was well written and interesting, just way, way too short and the price is way off base.Get this one used or on a 50% off sale and it might be worth it. If you are thinking about reading this in 2021 or 2022, also note that it may resemble the current coronavirus situation a bit too much for comfort for some people. Given what has happened in the last 18 months, it also makes some of his speculations invalid, which is a really short timeline for speculative fiction to be off.
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LibraryThing member DanieXJ
Wow.
I did read Lock In before I read this, and, wow. After reading Lock In there were so many nooks and crannies in the novel that I wondered about. Things that Scalzi wrote partially about, but never expanded on. This Novella/Short Story, it fills in a ton of those teeny tiny little holes and does
It's basically a bunch interviews of different people who were involved in the history of Haden's giving their opinions, and thoughts on Haden's. It's the history of Haden's through the eyes of those who had/have it, and those who lived around it for 25 years.
It's amazing.
I did read Lock In before I read this, and, wow. After reading Lock In there were so many nooks and crannies in the novel that I wondered about. Things that Scalzi wrote partially about, but never expanded on. This Novella/Short Story, it fills in a ton of those teeny tiny little holes and does
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it so well.It's basically a bunch interviews of different people who were involved in the history of Haden's giving their opinions, and thoughts on Haden's. It's the history of Haden's through the eyes of those who had/have it, and those who lived around it for 25 years.
It's amazing.
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LibraryThing member DoingDewey
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Having recently finished some long, epic fantasy audiobooks, I loved that this was a short, fast-paced thriller. The story was almost constant action. However, plenty of time was also devoted to both the interesting new technologies we might come up
My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
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with to help people who were locked in and the even more interesting ethical dilemmas those technologies might create. Enough time was spent on the science to make this seem like a believable future, without slowing the story down. Personally, this is exactly what I want from my sci-fi. It pushed the boundaries of current science in believable ways and addressed concerns that scientific advances might someday raise. I thought Wil Wheaton was a decent narrator (4/5 stars). He didn't attempt female voices, but did a great job changing his tone to reflect the attitude and emotions of the speaker.My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
A bunch of “oral histories” of the epidemic in the main book. Not much extra story here; more for if you really really want to know about Scalzi’s worldbuilding.
LibraryThing member LaPhenix
I liked this even better than the novel!
LibraryThing member buffalogr
I liked this better than the novel. It's the back story to Scalzi's two books on world plague and it almost sounded real. It's presented as a series of interviews of people who surround the problem. It contains many key details that would have helped understand "Lock In", but I don't think that
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I'll read book #2. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I liked the style of this novella - looking at the world of Lock In from all these "interviews". I would have been happy is it had been a full length novel!
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
This is the prequel novella to John Scalzi's Lock In. While Lock In was a murder mystery, Unlocked is a chilling documentary on how a virus changed the face of the world. It is a scientific and political thriller and the story of the origins of Haden's syndrome. Haden's syndrome is featured
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prominently in Lock In. The story stands on its own and is similar to The Andromeda Strain, and the Stand. Both talk about viruses that cause pandemics. In Unlocked the government response is more measured and the out while a catastrophe ,does not send civilization into a post apocalypse dystopian future. This is a great story. It asks the reader to consider the ethics of using prisoners for medical experimentation. It looks at the real world consequences of research we doing today in the area of brain mapping, and robotics. It forces the reader to examine what measures would you go through to have a normal life.It begs the question is consciousness separated from our physical body a life worth living or does the fact that we live in a body made of flesh the only form of life worth living? Show Less
LibraryThing member Narilka
Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi is the companion novella to Lock In. Unlocked traces the medical history behind the virus, from the first outbreak, to theorized causes, medical research and all the way up to modern events. It is told as a series of monologues by
It is absolutely brilliant and utterly believable. His reactions by the population in general to the disease show us an all too real glimpse of what could possibly happen to our society should a disease like this occur. It's fascinating.
An audio recording of this came along with the Audible download of Lock In. It is performed by a full cast that does a great job of making it feel like I was listening to actual interviews.
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engineers, scientists, doctors, Hayden's sufferers and survivors. It outlines the genesis of a new group of people, the Hadens, and all the social and economic ramifications that come along with it. It is absolutely brilliant and utterly believable. His reactions by the population in general to the disease show us an all too real glimpse of what could possibly happen to our society should a disease like this occur. It's fascinating.
An audio recording of this came along with the Audible download of Lock In. It is performed by a full cast that does a great job of making it feel like I was listening to actual interviews.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
Scalzi released this as a companion novella to his upcoming book. You can buy it for a few dollars from Amazon or Nook or get it from Tor.com for free, which I did.
It's not so much a piece of fiction as a simple timeline of the backstory up to when I presume "Lock-In" starts. It's kinda dry. It
Unfortunately, I don't know how necessary it is to read this if you plan to read "Lock-In". Scalzi says it isn't, but it feels like there's a lot of key details in this that lead up to something. But that something (people being able to enter others bodies and control them) may or may not be relevant. On its own though, it feels skippable.
It's not so much a piece of fiction as a simple timeline of the backstory up to when I presume "Lock-In" starts. It's kinda dry. It
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feels more interested in imparting information than creating a story or memorable characters. Like Scalzi took his story bible and turned it into a novella. Which I don't blame him for -- I'd do the same thing. Good promotional material.Unfortunately, I don't know how necessary it is to read this if you plan to read "Lock-In". Scalzi says it isn't, but it feels like there's a lot of key details in this that lead up to something. But that something (people being able to enter others bodies and control them) may or may not be relevant. On its own though, it feels skippable.
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LibraryThing member ladyoflorien
This is the prequel to the novel Locked In. I enjoyed reading about the epidemic from various perspectives and how the technology was developed to get those with Haden's Syndrome integrated back into society.
LibraryThing member DoingDewey
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Having recently finished some long, epic fantasy audiobooks, I loved that this was a short, fast-paced thriller. The story was almost constant action. However, plenty of time was also devoted to both the interesting new technologies we might come up
My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show More
with to help people who were locked in and the even more interesting ethical dilemmas those technologies might create. Enough time was spent on the science to make this seem like a believable future, without slowing the story down. Personally, this is exactly what I want from my sci-fi. It pushed the boundaries of current science in believable ways and addressed concerns that scientific advances might someday raise. I thought Wil Wheaton was a decent narrator (4/5 stars). He didn't attempt female voices, but did a great job changing his tone to reflect the attitude and emotions of the speaker.My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DoingDewey
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Having recently finished some long, epic fantasy audiobooks, I loved that this was a short, fast-paced thriller. The story was almost constant action. However, plenty of time was also devoted to both the interesting new technologies we might come up
My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show More
with to help people who were locked in and the even more interesting ethical dilemmas those technologies might create. Enough time was spent on the science to make this seem like a believable future, without slowing the story down. Personally, this is exactly what I want from my sci-fi. It pushed the boundaries of current science in believable ways and addressed concerns that scientific advances might someday raise. I thought Wil Wheaton was a decent narrator (4/5 stars). He didn't attempt female voices, but did a great job changing his tone to reflect the attitude and emotions of the speaker.My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DoingDewey
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Having recently finished some long, epic fantasy audiobooks, I loved that this was a short, fast-paced thriller. The story was almost constant action. However, plenty of time was also devoted to both the interesting new technologies we might come up
My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show More
with to help people who were locked in and the even more interesting ethical dilemmas those technologies might create. Enough time was spent on the science to make this seem like a believable future, without slowing the story down. Personally, this is exactly what I want from my sci-fi. It pushed the boundaries of current science in believable ways and addressed concerns that scientific advances might someday raise. I thought Wil Wheaton was a decent narrator (4/5 stars). He didn't attempt female voices, but did a great job changing his tone to reflect the attitude and emotions of the speaker.My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DoingDewey
This book was exactly what I was looking for. Having recently finished some long, epic fantasy audiobooks, I loved that this was a short, fast-paced thriller. The story was almost constant action. However, plenty of time was also devoted to both the interesting new technologies we might come up
My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show More
with to help people who were locked in and the even more interesting ethical dilemmas those technologies might create. Enough time was spent on the science to make this seem like a believable future, without slowing the story down. Personally, this is exactly what I want from my sci-fi. It pushed the boundaries of current science in believable ways and addressed concerns that scientific advances might someday raise. I thought Wil Wheaton was a decent narrator (4/5 stars). He didn't attempt female voices, but did a great job changing his tone to reflect the attitude and emotions of the speaker.My copy of the audiobook also included a novella that reminded me very much of World War Z. It discussed the onset of the virus and the ways in which it shaped society using multiple perspectives narrated by a full cast. I loved it and thought it added a lot to the story. Parts of the novella, including advances in technology which made huge differences in the lives of those locked in, were very moving. The novella was a perfect follow-up to the story, fleshing out questions the story raised about the way technology was developed in response to the virus and the way those who were locked in interacted with and were viewed by others. Unlike World War Z, I didn't mind not getting more details of the characters' personal stories, because I'd already gotten a personal narrative in the main story.
The novel and novella complimented each other perfectly, making this both an exciting thriller and fantastic sci-fi.
This review first published at Doing Dewey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member renbedell
A novella that describes the history of a science fiction illness leading to people being paralyzed and the integration of virtual reality, in the novel Lock-In. This is written as multiple personal accounts as they go through the timeline of the appearance of the disease and then with
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civilizations resulting effect. It is written similar to World War Z. I would only recommend reading this novella if you had or plan on reading Lock-In. There is no plot or story with this novella, but more of setting the world building for Lock-In. I read Unlocked after Lock-In and having an understanding of the disease and world, made Unlocked more enjoyable in my opinion. Show Less
LibraryThing member tldegray
This gets 4 stars because I am a total nerd and love the presentation of this as an actual transcript of an oral history of this fictional illness. It was also a fascinating look at how much worldbuilding went into Lock In.
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
A prequel to Lock In that came out about the same time. I read this after reading Lock In and it doesn’t give any more real insight to the book except for the one senator that has an axe to grind with the government about all the spending on Hayden’s Syndrome. The novella is written more in a
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series of news interviews and news briefs about the time discovery and the aftermath of the outbreak. A nice complement to the book and good background for a hardcore fan but doesn’t really give much in the way of a story because of the writing style. Show Less
LibraryThing member widdersyns
I read this because I have an interest in epidemiology, but it was so much more than that. Excellent.
LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
Wow. I was not expecting this to be as good as it was. Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome is a novella that follows the main novel, Lock In. I almost skipped over it, incorrectly assuming it was a promo or some sort of Q&A. Glad I didn't. Lock In was good, but Unlocked is better. I felt
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like I was listening to real historical accounts. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
Interesting and timely, but somewhat gimmicky in telling and set up.
LibraryThing member Teuthex
Say what you will, this man understands the shape of the world
LibraryThing member tsmom1219
This was a great teaser. Can't wait for Lock In.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2014-05-13
ISBN
1466871792 / 9781466871793
Local notes
Order ID: AFIC Macm 8-8-14