I never liked Scalzi all that much -- he's a bit too... self-aware for my tastes. I approached his latest work Lock In with a bit of trepidation, but I'm happy to say I took the chance and the book was quite fulfilling (that or I'm a sucker for near future sci-fi whatever the source).
Lock In is a near-future sci-fi novel where the entire world was hit with a highly contagious flu-like disease. The disease causes a small number of victims to experience Lock In, that is, functioning mentally but unable to control their bodies. Through science! and a whole lot of money, victims are able to regain a semblance of functionality, either through human surrogates (Integrators) or robotic (Threeps, taken from C3PO). Hadens, as sufferers of the disease are collectively called, operate their surrogates remotely, through a wireless network.
The novel is a detective/murder mystery where the protagonist, Chris Shane (a Haden), joins the FBI to solve deaths involving Hadens, Integrators and Threeps (well, physical damage to the latter anyway).
Scalzi spins a well-tangled yarn, with a very believable world of high technology, complete with a well thought out social and economic framework. Since I am a bit sour at finding myself thoroughly engaged and enjoying the novel (finished listening in a couple of days), my only major complaint is that everything got tied up too neatly in the end.
The audiobook version, narrated by Amber Benson, was a joy to listen to. Benson's main protagonist voice (that of Shane) was pretty well done, but some of her other voices, particularly of male characters, were a bit off, but not too distracting. All in all, the audiobook was a good and easy listen, particularly suitable during driving, working out, or even working (for some of the more mindless tasks you find yourself doing, at least).
I haven't enjoyed a Scalzi book this much since Old Man's War. If you like your books reading like TV shows, then this one is for you. I might actually go back to reading up on his other works (Redshirts).
Verdict: Very highly recommended (4/5)
TL;DR:
++ Well written. The audiobook version is also well read
++ Very believable near-future world, excellent world-building
+ Protagonist was charming and capable, and worked well within her limitations
+ Supporting cast is also likeable
+ Plot, while somewhat predictable, was well paced and nicely excecuted
-/+ Everything was tied up neatly in the end, though there's room for more books in a potential series (I'd be happy to read more, maybe 1 or 2 more, max).
Details:
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Sci-Fi, Near Future, Police Procedural
Book Length: 336 Pages (Hardcover Version), 10 Hours Audible Audiobook
Published: August 26, 2014
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