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Lock In (Lock In, #1)

John Scalzi

Start date: September 21, 2014

Finish date: October 20, 2014

Discussion: Book Discussions

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What Members Thought

Feb 07, 2016 Andrew rated it really liked it

Hmm this is a tricky one to comment on - you see you could zoom in on it and dissect it to the most basic elements of the story, in this case its a cop buddy story where two totally dissimilar characters team up and actually learn from each other and in the process get the bad guys and become heroes. But that is far too easy and misses a HUGE part of the story.

Or you could zoom out and see it as shocking discussion about how sooner or later any natural disaster (in this case the Hadens syndrome) ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: scifi, 2fiction, 3series, apocalyptic, 1ebook

Scalzi does it again. A full blown, near-future world with a great mystery, excellent characters, & tight writing. He sucked me in from the start & never let me go. This is SF at its best.

A recent discussion in a group was bemoaning the lack of good SF lately. I mentioned Scalzi as keeping up the standards. Overall he reminds of Asimov or Heinlein at their best. He took a fairly simple problem, ran it out a few years, & tossed it into the middle of a murder mystery. Sounds simple, but the genius ...more

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Jul 02, 2014 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, science-fiction, read-in-2014, fall-reading-2014

After a flu-like virus sweeps the world, a percentage of the population is "locked into" their bodies -- unable to interact or communicate with the outside world. One of the victims of the virus is the wife of President Hayden, leading to the nation and world putting an emphasis on research to find ways to combat the disease as well as help those suffering from its after-effects find a way to once again become a participating member of society.

The result is a variety of new technologies stemming After a flu-like virus sweeps the world, a percentage of the population is "locked into" their bodies -- unable to interact or communicate with the outside world. One of the victims of the virus is the wife of President Hayden, leading to the nation and world putting an emphasis on research to find ways to combat the disease as well as help those suffering from its after-effects find a way to once again become a participating member of society.

The result is a variety of new technologies stemming from a neural network that allows victims to download themselves into mechanical bodies known as threeps or into the minds of willing flesh and blood surrogates, for a limited amount of time.

As John Scalzi's Lock In opens, governmental subsidies and funding for the victims of Hayden's syndrome is about to be reduced, leading to protests and conflicts on both sides of the issue. And that would be the week that Chris Shane, one of the most visible victims of the syndrome thanks to famous parents, is about to take a job with the FBI's crime unit that investigates crimes related to the neural network.

To welcome Chris to the job, a murder has taken place -- one that could have implications far beyond those that are immediately apparent. And it's up to the team of Chris and a partner who was trained to be part of the mind-sharing program but dropped out years before.

In many ways, Lock In reminded me of Issac Asimov's The Caves of Steel. And if you know my preferences in reading material, you'll know that is some pretty higTh praise since Caves of Steel ranks among my favorite novels -- genre or otherwise. The pairing of two unlikely cops on a case that has implications far beyond the initial blush feels like it's right out of Asimov. But there's also an examination of how changes in technology can reveal what it means to be human and the implications for that on our rights as we move forward. Like a lot of the more memorable science fiction, Lock In if offering up an examination of certain issues of our time, all under the disguise of a future world setting.

And, for the most part, it works very well. The novel is part science-fiction novel, part procedural and it works very well as that hybrid. The familiar nature of the police procedural helps Scalzi set the table to some of his bigger ideas and concepts to the table, keeping them palatable to readers and not feeling like he or we have bitten off more than we can chew. He also weaves in enough detail to make the resolution of the mystery fit not only as from the murder mystery aspect but also within his science-fiction universe.

Reading Lock In, I can't help but feel as though this is an early front runner for the Hugo Award for best novel next year. It's certainly on the running to be one of my top five books I've read this year.
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Mar 06, 2017 Robin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

In the not too distant future, a new virus has swept the world, affecting millions of people. Some who catch the virus just experience flu-like symptoms, but others are "locked in" to their minds. They are still alive, but are unable to communicate with the world outside their mind; unable to talk and unable to move their bodies, they appear comatose to others. Fortunately, science has been able to find, if not a cure, a way to integrate those affected, called "Hadens," into society. A neural ne In the not too distant future, a new virus has swept the world, affecting millions of people. Some who catch the virus just experience flu-like symptoms, but others are "locked in" to their minds. They are still alive, but are unable to communicate with the world outside their mind; unable to talk and unable to move their bodies, they appear comatose to others. Fortunately, science has been able to find, if not a cure, a way to integrate those affected, called "Hadens," into society. A neural network is surgically implanted into a Haden's brain, and they are able to communicate and control an android, known as a threep, in order to interact with others. Others, known as integrators, who have had the virus but have not contracted Hadens, can have neural networks implanted in their brains to allow Hadens to borrow their bodies, especially if the Haden cannot afford a threep. Chris Shane, a Haden, has just joined the FBI and has been assigned to a department that deals mostly with Haden and integrator crimes. On his first day on the job, he and his partner, Leslie Vann, are called to the Watergate Hotel to investigate a murder. The prime suspect in the case is an integrator - but did he act alone or was he being controlled by a Haden? The case becomes more and more complex as Shane and Vann investigate.

The only John Scalzi book that I have read so far is Redshirts, which I loved. Lock In sounded interesting and I was looking for a good book to listen to, so I downloaded it from Audible. I had a choice between two versions - one narrated by Wil Wheaton and one narrated by Amber Benson. I really enjoyed Wheaton's narration of Ready Player One, so I chose the Wheaton narrated version. I'm glad I did. Wheaton has a very pleasant, expressive voice and he expresses sarcasm very well.

I was immediately captivated by the story. The spread of the virus and its effects were written in a very believable, matter-of-fact manner. Chris Shane is the first person narrator, and he came across as a very likable person - someone who had been afflicted with Hadens, but who wanted to do some good in the world. Scalzi did a great job of character development. I am also a big fan of mysteries, and Lock In started right off with a body. The story progressed steadily with Vann and Shane working together to solve the mystery. There honestly weren't any twists, just a good, solid build-up of the case until the end. I enjoyed this book so much that I will likely purchase the Kindle version and read it as well.

I would highly recommend this book. I think just about anyone would enjoy it. It is a science fiction novel, but even though the science fiction is a big part of the plot, it doesn't overtake the book. It just has an excellent story. ...more

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Nov 03, 2014 flajol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, crime-suspense-thriller

There's a few pages of info-dump at the beginning of the book which almost put me off. Luckily, I was away from home and Lock In was the only reading matter available to me, so I persevered. I wish I'd had access to Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome - it's a better introduction to the concept of Haden's Syndrome than the wiki-style article at the start of Lock In.

I was about 3/4 of the way through Lock In when I started fervently hoping that we'll get more stories about Vann and Shan ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 mina rated it really liked it

The rating is actually 3.5 (I tend to compare Scalzi's books to his own book, OMW), but it was so fun and easy-to-read, I put it as 4 stars instead of 3. ...more

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Nov 10, 2014 Tom rated it it was amazing

World wide virus, mind control, body swapping, robots controlled by thought, virtual worlds as realities. It all seems like a lot to throw into a book but Scalzi does it with skill in a natural-flowing, near future tale that's a bit murder-mystery, a bit crime-procedural. A fun read. Things got really dense/complicated/layered in the "explaining everything" section about 3/4s in, but all wrapped up neatly in the end. ...more

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