Scan barcode
aa2q7's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read -- once the plot is spelled out, there aren't any more twists, which is a shame because I really liked the premise and the characters! (Also, interesting touch to give only minimal attention to gender/race/sexuality). I'll definitely read Lock In #2.
thomas_edmund's review against another edition
3.0
Scalzi's Lock In had a premise that sucked me right in, and even held my attention for the first few chapters. The skillfully built world provided an intriguing setting for a police procedural, and Scalzi shows an admirable talent for creating plausible characters within a sci-fi novel (a genre that often sees ridiculous characters engaging in equally ridiculous plots)
However the tale unravels steadily throughout. The first awkward was the juxtaposition of our young protagonist as a FBI agent investigating a gruesome murder, against his life at home with 'Mom and Dad.' I was willing to overlook the clumsy shift in tone between police procedural, and family hubris, but the rest of the story relied too heavily on the sci-fi gobbledygook to make sense of whats going on. I'm sure a true fan would have understood the plotline, I just felt dumb and disappointed.
My final beef is that there was too much unmet potential. Perhaps Scalzi was saving ideas for later in the series, I was wondering why there wasn't more drama around the 'Lock-ins' and the political and social pressures. Instead there were just a few gags about the main character using the 'Ford Pinto' of Threeps and a brief sequence about the unreality of being in the same room as your prone body. I had been hoping for insanity, ethics, politics and psycho-physiological mayhem (that made sense)
I'm glad I read Lock In, its a cool idea and the story is decent, but just decent not MIND BLOWING
However the tale unravels steadily throughout. The first awkward was the juxtaposition of our young protagonist as a FBI agent investigating a gruesome murder, against his life at home with 'Mom and Dad.' I was willing to overlook the clumsy shift in tone between police procedural, and family hubris, but the rest of the story relied too heavily on the sci-fi gobbledygook to make sense of whats going on. I'm sure a true fan would have understood the plotline, I just felt dumb and disappointed.
My final beef is that there was too much unmet potential. Perhaps Scalzi was saving ideas for later in the series, I was wondering why there wasn't more drama around the 'Lock-ins' and the political and social pressures. Instead there were just a few gags about the main character using the 'Ford Pinto' of Threeps and a brief sequence about the unreality of being in the same room as your prone body. I had been hoping for insanity, ethics, politics and psycho-physiological mayhem (that made sense)
I'm glad I read Lock In, its a cool idea and the story is decent, but just decent not MIND BLOWING
reidob's review against another edition
4.0
OK, let's get this out of the way from the very start: if you are looking for profundity in your sci-fi, you are probably looking in the wrong place when you come to John Scalzi. Not that I'm complaining; I have read quite a few self-serious books in this genre over the past few years and it is refreshing to encounter a book with unique ideas about the future but no particular ax to grind.
Not that Scalzi did not have Big Ideas in mind while he wrote this book; he clearly did. But he feels no need to ram these ideas down our throats and instead turns to telling "a ripping good yarn", as the saying goes.
The story here is of Chris Shane, a newly-minted FBI agent who is also the victim of a virus that leaves him "locked in", fully conscious, but incapable of any voluntary movement whatsoever, a condition that has afflicted him since childhood. How, you might well ask, could he possibly become a functioning adult person, nonetheless an FBI agent under these circumstances? Scalzi's solution is clever, witty, and charming, and I wouldn't dream of revealing it here (though to do so would hardly be a spoiler, since you find out on the first page of the book).
But Shane's being one of millions of Haden's syndrome patients is only a small part of this wonderful book. What we have here is more noir detective story than speculative fiction, as Shane and his partner track down the perpetrators of several criminal acts including murder and terrorism, all in the line of duty and while cracking wise more or less nonstop. What this all adds up to is a delightful, hilarious, insightful, and thought-provoking romp through a world of our near future that I suspect none but Scalzi could have put together. Well done, you.
As a side note, I don't know if all editions of this book contain the novella Unlocked, but mine did, so a few words about it. What Lock In has going for it is a rollicking plot and engaging characters that make it possible for us to suspend our disbelief and pass over some of the inconsistencies and misapprehensions that might otherwise mar it. But tacking Unlocked on to the end of the novel is an odd choice, as it serves mostly to point up these flaws and sour the original product a bit. In particular, Mr. Scalzi reveals therein a certain degree (in my estimation) of naivete and misunderstanding of politics, medical science and ethics that we would otherwise have been perfectly content to let slide. Having said that, some of the background on Haden's and the politics behind it, as he imagines them, are interesting. But I can't say that overall this novella adds anything to what was already a delightful product.
Not that Scalzi did not have Big Ideas in mind while he wrote this book; he clearly did. But he feels no need to ram these ideas down our throats and instead turns to telling "a ripping good yarn", as the saying goes.
The story here is of Chris Shane, a newly-minted FBI agent who is also the victim of a virus that leaves him "locked in", fully conscious, but incapable of any voluntary movement whatsoever, a condition that has afflicted him since childhood. How, you might well ask, could he possibly become a functioning adult person, nonetheless an FBI agent under these circumstances? Scalzi's solution is clever, witty, and charming, and I wouldn't dream of revealing it here (though to do so would hardly be a spoiler, since you find out on the first page of the book).
But Shane's being one of millions of Haden's syndrome patients is only a small part of this wonderful book. What we have here is more noir detective story than speculative fiction, as Shane and his partner track down the perpetrators of several criminal acts including murder and terrorism, all in the line of duty and while cracking wise more or less nonstop. What this all adds up to is a delightful, hilarious, insightful, and thought-provoking romp through a world of our near future that I suspect none but Scalzi could have put together. Well done, you.
As a side note, I don't know if all editions of this book contain the novella Unlocked, but mine did, so a few words about it. What Lock In has going for it is a rollicking plot and engaging characters that make it possible for us to suspend our disbelief and pass over some of the inconsistencies and misapprehensions that might otherwise mar it. But tacking Unlocked on to the end of the novel is an odd choice, as it serves mostly to point up these flaws and sour the original product a bit. In particular, Mr. Scalzi reveals therein a certain degree (in my estimation) of naivete and misunderstanding of politics, medical science and ethics that we would otherwise have been perfectly content to let slide. Having said that, some of the background on Haden's and the politics behind it, as he imagines them, are interesting. But I can't say that overall this novella adds anything to what was already a delightful product.
nickgoe's review against another edition
5.0
This might be my favorite Scalzi booo. Loved that the audiobook included the novella, that was a nice touch.
This is a buddy cop book, but with a nice sci-fi twist.
This is a buddy cop book, but with a nice sci-fi twist.
lafatm3's review against another edition
5.0
I came across John Scalzi about three years ago after he did a provocative blog article on how white men were living with the easy setting in the game of life. Ever since then, I've followed his blog and also begun to read his work as well. This was the third book I've read of his to go along with Old Man's War and Redshirts. After reading this book it is official: Scalzi is my favorite sci-fi writer. This book actually delves away from space and actually showcases a world that has been impacted by a widespread virus. The book follows Chris Shane, an FBI agent who is "locked in" in that his body is paralyzed by a disease but his mind works fine so he is able to use a robotic body with his own thoughts and ideas. The book is well-written and true to form, Scalzi has lots of quick dialogue between characters. It's one of those books that you'll pick up and read 20 pages without even noticing it. Overall, the pace, the action, the dialogue were all top-notch and the story itself came together nicely in the end with a solid whodunnit without being too unbelievable. I will definitely get back to reading more of Scalzi's work going forward.
eris404's review against another edition
4.0
First, I really liked Wil Wheaton's reading of the book in general. This audiobook also came with a novella that is an "oral history," basically supplemental material for the setting, that is read by a long list of other narrators - mostly well done.
As for the book, I adored the setting. Although it's about a plague, it's really also a kind of robot story (or maybe a cyborg story?) and has a lot in common with some of Gibson's and Stephenson's books (I'm a fan of both, make of that what you will). There are great little details that are pretty ingenious about daily life in this world, as well as unforeseen moral quandaries and legal problems. I'm not a biologist or an engineer, but the details of the plague and the solutions created to deal with it felt plausible. Someone with more knowledge of viruses and structure of the human brain (as well as the workings of US law) may find faults, but there was nothing that pulled me out of the story.
The story itself is a standard police-procedural/mystery. It's generally a fun story, with some parts that did make me laugh out loud on the L ride to work. The conclusion to the mystery was a bit pat (minor spoiler: it ends in an interrogation room confession). The included novella has some great details that flesh out the world. I'd definitely read another book in this setting.
As for the book, I adored the setting. Although it's about a plague, it's really also a kind of robot story (or maybe a cyborg story?) and has a lot in common with some of Gibson's and Stephenson's books (I'm a fan of both, make of that what you will). There are great little details that are pretty ingenious about daily life in this world, as well as unforeseen moral quandaries and legal problems. I'm not a biologist or an engineer, but the details of the plague and the solutions created to deal with it felt plausible. Someone with more knowledge of viruses and structure of the human brain (as well as the workings of US law) may find faults, but there was nothing that pulled me out of the story.
The story itself is a standard police-procedural/mystery. It's generally a fun story, with some parts that did make me laugh out loud on the L ride to work. The conclusion to the mystery was a bit pat (minor spoiler: it ends in an interrogation room confession). The included novella has some great details that flesh out the world. I'd definitely read another book in this setting.
janicec37's review against another edition
5.0
Great fun. Mix of police drama and futuristic challenges. Can't wait to read the follow up.
pammerhammer's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really didn't expect this book to go the way it did. I thought it'd be heavy on the murder mystery/thriller, light on the sci fi. So having it be 50%+ sci fi was a surprise although not an unwelcome one. It was reminding me a bit of [b:A Master of Djinn|52504334|A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1)|P. Djèlí Clark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600715136l/52504334._SY75_.jpg|78021845] in how it dealt with world building being done alongside the plot progressing.
In terms of sci fi, pretty interesting particularly in light of our own global pandemic. I think also having gone to a college with a lot of deaf students I saw parallels between the Hadens and their sense of self and the deaf community.
Finally I liked the story and writing but parts of it felt a little more YA than I was expecting.
In terms of sci fi, pretty interesting particularly in light of our own global pandemic. I think also having gone to a college with a lot of deaf students I saw parallels between the Hadens and their sense of self and the deaf community.
Finally I liked the story and writing but parts of it felt a little more YA than I was expecting.