allegra_j's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure - I listened to this as an audiobook. And I only listened to it because it was narrated by Wil Wheaton and I thought to myself that Wil Wheaton is an awesome human being and if he lent his voice to this book, it must be good.
He was the perfect narrator for this character. Perfect.
Also, the book was surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because it didn't take me long to realize this was a detective novel like story and I usually hate detective novels. But I found it engaging and really enjoyed the listen. The ending was great.
He was the perfect narrator for this character. Perfect.
Also, the book was surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because it didn't take me long to realize this was a detective novel like story and I usually hate detective novels. But I found it engaging and really enjoyed the listen. The ending was great.
katmacdon12's review against another edition
4.0
Quite an interesting read, and out of my normal comfort zone. And I will say it was very eery to read this during a global pandemic. The science was a little hard for me to personally follow along with conceptualizing a world like this in my head, but the story itself was very entertaining and the dialogue was great. Read the audiobook and the voice actor was fantastic. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
yogeshvk5's review against another edition
4.0
Police procedural in the post pandemic world
This is a fast paced book that is a combination of sci-fi, murder mystery and thriller. The book opens with a murder and an obvious blood-stained suspect. But since it is a complicated world where millions of people are in 'locked- in' condition and hence participate in the world through robots or another special humans called integrators; things are not as they seem.
The world-building is nicely done. Especially after COVID, everyone is aware of the chaos associated with a pandemic. The 2 protagonists are FBI agents and they play the part of partner cops perfectly.
Overall, an engaging and entertaining sci-fi that can be covered over a weekend.
This is a fast paced book that is a combination of sci-fi, murder mystery and thriller. The book opens with a murder and an obvious blood-stained suspect. But since it is a complicated world where millions of people are in 'locked- in' condition and hence participate in the world through robots or another special humans called integrators; things are not as they seem.
The world-building is nicely done. Especially after COVID, everyone is aware of the chaos associated with a pandemic. The 2 protagonists are FBI agents and they play the part of partner cops perfectly.
Overall, an engaging and entertaining sci-fi that can be covered over a weekend.
luisvilla's review against another edition
4.0
As with everything Scalzi, this was well-written and well-put-together, and I had a very hard time putting it down. It lacked something, though - I just can't say what. Almost formulaic, maybe? Again, a perfectly executed formula - strong characters, plausible/well-written technical details, good pacing, interesting plot twists, etc., etc., just ... didn't really take me away like the books I enjoy most do.
hilse's review against another edition
3.0
was an incredibly quick read, but I had a hard time accepting Haden's and its threeps. Yes, this is sci-fi, but if the future has the technology to put a person in a robot, why does so little else in the world seem different? This future features self-driven cars and (basically) widespread use of something akin to Google glasses, but everything else felt very contemporary. That doesn't deter from the story and its plot, but it bugged me. I dunno. I think I have unrealistically high hopes for the future technology than is realistic.
ablotial's review against another edition
3.0
From the first time I read the description of this book, I was fascinated and marked it as to-read (and a high priority to-read at that!). These kind of utopian/dystopian futures really appeal to me, for whatever reason. I read the world building short story, [b:Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome|21805681|Unlocked An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397572655s/21805681.jpg|41068587], before this book came out and was super impressed, and it got me very excited to read this.
Well, I have to say I actually liked the short story more than the book, though the book was still very enjoyable. The short story focused more on the world building, the implications of the disease and the threeps, the moral and ethical issues surrounding this potential future. While it wasn't really much of a STORY (not so much a plot with a beginning, middle and end), it was really well written and engaging. Whereas this book was definitely more of a story, a sci-fi mystery/thriller of sorts. And it was enjoyable, set in this new world, but not enjoyable in the same way.
Somehow it seems like I'm reviewing the short here, instead of the book. But I guess, while the book was enjoyable, I don't think there is that much more to say about it.
Well, I have to say I actually liked the short story more than the book, though the book was still very enjoyable. The short story focused more on the world building, the implications of the disease and the threeps, the moral and ethical issues surrounding this potential future. While it wasn't really much of a STORY (not so much a plot with a beginning, middle and end), it was really well written and engaging. Whereas this book was definitely more of a story, a sci-fi mystery/thriller of sorts. And it was enjoyable, set in this new world, but not enjoyable in the same way.
Somehow it seems like I'm reviewing the short here, instead of the book. But I guess, while the book was enjoyable, I don't think there is that much more to say about it.
brassduke's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to as a podcast with Amber Benson narrating. A very clever story with a lot of really interesting world building ideas. Some of the conversations felt a little odd when read out in the audio book but it was a very minor issue in what is a thought provoking story.
rkdesko's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
raisa's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tanyak0203's review against another edition
3.0
John Scalzi only seems to write one main character but I like that character a lot. This was a fun police procedural in a unique world. I sometimes couldn’t follow the details of the plot but it didn’t matter because it was fun just to hang out in this world with these Bahrain eyes. 3.5 stars.