A review by andreeavis
Lock In by John Scalzi

challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

#π‘π‘œπ‘œπ‘˜π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘£π‘–π‘’π‘€Β 
πŸ“–π‘³π’π’„π’Œ 𝑰𝒏 π’”π’†π’“π’Šπ’†π’”, π½π‘œβ„Žπ‘› π‘†π‘π‘Žπ‘™π‘§π‘–
⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)
#andreeareviewsΒ 

John Scalzi is one of my favourite science fiction authors. I’m committed to reading all his books and am currently at book 11. He writes stories with exciting plots, always a mystery within them and unexpected twists. But what stands out for me is his sense of humour; his books are hilarious, and I find myself laughing out loud constantly.Β 

Lock In series is a duology, to which Scalzi added a prequel, free to read on Tor(linked hereΒ  https://www.tor.com/2014/05/13/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-scalzi/). The book is more of a science fiction thriller, reminiscing Blake Crouch’s style, but with Scalzi’s signature humour, thus more lighthearted.Β 

The story is set sometime in the future when a new virus ravishes the world. The virus, called Haden’s syndrome, as the first lady was one of the victims, has flu-like symptoms in the first stage and has a very low survival rate, with 75% of people who contract the virus dying. However, surviving the first stage doesn’t take one out of the woods: about 25% of the survivors get into the second stage, which resembles viral meningitis, having an even higher mortality rate per capita. Β 

Survivors of the second stage do not come out of the disease unscathed: the virus causes profound and persistent changes to the brain structure of some of them, while some of these suffer from what is called lock-in, complete paralysis of the voluntary nervous system. Others have their mental capabilities affected, but not their bodies. And lastly, a tiny percentage of the survivors, called Integrators, have their brains altered in a way that allows the locked-in Hadens to access them and use their bodies to experience regular life.

In this world, technology is advanced enough that locked-in people have software implanted in their brains that allows them to use threeps (robot-like bodies) to move around and have a normal life. At the same time, they live a rich internal life in the Agora, a Haden-only online space where they can create virtual realities for themselves.Β 

Now, grumpy detective Vann, a former Integrator, and newbie Chris Shane, a famous locked-in Haden, pair up to investigate Haden-related crimes. Both books will follow them around while they slowly unravel mysteries, chasing clues (and people) and getting hurt (or having their threep destroyed, in Shane’s case) multiple times. Unexpected twists and turns, a cat witness, political games, and criminal billionaires are only a few of the exciting parts of the plot in both books. Β 

I recommend this if you like thrillers, especially set up in the future, involving future technologies, if you are a Blake Crouch fan or if you love John Scalzi in general, as you can enjoy his usual lighthearted, humorous style while exploring a novel story. I do not recommend it for people who want to get deep into the technology or want the technology or the virus to be at the centre of the story; they are both parts of it though. Β