Lock in

Locations
Call Number: Science Fiction / Scalzi, John, Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Scalzi, John
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Science Fiction / Scalzi, John	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Science Fiction / Scalzi, John	4-week checkout	Due 05-20-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Scalzi, John	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / General / Scalzi, John	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in"...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....John Scalzi's Lock In is a novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern science fiction"-- Provided by publisher.
"Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in"...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse..."-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

It's A Lock submitted by Fevvers - STAR473 on July 2, 2015, 4:57am Lock-In has quick and deft world-building, and a surprisingly straightforward plot. These strengths make the more ornate science fiction elements (though they aren't overelaborate) easy to absorb while the pace of the book stays fast.

It is a story driven by a character whose disability and experiences with this fictional disease makes him uniquely qualified and insightful on the crime which is the kick-off of the plot. His education and intelligence combined with his own experience of living with disability gives him strengths that other investigators simply do not have.

I really appreciated this rounded character, and the rounding of other characters as well - Scalzi finds ways to show how he relates and differs from both able-bodied people and others who have the same "locked-in" illness.

I am a bit phobic about real locked-in syndrome, but the immediate bit of introduction about the fictional condition invented for this book along with the very engaging narrative voice set me at ease and drew me right in.

Highly recommended. Solid, award-worthy science fiction that would also be a great beach/vacation read.

Great light read submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on July 2, 2015, 10:55am Fun and light, I read this in just over a day. It's one of those books where you clearly don't understand everything from the start, but Scalzi does a great job bringing you in as you go. Enjoyable SF and a great vacation read.

Would recommend! submitted by ajstemp on June 27, 2018, 12:07pm Lock-in was a quick read and an enjoyable one. The plot is thought-provoking, the characters are interesting, and I found myself thinking about the world long after it was over.

Fun read hiding something meaningful submitted by kuz_a on July 16, 2018, 9:39am At the center of "Lock in" is a sci find noir adventure reminiscent of a sassy earnest Asimov, but at the center of it is something much more -- a thoughtful exploration of disability in a technologically able but not willing world not far from our own. Together these elements blend together into an engaging detective romp that is one of the best speculative fiction books I've read in ages.

Witty, but..... submitted by mowjac on August 28, 2020, 12:56pm Scalzi is very witty and enjoyable to read, it goes down like junk food. And like junk food, I have a few problems with it--his cast is racially diverse yet Scalzi glosses over that diversity, as if being black or Asian was the same as being white....which we know, it's not. As for his discussion of able or unable, I find his technological solution interesting with fascinating ramifications, yet Chris is a bit too glib on his Hayden's disease and how it effects him. Which is why I call it junk food--know before you indulge.

Spot on for a Scalzi submitted by ajh on August 3, 2023, 4:11pm With his background in SF, it's nice to see him incorporating more mystery/detective plots into his books. This one really does create a new version of our world, and pulls it off entertainingly