Thursday, October 9, 2014

Review: Lock In by John Scalzi

21418013
 
5/5 Stars
 
Synopsis per goodreads:
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..




My thoughts on this book:
 
First of all, let me just say, whatever you THINK you might think this book is about, it isn't it.  My thoughts at first were omg locked in, viruses, apocalyptical book, that sort of thing.  That's not what this book is about at all.  This book takes place 25 years after a virus, after the lock in's occurred, and after "robots" for lack of better term, provided a way for those locked in to live and move freely and hold jobs and all of that sort of thing.
 
The main character is a FBI agent, Chris, former poster child of the Haden's syndromes first child that was able to put on the "threep" (term for the robot machine thing).  His first week on the job he's got people exploding in front of him, people trying to kill him, integrators getting killed left and right, and it's action packed and basically this is a science fiction murder mystery.

What I thought was absolutely brilliant about this book, was the thought that went into it, not just the neurological stuff, the coding, the robotic sci-fi stuff, but the case itself.  The ending was phenomenal.  It reminded me a bit like The Closer the TV show where the main character played deaf and dumb in the interrogation room, but all the sudden switches on her brilliant manipulation maneuvers and tactical thoughts to get the bad guy to ultimately confess, that or even if you have ever watched any other brilliant manipulating confession interrogation show on TV, this book made it like, three billion times better.   Chris and his FBI partner Vann go in there and just systematically do the thing.  A well oiled machine that was just absolutely brilliant. 

From beginning to ending this book was well written, well thought out, and well executed, and has gone into my rare FAVORITES folder. 

ALSO
if you are thinking of reading this book, check out Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome it's sorta like a 20/20 interview with a bunch of people from the early days leading up and throughout the entire 25 year history, things that happened, and gives you all the history leading up to where the world is at in Lock In.  I found it really informative prior to reading it so I knew exactly what was what when I started to read it.





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1 comment:

  1. Oh wow, I hadn't heard of this but it sounds very intriguing!!!

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