Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

AudioFile Best Voices - Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Audio Theater, 2014

A blazingly inventive near-future thriller from the best-selling, Hugo Award-winning John Scalzi.

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever, and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what's now known as "Haden's syndrome", rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" - someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But "complicated" doesn't begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery - and the real crime - is bigger than anyone could have imagined.

BONUS AUDIO: Audible's audio edition of Lock In contains the bonus novella, Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome, written by John Scalzi and narrated by a full cast.

"I love working with Audible, in no small part because they’re committed to doing what’s right, both for my books, and the people who listen to those books. There's a really excellent reason for Lock In to have two entirely different versions, so when it came time to make the audiobook, Audible did an ingenious thing: they asked both Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson to record entire versions of the book. As the author, I’m impressed with Audible’s commitment to my narrative - and I’m geeking out that both Wil and Amber are reading my book. This is fantastic." (John Scalzi)

2 editions. 2 narrators. 1 thrilling story. You can enjoy Amber Benson's narration here.

©2014 John Scalzi (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hugo-winner Scalzi successfully shifts away from space opera with this smart, thoughtful near-future thriller resonant with the themes of freedom, ethics, and corporate greed….This powerful novel will intrigue and entertain both fans and newcomers." ( Publishers Weekly)

"The novel--which contains plenty of action, great character development, vivid and believable worldbuilding and a thought-provoking examination of disability culture and politics--is definitely worth the ride." ( Kirkus)

"Another brilliant novel from a writer who has quickly become one of the genre’s most successful and intriguing practitioners." ( Booklist)

"With narrator Wil Wheaton attacking Scalzi's text with both vigor and nuance, this story tells about a silent minority being given voice, then having that voice threatened.... Thanks to Wheaton's skillful efforts, this production is an enjoyable melding of narrator and material." ( AudioFile)

Enjoyable, just not enough juice for me.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not change maybe add.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't change the story, just add more blood, sex, and romance.

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just having the book read to me by a guy I've had a crush on since childhood made the experience so... much better.

Could you see Lock In being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Of course I'm going to say Wil Wheaton!

Any additional comments?

Series please????

Cyberpunk Detective Story

It was pretty entertaining. I really like most of the John Scalzi novels and this one is no exception.

The narrator does a fine job but I feel could be more enthusiastic at some of the high points in the novel. Nails the novella though.

Interesting Story

What made the experience of listening to Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) the most enjoyable?

This is a pretty fast-paced book with a lot of interesting twists to keep listening interesting.

I most enjoyed the description of Haden's Syndrome throughout the book and how it affected those with Lock In. Very interesting premise and the "history" was so thorough that it felt like it was something that actually happened.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was flat. There was a lot of build up to this sensational conclusion and then...it kind of felt like the end was rushed and over. It definitely feels like a set up for a sequel.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love Wil Wheaton's narration. I chose this book specifically because of this factor and I thought it was just as good as Ready Player One in terms of performance (which I thought he did a terrific job).

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not a book I would want to listen to in one sitting. It keeps you engaged but there are a lot of names, details to work out before getting too far along. I listened to this on my way to/from work (so about 80-90 minutes a day split in to two "sessions") and that seems like just the right pace.

a great detective story featuring robots.

the short novella is a little dry. but the main novel is amazing. wil wheaton really narrates well. the plot had a few surprising turns and was thoroughly enjoyable.

Love the book and especially love the narrator.

The story is very good and original. What really make this book fantastic is the narrator. He really is my favourite on Audible and I often search for new book by the narration thanks to him.

Okay, bad audio production

Wil Wheaton is great and the story is entertaining, but not mind-blowing. However, the audio production is not good. You can hear the difference when Wheaton's voice is "punched in" in various places throughout the story to make edits; the levels are off and it is pretty distracting; not the best audiobook experience.

Very Interesting!

I really liked the way the story was told! It really left me wanting more.

SciFi of the highest order

This is a very entertaining story. The concepts of the science are plausible which is key to the reader but in. The characters are a little too underdeveloped. The characters seem to be along for this entertaining ride not driving the narrative. However, the story line and its plausibility wins the day

Fantastic world building

Scalzi does an amazing job creating an event, and creating a world with believable reactions to this event. Great sci-fi.

Great short story

Boy am I glad Hayden isn't real... Yet. I think it's a pretty optimistic future, especially how the world dealt with Covid - 19