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)

Perfect Sci-fi

This had everything I look for in great sci-fi. Compelling characters, a story I can't put down, insightful analysis of today's current issues through the lens of an imaginary world, and scientific plausibility. Great narration just sealed the deal.

Good story. Some poor edits.

Really enjoyed this book. The concept and story are fantastic. My only complaint is with the audio quality. Several points it felt like the audio was re-dubbed and didn’t feel like it fit in with the rest of that section. It was enough of a difference that it took me out of the story to process the change.

Wow!

When I first saw this book and the premise behind it (Hayden's syndrome and lock-in) I wasn't particularly interested. It did not seem science fiction enough. However after listening to Scalzi's "Redshirts" with Wil Weaton narrating ( it was great SF) thought I would take a chance on this book. Scalzi very quickly creates a whole world of "science" that seems extremely plausible and writes a detective story around these new science "rules". It was an amazing and thought provoking story. About 3/4 through, I was wondering why I liked the book so much because this story format or style seemed familiar to me. I realized that the writing style was very similar to Isaac Asimov and his iRobot and Foundation book series which were favorites of mind. Create a world full of believable science and then right story around the "loop holes " in the science. I can't recommend this book enough!

What a creative concept

I have to read more of Scalzi. This guy has a great way to tell a story and such a creative mind. Wil Wheaton is also a phenomenal voice performer. Keep this combo going!!

Wow.

I loved this book and performance. One of my favorite books ever. I loved the characters. It drew me instantly in. And, the bonus novel, Unlocked, was great.

this kept me interested the whole time

Great listen. I highly recommend. even the bonus novela at the end was nice. Awesome job.

Another amazing, interesting world...

Again, another detective-in-an-alternate now story that is fresh, interesting, gripping, and turns a mirror on my of our society's current issues.

I highly recommend this one, but it is indeed heavy on slightly futuristic technologies. Having a basic understanding of modern technologies will definitely help deepen the story and immerse you in it, but is by no means necessary--however if you're on this site using digital audio books (rather than books on tape or CD) then it's probably a moot point.

great story

I may have liked the novella even more. it had that World War Z type of story telling. I loved that.

Great story... but...

This was my first Scazi novel. He seems to have a hard time with dialogue. There ends up being a lot of he said, she said, he said, she said which gets really annoying and pulled me out of the story.

Great premise, but I feel like the world he created was far more shallow than it ought have been.

As always Wil Wheaton knocked it out of the park.

Wait for it

The majority of this book is just an average cop story, save the fact that there has been a dramatic change in the world due to disease. After the crime is solved is where the real interesting story is to be found. The last few chapters is what I wish filled the entire book.