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)

Cliched and predictable but still entertaining

First off if you have ever seen any cop show from CSI to Castle you will know how this book will go. The Sci-Fi part is a mix of Avatar, I-Robot, and Chappie yet is still one of the most interesting parts of the book. I actually wish it went into the actual beginnings of the Lock In but if you stick around after the book there is a novella that's about two hours long that goes over the history of the outbreak and the events following it. I actually enjoyed it better than the book. Would I recommend this book to a friend? Maybe as a "pallet cleanser" book (which is what this was for me). On the topic of the narrator, Wheaton is amazing as usual. I have never had an issue with his readings. Overall a cliched and predictable story but it still has enough entertainment factor that one can enjoy it.

Great story, great characters

This story has many levels. The author develops interesting threads that make the story and the characters fun and interesting. The book also has a nice style of writing that is easy to listen to. Thoroughly enjoyed it, was sad when it ended.

Great story!!

Something new and different!! Story held my attention till the end! Beware if listening to audiobook the story really ends on chapter 26. After that it’s like a history of how the “flu” started. So little disappointing thinking I had more story.

interesting concept!

very well thought out and fascinating!
the initial story was great and I love wil wheaton as a narrator... but then the facinating part came at the end with the novella describing the whole Hayden's Syndrome process read in different voices... A GREAT LISTEN ... highly recommend!

A Fascinating Concept

Obviously based on the world pandemic, John Scalzi creates a highly inventive set of solutions and lets the reader imagine how it could actually work. I had a little trouble keeping the large cast of characters straight, but this is a great listen!

Another of Scalzi’s clever works.

I really enjoyed the dispatcher series from John Scalzi, this work is very similar, and very enjoyable.

Best in a long time

New favorite author!!!!! And always a favorite narrator! going to listen to the next book in the series now.

wonderful performance!

I loved Wil Wheaton's performance. He did a great job with various characters.
the duty was great but it took be at least 4 chapters to figure out what threeps were. in hindsight I enjoyed that descriptions of what a treep is was given in small doses. I like the authors writing style and will look for more of his books.

fun and wildly imaginative

I was introduced to John Scalzi through his Dispatcher trilogy. I really enjoyed his style of writing and dry humor.
Lock In has made me a fan. Wil Wheaton did a fantastic job narrating this very unusual but extremely entertaining "buddy cop" story. I particularly appreciated the bonus novella providing the historical context of this mystery illness. This grounded and enriched the preceding story.
Can't wait to dive into more Scalzi hijinks.

Amazing

The world building alone is worth 5 stars, but this story has all the reasons for 5 stars. All the reasons!