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)

Not enough explanation about the threeps

Wheaton was good as always
Story a bit slow but entertaining sometimes a bit confusing

more please...

great story with a unique and sympathetic main character! the kind of science fiction I love

just can't...

This book starts out so cliché, I just stopped, not wanting to waste my time on another "4+" star book. The old " first day on the job for the rookie"... and surprise! A murder! blah. Maybe it gets better... I lost interest to find out.
Back to looking for something that grips me.

Good but not great

I liked this book and Scalzi’s other works. If you want some light sci-fi and can tolerate my below critiques, then I recommend this book to you.

Critiques:

Scalzi’s characters and humor feel very similar to his other books, which felt repetitive to me.

Scalzi over uses the words “said” and “asked” in dialogue.

The book is short and the plot is a bit predictable.

Scalzi doesn’t describe his character’s physical appearances at all, unless it’s necessary for the plot, which I feel robs the book of immersion.

Great Sci-Fi Police Procedural!

Where does Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It would not be in the Top 10, but would not be among the worst either.

What other book might you compare Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) to and why?

A sci-fi Harry Bosch. It was about FBI agents, so the police procedural part, but set in the future with robots.

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

Yes, I have. It was similar. He did not change his voice for any of the characters, so you really had to pay attention.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Amazing and captivating

I thought the story was awesome! The concept of a virus putting the human body into a vegetative state yet having the brain processing data all the time is completely understandable. The idea that we can build machines for our brains to operate without any assistance from the physical body is cool and not so unbelievable. Continuing down that path of mobility and making all people capable of participation in human life is the twist of what we can accomplish. The twist is deep and thought provoking. The human brain works the same-dishonesty/honesty, fraud, personal gain, theft, violence, etc - in this book which is how the story is amazingly 'real' for a time when robots can take over our bodies. Crazy! A good read.

Terrible narrator, at least try to use intonation.

Bad narration, every single character sounds the same. The story is average at the best.

Somebody unplugged the unit...

I really enjoy listening to this series and just cannot bring myself to listen to the other performer. Mr. Wheaton nailed this that left me listening for hours, well 9 hours and 56 minutes.

Decent mystery, but disappointing from potential

Would you try another book from John Scalzi and/or Wil Wheaton?

Maybe to Scalzi, and Wil is still my favorite narrator. This was a mediocre character voice that Wil could only do so much with.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The idea of lock in/Haydran Syndrome and the subsequent culture and advanced tech. The least interesting was the main character, who helped solve the mystery but lacked anything that made me care.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sure. The story was bland, and even the most talented narrator had a hard time keeping my interest.

Could you see Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

If so, I hope they find someone interesting to play the part of Chris Shane and his partner. Add more to his character so I care.

Scalzi + Wheaton = masterpiece

As usual Wil Wheaton does an enthralling and engaging rendition of a Scalzi by giving distinct voices to many characters that paint clear pictures of the action while combining his Goldblum-like clarity to simplify intimidating technobabble. And like many Scalzis that come before it the story is unique yet beautiful while still being thought provoking and humorous at just the right times. I can't wait to see where this series goes as JS has crafted such memorable characters and continues to push the genre of SF in new/different directions with each book he writes. If you are a fan of PK Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, aka Blade Runner) or Crichton you will definitely enjoy this novel, and especially this narration.