Head On (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

"As much as Scalzi has the scientific creativity of a Michael Crichton, he also has the procedural chops of a Stephen J. Cannell to craft a whodunit with buddy-cop charm and suspects aplenty - most of them in someone else's body." (USA Today)

John Scalzi returns with Head On, the stand-alone follow-up to the New York Times best-selling and critically acclaimed Lock In. Chilling near-future SF with the thrills of a gritty cop procedural, Head On brings Scalzi's trademark snappy dialogue and technological speculation to the future world of sports.

Hilketa is a frenetic and violent pastime where players attack each other with swords and hammers. The main goal of the game: obtain your opponent's head and carry it through the goalposts. With flesh and bone bodies, a sport like this would be impossible. But all the players are "threeps", robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden's Syndrome, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real, and the crowds love it.

Until a star athlete drops dead on the playing field.

Is it an accident or murder? FBI agents and Haden-related crime investigators Chris Shane and Leslie Vann are called in to uncover the truth - and in doing so travel to the darker side of the fast-growing sport of Hilketa, where fortunes are made or lost and where players and owners do whatever it takes to win, on and off the field.

©2018 John Scalzi (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Scalzi delivered a witty, clever mystery

If you love procedural crime novels, you will love tagging along with FBI Agents Chris Shane and his partner, Leslie Vann. The two are investigating the death of a Hilketa player who dies during the game. Clues lead them to scandal and greed all while providing near-death experiences, witness tampering and the loss of one-two-many Threeps (machines that Hayden’s use to move in our world).

Witty humor, good detective work, and strong characters. I like Agent Shane, he is direct and to the point. Scalzi lets the reader be a part of Chris’s thought process as he works the case but also gives us moments with his family, friends and the daily trials of living with Haden. Secondary characters from suspects to associates added depth and succeded in pulling me further into this world.

The case was well done with plenty of twists, turns, and false leads. During the investigation, it showcased how the corporate world uses law not specifically intended for them to pad their bottom line. It was a relevant topic and added believability to the case.

Wil Wheaton narrated and he is perfect for this series and characters. From his wide range of voices both male and female to his pacing and tone he enhanced an already brilliant story and took it to the next level. Of course, if you’d prefer you can listen to the story narrated by Amber Benson who does an equally stunning job.

Wasn't Sure about Storyline at First but...

I'm not a sports fan for starters and, once I realized the setting was all around a professional sport, I wasn't sure if the plot would hold my interest. But John Scalzi is such a good writer so I pressed on with it. All the intricacies of the game and how it was played with human brain powered android bodies was really well developed without belaboring the sport itself too much. And once the detective story began to unfold there were just so many interesting characters and elements, I was hooked.

I haven't listened to many books narrated by Will Wheaton but he did such a great job with the voices and dialects that I would definitely say he's a great reader and would like listening to other books with him again.

"Transfer of consciousness" story continues

Fascinating exploration of a world where the transfer of consciousness into another body, or in this case, an artificial body or a virtual reality, is normal. Using a bit of "police procedural" on the way, along with humor as the main character haplessly destroys or damages body after body makes for great story telling.

John Scalzi really has a feel for human politics - both big picture manipulations and machinations and up-close-and-personal work place skirmishes.

Wil Wheaton, of course, is great.

Lotsa Fun

Wonderful quasi mystery/sf read... Snappy and snarky dialogue delivered by an incredibly lovable group of characters, some old, some new... On the surface a light read, and in many ways is, but that’s only due to the insight and reflection being so seamless w/ the story... Laughs, pace, and narration made it a fun day read;... For me ended a smidge quick but I’m selfish in always wanting more;). Simply excellent narration that adds to the experience...

Great Story

There are many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Narration was excellent. Strong female characters. Highly recommended.