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)

I NEVER SAY IMPOSSIBLE

SHE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO DIE A NORMAL DEATH
One reviewer said this was not Science Fiction/Fantasy. I can mention one item that makes this an unbelievable fantasy. In the story, the Jets are in the Super Bowl. That would not happen in real life. For me this had a slow start, as the introduction was nothing, but an info dump. Wheaton reads it like it is a disclaimer. It was so boring that I did not remember any of it. the story picked up big time in the third chapter and stayed strong till the end. I am not a huge police procedural type of guy and that is a big part of the story. On the other hand, a group of people who live in virtual worlds and/or live in robots, makes for an interesting story for me. Few could do it better then Scalzi, although I wanted to hear more about how they handled sex. It is a big part of most people lives, so it needed to be dealt with more then what JS did. l liked the characters and there was good character development.

YOU'RE A TRON FAN
The last two hours and 15 minutes is a related novella called Unlocked. It was two hours of interviews, which is not my favorite way to listen to a story. It started slow, but I found myself loving it by the end. I believe instead of it being a separate story, he should have used an interview between each chapter or each part as an interlude.

Narrator
I waited a long time to get this with Wil Wheaton, the other narrator got put on sale twice before Wheaton did. Wheaton is the best at snarky, smart mouth, funny books. This did not have so much of that. He was good, but not great.

Irritating

When a writer can't be more imaginative than "...,he said." and "...,she said." over and over again it is highly irritating. I returned the book.

Get Them Both

Another fine outing by John Scalzi. Loved it for all the reasons already given and won't bore anyone by repeating them.

I managed to pre-order my copy before the offer deadline and was able to get both versions for one credit--and I am so glad that I did. I will tell you straight away that it is very strange listening to this story in two different voices but rewarding. If you never thought that the narrator was key to an audiobook, listening to both readers will show you just how much the narrator influences the read.

Just not for me.

Scalzi has tons of fans who love his books. I wanted to like this book so much. I'm a avid reader in desperate need of a author who has tons of great books out there I have yet to read. I just couldn't get into this book. Doesn't mean it was bad. It just wasn't for me.

investigation into transferable consciousness

Any additional comments?

Lock In is sort of a prequel to Old Man's War. It continues Scalzi's fascination with the mind, identity and how humans will begin to physically interface with technology. It is interesting to see how an idea germinates within an author and manifests throughout his career with a multitude of facets. Like all true SciFi Scalzi probes the implications of dislocated/transferable consciousness from many angles. What separates this from The Surrogates or the Matrix is the implication of race, sexuality, gender, and self when a significant portion of the population is disembodied from birth or at least early development. The audio book is sold in two versions. One read by Wil Wheaton and another by Amber Benson. This is possible because the story is told in first person and the gender of the narrator is never revealed in the text. It's a little bit of a magic trick, but not a gimmick. The gender of the character is never pertinent to us or the other characters. The race of our character is not even approached or implied until the final third of the book, and in general race itself is not character trait. This is science fiction done well. They are always telling us gender and race are not important in the societies of the future, but it is in the telling that undermines the point. The omission is powerful and successful.

7.5 hours with a mini "wanna be Max Brooks WWZ" compilation at the end

The plot was just eh. The character development was better than the plot for the main two characters but non existent for the others. I couldn't keep track of who was who. The whole "let's do this" and not say what "this" is until the "not-so-big-reveal" at the end was lame. And knowing it was Wil Wheaton narrating was annoying.

A rare miss by a top author

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would make the plot a little less transparent. Give us a mystery, Mr. Scalzi!

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

As I said above, Scalzi does well with big ideas, likable characters, and great action, but the "mystery" part of this thriller was easily decoded and left no wonder in the work.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Wheaton did a great job with voices and inflections.

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

Oh yes. But don't ask me. I don't know any actors young enough to play most of the characters.

wil wheaton is great!

fun story that isn't too simplistic or complicated complete with humor, action and an original premise.
would I listen to it again? yes! 🖖

Riveting

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

This is an excellent book to travel with. My husband and I take motor home trips and we couldn't stop driving. A little slow to get into and understand but when the light went on, we were off and listening. This story would make a good movie. I could visualize the characters.

Story just OK. Sound editing bad.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

it was a mildly entertaining, but forgettable book. Has an interesting premise but the execution is hackneyed. There was way too much deus ex machina going on. New guy on force, heavy drinking partner with a mysterious past, newly acquired roommates who just happen to to have the exact skills/connections needed to solve the mystery. It may be me, but i'm tired of stories where the protagonist is some ultra-rich, smartest-guy-in-the-room, that is unique within the universe. The epilogue (bonus track) was actually more interesting than the story.

Would you ever listen to anything by John Scalzi again?

Sure.

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

I do like WiIl Wheaton's narration on this and other books. I actively search for titles he's narrated.

Do you think Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It probably will be part of a series, unfortunately.

Any additional comments?

I was VERY disappointed with the editing. There were several instances where it was pretty obvious that Will was called back for re-do as the audio quality and ambiance would change in mid-chapter for 20-30 seconds at a time. Sloppy.