An intriguing hybrid of Asimovian I, Robot-flavored sci-fi, the quasi-contemporary speculative fiction of William Gibson and the enjoyable detective/crime procedural work of . . . well, countless writers, John Scalzi's latest novel, Lock In, interweaves the threads of a number of familiar genre conventions to impressive effect.

Exhibit one: the society-threatening plague—in this case, a highly contagious virus called Haden's Syndrome that has left millions "locked in," fully conscious but incapable of any movement or response to stimulus. Then there's the allusion to the well-trod sci-fi terrain of A.I. and androids: The plight of the locked-in has led to the creation of embedded neural nets and Personal Transports (dubbed "threeps," after a certain golden robot of the silver screen). Finally, Scalzi brings it all together in that most fleet and engaging of forms: the whodunit.

Lock In introduces readers to FBI agents Chris Shane (a Haden) and Leslie Vann as they arrive at a crime scene. The victim lies dead in a room, and the chief suspect is the Integrator in the room with him. (Integrators have the ability to allow Hadens to experience physical sensations.) From there, things get complicated in all the ways one wants detective fiction to get complicated.

Through it all, the Hugo Award-winning Scalzi shows that being a master storyteller isn't so much about finding new ingredients as it is about combining old standards in ways that are fresh and engaging. But here Scalzi does both, and his novel twist on robot lit alone would make Lock In worth the read.

Scalzi's world-building is deceptively simple, accomplished while keeping the reader fully enmeshed in the murder mystery that propels the story. Ultimately, the Hadens and Integrators of Lock In each may be as fanciful a construct as the more standard sci-fi fare of androids and aliens. But thanks to Scalzi's talent, it certainly doesn't seem that way.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

When a virus blasts the nation, leaving most sufferers only feverish, a handful with acute meningitis, and an unfortunate one percent so completely locked in that they can't speak or even move, scientists come to the rescue with two initiatives. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," that allows the locked-in to interact with others. The other involves the discovery that a few folks have brains receptive to being controlled by others, allowing the locked-in to hop aboard and use the bodies of these people as their own. Now doesn't that sound dangerous? Hugo Award winner Scalzi does it again.

After the pandemic known as Haden's Syndrome sweeps the globe, millions of people are left in a "locked in" condition in which they are unable to control their own bodies, and must use technological aids that allow them to control their android shells. Chris Shane is a Haden, newly appointed to an FBI division that deals with crimes involving the Haden community. His first case involves a conspiracy that hinges on the very technology that Hadens use to escape their locked-in state. Scalzi (Redshirts; Old Man's War) explores a near future with his usual deft ear for politics and technology. He addresses the issues of disability without a heavy-handed agenda, and while the details of Haden's Syndrome sometimes get distributed in information dumps, readers will appreciate how much thought the author put into his imaginary disease. VERDICT Scalzi seems to enjoy pulling elements from the mystery and corporate thriller genres, although the novel's relatively short length means that things wrap up a little too quickly. There is also a companion novella, "Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome," which readers can find at Tor.com. [See Prepub Alert, 2/24/14.]

After a pandemic sweeps the globe, there are millions of survivors left "locked in" to their bodies—fully aware but unable to control their physical selves. Technologies have been developed to help those sufferers, but it looks like someone used that technology to commit murder. As fascinating for its look at how a near-future society might deal with disability as for its twisty crime investigation. (LJ 7/14)

Hugo-winner Scalzi (Redshirts) successfully shifts away from space opera with this smart, thoughtful near-future thriller resonant with the themes of freedom, ethics, and corporate greed. The story is set some 25 years after the first appearance of Haden's Syndrome, a virus that killed 400 million people and leaves a small percentage of its victims in "Lock In," a state in which they are fully aware but trapped inside unresponsive bodies. Neural net technology allows Hadens to use android-like "threeps" or make arrangements with Integrators, survivors whose virus-altered brains allow them to share their bodies. When a corpse is found at the Watergate hotel and the only suspect is a blood-covered Integrator who says he doesn't remember what transpired, newly minted FBI agent Chris Shane and veteran agent Leslie Vann are called in to investigate, uncovering an intricate tangle of political and business interests. Scalzi's characters possess tangible motivations and inhabit a thoroughly believable world, and the growing partnership between Shane and Vann is a pleasure to watch unfold. This powerful novel will intrigue and entertain both fans and newcomers. (Aug.)