Lock In

By John Scalzi , - #1 in Lock in series

Book cover of Lock In

Book description

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…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked Lock In as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved how Scalzi put the reader inside the head of his narrator and showed you his world as he saw it. Scalzi uses very little description, but I never felt that I was missing out or that the setting was weak. It was the opposite, really. I got hints and off-hand comments from the narrator that were great hooks to keep me reading, and I kept learning about this world and these characters all the way til the end.

It wasn’t until my second read that I even realized Scalzi did something absolutely brilliant. The “locked in” people of…

From Janice's list on novels that show and don’t tell.

I’ve read a lot of John Scalzi. He’s hit and miss for me, but besides his Old Man’s War, I loved Lock In. Here are some fresh takes on technology progression and the impact they would make on cops and criminals.

The case here feels like a classic hardboiled mystery turned on its head. I found it a very satisfying read and want more of this from the author. The extra content in the audiobook is also very good.

From Gerhard's list on science fiction detective novels.

In Lock In, John Scalzi presents a truly unique and complex world, in which a large portion of the population has experienced a virus that leaves about one percent of its victims with a condition known as Haden's Syndrome. Those with Haden's Syndrome are "locked in," and are trapped in a sleep-like, paralysis state. 

About twenty-five years after the pandemic, scientific advancements have allowed those with Haden's Syndrome to interact with the world through surrogates or artificial intelligence. This is one of those books that is so complex that you will just have to dive in and enjoy the…

If you love Lock In...

Ad

Book cover of Shadows of the Past

Shadows of the Past by Eric Goebelbecker,

It's 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in the War of the Worlds failed. The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a young…

Want books like Lock In?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Lock In.

Browse books like Lock In

Book cover of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Book cover of Klara and the Sun
Book cover of Leviathan Wakes

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,359

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Lock In, you might also like...

Book cover of Call Me Stan: A Tragedy in Three Millennia

Call Me Stan by K.R. Wilson,

When King Priam's pregnant daughter was fleeing the sack of Troy, Stan was there. When Jesus of Nazareth was beaten and crucified, Stan was there - one crossover. He’s been a Hittite warrior, a Silk Road mercenary, a reluctant rebel in the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, and an information peddler…

Book cover of The Gates of Polished Horn

The Gates of Polished Horn by Mark A. Rayner,

What happens when you’re face-to-face with a truth that shakes you? Do you accept it, or pretend it was never there?

Award-winning author Mark A. Rayner smudges the lines between realist and fabulist, literary and speculative in this collection of stories that examines this question—what Homer called passing through The…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in virtual reality, epidemics, and dystopian?

Virtual Reality 55 books
Epidemics 49 books
Dystopian 659 books