Lock In (Lock In, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
I once read an essay that claimed, categorically, that it was impossible to have a successful SF mystery. The author claimed that the science necessary to the SF elements of the story made it impossible for the average reader to share the full deductive experience of solving the mystery. How could you weigh up the clues, and follow the detective's reasoning, if you don't fully understand the science and technology of the world in which the murder takes place?
I love it when someone proves that essay wrong. John Scalzi has come up with a marvelously readable, satisfying murder mystery, set in a relatively near future in which a flu-like epidemic has created a substantial minority of the world population who are "locked in," and dependent on a sophisticated technology of robotic avatars and virtual forums to interact with the world.
A shocking death at the Watergate complex in Washington DC is the first clue for FBI agents Vann and Shane (who is himself a "Haber," or victim of the locked-in syndrome) that someone is using that technology to kill Habers, and the people who assist them.
Scalzi's worldbuilding is amazing: the technology, the culture, even the vocabulary feel very "used" -- real and normal -- and provide fascinating twists to both the murders and the detectives' procedures for investigating them. But the concept never overwhelms the human relations and human frailties at the root of the crime, which is exactly as it should be. I was especially impressed by Scalzi's lightness of touch highlighting the way a society treats its disabled and differently-abled citizens in a way that feels very current and relevant to attitudes and controversies in our own real world, but never preachy.
And it's funny. Unputdownable. Vann and Shane are a great odd-couple crime-fighting team. I would love to learn that Scalzi has more outings planned, for them and for the fascinating world he's created. (I've just noticed that, in some places, this is referred to as "Lock In #1, so I think my wish has been granted!)
I love it when someone proves that essay wrong. John Scalzi has come up with a marvelously readable, satisfying murder mystery, set in a relatively near future in which a flu-like epidemic has created a substantial minority of the world population who are "locked in," and dependent on a sophisticated technology of robotic avatars and virtual forums to interact with the world.
A shocking death at the Watergate complex in Washington DC is the first clue for FBI agents Vann and Shane (who is himself a "Haber," or victim of the locked-in syndrome) that someone is using that technology to kill Habers, and the people who assist them.
Scalzi's worldbuilding is amazing: the technology, the culture, even the vocabulary feel very "used" -- real and normal -- and provide fascinating twists to both the murders and the detectives' procedures for investigating them. But the concept never overwhelms the human relations and human frailties at the root of the crime, which is exactly as it should be. I was especially impressed by Scalzi's lightness of touch highlighting the way a society treats its disabled and differently-abled citizens in a way that feels very current and relevant to attitudes and controversies in our own real world, but never preachy.
And it's funny. Unputdownable. Vann and Shane are a great odd-couple crime-fighting team. I would love to learn that Scalzi has more outings planned, for them and for the fascinating world he's created. (I've just noticed that, in some places, this is referred to as "Lock In #1, so I think my wish has been granted!)
