Lock In by John Scalzi

Lock In is John Scalzi’s latest novel, and a change of pace from the man behind the Old Man’s War books. Rather than the military/space opera-esque novels we’re familiar with from Scalzi, Lock In is instead more comparable to Agent to the Stars, though even that is a tenuous comparison. Set in the near future and focusing on a world where almost 2 million people are locked in to their own bodies, this is a novel that tackles some interesting ideas, and does so in typical Scalzi fashion.

From the publisher:

Imagine a plague that incapacitates almost 1.7 million people – and now imagine a cure that is even worse.
Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. 4% suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And 1% find themselves ‘locked in’ – fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.
1% doesn’t seem like a lot. But in the US that’s 1.7 million people ‘locked in’ – including the President’s wife and daughter.
Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can fully restore the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, ‘The Agora’, where the locked-in can interact with other humans, whether locked-in or not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, allowing those who are locked in to occasionally ‘ride’ these people and use their bodies as if they were their own.
This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse…

Chris Shane, our protagonist, is a new FBI investigator, the child of a former basketball star turned politician, raised in the public eye, and someone trying to make his way in the world despite his condition. Chris Shane suffers from Haden’s Syndrome and is locked in to his body. He uses a robotic Threep to get around while his body is cared for, so Chris tends to stand out. Many Haden’s sufferers use Threeps, while some use Integrators – those with brain chemistry that allows someone with Haden’s Syndrome to control their body, allowing them to experience things they no longer can in their own.

It’s against this backdrop that a murder is committed, the murder of an integrator. It’s an unusual situation as the person whose body is being used should be able to step in and stop anything illegal from happening. Chris, along with his partner Leslie Vann, are tasked with investigating this murder, but not even they could suspect where their investigations will take them.

Despite its relatively short length, there is so much to Lock In. It’s got ideas coming out of its ears, and Scalzi barely scrapes the surface on what could be done with them all. That’s not to say they’re underdeveloped by any means, but do cry out for further stories. But this story itself is full of twists and turns, subverting expectations just when you think you’ve got your head around it, and doing so without unnecessary diversions or self-gratification.

Lock In is a solid novel. I’d go so far as to say it was great. It’s different from Scalzi’s usual offerings, but in a good way, showing that it isn’t always about similar characters with quick wits and smart mouths. To be honest, I wouldn’t have complained if it was – I like reading Scalzi’s novels, period. But it’s always nice to come to a novel expecting one thing, and finding those expectations exceeded in many ways. Lock In is smart, interesting, entertaining, and highly recommended.

Publisher: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/Gollancz/Index.page
Author: http://www.scalzi.com/
August 2014, 336 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9780575134348
Review from a purchased copy