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Books › Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future (Lock In Series Book 1)

Cover of Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future (Lock In Series Book 1)

Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future (Lock In Series Book 1)

John Scalzi

451 pages

A slick, fast-paced near-future procedural that blends sharp buddy-cop banter with fascinating questions about identity and bodily autonomy.

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What it feels like

Reading this feels like stepping into a sleek, high-stakes police procedural set just around the corner of tomorrow. The narrative moves with a brisk, effortless momentum, driven heavily by sharp, wry dialogue and a compelling buddy-cop dynamic. Despite the heavy premise of a global pandemic leaving millions paralyzed, the atmosphere isn't bleak; instead, it's energetic and intensely curious, focusing on how society adapts, innovates, and inevitably exploits new realities. The prose is crisp and transparent, getting out of its own way to let the mystery unfold at a cinematic clip. It will thoroughly delight fans of accessible, problem-solving science fiction who want a smart, twisty thriller that asks fascinating questions about disability, technology, and what makes us human.

Mood
  • energetic
  • suspenseful
  • high-tech
  • intriguing
Tone
  • wry
  • pragmatic
  • investigative
  • accessible
Pace
brisk
Themes
bodily autonomy · societal adaptation to crisis · disability and accessibility · corporate exploitation · identity beyond the physical
The writing
Crisp, dialogue-heavy, and effortlessly readable, prioritizing forward momentum and sharp banter over dense exposition.
The arc
Moves from analytical curiosity through escalating, high-stakes tension to a satisfyingly clever resolution.
Who it's for
Readers who love a smart, fast-paced buddy-cop mystery wrapped in accessible, thought-provoking near-future science fiction.
Content notes
  • pandemic themes
  • medical trauma
  • murder
  • loss of bodily autonomy

About the book

"Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, 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 restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "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....John Scalzi's Lock In is a novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern science fiction"--

Description from Open Library.

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