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

A slick, fast-paced near-future procedural that blends sharp buddy-cop banter with fascinating questions about identity and bodily autonomy. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future (Lock In Series Book 1).

energetic
suspenseful
high-tech
intriguing

01
Unlocked
John Scalzi
A gripping, documentary-style oral history of a world forever altered by a pandemic, focusing on human ingenuity rather than apocalyptic ruin.
Shares:
- wry
- pragmatic
02
Head On
John Scalzi
A snappy, near-future buddy-cop mystery wrapped in a high-octane sci-fi sports thriller.
Shares:
- energetic
- suspenseful
- wry
- pragmatic
03
Infected
Scott Sigler
A relentless, skin-crawling descent into biological terror and visceral paranoia that refuses to let you look away.
Feels:
- dread-soaked
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
04
Contagious
Scott Sigler
A relentless, blood-soaked descent into biological terror where humanity's survival hangs by a fraying thread.
Feels:
- dread-soaked
- adrenaline-fueled
- claustrophobic
05
Feed
Mira Grant
A razor-sharp, adrenaline-fueled dive into a world where the truth is just as deadly as the infected.
Shares:
- pragmatic
06
Apex
Ramez Naam
A relentless, mind-expanding plunge into the chaotic birth of a post-human world.
Feels:
- tense
- electrifying
- apocalyptic
07
Invasion
Robin Cook
A chilling, fast-paced descent into medical paranoia where the ultimate alien invasion happens on a cellular level.
Shares:
- suspenseful
08
Chimera
Mira Grant
A tense, apocalyptic fight for survival where the greatest threat might be the engineered nature within.
Feels:
- dread-soaked
- apocalyptic
- claustrophobic
09
Permutation City
Greg Egan
A dizzying plunge into the deep end of hard science fiction that will leave you questioning the fundamental nature of your own consciousness.
Feels:
- cerebral
- existential
- mind-bending
10
Void Star
Zachary Mason
A tense, cerebral plunge into a flooded, drone-patrolled future where memory is a commodity and artificial intelligence borders on the incomprehensible.
Feels:
- dread-soaked
- shadowy
- paranoid
11
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
A high-octane, nostalgia-fueled treasure hunt through a sprawling digital universe.
Feels:
- escapist
- retro-futuristic
- high-stakes
12
Walkaway
Cory Doctorow
A fiercely optimistic, idea-dense joyride through a post-scarcity apocalypse where building a better world means fighting the billionaires who want to live forever.
Shares:
- wry

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