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Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

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Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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About this listen

AudioFile Best Voices - Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Audio Theater, 2014

2 editions. 2 narrators. 1 thrilling story. You can enjoy Amber Benson's narration here.

"I love working with Audible, in no small part because they’re committed to doing what’s right, both for my books, and the people who listen to those books. There's a really excellent reason for Lock In to have two entirely different versions, so when it came time to make the audiobook, Audible did an ingenious thing: they asked both Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson to record entire versions of the book. As the author, I’m impressed with Audible’s commitment to my narrative - and I’m geeking out that both Wil and Amber are reading my book. This is fantastic." (John Scalzi)

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 million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what's now known as "Haden's syndrome", rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" - someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But "complicated" doesn't begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery - and the real crime - is bigger than anyone could have imagined.

BONUS AUDIO: Audible's audio edition of Lock In contains the bonus novella, Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome, written by John Scalzi and narrated by a full cast.

©2014 John Scalzi (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Fantasy Genre Fiction Medical Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Exciting

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Critic reviews

"Hugo-winner Scalzi successfully shifts away from space opera with this smart, thoughtful near-future thriller resonant with the themes of freedom, ethics, and corporate greed….This powerful novel will intrigue and entertain both fans and newcomers." ( Publishers Weekly)
"The novel--which contains plenty of action, great character development, vivid and believable worldbuilding and a thought-provoking examination of disability culture and politics--is definitely worth the ride." ( Kirkus)
"Another brilliant novel from a writer who has quickly become one of the genre’s most successful and intriguing practitioners." ( Booklist)
"With narrator Wil Wheaton attacking Scalzi's text with both vigor and nuance, this story tells about a silent minority being given voice, then having that voice threatened.... Thanks to Wheaton's skillful efforts, this production is an enjoyable melding of narrator and material." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant
A science fiction of the close future and a very believable story. It wouldn't take much imagination to see this happening, it might already be happening now! I would encourage you to read and reflect on our current environment AIDS, H1N1, Ebola ... We will have a pandemic and this is one possible explanation

Future Shock - a very potential future

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Decent enough story and concept, but the end was a little too neatly wrapped up in my opinion, and didn't carry much excitement.

Will Wheaton is great, but what lets the book down most of all is the horrendous overuse of 'he said', 'she said', 'so and so said',etc. It's easy enough to figure out when a different character is talking, Will Wheaton does a good enough job of this, so why the author needed to tack this on to the end of nearly every sentence is bewildering, especially if it is this way in the written version of the book as well.

He Said, She Said, Everyone Said

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this is a remarkable combination of a us detective noir and the creation of of a comprehensive futuristic environment. from a a personal perspective I found the authors handling of the lock in world experienced by victims of a future global flu epidemic who end up trapped inside paralysed bodies but with fully aware mental faculties both convincing and touching. 30 years ago I found myself in a very similar position in my early 20s struck down by Guillain-Barre syndrome, completely paralysed but completely alert. I don't know whether this author has experienced something similar as the catalyst for the world he describes. if he has not then his achievement is all the more remarkable

extraordinary and innovative

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I loved the detail of the world the story has been set in, as can be seen by the added short story of interviews. These link together to show has people dealt with the onset of the Haden Syndrome. Brilliant

The future world is well built

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This was absolutely the perfect book (well, books) to listen to between Christmas and New Years (and a little beyond) in the apocalyptic year 2020. Quick, fast-paced, funny and smart, narrated excellently by Wil Wheaton.

Very entertaining

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