Lock In by John Scalzi

One of the categories on my Popsugar challenge list is to read (listen) to an audio book. Surprisingly, with all of the books I have read in my lifetime, I had never done this before. It seemed weird to me to listen to a book. What are you supposed to do with your hands if you are reading without holding onto something? Where are you supposed to look while the story is playing through your earbuds?

Determined to give it a shot, I downloaded the science fiction mystery novel Lock In by John Scalzi and listened during my morning runs. I figured that something full of suspense would keep me engaged in the story and maybe even take my mind off of how tired and achy I feel while exercising. I was nervous at first that I would hate running without music, but that fear turned out to be unfounded as the familiar voice of Wil Wheaton pulled me into this fast-paced detective story.

Lock In is set in a near-future in which a highly contagious virus called Haden's Syndrome has had a dramatic impact on the population of the world. Most people who contracted the disease suffered from only flu-like symptoms, but an unlucky one percent of people experienced "Lock In," meaning that they were left trapped in their own bodies, totally aware but completely unable to communicate. Advances in science eventually allowed Lock In victims to reengage with the world via computers and robot-like devices called "Personal Transports," but Haden's syndrome irrevocably changed the fabric of modern society. Its existence created new political and ethical questions for people to deal with, and friction between the Locked In and the those unaffected by the disease is steadily rising.

The novel picks up with rookie FBI agent Chris Shane as he is pulled into a complicated murder case involving Hadens and Integrators (a person who can let a Locked In Haden borrow their body for a time). Chris and his new partner, Leslie Vann, have to untangle all of the political, financial, and technological elements of the crime to discover the truth of the situation. As one might expect, their case turns out to be much bigger than a single murder, and their suspect pool eventually includes high-ranking CEOs and activists within the Haden community. Together, they uncover an intricate and insidious plot that threatens the well-being of the Locked In population.

This novel was interesting and action-packed. The characters were well written and the quick pacing helped to keep my mind off of exercising while I listened. My only issue was that the end seemed to come quite abruptly. After reading a story containing a lot of action, it felt odd to have the conclusion take place in an interrogation room - Law and Order style. I was thinking that there would be a final, big scene full of car chases and gunfire to wrap up the case, but the story ends pretty quietly, with the culprit confessing to everything after Chris and Leslie put the squeeze on them. So, I felt a bit of disconnection there, but it wasn't enough of a problem to keep me from enjoying the story.

In addition to being an entertaining detective story, Lock In does some interesting things with race and gender. It completely ignores them. Scalzi refrains from using any gendered pronouns when describing Chris, so the gender of the protagonist is left up to the reader's imagination. When purchasing the audio book, you can choose between a male or a female narrator. I chose Wil Wheaton's version because I'm a huge Star Trek fan, so I envisioned Chris as a guy. However, if you chose to buy the version with the female narrator, you would perceive Chris as a girl. Race is similarly ignored, until Chris says something that gives his heritage away over halfway through the story. It came as a surprise to me, because I always imagine characters being white if race isn't explicitly mentioned (force of habit, I guess). I'd never seen anything like this done in a book before, and I thought the effect was pretty cool. It makes you think about what perceptions you default to when you read.  

Overall, I really enjoyed Lock In, both for its fun and engaging mystery and for introducing me to the joys of listening to an audio book while running. I'm already listening to another Scalzi audio book now, so I suppose this is the start of a whole new era of reading for me. Finding an entirely different way to fit more reading into your day is a fine thing indeed. Anyone looking for a similar escape from reality would do well to give this one a shot.

Challenge Tally
Popsugar Challenge: (An audio book) 5/40 
Mount TBR: previously owned 5/60