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midici's review
5.0
This was so incredibly good, and now I want to go out and get Lock In immediately. This short story covers the initial outbreak of what is later named Haden's Syndrome. I really like this narration style where it switches quickly between characters, all of whom have different opinions and knowledge. Doctors, politicians, journalists, regular people - all of them describe the outbreak.
It was misdiagnosed as a flu, a very bad one. By the time they realized they were wrong, it was too late. There were a lot of deaths, and maybe that would have been bad enough, but then came the second stage; the virus attacked the brain. In some cases it caused brain damage, in others death, but in some came the third stage: lock in. Those who were locked in were mentally fully aware but completely incapable of moving.
Now, the disease aspect is interesting but not what makes this scifi. The global response is to attempt to find a vaccine or cure but also to help those who are locked in. It starts with the neural network, which allows them to communicate but the real breakthrough is the "threeps" - the mechanical bodies that can be connected to a neural network of someone with Haden's and be controlled by them, allowing them to rejoin the world.
This is followed by a discussion of how the reality of those living in threeps - Hadens they call themselves - fundamentally differs from those of a standard human who and the consequences: discrimination, fight for rights, how having a family would work etc.
There is so much to unpack here. The new technology and the ethics of how it was created, the laws surrounding who gets to use it, the division between Hadens and humans, the internal world that Hadens' occupy, how they communicate with each other... I want more and I'm so glad there's a full novel I can get to go explore this.
If you like scifi, go read this: https://www.tor.com/2014/05/13/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-scalzi/
It was misdiagnosed as a flu, a very bad one. By the time they realized they were wrong, it was too late. There were a lot of deaths, and maybe that would have been bad enough, but then came the second stage; the virus attacked the brain. In some cases it caused brain damage, in others death, but in some came the third stage: lock in. Those who were locked in were mentally fully aware but completely incapable of moving.
Now, the disease aspect is interesting but not what makes this scifi. The global response is to attempt to find a vaccine or cure but also to help those who are locked in. It starts with the neural network, which allows them to communicate but the real breakthrough is the "threeps" - the mechanical bodies that can be connected to a neural network of someone with Haden's and be controlled by them, allowing them to rejoin the world.
This is followed by a discussion of how the reality of those living in threeps - Hadens they call themselves - fundamentally differs from those of a standard human who and the consequences: discrimination, fight for rights, how having a family would work etc.
There is so much to unpack here. The new technology and the ethics of how it was created, the laws surrounding who gets to use it, the division between Hadens and humans, the internal world that Hadens' occupy, how they communicate with each other... I want more and I'm so glad there's a full novel I can get to go explore this.
If you like scifi, go read this: https://www.tor.com/2014/05/13/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-scalzi/
subparcupcake's review
4.0
This was really good. It really adds a lot of vital background information to [b:Lock In|21418013|Lock In|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399037491s/21418013.jpg|26115712]. Before reading this story I was only sort of into [b:Lock In|21418013|Lock In|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399037491s/21418013.jpg|26115712] and wasn't really following it. After reading this story I'm totally into [b:Lock In|21418013|Lock In|John Scalzi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399037491s/21418013.jpg|26115712] and am really enjoying it.
chilotte's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
megadeathvsbooks's review
5.0
This was a fantastic little novella documenting the history behind Haden's Syndrome. Haden's Syndrome is the fictional syndrome in Scalzi's new book, releasing later this year. It was a great way to drum up interest in the book and fun read on its own.
tricapra's review
3.0
Kinda wish I had read this first, before Lock-in. Really fleshed out the world
titleistmuffin's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ho0pz4sho's review
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
joelteon's review
4.0
Haunting.
I had the opportunity to read Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome at the height of COVID and I sure am glad that I didn't. This novella was released in 2014, some five years before the world even started to learn about an unstoppable virus. Yet John Scalzi has perfectly predicted just such an event.
Starting on Super Bowl Sunday the virus that would come to be known as Haden's Syndrome took over the world. Told in an interview-like format, Unlocked is a harrowing tale of hope in a time of little to no scientific evidence. Unlike COVID, Haden's Syndrome's origin is never discovered and many suffer a fate that could be worse than death as solutions are desperately sought. We get to see governments, scientists and reporters trying to work out the impossible solutions to this impossible problem. It is a fascinating and riveting story told through an unusual format.
This tale is the prequel to a novel I now desperately want to read, Lock In, released in 2014 also. I have read little else by Scalzi, but with his incredible world building in this oddly designed novella I will definitely find the time to explore his more well known works.
I had the opportunity to read Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome at the height of COVID and I sure am glad that I didn't. This novella was released in 2014, some five years before the world even started to learn about an unstoppable virus. Yet John Scalzi has perfectly predicted just such an event.
Starting on Super Bowl Sunday the virus that would come to be known as Haden's Syndrome took over the world. Told in an interview-like format, Unlocked is a harrowing tale of hope in a time of little to no scientific evidence. Unlike COVID, Haden's Syndrome's origin is never discovered and many suffer a fate that could be worse than death as solutions are desperately sought. We get to see governments, scientists and reporters trying to work out the impossible solutions to this impossible problem. It is a fascinating and riveting story told through an unusual format.
This tale is the prequel to a novel I now desperately want to read, Lock In, released in 2014 also. I have read little else by Scalzi, but with his incredible world building in this oddly designed novella I will definitely find the time to explore his more well known works.