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bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
I read Lock In long before I read this, so even though I was already familiar with the series' world, I really enjoyed this prequel because it made that world even more vivid for me.
The other highlight of this book is that it poses a lot of interesting philosophical questions with implications for today's culture.
I highly recommend both this book and Lock In, and I am anxiously awaiting the next Lock In book.
The other highlight of this book is that it poses a lot of interesting philosophical questions with implications for today's culture.
I highly recommend both this book and Lock In, and I am anxiously awaiting the next Lock In book.
sshabein's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I'd had this novella kicking around on my kindle for a long time, and it did make me interested in the novel that follows. Weirdly, I've followed John Scalzi on Twitter and now Bluesky, but I hadn't actually read anything by him until now. He writes about a pandemic in a way that we now know, 10 years after this came out, is not unlike how people would behave in real life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
llamalluv's review against another edition
5.0
I'd recommend reading this novella before starting book one.
friendleghost's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
loverofeels's review against another edition
5.0
i did not realize this was part of a series when i started reading it but i enjoyed it very much. fascinating reflections on disability near the end
midici's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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.