LOCK IN by John Scalzi

Narrated by Wil Wheaton

     Pure Sci-Fi Extrapolation

Scalzi deserves praise for putting forth the effort to give the Science Fiction fan that which we crave. We want demonstration of skills in world building, technology advancement, and most importantly, sociological extrapolation. Scalzi delivers. John Scalzi rose up through the ranks of Sci-Fi fandom with his online articles, opinions, and stories.. You might say that “he gets it!” In LOCK IN Scalzi begins with the premise of a world-wide epidemic, and then extrapolates that world to the point where the victims, with the aid of advanced technology, are able to lead fulfilling lives, even to the point that they see their affliction as an advancement in human consciousness. He even manages to weave these elements into central elements of the plot. So, for these reasons, I give this book high marks.

There are, however, some low points: While Scalzi is improving in his dialog, he still overuses “he said” in his speaker identifications. He abuses this term so badly that sometimes I lost track of who was speaking because everyone in the conversation is a “he” and designating their words with a “he said” does not help. Lastly; as a faithful Science Fiction insider, Scalzi populates his book with the obligatory criticisms of conservative politicians, and, of course, religion.

Wil Wheaton is a fine reader, but I, for one, would have appreciated a bit more character individuality. He is much better in his more recent work in Armada.