Book Review: Lock In

A near-future world ravaged by "The Great Flu" aka Haden's Syndrome has left millions dead, a small percentage of survivors "locked in" (in other words, fully conscious, but paralysed from head to toe) and a few others affected so severely that their altered brain structures allow themselves to be controlled by others. Thanks to government-funded research in artificial neural networks, technology has not only made it possible for the afflicted Hadens to mentally inhabit humanoid robots called threeps, but has also given them the ability to move instantly from one location to the other as well as be part of a virtual world called Agora. Sclazi takes his time building this Blade Runner-like futuristic universe, raising questions about technology, ethics, hate crimes and politics, but is as much an accessible, fast-paced story involving a series of Haden murders that rock Washington D.C. and elsewhere, leaving a rookie Haden cop Chris Shane and his partner to unscramble the mystery. The bald exposition can at times come in the way of enjoying the whodunit, yet ironically part of the pleasure comes from exploring this vivid, hyperrealistic landscape that's all set for a comeback in a couple of months.