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  • Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (373 ratings)

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Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Publisher's Summary

AudioFile Best Voices - Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Audio Theater, 2014

2 editions. 2 narrators. 1 thrilling story. You can enjoy Amber Benson's narration here.

"I love working with Audible, in no small part because they’re committed to doing what’s right, both for my books, and the people who listen to those books. There's a really excellent reason for Lock In to have two entirely different versions, so when it came time to make the audiobook, Audible did an ingenious thing: they asked both Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson to record entire versions of the book. As the author, I’m impressed with Audible’s commitment to my narrative - and I’m geeking out that both Wil and Amber are reading my book. This is fantastic." (John Scalzi)

A blazingly inventive near-future thriller from the best-selling, Hugo Award-winning John Scalzi.

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever, and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what's now known as "Haden's syndrome", rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an "integrator" - someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But "complicated" doesn't begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery - and the real crime - is bigger than anyone could have imagined.

BONUS AUDIO: Audible's audio edition of Lock In contains the bonus novella, Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome, written by John Scalzi and narrated by a full cast.

©2014 John Scalzi (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Hugo-winner Scalzi successfully shifts away from space opera with this smart, thoughtful near-future thriller resonant with the themes of freedom, ethics, and corporate greed….This powerful novel will intrigue and entertain both fans and newcomers." ( Publishers Weekly)
"The novel--which contains plenty of action, great character development, vivid and believable worldbuilding and a thought-provoking examination of disability culture and politics--is definitely worth the ride." ( Kirkus)
"Another brilliant novel from a writer who has quickly become one of the genre’s most successful and intriguing practitioners." ( Booklist)
"With narrator Wil Wheaton attacking Scalzi's text with both vigor and nuance, this story tells about a silent minority being given voice, then having that voice threatened.... Thanks to Wheaton's skillful efforts, this production is an enjoyable melding of narrator and material." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)

Average Customer Ratings
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A good story

A good story, well read but let down (a little) by the dialogue.

For god's sake some one buy this author a thesaurus - and shame on the editor who let every line of dialogue end with said.

Story, setting and plot were all great and I look forward to reading / listening to more of his work.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a brilliantly thought out work.

Awesome. Amazing. Loved it! Wil Wheaton is excellent and this is the first John Scalzi work I have come across, but I will definitely be looking for more. So well thought out and executed. A pleasure. Really!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

He said, She said

Didn't get through first hour. every line ended with "i said," she said" etc. frustrating.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Shorter than advertised

This novel is advertised as 10 hours long. That includes the 2+ hour "novella" that is really just a rather dry reading of Scalzi's research notes.
The less than 8-hour story is okay - but it doesn't have the depth of a 10 hour story, and shouldn't be marketed as such.
Residual disappointment at the deception leaves me marking this book at 3/5.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great plot, average writing

I said, he said, she said, he asked, I exclaimed, she said, I said. There were so many saids. Also, I felt there were too many characters. There must have been a hundred names in this book. And characters sometimes referred to by their first name, sometimes by their last.

Worth finishing for the interesting story, but it wasn't easy.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

..."Said"... is infuriating.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Sadly Scalzi botched this one...

What could John Scalzi have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I just couldn't listen to a story finishing every other line with "... said X"

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Wil does a great Job as always

Was Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton) worth the listening time?

couldn't make it through this one...

Any additional comments?

A great duo of narrator and writer.... but the format is just incompatible with an audiobook.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great premise but lacking

As usual Wil Wheaton is amazing and is the reason I was able to listen to this book. I’d tried earlier with the alternate lady reader - couldn’t do it
As everyone else SAID, too much use of the word - said. Wil made it less obvious.
I found the characters too confusing - I’m guessing g not enough physical description so a listener has difficulty picturing the person - as usual s also has a full theatre of characters.
I’ve listened to The Last Emperox trilogy. Wonderful books. I keep trying others but none come up to them.
Can’t recommend this - it’s a great idea , but a slog to listen to.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the book, it drew me in from the the start

I thought that this is a well executed story.

After reading the introduction, I wasn't able to put it down.

The only thing that bugged me was the over use of 'he said', 'she said', etc. Although it didn't detract from a great story

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a different and cool story

It's so original and nothing like I've ever read.
The characters are so colourful and the history of their world almost seems real.
Great narrator also that perfectly captures the characters emotions and conveys them expertly.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

decent premise. predictable execution.

great original premise but lack of b character definition. predictable plot and lacklustre ending. wasn't awful. bonus 2 hours was highlight

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