Scan barcode
A review by twocents
Lock In by John Scalzi
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The blurb makes it seem like this book will be an eerily prescient telling of COVID, but beyond the basic strokes (a flu-like virus rapidly spreads across the world with a range of effects from "mild cold" to "permanently disabled" to "dead"), it's not that similar.
The world-building of the after-effects of the disease, particularly on the resulting disabled population and how the world interacts with that population, was fascinating. The main characters are surprising and interesting and feel like people you could meet.
This is probably the most serious Scalzi novel I've read in overall tone -- there are a handful of quippy moments, but that's not the general vibe -- but the scifi elements and the attention to detail is there as ever.
The world-building of the after-effects of the disease, particularly on the resulting disabled population and how the world interacts with that population, was fascinating. The main characters are surprising and interesting and feel like people you could meet.
This is probably the most serious Scalzi novel I've read in overall tone -- there are a handful of quippy moments, but that's not the general vibe -- but the scifi elements and the attention to detail is there as ever.