My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this scifi thriller/murder mystery, we enter a world dealing with the aftermath of Haden syndrome, a global pandemic that was not much more than a flu for most people afflicted, but left 1% of the world’s population “locked in”- that is in a physically paralyzed state but with full mental abilities. In other words, the Hadens (as they are called) are conscious and aware, but unable to move or speak. They are also able to temporarily enter the consciousness of an integrator, an unaffected person who allows the locked in consciousness to use their body to experience the world. A locked in person can also use a threep, an android personal transport. Chris Shane is a Haden FBI agent paired with agent Leslie Vann to solve a murder in which an integrator is the chief suspect, leaving things a bit complicated because if he was hosting a Haden (he doesn’t remember), the identity of the guilty party is a bit muddy. As Shane and Vann dig into the crime, they discover a lot more than just a murder. There are things happening in the Haden world, leading to corporate greed, an emerging virtual world, and a burgeoning cultural change.
Like all of Scalzi’s stories, this one has its share of political and social commentary woven into the story. But it also has his complex and compelling characters, a few clever and unexpected plot twists, and his signature snappy dialogue. There is a decent amount of action and danger, humor, and a satisfying ending. Yes, there are some slippery spots along the way, a few sliding into cliché, and some areas that could have been explored more fully, but all in all, this is another fun, engaging, relevant, and entertaining read from one of the best scifi writers out there today.
View all my reviews
My latest book is a collection of very short stories, half science fiction and half fantasy, called “Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories”. I have also written a few other short pieces, another collection, two novels, and an urban fantasy series. You can find most of them at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold. A few are also available from Amazon in paperback. My novel, “Circle Unbroken” is also on Kindle Unlimited, if that’s your reading preference. You can find out about all of them here.
There are also some stories you can read here on my site, mostly the yearly Halloween short I write, but there are a few others. You can read them from here
And So On... 