Play Book Tag discussion

I loved the world-building. To that alone, I would give 5 stars. However, all the other elements were around 4 stars, thus my rating.

This is my second novel by John Scalzi, his third work I read (one was a novella). I've read Old Man's War a few years ago, and although I enjoyed it, it didn't make me want to continue with the series. I must confess I reconsidered that decision after reading this book. Maybe, for this reason, it would've also deserved more than 4 stars, too.

I found this novel on a list of novels about pandemics (because what else to do when the world is hit by a real pandemic than read about fictional ones? It's a good reminder it could've been worse), but although this book indeed involves a disease, I found it more to be about transporting the conscience into something else. And this part of the book was well executed. I found the idea of the Hadens, and the solution for them, amazing. Loved it.

This book is also a murder mystery. And it's a good mystery. Not a 5 stars one, but a solid 4. I would've liked more time to wonder about the possible suspects, but that would've meant additional pages, so for the length of this book, considering that the author also had to paint us the world of the Hadens (and he did that wonderfully), it's good. There were some passages that had me sitting on the edge, turning pages, unable to put this book down.

An important mention to make is that this book has a lot of dialog. These kinds of books usually make for a fast read, and it was true in this case. The drawback is how often the word 'said' appeared on the page. Since I've read it and not listened to it, I simply ignored it, but I think it might be annoying on audiobook. I've heard people complaining about such things.

I could say more about this book, but I think I covered the essential. It's a book I would recommend. The idea it explores (besides the mystery) is interesting, it reads fast, it's fun, it's entertaining, it provides an escape. If you're a science fiction fan, even better.

For me, it would definitely not be the last John Scalzi book I read.

Actually, I like the Lock In books better than the Old Man's War one. I read the first two Old Man's War books and then stopped. I find I like some of his books much better than others, but of course opinions on this vary :). I have read about six of his books so far and hope he writes a Book 3 in this series.

I have yet to read Old Man's War, but it's on my list! It's his first published book so I guess it's to be expected that Lock In was better. Head On was also good, though I liked Lock In better.

I listened to this one (the Amber Benson narration, not the Wil Wheaton version) and I don't remember noticing the "saids," but it could be I am not as sensitive to it as some listeners.

Scalzi is known for his "he said" over and over. I listened to the Wil Wheaton version because I have listened to Scalzi's other books (not the Old Man's War series though) read by Wheaton. I heard Scalzi read once and was delighted that he sounds just like Wheaton. I enjoyed Agent to the Stars, The Android's Dream, Fuzzy Nation and Redshirts. They are all funny but they also all have a message of inclusion. Scalzi in his own blog has been very active in attacking misogyny and homophobia in the sci-fi/internet community.

I didn't realize until after I listened that the book was designed to make it open whether the hero Chris is a male or female.

It is easier to ignore all the "saids" in print than it would be on an audio.