Unlocked
An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Discover the history of Haden's Syndrome, the virus that created the world of John Scalzi's inventive near-future thrillers Lock In and Head On, in the prequel novella Unlocked.
Not long from now, a virus will sweep the globe. Most will suffer no worse than flu-like symptoms, but an unlucky one percent will be changed forever. Hundreds of millions become "locked in", awake, aware, but completely unable to control their bodies.
This is the story of the doctors, scientists, engineers, politicians, and heroes who remade the world. It is the story of the chaotic outbreak, the fight for a cure, the changes that followed. It is an oral history, straight from the mouths of those who survived the most dynamic period in human history.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This intriguing companion novella expands the backstory behind Scalzi's provocative near-future science fiction novel Lock In. Originally mistaken for bird flu, "The Great Flu" killed 400 million around the world, and left millions more "locked in" their bodies, unable to communicate with the outside world. When the First Lady, Margaret Haden, was stricken, the flu came to be called "Haden's Syndrome," prompting President Benjamin Haden to stump tirelessly for a major medical and technological effort a new "Moon Shot" to find a way to help Haden's victims. Scalzi presents both pro and con insider views of the Haden Research Initiative Act, its priorities, and its stipulations that all research would be shared in an open database and all products would be cross-licensed, available for everyone to exploit equally. Researchers, businessmen, politicians, and human rights activists clash in this skillfully written novella about one of the most fascinating SF scenarios created in recent years.
Customer Reviews
Compelling
"Unlocked" is, in form, a series of oral testimonies, setting out the background to Scalzi's forthcoming novel "lock in". A rapidly mutating virus sweeps the world, killing millions and leaving many more "locked in" - able to think and feel but not to communicate or move.
The "testimonies" collected here - from politicians, doctors, journalists, engineers and business people - build into a sequential narrative that shows the onset of "Haden's Syndrome", its social impact, and the ways that society begins to find to mitigate the illness. Those means take us into more traditional science fiction territory with speculation about telepresence and mind-machine links. It's all great fun, thought provoking and at the same time, profoundly moving in parts. Scalzi is good at presenting different voices, attitudes and motivations - from the convicted criminal who agrees to be a test subject, to the hard nosed businesswoman who finds solutions but profits by them.
Basically, a little gem that I sat down this evening and read without pausing. If this is a foretaste of Lock In, I can't wait for that to come out!