Head On

I found this duology the perfect brain candy – zippy dialogue, light science fiction, a fun detective mystery with a light helping of commentary on privilege and other modern social issues. Head On lacks some of the zing of Lock In, because it is a return to the same world, but I thought it still really had a lot of fun elements. And I liked the way the book explored what happens when a space (or sport) is built for a disadvantaged community and then commercialized and co-opted more broadly.

Tons of fun, and completely effortless read now that I know the world from Book 1. But Lock In isn't required reading - Scalzi includes enough background and catches new readers up on the world of Haden's Syndrome.

This rests on a pretty standard police procedural framework - and that story is intriguing and generally well-told. There are multiple times when things are a little too convenient for Chris - imagine the luck of living with a ready panel of experts on all the elements of the case! It's unrealistic, but it also avoids rabbit holes exploring tedious FBI process and introducing a bunch of characters we don't care about.

But anyway, for me the investigation is just the required foundation for:
1.) great interplay between characters (Vann is just the best)
2.) speculation about everything from VR and wearable tech to post-gender culture.
3.) Scalzi setting up a parameter then playing with the idea right to its limits. I found the idea of near-teleportation fascinating, for instance.
4.) And of course, there are themes regarding disability, healthcare, economics, cultural identity, and discrimination. All woven neatly into an entertaining narrative.

(There's also a terrible/wonderful throwaway joke late in the book, that plays with the title. I groaned and laughed in equal measure! Won't spoil it - just go read this!)

This is my favorite of Scalzi's books so far, and I enjoyed it more than Lock In. Head On is sharp, witty, and fast-paced, with a gripping plot and lots of unexpected turns. I laughed out loud often, especially at Chris and Agent Vann's banter. And I am now madly in love with Agent Vann, who is an amazing and abrasive badass at every moment. If she ever changes her mind about living in suburbia, I'm available!

So, we don't know Chris's gender, which I love, but I also appreciate the fact that gender seems incidental in this world. The only differences between people that are important are wealth and Haden status. There's very little traditionally gendered behavior at all; pretty much any of the characters could be any gender. This is slightly relevant to the plot, in that one Haden character's perception of his own gender probably contributed to his marital problems.

There's a decent amount of character exploration - not a lot, but more than I expect from a plot-driven book. I feel like I know all the characters better than I did at the end of Lock In, especially Chris, Vann, and Chris's flatmates. We also see several characters' personal spaces within the Agora, and how those spaces influence Chris's perceptions of social class, which is interesting.

The mystery is very good. It's a fairly cynical vision of human nature, in that there's quite a lot of murder and exploitation for profit going on, but the actual heroes are definitely ethical themselves. I might not have enjoyed it as much a couple of years ago, but recent political events have made me somewhat more cynical than I used to be.

Overall, I recommend these two books highly, and I hope that there will be more books in this series. I wish the book were twice as long; the story was completely wrapped up, but I didn't want my time in this world and with these characters to come to an end.

“Head on” is the 2nd book in Scalzi's Lock In series. The series features a world where about 1% of the population have Hadens syndrome, a disease which “locks people in” to their body, although their minds still work. People with Haydens have a oasis/mmorpg-style world to interest with others virtually, or can take control of a robot, called threeps, where they can interact in the real world.

This second book in the series builds on the world in a fun way. Similar to the first book, it plays more like a detective novel in a science fiction world. I mentioned it reminds me of Asimov's “Caves of Steel”, which is true for this one as well.

The story follows the investigation into a death during a football-like game played by threeps (the robots). I'd put Head on fully in the “fun” category of books. It was immensely entertaining, great at world building and overall just a great ride. As a bonus, the audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton!

“Head on” is the 2nd book in Scalzi's Lock In series. The series features a world where about 1% of the population have Hadens syndrome, a disease which “locks people in” to their body, although their minds still work. People with Haydens have a oasis/mmorpg-style world to interest with others virtually, or can take control of a robot, called threeps, where they can interact in the real world.

This second book in the series builds on the world in a fun way. Similar to the first book, it plays more like a detective novel in a science fiction world. I mentioned it reminds me of Asimov's “Caves of Steel”, which is true for this one as well.

The story follows the investigation into a death during a football-like game played by threeps (the robots). I'd put Head on fully in the “fun” category of books. It was immensely entertaining, great at world building and overall just a great ride. As a bonus, the audiobook is read by Wil Wheaton!

Executive Summary: As with most Scalzi books, this one is light and fun without a ton of depth. Audiobook: Wil Wheaton is always a good fit for John Scalzi, and here is no different. I do mean to try to the Amber Benson version of the books at some point, but for me Wil Wheaton will always be my first choice for a Scalzi book.Full ReviewAt this point I've read nearly all of John Scalzi's books and enjoyed most of them. [b:Lock In 21418013 Lock In (Lock In, #1) John Scalzi https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438701397s/21418013.jpg 26115712] was no different. The idea of a disease leading to a new minority of people who trapped inside their own bodies makes for an interesting premise and some pretty creative world building.I wish more time was spent in the virtual world inhabited by many of the Haydn's, but since this is primarily a detective/murder story it's a bit hard to do so. Mr. Scalzi does ramp things up in the physical world with some pretty interesting new designs for Threeps (the electronic bodies that Haydn's can use to interact with the physical world).The premise of this one is built around a few Threeps that can have their heads taken off in a sort of blood sport (minus the actual blood). As a fan of both traditional sports and some esports, this feels like a little of both. I'm not sure I'd be interested enough to actually watch it myself however.It definitely added to the world building of the first book, and seems like the kind of thing that would emerge from the world that Mr. Scalzi created.The book is again told from the point of view an ambiguous protagonist. We still don't know whether Chris is male or female, and it doesn't matter (which I think is the main point). Chris is mostly competent at his job as they serves as junior investigator to his more seasoned partner who doesn't take shit from anyone.We get to meet some more of Chris's roommates in this book (at least I don't really remember any of them apart from Tony from the first one) but there isn't a ton of depth to most of the characters beyond the protagonist, his partner and maybe his parents. There really isn't a lot of time for much character development.This is the second book in a series, but I think Mr. Scalzi did a good job in making it read like a stand alone. I feel like you start here and not be too confused, then circle back to read the first book and/or the novella.This one was pretty short and I tore through it quickly but very much enjoyed it. I hope he writes a third one at some point, although I'd probably prefer it doesn't happen until he finishes his space opera series (The Interdependency) first.

My disdain for this book is proportional to how much I liked Lock In. Head On is just an overly complicated police procedural murder investigation that just happens to have an FBI agent who embodies a robot. No commentary on modern life or projection of what the near future may be like. Just an episode of a bad cop show... with robots.