In anticipation of the August 2014 release of his novel, Lock In, John Scalzi has released a prequel novella that covers the rise of the epidemic which is the cause of the condition for which the novel is named.
Fifteen years in our future a virus arises worldwide that causes minor symptoms in most cases, but in extreme cases causes victims to be “locked in”. Those experiencing this reaction to the virus are alert and aware but are unable to communicate or function in any meaningful way, they are trapped within a no longer fully functional body.
Unlocked is told in the form of interviews from doctors, scientists, politicians, journalists and regular people who were affected by Haden’s Syndrome and/or played a significant role in the world’s response to and investigation of the disease and its most devastating effects.
Unlocked is a story with an unsettling air of plausibility that examines a broad spectrum of the history of this virus in a way that feels intimate and personal. It is a story filled with characters that are easy to relate to–they are us–and as such it overcomes a criticism often leveled at short stories, which is that there is no character development.
In Unlocked John Scalzi employs a fascinating storytelling device that engages the reader, and along the way he takes the story in an unexpected direction that will leave readers anticipating the summer release of Lock In.
Continue reading Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome by John Scalzi
