Book-to-TV Alert for Sci-Fi Fans

John Scalzi's newest book Lock In, released last month, is already slated to be adapted into a potential television series according to Variety (read article here). While there is no date yet on when we'll see it on our small screens, you may want to read the book first.

"Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in."

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative and two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse..." (Publisher's Summary)

Lock In received a starred review from Booklist: "...tightly plotted, highly imaginative SF/mystery . . . Another brilliant novel from a writer who has quickly become one of the genre's most successful and intriguing practitioners." (Booklist Reviews)