25 Comments on “Lock In Chapter One: Now on Tor.com”

1. As it happens, today is my birthday. Think I’ll preorder that puppy. Happy birthday to me!

2. Cool.
   (have Lock-in pre-ordered already)

3. I’m sorry to say that the sample of “Unlocked” didn’t grab me at all (and that’s as far as I went). But Chapter 1 of “Locked In”? Oh, yeah. Grabbed me right away and didn’t let go. Very skillful, the way you feed information in tiny bits and let the reader put the pieces together without info dumps or a lot of extraneous dialogue. I’m going to guess that some of what I think I now know is right and some is wrong, and part of the fun will be getting the wrong bits corrected and the right bits confirmed.

4. Sorry, that should have been “Lock In.” Don’t know why, but it’s been stuck in my head as “Locked In” since you first wrote about it here.

5. I had always wondered what the point of pre-ordering a ebook was. It’s not like stores will run out and you don’t have to wait for it to be shipped across the country.

   If it will benefit the publisher and hence the author to get a big first week number, now I see a reason to do so.

6. I have to say that I’m glad I read “Unlocked” first because otherwise I would have been pretty confused as to the setup.

7. I really liked “Unlocked”, and have now pre-ordered the book. It’s very much reminiscent of the Android’s Dream in tone so far, which is wonderful.

8. So let me get this straight.

   With Unlocked you managed in a novella, to start as a contagion story, use a design fiction premise to morph into a classic robot-as-metaphor-for-social divide story, which is a prequel to a detective/political intrigue story?

   You’re a madman.

   I’m incredibly excited for the novel.

9. Ah, never thought about that: that pre-sales are added up to the first week sales. Logical enough, of course – but not many non-bakers spend too much time thinking how the Hell they manage to spread the raisins so evenly in raisin bread…

10. All right, all right, I’ll pre-order the book. I was going to buy it anyway, you know. Geez.

    Also, I’ll note that the quick, snappy dialogue you write is very well suited to the buddy-cop scenario.

11. I’m waiting for the audiobook, assuming we get an audiobook, and I can’t imagine we won’t get an audiobook. Right?

    I do have my ebook of Unlocked, though.

    But all of my other Scalzi is in audiobook format, so why break from tradition?

12. And this is where I remember that I have Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded in digital form. So, basically, I’m a dirty liar. I guess what I should really say is “the only Scalzi I ever find time to finish is in audiobook format.”

13. Will they still have the previous chapters on the following days or do we need to go each day to get that day’s chapter? (No problem either way; I just need to know whether I need to write myself a note.)

14. Preordered! Now the waiting. Don’t want to read the preview chapters because – the deliciousness of the first read. Mmmmm, delicious ideas.

15. That’s a pretty awesome opening. I expect I’ll read the novel in 2015 or 2016 when I can get a mass market paperback to fit with the others on the “John Scalzi” section of my bookshelf. (I’m a traditionalist, and like my mystery and sci-fi in pulp!)

16. My Goodness Mr. Scalzi, color me intrigued. I just finished Unlocked, and am now incredibly excited for Lock In. Should you be willing, I would love to know the inspiration for this premise, and a bit about how you fully fleshed out the idea from your first mental tickle. I am very much looking forward to this book.

17. I am severely tempted. But I believe I will resist, so that I can read the whole book at once. It’s already on order from Subterranean.

18. Read Unlocked and the sample of Lock In. I gotta say, I really enjoy your work. You’re on my go to reading list and now I’m disappointed I read this stuff. I am going to be tearing my hair out waiting for this to come out. Immediately pre-ordered.

19. Stross must be fulminating with this, he keeps complaining he hasn’t had time in years to really back off and write something completely new and unrelated to prior works…

20. Masterfully written as always, but I’m not sure I can read this book, John. I want to cry and barricade myself in the house, and I know it’s fiction!

21. Must…read…get…early…bootleg…copy…READ!!!!!

    Looks awesome, can’t wait!

22. Well, Chapter 3 actually includes Chapters 4 and 5, which I’m assuming is unintentional on Tor’s part, but I would feel rather selfish if I didn’t give fellow readers the heads up on that.

    Yes, it gets better, which is distinctly strange because Chapters 1&2 are downright brilliant, leaving not much in the way of theoretical improvement possible; fortunately I don’t have to worry about the theory because I’m reading the practical proof on my iPad.

    What floors me, Floored by SA, is that a fair number of authors would have used the ideas in those 5 chapters for at least 5 whole novels; John has tossed them out as world and character building, with a healthy dose of political analysis, and it seems effortless.

    Not only effortless but downright sneaky because it isn’t until you stop reading and start thinking about it analytically that you realise just how much he has compressed into those chapters. So, go preorder the book. It’s worth it.

23. This looks really good. I hope its on audible not long after the release. I am in ‘need to get off my butt for the summer phase’ I use audio books for that. Makes taking a walk or riding my bike not boring. I have a good story to look forward to.

24. This is by a woman asking for how to communicate with a loved one who is ‘locked in’.

    http://ask.slashdot.org/story/14/05/23/1429249/ask-slashdot-communication-with-locked-in-syndrome-patient

25. What can I say? I expected from the premise that this book would be creepy and gross and I was SOOO wrong. Consider it bought! You’re a genius.