I do not think that there can ever be enough books about anything and I say that knowing that some of them are going to be about Pilates.The more knowledge the better seems like a solid rule of thumb, even though I have watched enough science fiction films to accept that humanity’s unchecked pursuit of learning will end with robots taking over the world.-Sarah Vowell

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Head On: A Novel of the Near Future by John Scalzi


A Great Flu pandemic sweeps the globe killing more than 400 million people and named Hayden after the first lady who had the disease.  The symptoms, which were slow to show up, caused people who had it to spread it without even knowing they had it.  The first stage of the flu, causing up to 75 percent of the deaths, was followed by viral meningitis.  Those who survived the second stage suffered no long-term problems, but at least 1percent suffered from "lock in" where they were aware of their surroundings, but could not communicate or move.  An even smaller number, 100,000 had their brains rewired and were able to become Integrators or those who could hold the consciousness of a Hayden sufferer and allow them a body to walk in.  Those suffering from lock in could use robots to get around in and be called "threeps" after C3PO.  A virtual world called Agora, was created for those with this disease so that they could communicate with others.  Trillions were initially spent on finding a cure and the treatment of those suffering from it.  Then after decades of this, the Abrams-Kettering Bill was passed, cutting funding for those suffering from this disease, despite the fact that on average 30,000 people would suffer from lock in annually in the US alone.

Agent Chris Shane, a former poster child for Haydens and daughter of a famous ex-basketball player who has a trust fund of her own works with her superior, Agent Leslie Vann, a chain-smoking former Integrator.  Shane is at a Hilketa league pre-season game that is meant to garner support for leagues in Europe and Asia.  Right now it only exists in North America with most of the teams in the United States.  Her father is being courted in investing in the league that is expanding in the United States including Washington D.C. where he lives. 

The game is played by having threeps play the game, so those with Haydens have the advantage and make up the majority of the players.  One player on one team is chosen to be the goat and the idea is for the opposite team to capture his head and toss it in the basket.   The other players use weapons like bows, swords, hammers, and bats.   The pain levels on the threeps are set at a certain level so you feel some pain.

After the Toronto Snowbirds rip off the head of the goat being played by Duane Chapman whose threep is being carried off of the field, they score with it and end the game, but Chapman is dead.  Shane receives a phone call from one of her roommates who tells her about the data feed on Chapman having been cut and removed so she calls her FBI partner Vann and gets to work figuring out what happened.

Things get complicated when the man who ordered the feed to be cut is found dead of a suicide in his hotel room minutes after texting the agents that he would be ready to meet with them in a few minutes.  Also, Chapman was cheating on his wife Marla with someone at his lovenest which goes up in smoke the same night that he dies.  The league has something to hide as well, with their lawyer, Oliver, at the top of the list of suspicious people. And then there's Amelie Parker who is looking for investors in her company MobilOn a company that will make threeps available to timeshare to those with Haydens, but mostly those without who might want to use one for travel.

The body count in this book will grow and, yes, Agent Shane will go through more than one threep.  She does have a reputation for destroying them.  Agent Vann will threaten all those who get in her way, which is how she works.  The storyline is complex enough to make it interesting, but not too much to make it not understandable.  I really enjoyed Shane's roommates.  The sardonic Tony does work for the FBI as a computer consultant and they had plenty of work for him to do and there's even work for Tanya the nurse with the kind heart and sharp tongue if crossed.  I really love this series and this world Scalzi has created.  It's completely fascinating and opens up so many questions.  Those with Haydens get treated differently than others and with the passage of Abrams-Kettering, they are becoming even more marginalized.  This is touched upon in this book a bit.  The mystery is quite good and it is action-packed and a real page-turner.  You don't have to read the first book, Lock In in order to read this one, though I highly suggest you do.  I can't recommend this book enough.   

Link to Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Head-Novel-Near-Future-Lock-ebook/dp/B072LD8JG9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526476662&sr=8-1&keywords=head+on+scalzi&dpID=41OqOAVADrL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch             

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