John Scalzi’s Head On is the second in a series but it doesn’t really matter much. Though the world is set up in the first book, Head On is written as a stand-alone novel and there’s more than enough explanation of what’s going on to get you going. To get us up to speed, here’s the deal: The first book, Lock In, introduces our hero, FBI agent Chris Shane. Chris is a childhood victim of debilitating disease that affected a large proportion of humanity, completely “locking” them in their minds, their bodies totally unable to move or communicate. These victims, known as “Hadens” after the disease, can plug into androids and have the ability to work and live normal lives while their bodies remain fed and protected in their homes or hospitals or whatever is their arrangement. Chris is lucky enough to have rich and powerful parents that can pay for and support the care required.
Head On drops us in on the latest case: a new and exciting sport is growing in North America and is poised to make millions of dollars for the team owners: basically an ultraviolent kind of game where Hadens in their android bodies compete to knock the heads off of the opposing team. Programmed to feel only minor pain to make the game more real, one player nevertheless dies of overwhelming mental feedback. Since Chris’s parents are potential investors, the heat is on to figure out whether this was an accident or an act of sabotage.
John Scalzi is a hugely popular writer. He’s signed the longest, largest publishing contract for a science fiction author ever and for good reason: is writing is very accessible and the dialogue conversational. The themes are important with discussion of rights for those with physical differences in ability, but it doesn’t come across as especially heavy-handed or preachy. This is true for all of Scalzi’s work and it usually works, but I’m not sure it does in Head On. It feels a bit too light for the heaviness of some of the themes. While the premise is inventive and there’s a ton of detail in the world building, the characters never seem to come together.
If you like mystery and are willing to read a sci-fi mystery specifically, give Head On a try. Otherwise, try his Old Man’s War series or Collapsing Empire first to see if you like his style.
Steven McCreedy is a library technician at the Cambie Branch of the Richmond Public Library
