Books by John Scalzi

“This novel is pure entertainment, very skilfully executed. Charlie Fitzer inherits his deceased uncle’s business, which is – although the optics of the word is not always ideal – villainy. The FBI are almost immediately after him, so he relocates to the volcano island lair (which exists for purely practical reasons). He is soon swept up in managing a labour dispute with the dolphins, but the real problem lies beyond his island’s borders: the other villains. His uncle was not popular, and now, neither is Charlie.” Read more...

The Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels

Sylvia Bishop, Children's Author

“Lock In takes the idea of locked-in syndrome, which is a thing that actually happens to people; but he’s imagining that there’s a highly contagious virus called Haden’s syndrome. There’s been a global pandemic that caused people to get locked in. So instead of having a small handful of society who’ve been locked in by something like Lou Gehrig’s disease, this is a huge, huge amount of the population. People are still completely awake and alert.” Read more...

The Best Sci-Fi Mysteries

Mary Robinette Kowal, Novelist

“Scalzi returns with a sci-fi caper that begins in New York in the early days of the pandemic. The novel is, gleefully and explicitly, pandemic escapism – the book that Scalzi wrote when producing his intended brooding epic novel proved impossible. As Scalzi says in the author’s note: ‘It’s a pop song. It’s meant to be light and catchy, with three minutes of hooks and choruses for you to sing along with, and then you’re done and you go on with your day, hopefully with a smile on your face.'” Read more...

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2023: The Hugo Awards

Sylvia Bishop, Children's Author