Head On
By John Scalzi (Tor, ISBN: 978-0765388919)
A Head On good read
Review by Lawrence I. Charters, April 30, 2018
Starting from the punning title, Head On is a fast-paced, read straight through until the end murder mystery and science fiction novel — and a joy to read. Set in a world identical to ours but with one major change, it focuses on two FBI agents trying to decide if someone was murdered, in front of thousands of witnesses, or died of natural causes. You wouldn’t normally consider a beheading leaving much doubt, but the person responsible for the beheading isn’t even a suspect.
FBI agents Chris Shane and Leslie Vann investigate the death of a Hilketa athlete. Hilketa is sort of like rugby, in which players carry the ball and put it through goal posts, except the players are armed with swords and hammers, and the ball is the head of one of the opponents. And the players are remote-controlled mechanical bodies, operated by individuals paralyzed by a virus that leaves them unable to move. Oh, yes, one of the FBI agents is also completely paralyzed.
It is all very mysterious…
The novel was nominated for the 2018 Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy novel.
While it takes place in the same universe as Scalzi’s Lock In, Head On is entirely independent, and you don’t need to read the first novel to thoroughly enjoy the second. Scalzi fans should note that a cat does play an important, but minor role. However, no mention is made of burritos.