Sequel to the New York Times bestselling near-future thriller Lock In

Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the much-anticipated second installment of John Scalzi’s gender-bending Lock In series, Head On. As FBI agent Chris Shane’s gender remains undisclosed in the sequel, Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson once again deliver their distinct and electrifying performances, allowing the listener to decide whether to experience Chris in the voice of either actor, or download both versions and relive the story a second time. Both versions are available for download today at www.audible.com/headon.

In Head On, a widespread pandemic of the Haden syndrome finds survivors locked in their bodies, deploying robots “threeps” to interact with other androids through virtual reality. In this alternate universe, the Hadens create a brutal but popular sport called Hilketa. During one of the games, a star athlete falls dead, and FBI Agents Chris Shane and Leslie Vann are assigned to investigate this sudden and suspicious death. Mixing the world of sports and virtual reality, Scalzi explores the consequences of artificial intelligence.

“Like the best science fiction, Head On works on multiple levels. It can be social commentary, a warning about the world we're currently living in, empowering for differently-abled people, and a compelling detective story,” said Wil Wheaton, who starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory. “It lets listeners decide what their experience is going to be, and is a delightful, entertaining experience, no matter what that choice is.”

“Head On is the second book in a thrilling sci-fi-literary-detective series from John Scalzi,” said Amber Benson, known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural. “There is another layer to the series - with Lock In, and now in Head On, Scalzi has begun a dialogue that asks an incredibly prescient question: How does gender profiling inform our perception of characters in literature and other media?”

"I'm thrilled both Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson are back to perform their separate Audible versions of Head On," said Hugo Award-winning author Scalzi. "I wrote Chris as a character whose gender isn't disclosed, and Audible rolled with it. Now we have Amber and Wil giving equally amazing readings -- the same words, but with their own style and spin. I switch back and forth between their readings and smile."

“Audible listeners will love Wil Wheaton and Amber Benson’s outstanding performances of Head On, the exciting sequel to John Scalzi’s best-selling and highly acclaimed, Lock In,” said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “We’re honored to have such talented narrators return to conjure up this imaginative world Scalzi created.”

With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can enjoy any one audiobook, including a performance of Head On, free.

Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Zachary Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson, and Jesse Eisenberg. Audible Studios has won a Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and has also been recognized with the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair. Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2017, listeners around the world downloaded over two billion hours of Audible content.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio content, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 425,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.

Audible.comRosa Ohrosaoh@audible.com

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more Amazon.com Charts.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more Amazon.com Charts.