The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Lock In by John Scalzi + 50/50 Friday

Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.
3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
4. Post it.
5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.

This week I'm spotlighting my current read for Sci-Fi Month (hosted by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow), Lock In (Lock In #1) by John Scalzi.  I've heard so many fantastic things about my fellow Ohioan's work and I'm glad that I'm finally getting around to my first by the author.  I'm not that far into it yet, but I'm already really enjoying his style.

Beginning: 

Haden's syndrome is the name given to a set of continuing physical and mental conditions and disabilities initially brought on by "the Great Flu," the influenza-like global pandemic that resulted in the deaths of more than 400 million people worldwid, either through the initial flu-like symptoms, the secondary stage of meningitis-like cerebral and spinal inflammation, or through complications arising due to the third stage of the disease, which typically caused complete paralysis of the voluntary nervous system, resulting in "lock in" for its victims.

56:

"Can you get a clearer image of Bell's hands?"

"Not really," Diaz said.  "I can blow it up, but it's a low-res feed.  It's got inherent limitations."

"Blow it up," Vann said.  Bell jerked and grew large, his hands racing toward us like a giant trying to play patty-cake.

"Shane," Vann said.  "Tell me what you see."

I looked at the hands for a couple of moments, not seeing whatever it was I was supposed to be seeing.  Then it occurred to me that not seeing a thing was what Vann was going for.

"No blood," I said.

This week I'm also taking part in a brand new linkup called 50/50 Friday, which is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  Every week they'll have a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - this week the topic is Best/ worst world an author has created.

Best:

The Wizarding World from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - How could I choose something else!

Worst:

First Life (Everlife #1) by Gena Showalter - I really tried to like this, but I just couldn't get into it.  To much telling, and not nearly enough showing.