Fiction by John Scalzi
In the future world of this novel, there are a significant number of people who have been left completely debilitated by a (lab-engineered?) worldwide virus that has swept the planet. Initially the virus, called Haden's Syndrome, kills some people, but most recover. Then the strangeness begins: of those who recover, some catch a second, more dangerous stage with meningitis-like symptoms, and some progress to a third stage that leaves them completely paralyzed. These people (now called just "Hadens") are considered "locked-in," because their brains are still alive and active, and their automatic body systems function, but no voluntary part of their bodies will work. They cannot move or communicate. Medical science (relying heavily on governmental subsidies) finds a few solutions to help these people, but it's technology that truly manages to unlock the Hadens population. So begins a world where people can move around in robot bodies and navigate a special version of the internet with their minds.
Okay that's just the back story.
The book is actually a murder mystery, starring newly minted FBI agent Chris Shane, who is a Haden using a robot body (called a "threep") and investigating Haden-related crimes in the Washington D.C area.
This was an amazing innovative and interesting book. I highly recommend it.
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