Second Chance

by Dylan S. Hearn

One crime, four people and a secret that could shake the world to its foundations.

Four lives become linked by a student’s disappearance: a politician looking to put integrity back into politics, an investigator hoping to atone for past mistakes, a data cleanser searching for a better life while haunted by his past and a re-life technician creating new lives for old souls.

But it soon becomes clear this is no ordinary case, and in the pursuit of the truth, long-held secrets are at risk of being revealed.

Set in the near future where everybody is connected and death isn’t final, this is the story of how far those in power will go to retain control, and the true price to pay for a Second Chance.

Genres: Science Fiction, Amazon

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 22, 2014

About the author

Dylan S Hearn was born in Ipswich, England and has lived and worked all over Europe before settling back close to where he was born. He spends his day balancing being a husband, father and writer; sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
His first novel, Second Chance (The Transcendence Trilogy Book 1) was first on Kindle in January 2014. The sequel, Absent Souls (The Transcendence Trilogy book 2) was published in November 2014. He is currently working on the 3rd and final book, Genesis Redux, whilst fighting back ideas for other novels until it is finished.

Reviews

[Scott Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the reasons I like reading and writing science fiction is how well the genre plays with others. Create a interesting futuristic setting, on Earth or somewhere in space, and there are any number of story types — mystery, thriller, romance, action/adventure, etc. — that can be told, separately or blended together.

The excellent first entry of the Transcendence Trilogy, Second Chance by Dylan Hearn (@HearnDylan) is a political/conspiracy thriller wrapped around a mystery, seasoned with some philosophy and served with a side of plot twists. I was guessing about how the various pieces of the puzzle fit together right up to the final pages. Book 2 is already on my To-Read List.

Set an unspecified time in the future, the Earth has faced catastrophic upheavals including climate change but emerged more unified thanks to a historical agreement among world leaders brokered by the UN. Even the inevitability of death can be avoided thanks to the Re-Life process.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspective of four different characters: a politician, an investigator, an “information cleanser” (a chilling concept, this job mixes marketing, public relations, data analysis, intelligence gathering and hacking), and a Re-Life technician. On the night the politician is elected, a university student goes missing, an event that somehow connects the main characters.

There isn’t much more that can be said about the plot without spoiling things for future readers. The story moves quickly and I thought the narrative structure, dividing the story between the various characters, worked very well. There was some overlap and time-shifting, which wasn’t immediately apparent, but personally I liked the “ah-ha!” feelings when those moments were revealed or I figured them out.

Mr. Hearn paints a fascinating picture of the future, loaded with technology and thought-provoking concepts such as “information cleansing” mentioned above. People ride in driverless “pods” programmed to not hit each other and wear special lenses to access the Datasphere, which is what the internet evolved into. Politics is driven more than ever by polls; a pending law would toss from office elected officials with low numbers. The investigator works for a “for profit” private agency, so any infraction of the law discovered during an investigation, no matter how minor, is prosecuted to help pad the bottom line.

Second Chance has a setting rich with small details, unique and well-developed characters, and a central mystery with some truly surprising plot twists. I enjoyed it greatly and look forward to continuing the story with the middle book of the trilogy.

For more about Mr. Hearn and his writing, check out his blog.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very clever book - possibly too clever for me, because I'm still not entirely clear on what actually happened (having said that another part has just fallen into place). But the ideas have got me thinking.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book and it took a little while for me to get into - but that's normal because of the world-building that's needed at the start of a series - it also left a lot of unanswered questions (because it's the start of a trilogy and you have to keep people interested).

The story is mainly centred around the disappearance of a student and the people who become caught up in the investigation. It is told from the point of view of 4 different characters (A politician, a data cleanser, an investigator and a re-life technician) - but what doesn't become clear until the end is that one of those POV's is running on an earlier timeframe.

This is a story set in the not too distant future where climate change has taken its toll - but you still can't trust the politicians. Everyone has their own agenda. Its a future where you can have a clone created. Where your consciousness can be transferred to a synthetic brain and then to a clone (you just have to remember to unplug everyone from the synthetic brain otherwise it gets messy). It's a world where the internet has been replaced with the datasphere. Camera surveillance is everywhere (apart from specific areas of the city where petty crime is tolerated).

There were some genuinely unsettling moments in this book. One of the characters suffers a sexual assault which was rather hard to read. There are also a couple of other instances of violence which were tricky for me (I don't do well with blood and gore).

What was fascinating to read though was one of the characters descent into madness. Although right from the start you got the impression that there was something not quite right with Randall - an indelible impression that was left on him by being dumped in university. I thought I knew where his story was going, then the author completely caught me out and I didn't realise it until the end - the significance of the clone's burnt hand (which is the bit the just slid into place while I was typing this). Couple that with the re-life technicians timeline and the author does a great job of confusing the reader until he's ready to let you know what's happening.

Job well done sir!

Maybe the next book will help explain why all this happened in the first place!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Chance is thrilling and chilling. There is blood and gore, but it is the cold-blooded, or even bloodless aspect of British society that is really at the core of this story of a political system that controls everything even beyond the grave.
There are four distinct threads to the story as well as sub-stories, as murky as the crumbling cityscape. Each chapter adds a little more detail to one of the main threads, and as Dylan Hearn pulls in the threads, we begin to see through the murk to where they are all going. And it’s not a nice place, I can tell you.

The technical parts, the cloning and regeneration, the memories that are replaced in the new brain, or not, depending, seem perfectly feasible to a non-techy person like me. The idea of cheating death on the one hand, is balanced against the massacres committed by the forces of law and order on the other. Petty crime might have become rarer because of the intricate system of police surveillance and the instant data search system that has replaced the internet, but for those who can manipulate the cameras, the police, and the data collected and redisseminated, there are no limits to what horrors can be perpetrated and the evidence wiped out.

The pace is relentless, the tension maintained right the way through. I was completely caught up in the way Second Chance unfolded—expecting the worst each time I turned a page. Dylan Hearn plays with notions of morality and ethics as much as he does with science and technology and it soon becomes clear that our notions of right and wrong have become distinctly warped in this near future. The characters are real. They are in the main, not likeable, and of course, given the theme of the story, not necessarily even bona fide ‘real’ people.

If I were to compare Second Chance to another novel, I would choose PD James’ The Children of Men. This treats a similar theme, the world gone wrong, rotten and above all, insidiously untouchable at its centres of control. I highly recommend Second Chance as a thrilling and disturbing read. Sometimes it’s good to be disturbed.

[Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan Hearn has taken on a difficult task in writing this complex, near-future thriller, but for the most part he has succeeded admirably in his goal. Second Chance is a compulsively readable novel, which engages with some knotty political and philosophical issues while delivering a riveting plot arising from the interactions between a set of well-realised characters. The milieu Hearn has created feels lived-in, and the technologies that enable it are likewise credible. My quibbles with the book are fairly minor. I'd like to have known more about the world-changing revolution that precedes events in the book, as I found it somewhat hard to believe. Also the ending didn't quite wrap up enough of the plot strands to totally satisfy me. No doubt these strands will be picked up and developed further in the next book in the series, which I will definitely want to read. Overall this is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking first novel, which fully deserves a 4* rating. I've no doubt it will be succeeded by even better books by this talented writer. Recommended.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The complicated story of future political confusion and control. Cloning is a murderous Evil Doppelgänger. Obtained from Amazon for free on December 25, 2016.

[Lena Tatum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy, NOT a clone .

not what i expected! Twists and strong characters keep the story rolling. A glimpse of what could be and the undeniable limits of science.

[Merrill Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because seen through these eyes
We lead a double life
No one will know
So check it out steppin' out here I go

Are we, are we, are we ourselves?
Are we ourselves and do we really know?

Lyrics excerpted from "Are We Ourselves," The Fixx

For the last twenty years of so, I've been following guys like Ray Kurzweil and Bill Joy, prophets of the singularity and the melding of machine and mind. Ray Kurzweil thinks we'll be uploading our brains into boxes in the 2040s and is all over YouTube pushing the idea. He doesn't actually tell us how we're going do it, but that's OK. That's what the imagination is for. One semi-serious concept I have read about involves removing your grey matter, slicing it up into sashimi layers, mapping your exposed neuronic net and transferring it into a virtual mind. I can just imagine the title of a book based around that approach. "The Baklava Conspiracy." Yuck.

The movie and TV industry has also been fascinated by the concept, but the quality of the work dedicated to the topic varies widely. Mind/machine melding inspired the writers of Star Trek to write the worst episode of the series, Spock's Brain. (Don't start. The Omega Glory was NOT worse than Spock's Brain.) On the the other hand, two Arnold Schwarzenegger movies on the topic, Total Recall and particularly The Sixth Day, were intriguing.

Regardless of how we (theoretically) get there, the mind in a machine concept is pure catnip fo Sci-Fi writers. I know because my own book, Rule-Set, uses mind uploading as a major plot point and target for dispute. I have to admit, I'm a bit skeptical about the idea. In the 80s I used to do hobbyist programming in languages such as Lisp and Turbo Prolog and watched the AI Winter descend over technology. You didn't have to be a genius coder to realize that you weren't going to build HAL 9000 with Lisp machines. By chance, I'd also read Hubert Dreyfus's What Computers Can't Do and the sequel, What Computers Still Can't Do and though at the time I thought the man lacked imagination, the fact is he nailed it. It was sad. Every geek and dope smoker went to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, and while no one could figure out the last twenty minutes of the movie, we all agreed that HAL and his friends would be around and barking out orders to us meat bags by the beginning of the next millennium.

But HAL never showed up. (But we're all still hoping that he does. And maybe stars in a better movie than the "meh" 2010 sequel.)

I've thought a great deal over the years about why we've failed to build sentient AIs and have come to the conclusion that it's not just a matter of bits, bytes and switch connection density. I also think there's a context problem. I describe the issue this way in Rule-Set.

"Let’s go back to the rose and thorns. We feel pain because our bodies have evolved in concert with those thorns to warn our brains we are experiencing physical damage. This is important because we if we lack that warning, our bodies may be destroyed. But how do you model pain and feed it to a neural net in a way that’s relevant to the software? Never mind distinguishing pain from the sensation of tickling vs tingling vs burning and so on? How does a stream of electrons moving through wires or superpositioned in a qubit ever ‘feel’ pain or find it relevant in any way? AI has spent the last forty years or so discovering that Bishop Berkeley was wrong. It’s not all about what’s in your head. It’s all about what’s in your head and what’s outside it.” Myrdin pointed to his temple, then waved at the interior of the control room. “It’s a unity.”

Thus, when the opportunity to review Second Chance by Dylan Hearn appeared, I took it. Dylan's another writer who can't stay away from mind/machine catnip and I wanted to see how he played with the meme.

Second Chance, the first book in a projected series, is set in a future, post-dystopian world where a mysterious corporation, Re-Life, has perfected the technique of transferring your mind to a computer-based brain simulation, then copying the stored entity into a clone. From a scientific standpoint, this is quite plausible when you study such efforts as the French Blue Brain project, work being done at IBM and other efforts to model our brains in software. (Though no one is quite ready to discuss the actual transfer process.)

Rest of review up at: http://www.rule-set.com/ricks-blog/ar...

[5ngela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the cover. The author know how to make simple but artistic cover. I give it for him. The synopsis also quite good.

Actually I really like the story and characters. Basically there are 3 major characters which are Stephanie the politician, Randall the IT, Nico the investigator. For the others, it was also quite interesting but not really major for me. You get to know their life and how they interlinked with one another. To be honest, I don't really know my feeling about this story and ending. I know that it was trilogy so in a sense, it was unfinished. It just that I feel there's something missing. Maybe the story lack inspiring moment. It was a sad ending after all. I feel sorry for all of them.

There's quite mystery in the story. But even after knowing the truth, it still doesn't answer the question why and why. If I don't know any better, I will say that the author cheated with the ending. There's no hint or shadow about certain things. It just appear out of nowhere. Anyway, I enjoy it while it last. The pace is quite steady. It was not too fast and not too slow. But since, the story was divided, it can disrupt your reading moment when you read one character and after that it jump into another character. Personally, I don't prefer more than 2 alternate point of view for science fiction. Don't know why but it doesn't seem interest me.

The characters itself are interesting but a little too depressing for my liking. At first it looks like they are "strong" characters. But at the end, they are nothing like main characters, more like "victims and also villains". You have to read the story to know what I mean. Anyway, I have no doubt, this is good story but lack certain element to make it great and amazing.

My rating : 3.5 of 5

www.sharing55tories.blogspot.com

[Dave Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although both ecology and neuroscience are at the heart of the world Hearn creates they do not dominate the novel, making this very definitely a character-driven thriller.

When extremes of weather began to disrupt infrastructure and displace populations even in industrialised nations, the United Nations finally agreed a global solution to climate change. Sustainable power, cutting-edge technology, and open government now allow humanity to retain its comforts without destroying its future.

Struggling to hold onto the Delegate seat she has just won, Stephanie Vaughn throws her weight behind the investigation of a missing student. When lack of progress prevents the popular boost she expected, she must accept covert assistance from Randall, her ex-boyfriend, a data analyst for the cloning company at the heart of humanity’s new society. But Randall’s motives for finding the student are equally tainted: before she disappeared she had begun to question the cloning process; the longer the investigation lasts, the greater the risk her doubts will become public.

Hearn’s careful use of flash-backs, multiple view points, and characters using new technology shows the reader the post-restructuring world without repeated soliloquies or dialogues on what – to the characters – is common knowledge.

This focus on utility over technical method equally avoids the issue of explaining how this fictional technology works; both making the novel more accessible to readers who do not have a strong background in science and protecting it against quickly becoming dated.

The only real deviation from this revelation by use is a recitation of the events leading up to and shortly after the UN agreement, which occurs toward the end of the book. However – while it does suffer a little from one character telling another what they already know – it is given as a prelude to an explanation of things the character does not know, so is not without merit.

The main characters are well-created. Although, each of them is driven by a fear of failure, their motivations for success and the sacrifices they will countenance are very different. Particularly noteworthy, is Hearn’s portrayal of Randall becoming more paranoid, which provides clear indications he is starting to imagine problems where there are none while also revealing evidence some of his apparent fears are true.

The supporting cast for the most part are equally skilfully written, displaying clearly distinct behaviours without becoming either stereotypical or distracting

However, the relatively brief amount of the novel devoted to the flashbacks does lead to the historic characters seeming a little flat at times.

Overall I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers looking for an engaging science-fiction or political thriller.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.

[P.A. Rudders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I discovered via the world of blogging and occasional mentions on various other social media. Set in a near dystopian future this is a multi-stranded thriller that combines elements of science fiction with political intrigue, abduction and murder, all set against the murky backdrop of big business and globalisation. Mixed in amongst the plot we have a pretty young researcher who has gone missing, a newly elected politician trying to make a difference to the world she lives in, and some highly sensitive research into cloning and life extension, all playing a part in a world that is post major political and climatic upheaval. What makes this book especially believable is that much of the technology and the political landscape can all be seen in the world we live in today, albeit in embryonic form: Google’s driverless cars and data glasses, online polling, attempts to connect the entire world via the internet, speculation about both the climate and political consequences of global warming… all these factors are more developed in the book, but clearly have their origins in the present.

There is a lot going on this book, and it would be easy for the reader to get confused were it not for the author’s clever writing style and technique; the book is divided into three parts with over fifty well defined chapters. Rather than trying to combine all the elements of the book in one go, different characters and elements are introduced in separate chapters. The story and part each character plays is told via these different chapters but with sufficient overlap and reference to the others to bring the story together as a whole thus making an otherwise complex plot surprisingly readable and easy to follow.

The dialogue is sharp and crisp, and used to good effect to bring out the character traits of the protagonists and to drive the story forward. I must admit it took me a couple of chapters to get a grip of the way the story was going but that’s nothing unusual in a book of this complexity. Throughout the book there are hints and references to the events and circumstances which led to the world in which the book is set but very little specific detail, and I think more attention to that aspect would have given the book and the characters a greater depth. I would also have liked a stronger epilogue tying up some of the loose ends but with two more books to follow it’s quite possible we’ll be learning a lot more of that in the future.

Overall this a thoroughly believable glimpse into a very possible future that might well be nearer than we realise. This was a fascinating and entertaining read that pushed all the right buttons for me, and I shall certainly be reading and reviewing book two of this trilogy.
.

[M.G. Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

We self-published authors are a happy and largely supportive community. I found Hearn’s blog earlier this year and seeing he had a book just out, I was intrigued enough by the premise to offer to review it.

The plot is tantalising if you like your science fiction with a dash of thrills with some niche ideas to get you thinking. This story about a missing woman and the plot to unravel her disappearance (was she murdered? if so, where is the body? Was she abducted? If so, why? Who has her?) while four people with vastly different backgrounds get caught up in the case. This is right up my street blending great science fiction with gritty ITV style mid-week drama (msot definitely not a bad thing!)

What at first seems a simple case of a disappearance soon becomes far more complex. It is books like this that demonstrate why self publishing is largely a good thing – the unconventional, the conceptual, the niche interests are all areas that a lot of publishers wouldn’t take a chance on. I admit I have read some poor quality work but I have also read some absolutely cracking reads. This definitely falls into the latter.

Conceptual science fiction is not everybody’s cup of tea, even after Inception but at least it proved that big ideas can be popular mainstream works. I am partial to conceptual science fiction myself and can always appreciate a great idea. This is certainly a great idea and Hearn has blended concept with character and plot rather nicely without being bogged down in it’s own complexity or coming across as elitist – something that can put a lot of people off “harder” science fiction. The characters are well rounded and in that, the balance is well struck – great job there!

The only real complaint I have is that there has been some global event prior to the story opening that has changed our world forever. It is not entirely clear what it is, or if it is explained then it is a remark made in passing. It is not vital to the plot but it is always good to know these things.

See more book reviews at my blog

[Niina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Second Chance. It follows multiple characters, alternating between each of their own PoV chapters. It was a bit hard to keep track of who was who in the beginning but the confusion didn’t last long, as the characters all felt different. They had their own personalities, goals and motives, and throughout the story I wanted to find out how things would turn out for each of them. A very good thing, since while the book has an interesting plot, it’s very focused on the characters. The side characters were also well written, especially those that had more “screen time.”

The plot, as I already mentioned, was interesting and solid. The future shown in the book includes ever present dataspheres and datalenses, algorithms and information cleansing, and Re-Life, a new technology that’s advertised as a way to live forever. But it’s never that simple. Politics, criminals and corporations looking out for themselves still exist, and at the center of the story is the disappearance of a university student. I don’t want to give spoilers so let’s leave details at that. Suffice it to say that the story drew me in and made me want to keep reading, to get more information on the characters, the plot and the world.

As a short sum up, the characters were great, the plot was interesting, and the world was intriguing. Second Chance is the first part of The Transcendence Trilogy, so obviously there were questions left unanswered at the end but not too many, although I would’ve liked to know more about some things. For example the whole Re-Life thing ended up feeling a bit obscure and distant even though it was a very central theme, and some world shaping events mentioned in the book were left at that, without better explanations. Still, I’m excited about reading Absent Souls, the second book in the trilogy, and maybe some of the answers will be there.

[KL Caley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this author’s blog prior to his novel and admired his unusual style of writing. This novel is no exception. This is a multi-viewpoint story so tells the story from the perspective of four different characters: a politician, an investigator, an information cleanser (someone who searches the internet and deletes any unsuitable information), and a science technician.
The story had an interesting premise, set in a futuristic world with scientific research taking a lot of worryingly advanced steps. The author seems to have researched a lot of detail making it very realistic. On the night the politician is elected, a university student goes missing, an event that connects the main characters. It is not a light-hearted thriller! Suspense, drama, politics, weird science and odd incidents all add to this dramatic story.
I did feel the characters could be explored/ explained a little more and think Hearn has a lot more story to tell with the characters in his future books. The reader did get glimpses of the characters pasts, the futuristic present and also a further uncertain future. At which stage does science go too far and will those at the top cover it up?
This book captures your interest in a particularly bizarre setting. These books will appeal to fans of George Oswell; dark, twisted and gritty storylines with plenty of action (and the odd bit of compassion) to keep the reader going. Looking forward to future reads from this author.

[D.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indie Author, Dylan S. Hearn, writes an intriguing dystopian future in Second Chance (The Transcendence Trilogy Book 1). The characters are well-defined and the dialogue is honed to a fine point. The world Hearn builds is a very believable possible future; a world that is on the verge of terrifying.

Second Chance hooked me from the start and held my attention to the end, leaving me wanting more. This science fiction thriller includes abduction, missing persons, murder, mystery, neuroscience, and political intrigue. It is fast paced, shocking, and hard to put down.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to all science fiction, mystery, and thriller readers.

I received a PDF copy of Second Chance in exchange for an honest review.

https://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/...

[Roughseasinthemed · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Absent Souls, the second book in this series, I was looking forward to reading its predecessor.

Interestingly, while the general themes and principles are the same, and main characters make their first appearance, it was quite a different story. I loved the political intrigue and the manipulation. It was very cleverly done.

Stephanie and Randall are very strong characters, while Gant and Sian, although secondary characters, stamp their mark firmly on this book. And O'Driscoll plays a relatively minor part but just oozes confidence. There is some very strong characterisation here.

The plot is both interesting, and, as with Absent, unpredictable, with an interesting and surprising ending. A fine read.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the author's first novel. The future society was well thought-out and plausible, with some interesting extrapolations of technology, neurobiology and political possibilities.

A particularly insightful and pertinent sentence in chapter 35 struck me: "That’s the biggest problem with democracy— those in power will do anything to stay in power, and the best way to stay in power is to give the electorate what they want."

The ending felt rushed; that and the apparently unnecessarily violent events leading to the conclusion were the only parts of the book in which I was disappointed. Having said that, however, I'm certainly looking forward to reading the rest of the works in the series and highly recommend this book.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise behind this book is one that will appeal to most people – is there a chance to live on after death? Often, I read sci-fi novels with interesting concepts only to be let down by unappealing characters or overly complex plots. Not so in this case. The author has skilfully woven together the stories of likeable characters in a future that is utterly convincing. At the same time, this is a well-paced story with the right blend of plot development and thought-provoking detail regarding politics and neuroscience. As plot twists were revealed, I found it hard to put down and read the last third in one sitting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's another great example of why Indie Authors deserve credit where credit's due. A near-future sci-fi thriller, Second Chance will keep you on the edge of your proverbial seat to the end. The climax is fitting, whilst leaving plenty to be sorted out in a second book. I downloaded it in a free promotion in May 2014. I took my time getting around to reading it, but it was well worth the wait. I'm definitely looking forward to the next instalment! Remember, if you enjoy a book - especially the free ones - please do write a review.

[Susan Toy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Chance was a free download I received from the author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although it's not a genre I usually choose to read. The writing grabbed me from the start and pulled me right in, and I found the pace of the story to be just right to carry me along, wanting to discover the big secret of this very believable world Dylan Hearn has created. Very good writing and storytelling for a first novel. I would definitely read more by this author.

[Andrew Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping near future thriller. I found the characters believable and intriguing, the plot gripping. The sparseness of the descriptions help the story to keep moving at a great pace. Looking forward to the next book.

[Dylan Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I gave it 5-stars. I wrote it :-)

[Kim Cheshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly readable and engaging first novel set in an uneasy future. Looking forward to the sequel.

[P.E. Sibley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story-line and plot, though I confess, it took me nearly half the book to really connect with the characters. The linear plotting of the story was a little confusing, but it wrapped up nicely.

[Damian van Alderwegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this is his first, it is pretty good and is compulsively readable. Every now and then it veers worryingly naively towards a filmic description rather than a more literary emmersion. However, I did really enjoy it & have gone straight on to reading the sequel.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part political intrigue, part detective story, I rather liked Second Chance. One of the things that really stood out to me was Hearn's use of future technology in a completely believable manner. It wouldn't surprise me to see some of this technology in the next 10-20 years.

I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction, and although Second Chance is described as such, it seems the world is not that bad off. Kind of a nice change of pace from the broken world I've been used to in other dystopian stories.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political intrigue, neuroscience, a missing-persons investigation--this well-written novel has it all. Set in the future, a newly elected politician joins forces with an investigator trying to find a missing researcher and an information specialist whose own life is unraveling out of control. Each has their own motives for finding the missing woman, and none are prepared for what they find. The author creates a believable futuristic world, including an all encompassing "datasphere" where anything is accessible. Or erasable... A very enjoyable read.

[Michelle Bibliovino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked it enough to finish it, but don't know if I'll continue the series.