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River Saga #2
Second Chance
A fresh start. An old friend. A ruthless enemy.
Colton Beck has a new lease on life. Their alliance is confident they can find their enemy in the Alruna system, and it’s all hands on deck. After the revelation of his origins from the mysterious woman on Dicore, Colton is at odds with where his loyalties stand.
The truth behind Indie Hart’s dedication to the Angor is revealed, making Colton doubt her motives as well as the Angor’s.
When Earth is threatened, it’ll take a lot more than one man to save the planet.
With the help of Colton’s allies, they find the source of the River, and discover its connection to the Rusa.
All pieces come together for a cataclysmic resolution, but who can Colton truly trust?
Second Chance is science fiction with a hard twist from the Best-Selling author of First Life, The Event, and Lost Contact.
Colton Beck has a new lease on life. Their alliance is confident they can find their enemy in the Alruna system, and it’s all hands on deck. After the revelation of his origins from the mysterious woman on Dicore, Colton is at odds with where his loyalties stand.
The truth behind Indie Hart’s dedication to the Angor is revealed, making Colton doubt her motives as well as the Angor’s.
When Earth is threatened, it’ll take a lot more than one man to save the planet.
With the help of Colton’s allies, they find the source of the River, and discover its connection to the Rusa.
All pieces come together for a cataclysmic resolution, but who can Colton truly trust?
Second Chance is science fiction with a hard twist from the Best-Selling author of First Life, The Event, and Lost Contact.
462 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2022
341 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 11, 2025
Second Chance continues the adventures of Colton Beck and a cast of interesting characters. The fabric of this tale is the lives of the individual characters and their interactions creating a story that is very hard to put down. I appreciate the way Nathan encapsulates each book in such a way that it entails a complete story line, while building the transition into the continuing adventure.
June 3, 2022
Not as good as the first book - but full of angst and drama. I got lost in the plethora of aliens and who was loyal to who - but if I'm honest I was most just trying to get thru the book and be done. Childhood friends who just kept falling further and further apart - tragic.
The narration by Christopher Ryan Grant was great.
The narration by Christopher Ryan Grant was great.
May 21, 2022
Nathan Hystad writes some strange science fiction books and this is one of the strangest! It's kind of complicated even though this is the second book, I didn't really figure out what was happening until it was almost over. This is also a rather lengthy book or maybe it just seemed that way.
Since this is the second book of the series, you already know that our main character, Colton Beck, had Xeno and was dying. In fact, he did die at the end of the first book, but now he's alive and even in better condition. It's no secret or at least it isn't now that Xeon doesn't kill permanently. When the Angor came to Earth, they brought with them some very advanced technology which they freely shared with Earth and its human inhabitants. Yet, they also brought the fatal disease called Xeno which only infected a few humans. Those humans were going to die when Xeno ran its course and no one really knew how much time you had left once you were diagnosed with the disease. Yet, there was one human, Indie Hart, who was taken in by the Angor from the very beginning and she was groomed to be the liaison between the Angor and the humans. She knew many, many secrets which she kept and never revealed until the end.
Back to Colton Beck. He's managed to get in on the colonization of a new planet called Dicor. It was given to the humans by the Angor as a gesture of friendship and as a means to ensure the human species continued to exist if something terrible was to happen to Earth. On Dicor was where Colton Beck died! Yet, he didn't die. He was actually re-born with significant changes to his human body. He could not run faster, had inhuman strength and was overall a much improved version of a human. He also found out that Indie Hart, his special friend who also came to Dicor had already died of Xeon and had been re-born. She knew all along that humans infected with Xeno didn't actually die, but would become even better after the change.
The Angor needed an army and they were building ones through Xeno and the humans. On Dicor, it was revealed by the Angor that over 14,000 humans had died from Xeno and were actually living on another planet waiting for the day the Angor were going to attack the Cepra to gain access to the "Ocean". Now this is where it gets really strange. These aliens travel through space using something called the "River". It allows them to go some places, but not all. The leader of the Angor wanted access to the Ocean where his people could then be able to explore vast reaches of space and not be limited to the small area they were in now.
I won't go into more detail about the Angor and Director Ulison, their leader, but just know he's the driving force behind everything. He's also being driven by the Surial, another alien species that apparently are dominating the known universe. They had also wanted access to the Ocean so they could return to their home planet. But, it was taking too long for them to gain access to the Ocean so they had directed Ulison to prepare Earth as the new home of the Surial. That had been the sole reason for the Angor coming to Earth and it was definitely not something the humans were to know simply because all the humans of Earth were to be exterminated once the Surial arrived.
Ok, so this series is in its second book and I'm already done with it. Oh, there is a third book, "Third Party", and a fourth book, "The Realms", both coming with one expected o/a 7 June 2022 with the other o/a 25 October 2022. This is not really a military science fiction book and just not my kind of story.
Since this is the second book of the series, you already know that our main character, Colton Beck, had Xeno and was dying. In fact, he did die at the end of the first book, but now he's alive and even in better condition. It's no secret or at least it isn't now that Xeon doesn't kill permanently. When the Angor came to Earth, they brought with them some very advanced technology which they freely shared with Earth and its human inhabitants. Yet, they also brought the fatal disease called Xeno which only infected a few humans. Those humans were going to die when Xeno ran its course and no one really knew how much time you had left once you were diagnosed with the disease. Yet, there was one human, Indie Hart, who was taken in by the Angor from the very beginning and she was groomed to be the liaison between the Angor and the humans. She knew many, many secrets which she kept and never revealed until the end.
Back to Colton Beck. He's managed to get in on the colonization of a new planet called Dicor. It was given to the humans by the Angor as a gesture of friendship and as a means to ensure the human species continued to exist if something terrible was to happen to Earth. On Dicor was where Colton Beck died! Yet, he didn't die. He was actually re-born with significant changes to his human body. He could not run faster, had inhuman strength and was overall a much improved version of a human. He also found out that Indie Hart, his special friend who also came to Dicor had already died of Xeon and had been re-born. She knew all along that humans infected with Xeno didn't actually die, but would become even better after the change.
The Angor needed an army and they were building ones through Xeno and the humans. On Dicor, it was revealed by the Angor that over 14,000 humans had died from Xeno and were actually living on another planet waiting for the day the Angor were going to attack the Cepra to gain access to the "Ocean". Now this is where it gets really strange. These aliens travel through space using something called the "River". It allows them to go some places, but not all. The leader of the Angor wanted access to the Ocean where his people could then be able to explore vast reaches of space and not be limited to the small area they were in now.
I won't go into more detail about the Angor and Director Ulison, their leader, but just know he's the driving force behind everything. He's also being driven by the Surial, another alien species that apparently are dominating the known universe. They had also wanted access to the Ocean so they could return to their home planet. But, it was taking too long for them to gain access to the Ocean so they had directed Ulison to prepare Earth as the new home of the Surial. That had been the sole reason for the Angor coming to Earth and it was definitely not something the humans were to know simply because all the humans of Earth were to be exterminated once the Surial arrived.
Ok, so this series is in its second book and I'm already done with it. Oh, there is a third book, "Third Party", and a fourth book, "The Realms", both coming with one expected o/a 7 June 2022 with the other o/a 25 October 2022. This is not really a military science fiction book and just not my kind of story.
March 31, 2022
Complex alien plot to take over earth has political intrigue and treachery - 4 stars
Because the gist of book 1 is summarized, you don't have to have read book one but the character development and continuity is more rewarding if you read the books in order.
Multiple alien races have cooperated for a long time. One alien civilization, the Rusa, has been nearly exterminated. The Rusa developed a "river" that connects vast distances quickly but requires special skills to operate the connecting gates.
Earth's people have been sold a bill of goods and subjected to slavery by Director Ulison of the Angor race of aliens.
The story is told in the first person by Colton Beck as he learns his history and follows his destiny. Colton's childhood girlfriend, Indie Hart, seemed more perceptive and the interplay between these two makes the story. Their back story is the key to this adventure.
There are starships trips to other universes, fights, and battles leading up to an attempt to exterminate all humans and give the earth to another set of aliens.
There are flashbacks, throughout as alliances and friendships form. Second Chance is written in the style of a long space opera with even more adventure to come. Portraits of non-humanoid aliens are done well.
Because the gist of book 1 is summarized, you don't have to have read book one but the character development and continuity is more rewarding if you read the books in order.
Multiple alien races have cooperated for a long time. One alien civilization, the Rusa, has been nearly exterminated. The Rusa developed a "river" that connects vast distances quickly but requires special skills to operate the connecting gates.
Earth's people have been sold a bill of goods and subjected to slavery by Director Ulison of the Angor race of aliens.
The story is told in the first person by Colton Beck as he learns his history and follows his destiny. Colton's childhood girlfriend, Indie Hart, seemed more perceptive and the interplay between these two makes the story. Their back story is the key to this adventure.
There are starships trips to other universes, fights, and battles leading up to an attempt to exterminate all humans and give the earth to another set of aliens.
There are flashbacks, throughout as alliances and friendships form. Second Chance is written in the style of a long space opera with even more adventure to come. Portraits of non-humanoid aliens are done well.
October 4, 2025
Look I made it almost 95 percent through but the ending just was too much. A major character dies, they beat the big villain that was built up for the second half of the book, and nothing is given any weight. This book was faster paced than the first one but in the worst ways. Few plot points were given enough room to breathe, and there were too many characters, flashbacks, and perspective changes. I assume it was to make the story seem more epic, but it undercut the action every time and made me want to stop so many times until I did. I like Colton, Indy, Chrissa, and their dynamic, but most of the other characters fall flat or have nothing to do. When I found out Desmond was actually a Russa Spectral I was out. Too much of this book is mystery, then revealing that everyone but Colton knew the whole time. It's too tiring, and this is where I end with this series.
September 20, 2024
Intrigue has a new name and that name is Surial. The Surial is a conniving alien race with their eyes set on Earth. Between the Angor and the Surial intrigue has indeed taken on a life of its own with but a few Rusar being the means to upset the applecart.
And it is in this setting where Colton Beck is the one major player that can swing the pendulum to either side on wether humans will survive on Earth or not.
However, it is Colton's discovery of a life female Rusar that raises the eyebrows with her abilities and cast more light on Colton's rather
peculiar abilities.
On a plot where surprises alternate from chapter to chapter author Nathan Hystad once again succeed in keeping the reader really feverishly paging the pages of this second book, Second Chance, in The River series.
Enjoy
And it is in this setting where Colton Beck is the one major player that can swing the pendulum to either side on wether humans will survive on Earth or not.
However, it is Colton's discovery of a life female Rusar that raises the eyebrows with her abilities and cast more light on Colton's rather
peculiar abilities.
On a plot where surprises alternate from chapter to chapter author Nathan Hystad once again succeed in keeping the reader really feverishly paging the pages of this second book, Second Chance, in The River series.
Enjoy
March 2, 2022
Received as an ARC, this is an honest review. This is a tough book to judge because while I did finish it, I feel it doesn't live up its previous book: First Life that sets this series in motion. I found it lost its spark of mystery and adventure surrounding the Angor species and whether or not they could be trusted. Second Chance allowed me too get lost in the story but not in the immersive fashion it could have been. Nathan Hystad has by no means lost his ability to craft subtly laden gripping stories... it's just Second Chance has a lot to say about the journey unfolding but not the excitement that accompany it.
June 9, 2022
Second Chance (The River Saga Book Two)
A great follow-up to First Life (The River Saga Book One). More is revealed about the various alien cultures and the plans within plans to bring Earth into a muli-species alliance. The objective for the apparent invasion of Earth is 'for their own good'. A number of revelations come to light as the characters backstory are examined via flashback chapters that fill in gaps in the story. Like me, you may wonder if there is any way to save humanity.
I'm looking foward to reading Third Party, book 3 of 4 of The River Saga. Once again the Audible performance by Christopher Ryan Grant was excellent.
A great follow-up to First Life (The River Saga Book One). More is revealed about the various alien cultures and the plans within plans to bring Earth into a muli-species alliance. The objective for the apparent invasion of Earth is 'for their own good'. A number of revelations come to light as the characters backstory are examined via flashback chapters that fill in gaps in the story. Like me, you may wonder if there is any way to save humanity.
I'm looking foward to reading Third Party, book 3 of 4 of The River Saga. Once again the Audible performance by Christopher Ryan Grant was excellent.
March 29, 2022
An amazing story.
I loved book 1 of this series and book 2 did not disappoint. An exciting read that keeps you guessing about the motives of all the players. It's hard to trust anyone as these aren't your usual one dimensional aliens.
Just when I feel I have someone figured out, I'm wrong and the plot takes on a new twist. There's lots of balls to juggle here.
Plenty of backstory included in this instalment to help in understanding the characters and plot-lines. These timeline shifts adds a lot of depth.
Looking forward to the finale.
I loved book 1 of this series and book 2 did not disappoint. An exciting read that keeps you guessing about the motives of all the players. It's hard to trust anyone as these aren't your usual one dimensional aliens.
Just when I feel I have someone figured out, I'm wrong and the plot takes on a new twist. There's lots of balls to juggle here.
Plenty of backstory included in this instalment to help in understanding the characters and plot-lines. These timeline shifts adds a lot of depth.
Looking forward to the finale.
November 16, 2022
Colton Beck and Indie Hart are discovering their true background. Both have tremendous paths to follow to live up to their destiny. But will they become who they are meant to be? Characters fly in and out so fast, it's hard to keep up, but each has a goal and a destiny, a role to play in this tremendous storyline! In and out, around and around, twisting on every other page, this storyline takes you on a fast and dizzying ride through the galaxy to keep the Ocean in the hands of the Rusa.
Fast and most definitely furious, this second installment of the River saga is an exciting read!
Fast and most definitely furious, this second installment of the River saga is an exciting read!
March 29, 2022
Colton is back and so is all the fun as he learns more secrets about the aliens and his friends. Easy to read and hard to put down as I had to see what he would learn and face this time around. And the surprises. Would my thoughts on the aliens on Earth change this time around. Good story and fun characters to get lost in their crazy lives. I loved the story and a good addition to the series.
May 16, 2023
This one picks up right where we left off in Book 1. There is so much intrigue and double crossing, it reads like a Forsythe novel set in space with a bunch of alien races. The pacing was much faster in this one than book 2. It was a good duology, but I am not interested in continuing the series. BLUF...they saved earth, they killed the bad guys, our heroes are actually aliens of a wiped out race, they want to continue to build their people back.
July 11, 2023
Second Chance
Second Chance. I dove straight into this 2nd book of the River Saga after reading bk 1. I’m now looking forward to reading the following two books in the series.
Nathan has created a sweeping space opera filled with memorable characters none of whom are just black and white depictions but many shades of grey. Complex motivations drive these characters and events never seem to be fully under their control.
Second Chance. I dove straight into this 2nd book of the River Saga after reading bk 1. I’m now looking forward to reading the following two books in the series.
Nathan has created a sweeping space opera filled with memorable characters none of whom are just black and white depictions but many shades of grey. Complex motivations drive these characters and events never seem to be fully under their control.
November 22, 2023
Excellent sci-fi!
I always enjoy reading master wordsmith, Nathan Hystad’s, imaginative creations. But, this one tops them all! Colton and his closest allies are easy to like and are constantly falling into high-tension situations. I love this epic sci-fi adventure so much I let it keep me up until after 5am! No problem, I don’t have to be up until 6:45am. Yes, it’s that good, enjoy! Now I have to quickly get book 3.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
I always enjoy reading master wordsmith, Nathan Hystad’s, imaginative creations. But, this one tops them all! Colton and his closest allies are easy to like and are constantly falling into high-tension situations. I love this epic sci-fi adventure so much I let it keep me up until after 5am! No problem, I don’t have to be up until 6:45am. Yes, it’s that good, enjoy! Now I have to quickly get book 3.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
January 28, 2025
This was a great book. It was full of excitement and intrigue. The big question throughout was who was on who's side. The Surial, the Unity members, the Angor, the Earthlings and all the Aliens. I enjoyed it. Oh, and let's not forget the Loyalists, led by Colton's parents. Who can be trusted and what is the truth. Can't wait to start reading the next book in this series. Thank you, Nathan Hystad, for keeping this interesting and worth reading.
March 30, 2022
I have just finished the second book of Nathan's series The River, we find that alien technology is so advanced it can help humans visit other worlds. As we have come to expect from the author there are plenty of twists and turns of the plot, the abundance of characters make this an extreme delight.
I received an advanced copy of this book, for an honest review.
I received an advanced copy of this book, for an honest review.
April 7, 2022
Good, fast, confusing 😕
This book is/was a great read! What prevented it from being totally AWESOME was the confusion on who was doing the speaking, who or what was the subject matter. It seemed that when it was really getting exciting and moving fast so did the writer. I had to reread some passages and even chapters to get a clarification on what I just read.
This book is/was a great read! What prevented it from being totally AWESOME was the confusion on who was doing the speaking, who or what was the subject matter. It seemed that when it was really getting exciting and moving fast so did the writer. I had to reread some passages and even chapters to get a clarification on what I just read.
April 24, 2022
Hooray for the good guys.
So pay attention! If you read this series be prepared to lose sleep and your honey do list is going to get dusty! I burned through the first 2 books in days and moving on to the next. This series is great!! Just don't be like me and look up and realised it's 3 days later and I need a shave! Damn sci-fi!!
So pay attention! If you read this series be prepared to lose sleep and your honey do list is going to get dusty! I burned through the first 2 books in days and moving on to the next. This series is great!! Just don't be like me and look up and realised it's 3 days later and I need a shave! Damn sci-fi!!
May 27, 2022
Another fantastic Book
I had trouble putting this book down. It was book#2 in this series by Nathan Hystad. I am now going to start book #3. I am waiting with baited breath to see what happens next. This author is by far my favorite. Get book one and you will continue on to this book. I will leave my review as is as I don't wish to disclose or ruin anything for someone else.
I had trouble putting this book down. It was book#2 in this series by Nathan Hystad. I am now going to start book #3. I am waiting with baited breath to see what happens next. This author is by far my favorite. Get book one and you will continue on to this book. I will leave my review as is as I don't wish to disclose or ruin anything for someone else.
April 9, 2022
Good
I enjoyed this but it was hard to pinpojnt who was a betrayer and who was not. Im glad they got rid of the angor. But whats next. I guess every person will reveal who they are and what are their motives.
I enjoyed this but it was hard to pinpojnt who was a betrayer and who was not. Im glad they got rid of the angor. But whats next. I guess every person will reveal who they are and what are their motives.
April 13, 2022
excellent story line
Lots of twists and turns keep you totally engaged, it is a page turner. The characters are awesome. A good tale told by the author…hope the next book comes out soon.
Lots of twists and turns keep you totally engaged, it is a page turner. The characters are awesome. A good tale told by the author…hope the next book comes out soon.
April 23, 2022
great story book 2
Space ships, space battles, heroes and betrayers, global and universal politics, creatures and humans and everything inbetween. Super inventive storyline and characters. I loved this book!
Space ships, space battles, heroes and betrayers, global and universal politics, creatures and humans and everything inbetween. Super inventive storyline and characters. I loved this book!
April 27, 2022
Awesome Sci-fi
A breath taking adventure that is fast-paced and full of action. The characters are awesome and easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
A breath taking adventure that is fast-paced and full of action. The characters are awesome and easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
May 23, 2022
great read
I like Nathan’s books and this one is no exception and builds well on the first book in the series. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to the third book in the series
I like Nathan’s books and this one is no exception and builds well on the first book in the series. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to the third book in the series
June 30, 2022
Great Read
This is long saga that is well written and exciting to read. All the characters are wonderful and bring their own back story and blend in seamlessly. I recommend this book to every one,young and old.
This is long saga that is well written and exciting to read. All the characters are wonderful and bring their own back story and blend in seamlessly. I recommend this book to every one,young and old.
December 29, 2022
Alien intrigue
Aliens have arrived! Seemingly peaceful, but their leadership has secrets: there's an underground resistance movement made up of humans and aliens. Don't miss this series!
Aliens have arrived! Seemingly peaceful, but their leadership has secrets: there's an underground resistance movement made up of humans and aliens. Don't miss this series!
February 5, 2023
great read twists of twists
Up is down who knew this series is not what it seems great reading ahead enjoy. If you enjoy strange twists in the narrative this is for you. Real page turner this series is enjoy.
Up is down who knew this series is not what it seems great reading ahead enjoy. If you enjoy strange twists in the narrative this is for you. Real page turner this series is enjoy.
August 12, 2024
I started this, then stopped then went back again to the beginning and then forced myself to finish it. It's not bad but it's not great and I do like NH stuff. Much preferred the first one. 2 more to go but I'm sadly not in a rush to finish the series. ☹️ 2.5 ⭐
November 24, 2025
The story continues as the action progresses towards the ultimate battle against the Surial. Allegiances are questioned and no one can be trusted as the book becomes more complicated. Still a compelling and interesting story. Book three, here I come.
In my humble opinion, of course 💙
In my humble opinion, of course 💙
March 17, 2022
Oh now that was a surprise. Some things as expected but a twist I did not anticipate. Excellent as usual. Eager for the next one!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews