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Second Chance [Mass Market Paperback]

Chet Williamson (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 2002
A breathtaking novel of dark suspense and bittersweet nostalgia, Second Chance breaks new ground for a writer whose work critics have favorably compared to such disparate writers as Camus, Cheever, and Stephen King. In Second Chance, Chet Williamson defines a generation and gives readers the ride of their lives through a disquietingly different and threatened America.

Thrills, romance, and nail-biting suspense combine to create a novel in which a Big Chill-like gathering of old friends could lead to the real "Big Chill" for every person on Earth.

It all begins innocently enough. Woody Robinson, a successful musician, gathers his baby boomer friends and recreates an evening in 1969 out of nostalgia for his long dead love, Tracy. The party quickly becomes a wake for lost ideals, and then something more, as time and fate play wonderful and terrible tricks on the celebrants. By the evening's end, Tracy is back in Woody's life as though she had never left. But there is another change as well, a shocking one.

His name is Pan. An environmental terrorist who wants to save the world by destroying humanity, he has the deadly viral ammunition to do just that. Pan will prove that the darker side of the sixties isn't dead -- it's only been sleeping. Now it's awake and furious. And only one man and one woman can stop the nightmare.

With the swirling color and magic of a Fillmore West poster, the hallucinogenic impact of a Jim Morrison lyric, and the wistful voice of early Dylan, Second Chance is an unforgettable tale of love, loss, and redemption, an electrifying synthesis of past and present that will enchant its readers today and haunt them tomorrow.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This stout volume is an interesting attempt to combine the technothriller and the horror novel and elevate both in literary significance. Its story begins at a 1960s nostalgia party. Out of the ranks of the aging hippie guests emerges an ecoterrorist who is planning to use biological warfare to eliminate humanity and restore environmental balance. Williamson handles his thriller-horror atmosphere well, is above average at characterization, and affords a reasonable amount of technical detail without slowing down the pace. The handling of ecoterrorism and 1960s nostalgia seems slightly oriented toward what the media has led us to expect of these phenomena and contrasts with the originality of much of the rest of the book--a discrepancy that may have cost it a slot with a major publisher. Exploring new directions in genre fiction, Williamson is likely to win discerning readers and deserves to be encouraged. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 403 pages
  • Publisher: Leisure Books (August 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0843950609
  • ISBN-13: 978-0843950601
  • Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,192,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Psychological horror of the highest caliber!, August 27, 2002
This review is from: Second Chance (Mass Market Paperback)
It isn't too hard to make a decent living in the horror field by throwing in a lot of blood, gore, supernatural monsters and, if there are movie rights to sell, screaming nude females. Fortunately, Chet Williamson doesn't need to use those hackneyed devices.

True horror lives in the human mind. True horror lies in the discovery that a good friend is a monster, or in the realization that a wonderful dream is about to be shattered. True horror waits in the pages of "Second Chance."

Williamson has created a group of very believable, very real characters, and it's very easy to get swept up in the events which soon surround them and the choices they eventually must make. Give it a read. I guarantee, the story will stay with you for a long time to come.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal apocalyptic novel!, August 28, 2002
By 
FloozyFlapper1926 (Somewhere in the 20's) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Second Chance (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one of the most intriguing premises in a horror novel I've read in a long time. The concept of time travel is interesting, but might have been made ridiculous in the hands of a different author. Mr. Williamson crafted it just right and made the unbelievable seem possible. Its the story of a group of friends who recreate the sixties during a party and wind up going back in time to save the lives of two friends who died in a bombing. Woody loves his college girlfriend so much he is happy to have her back in his life, with a new reality and children. But they unknowningly brought back a friend who ends up being the catalyst for possibly destroying the human race.

This book has everything: time travel, bioterrorism and interesting thoughts about our environment and the way it is slowly being destroyed. It will make you think and in light of September 11, it is relevant for the times. The writing in this is literate and top-notch and the story so interesting you will find yourself unable to put it down.

All in all, a great novel that is beautifully written, thought-provoking, and good to the last page. Excellent!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Tough Topic Handled Well, January 29, 2001
By 
Marcus E. Grimm (Lancaster, PA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Second Chance (Hardcover)
Chet Williamson was given a hand-full by his muse, and somehow managed to handle it well. There is a lot that happens in this book that could be characterized as unbelievable in the hands of a less skilled writer. That's not the case here. Williamson handles real life horror and fantasy with ease, and builds believable and likeable charcters. His style is easy to read, and Williamson keeps the pace moving by switching quickly between perspectives.
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