The Man Who Saw Seconds

Alexander Boldizar
The Man Who Saw Seconds Cover

The Man Who Saw Seconds

Thomcat
6/8/2025
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First seen on the WorldsWithoutEnd website, it was available at the local library so I went for it. Time travel? Not so much - but an interesting exploration.

Being able to see multiple paths 5 seconds into the future (and reject them also - a quick way to search a room) is a curious skill, almost magical. The protagonist has lived with this for a while, but tells that story only in remembrances. The main focus here is the present, and he starts off the action with a doozy of a mistake - talking back to NYC cops.

The main antagonist, once aware, treats the main character as an evolution of the human race, and ultimately competition. At first discussion, this seems way-out their looney, but our protagonist ends up proving him mostly right.

I especially liked the ending, which I won't spoil here. The author has a degree in US law, inspiring some of the situations and the main side character, Fish - who is great. The world needs more Fish. I've got this somewhere between 4 and 5 stars. The more people I recommend it to, the more likely it drifts higher.

http://goodreads.com/arcathia