The Man Who Saw Seconds

De: Alexander Boldizar

Narrado por: Christian Leatherman

Winner of the Locus Award and CIBA Mark Twain grand prize, The Man Who Saw Seconds is a gripping speculative fiction thriller, blending absurdist satire and adrenaline-charged suspense, about a New York man who can see five seconds into the future—which changes his life forever; perfect for fans of Rob Hart and Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time.

Winner, 2025 Locus Award for science fiction novel
Finalist, Foreword Reviews for best thriller of 2024
Winner, CIBA Mark Twain grand prize winner for best satire of 2024
Finalist, Eric Hoffer Award
Locus Magazine Best Science Fiction of 2024
“10 for 2024” Year-End Best Books List

Preble Jefferson can see five seconds into the future.

Otherwise, he lives an ordinary life. But when a confrontations with a cop on a New York City subway goes tragically wrong, those seconds give Preble the chance to dodge a bullet—causing another man to die in his place.

Government agencies become aware of Preble’s gift, a manhunt ensues, and their ambitions shift from law enforcement to military. Preble will do whatever it takes to protect his family, but as events spiral out of control, he must weigh the cost of his gift against the loss of his humanity.

A breathless thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, The Man Who Saw Seconds explores the nature of time, the brain as a prediction machine, and the tension between the individual and the systems we create. Alexander Boldisar provides an adrenaline-pumping read that will leave you contemplating love, fear, and the abyss.

Just a 5 second head start

Alexander Boldizar’s The Man Who Saw Seconds is a fast-paced thriller. Preble can see five seconds into the future and while slight, this provides enough advantage to avoid accidents and even dodge bullets. What starts as police harassment quickly escalates until Preble becomes the target of the NSA. What transpires is a nonstop edge of the seat ride.

Boldizar begins with a simple premise and then goes on to generate one of the most thought-provoking pieces. There are discussions regarding the possible science underlying this phenomenon, but a major emphasis is the political and sociological implications of only this possibility, but the very real overreach of our current institutions due to fear of change.

The narration is excellent with solid character distinction. Pacing is brisk.

Its okay

Its okay its just not for me. It was interesting when it was just about seeing the future but it got a lot less fun when the government got involved,