“The Man Who Saw Seconds” by Alexander Boldizar

The Man Who Saw Seconds

Alexander Boldizar
CLASH Books (2024)
ISBN 978-1960988072
Reviewed by Jill Rey for Reader Views (06/2024)

Preble Jefferson has two thalami, an occurrence that had never been experienced or recorded.  The thalamus is the sensory relay station of the brain, taking in sights, sounds, and touch; it plays a crucial role in consciousness and motor control.  While there is much neuroscientists don’t know about the thalamus, Preble Jefferson is aware of the unique abilities his having two thalami has presented.  Having trained himself to see five seconds into the future, his brain is able to encode billions of possibilities to see the outcome five seconds before it happens.  Jefferson’s ability makes him a threat should his talents ever become known. 

Living his life in relative shadows, Preble spends his days playing chess with Hungarian Robert Legmegbetegedettebbeknek, otherwise known as Fish.  That is until one night, on the train home from another chess match with Fish, two police officers approach him for taking up two seats on an otherwise empty train.  In a moment he later regrets, Preble doesn’t immediately relent, and a series of events unfolds that he can never undo.

Alexander Boldizar uses a genetic anomaly to craft an extraordinary thriller.  An otherwise ordinary man, who just wants to lead a normal life with his wife and child, is sucked into a government conspiracy with no foreseeable way out.  “The Man Who Saw Seconds” closely resembles a Marvel-esque film, but without the super suit and team of others possessing superpowers.  Preble Jefferson is alone in his determination to save his family.  Relatable, with a believable twist on science fiction, Boldizar creates a read that leaves us all wondering who exactly might be living along the fringes of society. 

From the train encounter to the very last sentence, Alexander Boldizar’s “The Man Who Saw Seconds” flew by as my own mind worked out the probability of others with this genetic anomaly possibly living in the real world.  Boldizar uses the game of chess as a tangible and relatable comparison to the mind of Preble Jefferson.  As the game unfolds, and the events play out, Preble is already two steps ahead, until the game gets too far out of control and the possibility of returning to normal life becomes a distant possibility.  The government villains, good guys, and foreign leaders caught up as the game unwinds create an exciting and extraordinary read.  Boldizar truly captivates and intrigues readers with this latest work.