Chance by Matthew FitzSimmons Narrator: Michael Crouch
Series: Constance #2
Published by Brilliance Audio on February 14, 2023
Genres: Science Fiction
Length: 10 hours and 15 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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A clone plays a dangerous game of life, death, memory, and murder in a twisting thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Matthew FitzSimmons.
Cloning is a luxury for the wealthy. For Chance Harker, it’s a way of getting on with his lives. Five years ago, when he was sixteen, he and his brother, Marley, were murdered in a kidnapping gone wrong. Chance was revived—and his grieving parents met his existence with anger, neglect, and aversion. The public, though? They can’t get enough of the death-defying stunts he has parlayed into a social media spectacle.
But after Chance’s latest “refresh,” he awakens to accusations that he’s killed Lee Conway, a stranger Chance has never met. Has one of his clones? With no memory of his previous selves, and working fast before he’s arrested, Chance digs into Conway’s background, the mysteries of his own life—and death—and the tragic abduction that tore his family apart.
All Chance has to do is stay ahead of the LAPD; his kidnappers, who are back on the hunt; and a growing mob of incensed protesters outraged that a rich clone appears to be getting away with murder.
Trigger warning: Suicide, Extreme Risk-taking
This is the second book in the Constance series. I was a bit worried about starting this book. I had it for a while before I finally listened to it. It has been a while since listening to book one. I remembered the gist of it, but didn’t remember the details. I was worried I would miss something from the first book. But that was not an issue at all. This book does take place chronologically after Constance. But this story follows an entirely new character, but again, the character has very close ties with Palingenesis, a cloning company for the rich and famous. The clones were originally designed for the military so that special forces could be brought back if they died in battle. But once it got out, people were against cloning of humans, the US government ended the contract. But that didn’t stop them.
So, this story starts with Chance Harker and his brother being kidnapped and eventually murdered. But their father was the head of marketing for Palingenesis, there were clones waiting for both children. However, there was an issue with lag, the time between the last “refresh” where your conscientious is downloaded, and when you die and are put back into a clone. The longer the lag, the more psychological effects. Chance was only a week or so. His brother was almost 90 days since his last refresh. Palingenesis wouldn’t allow you to get your clone if it had been more than 90 days since the last refresh. It was just too difficult on the human mind.
Needless to say, Chance was never the same mentally after his kidnapping, which he doesn’t remember. His brother was even worse and decided that he couldn’t live with the effects any more. Chance has become an internet star, he takes extremely high risk stunts, most of which he doesn’t survive. He goes to extremes to make sure he never has severe lag again. He has cameras everywhere and is rarely without video footage of himself. Even wearing a body camera most of the time. But he never stops trying to figure out what exactly happened during that very first lag when he was kidnapped.
And that is just the start and background on the story. There’s a lot that happens after all of that, but I don’t want to give spoilers. Feel free to read this book without having read the first book, Constance. Everything you need to know is provided in this book. However, I also loved Constance, so I would recommend getting it first.
Narration:
This is my first time listening to Michael Crouch. He didn’t narrate the first book, which makes sense, since the main character of the first book was female and had a female narrator. I do think that Michael did a great job with the narration of this series. I thought he chose great voices for each character. I would gladly listen to him again.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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How interesting! This would be a really good book club book
I think I’ve been wanting to read this author since I saw the first book. Great review!