Second Soul

by Thomas Sullivan

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451412028
• ISBN13: 9780451412027
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Onyx Books
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Thomas Sullivan just keeps getting better and better

I've been reading Thomas Sullivan's novels in the order they were published, and just finished SECOND SOUL yesterday. The man just keeps getting better and better with each new book - this is novel number six - THE WATER WOLF is number seven and I'm chomping at the bit to get to that one now. SECOND SOUL is one of those rare books that I feel like pulling out a highlighter to mark up all the great passages that I'll want to return to again and again. Fact is, I have a book fetish that prevents me defacing them that way, but there's just so much outstandingly fine writing there that I wish it weren't so. Not that it will be hard to find the good parts in the future -- there are so many "good parts" that I'll just reread the whole thing, and it will be time well spent. What a great concept for a story, and such masterful execution to bring that story to the page. "Sully" is such a wizard of the language - those big-name best-selling giants of the genre got nothing on him, talent-wise. My fervent wish is that he keeps at it, and writes his stories, going wherever his muse takes him, ignoring genre boundaries and just writing what needs to be written. I'll follow him anywhere -- mainstream, genre, I don't care. It's how he tells the story, it's not about the theme or plot. He tells stories like Fabergé made eggs - exquisitely crafted, each one unique and beautiful and of the finest kind, and I'm eternally grateful to him for sharing.

Subtle, Painful - and brilliant

This novel will undoubtedly be considered a "horror novel," or "dark fantasy," but to shelve it as such is a travesty. In Second Soul we relive a terrifying near-death experience that changes the protagonist in ways neither he, his self-help, occult student friend a new boss at the ski-lodge, or the wives and ghosts who shared that defining moment can explain. Sullivan knows hot to take a character apart at the seams and let the pain leak out through the seams. This is a novel about a man losing and finding himself, the variations on grief, and ice. Lots of ice, snow - skiing and bugs. I hate bugs...after reading this you will hate them a little more. Bears are scary too. Don't miss this one - it will stick with you for a long time to come.

Excitement with Style

I like genre fiction but only if it is well-written. This one fills the bill. The author has a very captivating style, and you can see right away why he keeps getting literary recognition. But this book is a bit different from the others I've read of Sullivan's. It has a first person narrator, and a very unusual one at that. "Bowie" may be alive or dead, and he may be insane. The stakes keep getting higher as trusted things turn against him and he forms a relationship with a widow who believes her husband can come back through him. But both of them are then targeted by forces beyond the fates of any individuals. An intriguing character known as "Mr. Freeze" keeps coming back into the story until his terrible significance is understood. The ending builds with riveting excitement and meaning. This is a very satisfying book.

TRULY OUTSTANDING READ!

I stood in line for Harry Potter and I'd stand in line for this. Not that there is a lot of similarity besides the deliciously magical atmosphere of both reads, but I've been a fan of Sullivan's other books and this one is as good or better than THE MARTYRING and DUST OF EDEN. It's a lot more psychological though. Bowie, the main character, comes back from near-death with a whole gallery of people who died. Gradually he gets caught up in the hopes and fears of their surviving families (especially the wife of one of them). But behind it all is a character who represents something much bigger than just the human drama. The suspense is far ranging and incredibly imaginative. And as with his other books the author makes it all come together with a lot of surprises and twists. If you like deep characters and lots of excitement, this one will keep you reading.