Life II

When I first started reading it I thought I would love to do the same thing.. find a time machine, go back, and change things for the better. But after reading this I would probably choose not to. At least not back to my teen years!
This is a great book about time travel and the effects it causes when you change things about your past. However, it is also a book that makes you think about your own choices, family, and lifestyle and helps to appreciate what you have and what you dont have. The book is very long with 600+ pages, but the story is engaging enough that you want to know what is next for Max. The author also has a great way of writing that it is very easy to read.
I only wish the ending had some weird twist to it.. that it was all a dream.. or that he somehow got his kids back.. but again it makes you appreciate life and who and what is part of that.

This was a wonderful story which addresses in detail some of the mental issues that reliving parts of one's life might cause.

Except for the encounter with Lucinda, which seems to be an unnecessary and unresolved portion, this story is excellent.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

*Spoilers in review* The book was recommended to me via BookBub and it was supposed to be in the SciFi genre. Based upon the reviews, I downloaded it. Mistake. I forced myself to read the entire thing just to see how it would end (and I'm a tad OCD about reading a book to the end, although I did start skimming pages en masse). It's awful. This book is not SciFi, but a poorly written and juvenile morality tale. I guess going back in time to potentially escape or change a bum marriage is more cost effective than going through a divorce, and I'm sure many people envision doing just that. However, does this make interesting reading? Not really. The main character, Max, comes off as whiney. What's the purpose of going to a psychologist to discuss your time traveling angst? Suck up the fact that your choices made your two darling children in Life Timeline 1 disappear. He boo-hoos about this during the entire book. Tiresome. And the psychologist never questions his multiple Life timeline story, and doesn't report his potentially unstable emotional state to superiors, but instead tells Max that he lacks confidence. Huh? And as another reviewer mentioned, what was the minor side story of the lady that wants to kill Dr. Time all about? It goes nowhere. If it was concocted just so Max could bombard Dr. Time with various questions about the theory of time travel, it could have been done elsewhere and remained more cogent to the storyline. Bottom line, don't waste your time reading this book.

Sophomoric writing. A protagonist who is dumber than a post; who leaps into action without any thought of consequences. A character who has obviously never read a sci fi or time travel book! Not someone most readers will identify with.

I really liked the premise of the story . Who has never once in their life wondered what if...? I found the story to give us the possible outcomes of our wishes. The screwing up of our present history good bad or indifferent which could be changed irreversibly because of our choices after going back in time.Sometimes it is better to try to change our future by making the PRESENT better rather than changing the time line of our lives which has unforeseen circumstances which affects our continuing choices. I can recommend this book highly to anyone.

I'm not a regular fan of scifi, but I really enjoy stories about time travel. This story really fit the bill. It is a long story, covering decades in Max's life, and that was fine with me. I enjoyed Max's character, quite a likeable chap. The plot was well thought out, a little complex, yet easy to follow. I found it difficult to put down, and spent some nights reading into the wee hours. Very interesting, intriguing, and at times mind boggling. I highly recommend this book for scifi fans.

I've always said I would go back in time if i were allowed to know then what I know now. So I could avoid the mistakes in my life. Well, the character in this book does the same thing. He gets what he thinks is his greatest wish...a do over. But, this book throws some twists of fate and truth in and he realizes living life over is a lot harder than he thought it would be. I always thought getting a do over would be pretty cool, but maybe not after reading this book. The best has yet to come.

SS has written a novel of a middle aged man who discovered a time Equation. Which would allow him to time travel in reverse. After he makes his step back in time he finds he was not briefed on all of the consequences. He makes a few startling discoveries that do not match as the time lines merge. This is an excellent read for the genre.... ER

This book was not what I was expecting at all. As a person who has frequently thought about the what ifs and choices throughout my own life, this book has made me recognize what I have in the now. This book appeals to older more life experienced or those who are more entertained with more cerebral plot lines. Surprisingly the slight sci-fi angle adds to the story quite nicely setting up future novels. Thank you for the great read.

Who of a certain age when contemplating youth-so-wasted-on-the-young has never exclaimed to ourselves "Oh to be __ years old again but to know what I know now!" Author Spotson builds a book on that great macro-premise. But what ensues is a micro-story sited mostly in the protagonist's own small world of friends, family and relative issues and sundry mini-minutiae. And the book goes on and on, overlong. There are occasional parts of genuine interest, for example, the well and eloquently depicted puzzlement among people Max meets for the first time in his younger "Life II" who are intrigued and puzzled by his seemingly uncannily knowing things about their future. Also a suggestion that Albert Gore beat George Bush in the close 2000 election. Nonetheless I am sorry that the story overall did not grab me and I had to exert effort to keep reading. In fact I wound up just skimming the latter part of the book. Bottom line: I applaud Mr. Spotson's premise and effort but wish the story had grabbed me more. P.S. disclosure: Based on my reviews of other books the author contacted me to offer a free copy in return for a review. Out of respect for the author's efforts and reach-out, I purchased it (Kindle version). p

It was a hard book to get into, but enjoyable when I did. There are times that each of us wish we could go back and change our past. Mr. Spotson did a good jog of depicting the consequences and benefits of doing just that. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that it should have been proof read better. There were words left out, phrases repeated, and wrong words as if spell check had been used and not edited. Good read overall.

I tremendously enjoyed this book. I imagine all of us have wondered what our lives would be like if we had made other decisions. This book takes us through the life (lives) of someone that finds out. It is a sci fi book but also a thought provoking view of how we live our lives. I think one of the main takeaways from this book is that we control our own destinies and that we should appreciate what we have and not wish for what we don't have.

Max travels back in time for a chance to remake his disappointing life, but things become very complicated. He is able to change some things for the better but also experiences the bitter loss of loved ones from his past life whose lives no longer exist because his choices have changed the future. Life #1 no longer exists; life #2 is falling apart. Can Max reconcile his two lives and find joy and purpose again?

An interesting adaptation of an interesting idea. This book was a really fun read, especially considering that I "expected" certain things to happen, yet the story always turned another way. It's always fun to see other people's views on life's big "what if..." situations, and this book is full of discussing these possibilities.

The concept of this book is really good. Give someone a chance to go back in time and relive their life, and see where it goes... It's a science fiction Greek tragedy is all I'll say so I don't give away too much.

The main character and some of the supporting cast is very well portrayed and you will feel the pain as you read the book.

You would think that being given the chance to live your life over again, with all your memories intact, would enable to you fix mistakes you made in your past and end up with a far better outcome. It was fascinating to see how reacting with "20-20 hindsight" changed things in totally unexpected ways. I really enjoyed this book.

An interesting adaptation of an interesting idea. This book was a really fun read, especially considering that I "expected" certain things to happen, yet the story always turned another way. It's always fun to see other people's views on life's big "what if..." situations, and this book is full of discussing these possibilities.

The concept of this book is really good. Give someone a chance to go back in time and relive their life, and see where it goes... It's a science fiction Greek tragedy is all I'll say so I don't give away too much.

The main character and some of the supporting cast is very well portrayed and you will feel the pain as you read the book.

You would think that being given the chance to live your life over again, with all your memories intact, would enable to you fix mistakes you made in your past and end up with a far better outcome. It was fascinating to see how reacting with "20-20 hindsight" changed things in totally unexpected ways. I really enjoyed this book.

Max is unhappy in his current life. Given the chance he risks changing it, but was it the right decision? This is a very complex and at times dark book. Max tries to make better choices, but can he really get back to where he really wants to go? Excellent character development and an interesting story makes this worth your time to read.

A conventional time-travel story that evolves into a serious novel. It provides a competent character study, raises thoughtful and complex questions about the consequences of choices, and challenges the shallow thinking that underlies common longings to "rewind the tape".

I love science fiction of the mind... Not monsters and such. So I enjoyed this. It set me to thinking about life and life disappointments. Maybe to appreciate whatever may befall us and find happiness regardless. It is always there.

Who hasn't felt that a different decision might have changed the course of a life? The idea of a mysterious book found in an old book store leading to the opportunity for time travel really intrigued me. The book isn't flawless - for example, the main character's fall into some despair seemed somewhat abrupt - but somehow it still worked and kept me interested until the end!

This was a good read with some unexpected turn of events. Sad at times and uplifting at others. A good diagnosis of getting what you think you want without understanding the downfalls. I would recommend this novel.

Life II is a personal story of one man's encounter with travel into the past. The story does an excellent job of following the tortured twists of his mind as the reality of his former lost life becomes real to him.

Good book. I enjoyed the story although I did get a bit lost in the plot at times and it seemed to bog down a little but if you enjoy time travel books you should read it. I'm going to read more books from this author.

I enjoyed this novel. Time travel stories interest me. The only reason I rated it four instead of five stars was that the hero's musings occasionally bored me. I liked it enough to buy the sequel though.

Grade inflation has not just political consequences, but artistic ones as well. So...in a one-person effort (perhaps misguided) to renew respect for the validity and wisdom of the "average", I give 3 stars. Good idea. Well written. Worth a read. But save 5, or even 4 stars for the spectacularly remarkable.

I liked the characters, the story line and the adventure it presented. It prompts many questions and complex theories about a subject that I am sure every sci-fi fan has pondered. Great read for everyone.

Different. Interesting twists. Believable characters. Sometimes slow reading but enjoyable without being brutal. Lucinda character was jarring no fit as the point had already been made with life 2 issues Max had faced.

I love the science in science fiction. I love a good and reasonable story line. Life II has a great story line but I hate soap operas. This book has a touch of sci fi and a lot of soap opera. I found myself skimming through the majority of the book. I guess I would call this a chick book!

Who hasn't thought of what life could be like if only they could go back? A great tale of unintended consequences. Slow, bad editing at the stat, but engrossing at the end. I look forward to more from this author.

Exactly as transaction should be. Merchandise is of excellent quality. I will order additional product.

I object to the length the store requires for these commentaries.

I am a retired attorney. As such it has been my experience that using fewer words often confuses the issue an tends often to weaken the effect of the intended communication.

Selecting five stars seems adequate to evaluate the degree of satisfaction with the transaction.

To make things worse, copying the response to your email account clutters it up, requiring even more time in addition to clearing out all of the store's reminders to perform the over blown evaluations.

The wind blows in Arkansas and it blows and blows and blows and blows until the store clearly understands this meaningless babble.

Just finished reading Life II. Very interesting and entertaining. While Max is initially somewhat unlikable, he grows on you as you experience his highs and lows and the result of various decisions made throughout the story. The secondary characters, Nathan and Garfield add a wonderful depth to the story. A good read!

3.5 stars

I love stories that use time travel. This is not a very science-y story with its use of time travel, but the focus is much more on the emotional and intellectual journey of the main character. A definite theme here is “be careful what you wish for.” Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Max gets a chance to go back and relive his life, hence Life II. I’m sure we’ve all thought about things we’d change if we could go back, and these decisions are exactly what Max has to navigate.
I liked that he went back with his 42 years of life experience and knowledge, slipping into his teenage body. This obviously made it much more interesting than just simply reliving everything without knowing any better. I did find it a little goofy that he kept “accidentally” blurting out his knowledge of the future – over and over and over – followed inevitably by smacking his forehead or trying to backpedal. Sometimes he realizes he needs to be super careful in revealing knowledge of the future, but then other times he just flat out tells people what’s going to happen. That seemed not quite right. Also, I’m not sure why he didn’t try to change some MAJOR historical events if his goal was to be a better person and, this time around, help as many people as he could. He does invest in some up-and-coming companies so as to gain wealth to then donate, but it just seems like he could’ve done a lot more that would have been more interesting to read rather than sludging through decades of everyday life/marriage/family drama.
BUT, the way this story focuses on one man’ journey to repair the lives of his loved ones does have a lot of heart. I particularly liked the somewhat-fated troubles with his sister. And it was interesting to show that, no matter how much he thinks he’s learned, he makes similar mistakes the second time around because that is just who he is. I liked that the story shows how some people are going to be closer to you than others no matter the circumstances- Garfield, in particular.
Another big thing that makes me waffle between 3 and 4 stars is the use of Dr. Time. As the catalyst for all of this, obviously the story needed something otherworldly to kick this off. But when you use an alien named Dr. ____ that can manipulate time and space, everyone with knowledge of pop culture for the last 50 years will think you’re kind of ripping off Dr. Who. That was my first, “What are you doing?” thought at the author. Then, however, you don’t see Dr. Time that much through the rest of the book, so I got over it. But it seemed irrational for Max to be so angry Dr. Time “tricked him.” If Max is at least a little intelligent – and you’d think he’d have to be to decipher that book he finds at the beginning – why didn’t the obvious occur to him, namely that his old life would change/disappear? And don’t get me started about the sudden appearance of the character who convinces Max they have to kill Dr. Time – that pops in and out so fast it doesn’t feel like it fits at all. I have a feeling this was dropped in to set up future books, but it doesn’t fit with the rest of the feel of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy this story because of the focus on the main character trying to fix his life but discovering how complicated that really was. All of my aggravations, too, made me put myself in his shoes to sort out what I would do differently. His growing emotional angst is completely believable. Wherever this story goes next, I’m sure it will sort out some of the wrinkles with Dr. Time, and maybe the next main character will be a little less self-involved.

I gave the book three stars because, the writing was good, with few errors. The idea of the book was what lead me to start reading the book. However, it was boring. In reality, a man does not cry like Max did. If the author was going to have the main character crying all the time, he should have made it a woman.

loved this book i like wow so thats why this worked for me you jump in the game and you are not a bad guy you are a misunderstood guy who people missjudge you as bad and the heros are the bad guys and perception is a bitch

I'm not a science fiction buff but I have some interest in the genre and have read books such as Replay by Grimwood. I have also watched movies such as Ground Hog Day and Back to the Future. I suspect Spotson is very familiar with time travel plots and attempted to do a new twist on an old theme. He devoted exactly 633 pages in the attempt. In my opinion, the take-off was a bit slow and ponderous. I almost put the book down, but then protagonist, Max Thorning, met Dr. Time and things began moving along. The author didn't quite grab me, but, still, I did keep going back to see if he could hold me for another 10-15 pages. Spotson is not a beginner, and he writes quite well. However, I think he needed a top-flight editor who could both cut and sharpen the plot. An editor probably would have plunged the reader into time travel within the first 5-10 pages instead of page 30. I suspect an editor would also have pared the plot down about 75-100 pages. Perhaps an editor could also have made certain characters a little less stereotypical. What Spotson does succeed in doing is make the reader think about life. If we could repeat events in our lives, would we really do things better the second time around? Would our aspirations be too high (or too low)? Would our nervous systems gradually break down if the exploration of our past was prolonged? Would we harm others with decisions we feel would improve our own lives? Would we try to manipulate people in our lives either to change their lives or ours? Does exposure to this idea make us even a little more careful or discerning regarding how we're living life in the here and now? If nothing else, the author's effort can encourage us to think about life.

Peggy Sue Got Married meets It's a Wonderful Life plus The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin! Life II definitely packs a wallop where regrets and the whims of personality are concerned.
Who WOULDN'T want to go back in time in order to adjust certain situations, "fix" outcomes, change the way things happened?

The premise is intriguing, and from the start descriptions like, "a handshake like grasping a glove full of sand," make the hairs rise on the back of one's neck, anticipating an eerie journey. And the journey for the story's protagonist Max is at times a strange, nail-biting adventure.

Having never recovered from a bad decision made as a youth and the tragic outcome, 40-something Max, hounded by these memories, finds himself, through the mysterious machinations of a "Time Doctor", reliving his life from that early moment on. The catch: he retains his 40-something mind while he re-inhabits his teenage body, and must life out his life until he reaches middle age.

While Max does grow and evolve during his second and short third life, he tended, for me, to remain a somewhat unsympathetic character. We start the story with him disinterested and bored with his marriage, and though this may actually be common with lots of people outside of fiction, Max displays this behavior over and over again, even as he "redoes" situations and events.

He shows scorn for people with religious faith, grows bored with girlfriends quickly, seems to judge people, and definitely needs to be in complete control of everything. These personality traits soften and morph into something more palatable as he grows older and recognizes his own faults and personality quirks and that people are imperfect and that he's actually a very lucky man to have been given the second--and third chances--he received. His character faults proved to be numerous enough, though, that even as he works toward improving them, I never really warmed up to him again.

It was interesting reliving the '80s and '90s with Max, remembering certain tragic and iconic events and people, and ultimately his journey back into time turned out to be a satisfying full circle, a layered representation of the human experience.

Review: LIFEII by Scott Spotson

If you've ever pondered time travel, or wondered what to change if given the opportunity to revisit your past (and who among us hasn't?) prolific author Scott Spotson provides an answer, of sorts, leavened by science fiction, metaphysics, and a heap of philosophy.

Feckless Protagonist Max Thorning is not a happy individual. He loves his children, but not necessarily his wife. He's not successful. He's not a physician; he didn't even complete university. A successful doctor his age has just committed suicide. Yet feckless Max stumbles into an unprecedented opportunity: to return to age 16 and make all new choices, saving another's life and repairing his own. Max doesn't understand that this is not a matter of minutes or hours: this is an entirely new timeline--LIFEII.

I reviewed a digital copy generously provided by the author, at no cost, obligation, or remuneration. I opted to review this title.

10/23/2013, Max Thorning (42, husband/father, investment sales) & Garfield Yates (Max’s BMF, writer) were eating their lunch & discussing their HS classmate: Dr. Nathan Symes (M.D. Head of Cardiology, Vancouver General, UBC fundraiser) who had just committed suicide.
Raymond’s Used Bookstore. Dr. Max Thorning (MD) picked him up a copy of Medicus Tempus: Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory (book).
10/24/2013, His family consists of: Abby Thorning (wife/mother, nee Martin, U of Guelph), Angela Emilia Thorning (12, daughter/sister, deaf), & Brandon Thomas Thorning (son/brother).
10/27/2013, Athens, Greece. 37 Minona St. Dr. Thorning met Dr. Time (f, benign alien, time traveler).

What did Garfield (Max’s BMF, Life I) owe Dr. Thorning?
Pamela Jane Tilcox (Pammy, Pam), & Dr. Thorning were seeing Virginia Burke (counselor) on a regular scheduled basis.
Pamela introduced Dr. Thorning to Kyle their newborn son.
Garfield came to see the baby but also had another surprise for Dr. Thorning.
Why was Dr. Thorning seeing Dr. Benjamin Stubbins, & Ivan Ibbotson (VP legal affairs)?

Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive
or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. A fairly well written time travel book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great time travel paranormal movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will rate it at 4/5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Making Connections discussion group talk; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)

Life II is a very interesting, thought provoking read. Or at least it was for the mid-thirties man that I am.

Even though I didn’t like many of the characters or appreciate their choices, I could relate to them. Those characters were human, with flaws, shortcomings and qualities. There isn’t any knight in shining armor there, nor is there a mustache twirling villain. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the main character is his own antagonist, and it’s him, or rather his perception of joy and fulfillment he must triumph against (or rather come to terms with).

The pace was even, I can’t say there are climaxes or intense conflict moments, but I found that it suited the novel. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into much detail, but the novel avoids many tropes and clichés (at least according to what I’ve read and seen) which could have made it eye-rolling or soap opera worth. Instead, the story strikes a middle path, never venturing into an excess of cheese nor going for big shocks or action either.

There was one passage which came somewhat out of the blue considering the rest of the novel concentrated on the human aspect of living your life a second time over. Thankfully, it didn’t even last long enough to leave a lasting impression.

Not being bad isn’t enough to be qualified as good, but despite what I’m describing so far, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Life II.

The core quality of the novel, and what had me enthralled, were the reflections and dilemmas prompted by asking myself “What would I do in his stead?” or just simply wondering how someone must feel after a no going back decision of that magnitude. The angst and bitterness of someone who dives before he thinks (understandably because he’s jaded with his actual life – despite the joys in it) and only realizes what he’s got into once he’s under the surface permeates the main character’s thoughts and actions. Even as he struggles to forge a new path, he’s held back by what he lost and doesn’t dare to completely let it go. It makes for a compelling human drama, and despite the mundane events he goes through, it is more than enough to provide food for thought and delicious one at that.

So, despite a string of events with very little action or shocking surprises, strong characters, unconventional story structure, relatable situations and a deep philosophical quandary, I rate Life II four (4) stars. I highly recommend it to anyone willing to tackle science fiction that raises questions and leaves the reader to decide his own answers.

I have received a free copy of this book. It has not influenced me at all in what I think of it.

A 42 year old man is given the chance to go back and re-live his life, starting at 16, but retaining all the knowledge and memories of his 42 year old self.

The basic ideas / concepts in this book are really good, if you had the chance to go back in time and change your life would it work out any better or would it just be a different series of disappointments? In particular I enjoyed the way that every “benefit / improvement” that the man made to his life seemed to be balanced with a “loss” in another area of his existence.

The idea of time travel being a ‘memory leap’ rather than a ‘physical leap’ was a good plot device and the mental anguish caused to main character seemed logical. But there were a few times when I thought the main character’s decisions were a bit odd, his interactions with people seemed too simple and in a few places I thought the writing could have been tighter.

There is much to like about Life II by Scott Spotson. It’s an interesting concept to explore. How would a forty-two year old man cope with going back in time to inhabit his own body, aged 17, but with all the memories of his previous life intact?

What makes the story unique is that Max, the protagonist, can never return to his previous existence, because “Time is absolute. Either it has happened, or it hasn't happened. If it hasn't happened, that’s the same thing as saying it doesn't exist.” And any changes he makes to how he has already lived his life will result in Max’s Life II diverging from Life I, often with dramatic results.

I found the quality of the writing inconsistent in that there are certain passages and chapters that seem to fill little purpose, or leave the reader asking the question, “Why did that happen?”

The plot, however, starts of at a fairly good pace for the first dozen chapters and sets the scene well. Then, as the inescapable horror of his existence takes over Max's mind, it leads him to irrational and destructive behaviour. Somewhere in here, the story tends to get bogged down in the minutiae of his mental state and day-to-day activities, before developing a new lease of life with the suggestion of an alien invasion.

As to the character of Max Thorning, I found him frustrating, unsympathetic at times, and at other times, sad, disturbed, and terrified. Some of his inner and spoken dialogue and responses to the situation in which he finds himself, I thought immature and extreme, remembering he is a forty-two year old mind (up to sixty-eight by the time he reaches 2013 again) in a young body.

Overall, if you can ignore the flaws, this is a novel worth spending time reading. It was clearly a challenging story to write and Scott Spotson has done a good job. I'm sure the novel will appeal to those attracted to the vagaries of time travel.

I was provided with a copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased, non-reciprocal review.

Everything was set up right in this novel, with Spotson taking things a step further in a life “correction” story by offering not only a Life II but a Life III for our main protagonist. Putting a strange book called “Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory” into the hands of Max, still haunted by an accident that took place when he was 16 (and now a man who needs to believe in himself again), is just what we need to kickstart an adventure worth the read. Of course, the Butterfly Effect comes into play—when you redo the past, the future as you knew it is irretrievable in its exact form. I think most of us imagine if we could go back and do things differently, life might be better. But there’s always the chance things could end up worse (shades of 11.22.63), so the lesson here is to appreciate what you do have and not belabor what might have turned out differently had you gone another route.

I enjoy reading books, and reviewing them – never have I encountered difficulty when having to review a book. There are simply not enough words to express my esteem for Life II.
With Life II, Scot Scopson pushes beyond the boundaries of human imagination, discarding existing boundaries, creating new ones, while keeping these beyond the scope of human reasoning.
The book deserves to be made into a movie. It really does. But it is going to be one of most difficult scripts to ever be written. This is because the whole plot of the book happens “in the mind”.
I do write reviews on books to assist those interested on what to expect. However, with Life II, I consider it a privilege to have written a review on such a magnificent book, while still in the lurch, because I know I have not exhausted the praise I have for it.

One of the incredibly fascinating aspects of any storyline dealing with time travel is the infinite possibilities immediately available. An untamed beast with the potential to overwhelm, Scott Spotson has managed to contain the essence of this element within the storyline of Life II. A few simple laws of temporal mechanics set into place and the concept of time travel goes from being the plot vehicle to a brief catalyst setting off a cascade of irreparable events. The laws of time absolute throughout the entire story, what we are presented with becomes a journey of self-discovery for Max Thorning. A middle-aged audit accountant, he stumbles across the chance to return to any point in his personal past and assume a different set of life choices. He finds himself considering a hefty and absolute decision influenced by discontent and regret in his life. With the best of intentions in mind, and a disregard for fate, he follows the fallible judgment mortals are prone to, certain he can establish a better life for himself and his loved ones with hindsight brought around to foresight.

Life II is a story about being human, dealing with raw aspects of success, regrets, love, grief and the pivotal choices affected by each. The plot is driven by what it means to be human and the desire to find the perfection we are often led to believe will bring us happiness. With a casual tone and a colloquial voice, we join Max relieving 26 years of his life from young adulthood through middle age and the complexities of karmic physics he affects. Bringing to mind the age old cliché, “No good deed goes unpunished,” Max learns the hard way what the repercussions of stirring Fate’s cauldrons really are. Precognizant trifling and temporal paradoxes expectedly raise the questions of ethical choices inherent in every tale infused with the element of time travel.

Simple yet intriguing with the initial setting, Spotson has wrought a narrative interesting enough to keep the reader engaged from chapter to chapter. It would have been nice to spend more time with certain events as I feel it would have helped developed more depth for the secondary characters, but that aspect did allow the story to maintain the necessary momentum as it unfolded. With a noticeable lack of antagonist, that responsibility falls to the protagonist which I personally feel adds a deeply human element most can relate to. When we find discontent within our lives, we often realize that our own personal choices are to blame.

Definitely a thought provoking read, Scott Spotson deserves accolades for raising some important concepts of what it means to be human. My interest in the sequel has been peaked without a doubt.

3.5 Stars
What if you could live your life over? Eradicate all the mistakes you made. Life II explores what it would be like to revisit the past twenty-six years. Back in the body of a teenager, but with the mind of forty-two year old. Is it possible to fix past mistakes, the relationships between people a second time around? The story is well written and shows some surprising twists which for the most part appear believable and interesting.

My biggest issue with the book is that it is much too long. Many every-day interactions, detailed college days, etc. drag on and while we really get to know the main character, Max, very well, these occurrences don’t add much to the overall plot. A shorter approach would have sped up the story and created more intensity. Overall, Life II presents an interesting theme, some of us might contemplate at times: second chances.

I really loved this book. One of my favorite shows growing up (and still is) is the Twilight Zone. To me, this is like an episode of the Twilight Zone was made into a movie, not any specific episode because I think the story is very original.

I was really rooting for all of the characters and completely drawn into what would happen next for poor Max.

The only criticism I have (and it is purely opinion) is I wish it had ended a little differently. The ending was okay, but I was hoping for the "It's a Wonderful Life" ending. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi, or time travel. I think it answers nicely, "what would you do differently if you could live life all over again?" and 'Would it really change anything?"

You had a very good start in life; you had some good things after and others not so good later. Now, imagine that an alien is giving you - a forty something years old - the chance to sneak back in time, take over your young adult body while keeping your actual experience. Then imagine disregarding a very important part of your previous life, a slip that will completely ruin your new beginning. Life II is the story of a man having his life’s chance to start everything again, only to screw it. Max has to deal with the consequences of his own choice, and the book is more about his struggles to recalibrate his life, dealing with a complexity that can’t be reproduced again, than about time travel. It is a young adult book, flowing well for about two thirds, up to the point where everything starts to run too fast, after Max’s decision to quit his medical position (a decision that came from nowhere) and Pam’s ‘announcement’ to leave him that was handled in just half of a page. From all the characters, Garfield was the most likeable while Nathan was inserted just to have a politically correct overview.
In the end, an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed Life II. It was such an interesting concept, heading back and starting out again from a certain point in time. I really enjoyed the way Max lived his second life with hindsight of his first life and how he tried to change relationships. Some things worked out for the better, but others had unexpected consequences. We see Max grappling with his new life and the non-existence of his children from Life I and it gets emotional at times. Some tough themes are tackled, some in more detail that others, such as domestic violence, suicide, cancer, the loss of a child and problem gambling. Overall it was a very enjoyable journey with Max.

Life II by Scott Spotson addresses the question of how would you change your life if you could do it all over again.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

What I loved: The premise was really cool. This is the first time travel story I've read and it had a cool plot about it. I read along and could see the humanity behind he decisions Max, the main character, was making. It had some nice twists throughout keeping the reader engaged.

What I hated: Honestly it felt a little sloppy. I found a lot of grammatical errors, spelling errors, lack of indentation, etc. What bothered me the most was right at the beginning, and I don't think is a spoiler but if you want to avoid it stop reading now. Max finds this book that is about time travel and it really piques his interest, so when he gets home he's all excited to read the book and when he comes across his daughter he stops to spend some time chatting with her. But when his young son asks him to play he brushes him off because the book is his priority. There's some stuff on how he wants to spend time with his son and does eventually, I just think if he was that in to reading the book he would have blown off both kids? To me it shows that this guy honestly just doesn't like his son, which ruins a lot of what happens throughout.

Recommendation: It's a fun story, but what I like the most is that it makes you think about the decisions you've made in your life. I would recommend if you want a fiction book that can provoke some thoughts within you.

3.5

If you were offered a chance to live your life all over again, would you take it?

This is the premise of Scott Sponson's novel, Life II. His protagonist, an unhappy 42 year old accountant named Max Thorning, is dissatisfied with his boring job, his demanding wife, and his meaningless life. The only bright spots for him are his two children, Angela and Brandon, whom he professes to love deeply, and his faithful best friend, Garfield. When he discovers a book on time travel, he discovers clues that lead him to Dr. Time, an alien who offers to send him back to a specific date in the past. Max is told that he can still marry Abby and have his two children in his second life, so he immediately jumps at the chance. Why? He wants to live his life over again so that this time, he can become a doctor and help people.

Max goes back to when he was sixteen and immediately starts making choices different from the ones he made in Life I. As one would expect, things do not go as Max anticipates. One is reminded of the saying, "Be careful what you wish for."

Life II is a thought provoking journey as one man tries to go back in time to make his life better and finds that the things he thought were important - success, job prestige, wealth, fancy car - were hollow victories. For me, the most difficult thing was connecting emotionally with this character. Max continually professes to adore his children from Life I but was immediately willing to snap up a chance to walk away. His selfish desires come first and his justifications for his actions ring empty to me. Many of the events in Life II bring him tragedy and he is haunted by what he has lost from Life I. In the end, Max acknowledges his mistakes and finds a sense of peace.

Life II has a flowing, easy-to-read style and it tells a moral tale of the dangers of always desiring something better and not being satisfied with the riches that one has. The grass is not greener on the other side. Count your blessings. Well done, Mr. Spotson, on an interesting read!

42 year old Max Thorning is stuck in a dead-end job and an unhappy marriage, and then he finds an old book titled, ‘Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory’ in a used book store. The book leads him to Dr. Time and his Time Weaver in Greece where he finds out Dr. Time can let him travel back to any point in his past.

Max steps into his 16 year old past. Armed with the knowledge and maturity of an adult, he must decide what changes he will make to make his life better.
We watch as Max grapples with his conflicted emotions about the life he left behind. At times, he seeks to make changes in order to forge a new future. At other points, he’s desperate to maintain continuity with the original timeline.
He didn't find out until after he traveled to the past, that he would never see his children again – they would never be born.

Mostly, the story is interesting and keeps you turning pages such as when Max meets his ex-wife Abby in life II , and how Max changes things to stop the death of his mother, but at some places, you start losing interest in the story because it is long. The sentences are well formed with only a few errors. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys time travel novels, the book is worth reading; it makes you realize the importance of your life being lived today.

The reason for only giving it 3 stars are: life progresses for the character in his new timeline, but it’s not very exciting, it lacks some real emotion, it was hard to really sympathize with the character (for example: more aggression, and anger about the lack of information he was given about the time travel, losing the children that was so precious to him), and I think the author could very well accomplish this because this is an intelligent author . The book also felt far too long at over 600 pages the story could use some trimming, I did find myself skipping paragraphs on a few occasions. There are also a few errors but nothing that took you away from the story.

What an intriguing story! I liked that Max thought he could prevent that killed a girl when he'd so drunk at sixteen whe good sense told him to call a cab. With each time travel to 1974 forty-two year old Max Thorton, a financial investment salesperson decided that twenty-six years was long enough to have his nightly nightmare, but each time he changed the past and had to return three times to his younger self to get it right and along the way he learned more about his family in the body of a sixteen year old and the eyes of a forty-year old.

This story feels like a glimpse into a real life, even with the aliens and time travel. It stretches over the course of decades, through a series of experiences, rather than in an average fiction's arc.

We follow Max as he navigates his way through the results of his impulsive decision to travel back in time. His story is at times sad, frustrating, exciting, and curious. Max himself is as contradictory as a normal person might be; intelligent and naive, loving and selfish, hopeful and jaded.

The conclusion of the story is as unconventional as the writing style and not what I anticipated at the onset. I get hints of R. Scott Bakker there, but the overall feel is more young adult than anything.

There are quite a few bugs yet to work out of the copy I received, namely type-o's and a few inconsistencies, but these could be easily weeded with a fresh edit.

Overall I wasn't fond of the main character, Max, but that's just a personal thing. Solid SciFi novel.

I was quickly immersed into a richly and carefully woven science fiction story, full of thoughtfully laid out characters. From the beginning I was eager for each new scenario, each turn of the page. The authors own personal travels helped shape the story with detailed backdrops of a globetrotting Max wrestling within himself between Life 1 and Life 2. The entire story kept true to his internal struggles and what we as a reader could relate to if we “ could do it all over again”. I joyed how the author could step back into the shoes and vernacular of a young teenage Max and bring me there, as a reader. My interest was held, cover to cover. I look forward to the sequel. I will be reading it immediately and hope that a production company is wise enough to spot this gem and offer to make a blockbuster movie out of this rare find. The author made me feel quickly invited into the story early on and I was lost in the adventure. A true must read book and author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I’ve read most, if not all of this author’s works but was particularly impressed by the protagonist in this one, a middle aged man, frustrated and in the grip of ennui who experiences a life changing epiphany when he comes across a book on time travel. This leads to his encounter with Doctor Time who with the use of a device called the time weaver has the power to send him back to any point in his life.
The book explores a theme that has been dealt with many, many times before; if you had the power to change things in your life would you or should you and what are the consequences of doing so. Nevertheless Spotson manages to put his own unique spin on the story. The novel spans a quarter of a century and perhaps could have done with a few more “beats” that is more points of action and threats to keep the pacing going but overall it was still a very enjoyable read. I much prefer the sequel (yes, I actually read the sequel first” Bridge Through Time) but Life II is nevertheless another very enjoyable read from a very, very talented author.

I enjoyed this book, especially the fact that it was unpredictable. When Max was given the opportunity to go back in time he had no idea what would change or how different his life would be. Through this long novel we saw how his choices affected those around him. Some remained friends no matter what. His emotions concerning the children he left behind were palpable. Interesting take on time travel.

Many have pondered on a life lived and if it were possible to return and live it again and remedy errors and mistakes. The time travel theme is not new, however, Spotson’s take on the consequences of change is engaging and thought provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and found myself yearning to find out what would happen to the protagonist, Max.

While I did not become enamored with the main character, this was hardly a detraction. I actually found it refreshing to have a character embedded with certain flaws and not easily likable. I found the character’s motivations from his first life selfish and judgemental. Max’s journey certainly refined elements of his character, through heartbreak and trial. This refinement is what I was grateful to see. So, while I still disliked the character, I could understand his actions and choices.

I liked the idea that certain events could not be easily changed, even with influences in the second time through life. Also, that through degrees of separation, our actions influence others who in turn impact upon others and so on. These interactions ripple outward and could possibly impact large scale events (such as a presidential election). The way we treat others, for good or ill, will echo through the chasms of humanity.

I give kudos to the author for researching certain events and connecting to pivotal moments in recent history. I liked the character’s perspective of going back with a foreknowledge of technology and events. To be honest, I question whether an individual long removed from events would be able to recall small specific details and dates. This was a big plot element, that the character would use regularly to boost his prosperity. I suppose the fact that he was an accountant would support the premise. However, I believe in the entropy of the brain, and in the erosion of details over time. This was only a small point, and hardly diminishing the effect or theme of the novel.

Overall, I would recommend the novel for those who enjoy the philosophical side of time travel and the effects of our choices, made and unmade. Warning, Canadian references abound, so if you are not brushed up on the finer points of Canada, prepare for an immersion. Oh, and I would have taken a star away for a Calgary Flame reference, which the author thankfully omitted. Well done!

Life II is a gripping Science Fiction novel, by Author Scott Spotson. Set mainly in Vancouver and Calgary, the story follows Max Thorning, a Forty-two year old man who is sick of feeling like second best to his wife and two kids.

After stumbling across an old book on the theory of time travel, Max decides to follow the clues to Athens, Greece. There, he meets a strange woman who claims to be an alien, and goes by the name of Dr. Time. Max is offered the chance to travel back in time, as long as it is any point within his own original time line. Deciding he has little to lose, Max jumps back to his sixteen year old body, where he starts his life again from that point. The novel sees Max go through many ups and downs and he struggles with the guilt that stems from his memories of Life I.

But, is there something that Dr. Time failed to mention?

Max's character began as a rational thinker. Along the path of Life II, we see him slowly disintegrate as the memories of Life I weigh in on his conscience. Supporting characters such as best friends Garfield, Nathan, and old flame Abby, continue to support him through this new life. Each character is unique in their own way, with their own sense of what their life means to them as an individual.

I was drawn into this surprising read by Max's emotional desires. I quickly connected with him as a character when I saw the emotional distress caused by his losses. I sympathized with his plight and can only imagine the kind of pain that his character goes through. The plot was well thought out, with ideas that really spoke to me, scientifically. The cast of characters was loveable and for the most part, well rounded. I'm intrigued to see what Mr Spotson writes next. Easily 5 stars. A fantastic read.

4 stars!

Scott Spotson’s novel, Life II tells the story of one man who has a chance to relive a portion of his life again. Presented with an opportunity to revisit his past, 42 year old Max Thorning steps into his 16 year old past. With the knowledge of an adult, he must decide on what changes he will make.

I enjoyed it, the book is well written and flows easily and Life II is more a story about choices and what could have been rather then focusing too much on time travel. It is easy to follow.

Overall, it was a good book which I enjoyed so it deserves the four stars.

SPOILER ALERT: Some of the info in this review may give away details you may want to leave unknown. I promise you, this is not an entire plot spoiler though and there are many aspects that you will discover even if you read this!

I have to start by saying this isn't a genre I have read before, but I was given a chance in a peer review group to read it. It was a very interesting read full of theories and ideas that were presented in a very believable and intriguing way. I don't usually like stories with aliens because I find most to be contrived spins on other author's works... but this was fairly unique. I especially liked that the alien presence is not the focus nor the purpose. Instead this book presents philosophical ideas of reliving life and what it would do to a person mentally. Time travel itself is not a new concept nor the Butterfly Effect theory, but this story presents everything in a fresh and simple way. It even goes so far as to reference similar movies like Groundhog Day that Max finds amusing along the way. I was worried that there would be an abuse of the future knowledge, as he does use it to gamble once in his teens, but I liked that the author had enough sense to not focus on that. He gave the character integrity in that area. What didn't make sense was how intelligent he was in so many ways, especially having already lived so long, but then there were so many places in his Life II that he acted stupid about. It didn't fit the character and was difficult to feel compassion for.

There were only a couple of problems I had with it that made this a difficult review to write. The first issue was the main character chooses to leave his life behind fairly quickly and then spends a lot of time blaming Dr. Time for not warning him of the consequences. Again, he was an intelligent man and yet he couldn't figure out that things would be drastically different in a new life? He also kept blurting out things that clued everyone to his future knowledge that I found frustrating. I understood warning people of things, but he would just blurt things out all the time which didn't seem to match his intellect.

The other and biggest problem for me was the book's length. It was way too long. It had enough interesting elements that I kept reading in order to see how the author wrapped it up, but there were so many situations that went on too long and didn't pay off. I felt like there was a large amount of time in his youth as he tried to change his whole family and his life course, so then I hoped it would speed up in this college years... but it didn't. I can honestly say I wouldn't want to be the editor because it would have been very difficult to choose what to leave out. I understand why all of the parts are included, but it dragged on. That aspect was not helped by the character's constant complaining about time dragging on and his endless sadness regarding the children he lost from Life I. I know it had to be hard, but it was harder reading it over and over and over.

Aside from the negative points, all in all this was a fun adventure that pulled you into Max's world and made you ask yourself the same questions about your own existence. I would recommend reading this and ask yourself whether it would be worth it to go back and do it again different

The idea behind Life II is an interesting one--a time travel device that lets you go back to some point in your life and start over, and some parts of this book are very engrossing. It's a bit long and could be edited down to make a more flowing story. Some of the facts and numbers portrayed may daunt some readers.

The main character, Max, decides to "do over" his life (with somewhat disastrous results in the beginning.) He tries to change things and is sometimes successful, but mostly, he learns that he really can't change much. The problem with the character of Max though, is he is a pretty one-dimensional guy, he is very self-absorbed and doesn't seem to mature much his second time around in Life II, and it's hard to root for him. This story would resonate better if I had more sympathy for Max and his plight.

Forty-two-year-old Max Thorning is bored with his routine and unsatisfying life. Upon wandering through a used bookstore, he finds an unusual book that takes his mind off his discontent with his life. It is a book about time travel, but it does not make sense. Finally, finding a pattern within the book, he deciphers a coded message that directs him to an address in Athens, Greece. Thus begins Max's adventure of reliving the last 26 years of his life.

This is a time travel book of sorts. However, it is not your ordinary time travel storyline. This one is very different. Max faces the restrictions of the Time Weaver, the alien device that sends him back to his sixteen-year-old self. These restrictions, and the manner in which the author, Mark Spotson writes, makes this story very real and one of a kind.

Max wants to make his life better, to redo the decisions he had made in his first attempt at life, but does this work? Spotson's characters are very real and their reactions are as well. His characters and their interactions force the reader to wonder what she would do, given this same, imaginative opportunity.

This author has a way of writing that flows naturally and easily. Soon, the reader forgets she is reading and is whirled into the experience of Spotson's imaginary world. Beware: this book is impossible to put down. One wants to read and read to discover what will happen next. I highly recommend this intriguing novel!

If you could live a portion of your life again, would you? Would you try to change anything? What impact would this have on the people in your life in your former timeline? Scott Spotson's novel, Life II tells the story of one man who faces these questions. Presented with an opportunity to revisit his past, 42 year old Max Thorning steps into his 16 year old past. Armed with the knowledge and maturity of an adult, he must decide what changes he will make. As he lives out Life II, he is conscious of the differences in timelines.

The book is well written and flows easily without losing the reader in convoluted paradoxes. Explanations of time travel and time theory are simple and easy to follow. The book is not really about the science of time travel.

Instead, Life II is a story about choices, consequences, and the road not taken. In this book, the main character grapples with his conflicted emotions about the life he left behind. At times, he seeks to make changes in order to forge a new future. At other points, he's desperate to maintain continuity with the original timeline.

In general, I enjoyed the premise of the book. I liked the concept of time travel being a journey of memory and personality rather than a physical transition. I also appreciated the fact that the author successfully presented a time travel story that avoided some obvious causality problems. The only issues I had with the book had more to do with my emotional reaction to the main character. I felt that some of the choices Max made were too abrupt or were difficult for me to accept. The character's thought processes and decisions regarding his children were especially hard for me to swallow. I understand that this was an important plot device, but it was very difficult for me to reconcile. That may say more about me as a reader than about the character, but it colored my perception of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a non-reciprocal review from the author.

"Life II" follows the "second life" of Max Thorning who, after finding a very odd book in a used book store, deciphers clues that lead him to a steet address in Greece. There he finds an alien by the name of Dr. Time who sends Max's mind back in time about 26 years to occupy his 16 year old body with all his memories intact, to relive his life. Just about all serious SF fans will be strongly reminded of Ken Grimwood's classic "Replay", published in the late 1980s, in which the protagonist, 43 year old Jeff Wilson, dies of a heart attack and re-awakens with his memories intact as an 18 year old. The cycle repeats, with Jeff always dying of a heart attack on the same day as a 43 year old but reawakening later and later along his previous life. The novel was Greenwood's biggest hit in a career that was cut short, ironically by his death at 59 from a heart attack.

In Life II, the travel back is voluntary, and there is no recycling. Max leaves behind a lukewarm marriage but also two kids that he loves very much. Max's memory of specific events in the past is not as sharp as Winston's was, and as a result, with the exception of a very small financial game while in High School, Max does not capitalize financially in any way on his future knowledge of sporting events, elections, the stock market etc. As a result, he has to make his own way, and things do not go as easily as he thought they would.

Can the past be changed? Unlike in Stephen King's most recent novel, "11/22/63", the past is NOT obdurate, and does not appear to push back. Does all the foreknowledge and experience of a 40 something adult help Max do better the second time around? The answer is complicated and forms the basis for the philosophical underpinnings of the novel.

Mr. Spotson's writing is fine. There are none of the horrors that are common to many independently published works. The grammar, structure, organization, pacing etc. are all of seasoned professional quality, and I failed to find the usual assortment of typos, misspellings and other failures of editing and proofreading that are rampant in self-published e-books. Even at 640 pages, the novel was a quick read, and it was fun. If you have read Replay, however, do not expect a replay. LIfe II is darker and grittier, and perhaps more realistic in some ways.

Aside from the nagging belief that regardless of how addled my adult memories may be, I would have done a much better job than Max using my foreknowledge of events to at least make myself moderately wealthy (money never hurts, no matter what one's philosophy), I didn't like the time travel mechanism very much. I found the whole alien Dr. Time thing sort of juvenile, the kind of plot device that one would find in a children's or YA novel, and not at all consistent with the much heavier psychological, philosophical, and metaphysical aspects explored in the rest of the novel. And I had a little trouble with Max himself. I can understand him wanting out of his boring, loveless marriage, but wondering why and how he just up and left the two kids that he loved so much without a backwards glance.

I have trouble with the star rating on this one. I liked the bulk of the novel, but not the launch mechanism. Max's behavior sometimes seemed quite reasonable, other times less so. And I probably suffer from unavoidable comparisions with Replay, which was one heck of a book and the first time I had encountered the type of "reincarnation" used in Life II as well. So I rate Life II as a 3.5 rounded down to 3. It is certainly worth reading and will likely give you something to think about.

J.M.Tepper

I just finished Life II.

The best parts of the book are the middle and the ending. I think it would be better if it had not spent time explaining time traveling, like the books A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and The Time Traveler's wife (I did not see the movie of either, by the way).

At the start, I could not understand why Max became so fixated with a book, or why he made his initial choice without thinking about his family. I later understood this decision and its repercussions were the main part of the story, but I could feel no compassion for Max.

That being said, I finished the book in about one week, so it got me hooked. In the end, I wanted to know what would have happen to Max, and if I did not like him. The cognitive dissonance I felt is the reason for the rating.

**Actual Rating 3.5 Stars**
Characters

Max is the main character and most of the novel is told from his point of view. The author does a great job of creating very flawed but hopeful character. There are some jarring point of view changes that I think were distracting, but they were luckily few and far between. I don't want to give too much but I was very impressed with the cast of characters. 

Plot*

I'd like to start by saying I HATE TIME TRAVEL BOOKS. They are usually poorly executed and poorly thought out. That is not the case here. This book thoroughly explores the decision to 'time travel' and the consequences for doing so. If you love time travel books more for the science aspect, you have to pick this up. 

Max decides to travel back to when he was 16 and change his future. He isn't happy in his current life - particularly his marriage - and he wants to change it. So he does. He agrees to re-write his life. 

Overall

It was a captivating prospect. The writing was mostly easy to follow and filled with Max's emotions. The overall book was lengthy - almost excessively so. Although I did appreciate the level of detail in which Max's life was explored, I also found myself going cross-eyed during the more mundane portions.  I was really captivated by the last 15% or so. It is important to know that some threads of plot are left unresolved and although Max's story has a general resolution, it seems to me that the author isn't done and could pick up one of those incomplete threads. 

What really was the deciding factor was the deeply seeded philosophical effects of Max's choice to travel back. That is what really struck a cord with me. I both pitied and hated Max, while still finding a middle ground to accept his decisions. It was quite an emotional roller-coaster ride! 

Rating 

3.5 Stars (rounded up)

Despite my hatred for time travel books - this was expertly done. If you like time travel books - this is a must read! Especially if you like more of the human aspects of time travel.

*I received this as a Science Fiction novel and agree with that. However, in my opinion, this is not for teens and is a stretch even for the New Adults genre. 

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from this book but aside from the fact that it’s a book about traveling through time, it delivered something else.

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of Time Travel books, from HG Wells’ Time Machine to Card’s Pastwatch to Willis’ Doomsday Book to Foster’s Let The Ants Try, Chalker’s Downtiming the Night Side to Grimwood’s Replay, etc. I think I’m fairly well read in the genre although I have to admit, I haven’t read Outlander.

Scott Spotson’s Life II combines elements of several of these books, the chance to do something over again like Replay, the sorts of limitations to interaction with the time stream that you see with Pastwatch (although different and more specific), and the impressive machinery from several of them.

This book is about the emotional trauma and baggage that you carry with you when you realize you left everyone you knew behind and you will never be able to see them/interact with them again. It’s like if everyone you knew died and there were other people in their places who don’t share your history.

It’s interesting in that respect. The protagonist’s motivations are very different and very mundane as opposed to being someone partaking in Time Travel for more virtuous motives (like Science, or to fix societal ills) or to someone who’s traveling through time whether they want to or not.

This focus on the protag’s internal conflicts without having some similar outer conflict or objective gives the story a kind of ponderous feel. And there’s a bit of a twist near the end that tries to address that lack of external conflict, but it comes too late and ends up feeling grafted on and unnecessary in the overall context of the story.

The story’s tone suffered a bit because of a tendency to tell and to over-narrate. I think if the author had put us deeper into the protag’s point of view, the emotional connection would have been much greater.

This is a time travel book that’s introspective, so if you’re looking for an action packed shoot-em-up or a grand spectacle dealing with big civilization spanning issues, this is not the book you’re looking for. This is a book about a man dealing with regular issues making a drastic change and being unprepared for the consequences. There's something honest about that, and it's refreshing.

A wonderful mix of scifi and suspense. I love time travel tales and this one is well thought out and. Well written. I recieved an arc copy of this book and willingly give my honest review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

There's a temptation in all of us dealing with regret of past decisions, to play the 'what if' game, desiring a 'Do Over'. Life doesn't often offer an opportunity to have one of these, and we usually have to deal with the consequences of these decisions, captives of the time stream we live in.

Dissatisfied with his controlling wife and his dead end job, Max Thorning secretly wishes he had a 'Do Over' card to play. When Max picks up an odd multi-language book entitled "Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory", the cryptic clues in the book lead him to the chance to go back in time and relive his life. He can only bring his memories with him, but memories of the future can be a powerful thing.

Max's decision to go back in time has far-reaching impact, affecting everyone close to him and changing the course of history. And he quickly comes to realize that the decision to change the past has much greater consequences than the decisions he was attempting to correct. And the cost is far higher than he's willing to pay.

Content:
Violence:
PG - There is little real violence in the novel, although there is a suicide attempt and some gunplay.

Language:
R - The F-bomb is used in several places; on one page it occurs quite a few times. GD is used once. Other foul language is scattered throughout. The Lord's name is taken in vain in multiple places.

Drug Content:
PG-13 Drinking occurs to excess in a few places, and one occurrence ends up with no remembrance of the previous night. There is some offer of pot and minor drugs are mentioned.

Adult Content:
PG-13 - One character is a very active playboy. His escapades are not described, but it's obvious he's moved through many women. There is an emotional affair that destroys a marriage, and a couple live together without marriage for years. There is a gay couple who marry. One character struggles with homosexuality.

Christian content:
None, really. There is some discussion about faith, one character is a believer of sorts, and struggles with the atheism of her partner. There is some discussion about cheating fate, what God intended to happen, and the idea that a soul can only exist in one place at a time. The main character struggles mightily with his selfish mistakes, almost going insane with the shame and guilt.

Final analysis:
Some of this book dragged, and most of it was focused on life drama and comparatives from Life I to Life II. The action was interesting but was not so much an adventure story, although there were places where it paced like one. The characters were relatively believable. The technology differences between 2013 and the Eighties was clearly depicted, and added to the realism. The climax happened a bit early and the ending seemed drawn out. With those issues and the pacing, I didn't quite feel right giving this one more than Four Stars. However, I'll add that it gave me some interest in following it to its sequel, Bridge Through Time.
* I received an electronic copy for an honest review.

This is the second novel I've read by Scott Spotson, (first book was Brandon Chambers), and Life II delivers exceeds my expectations yet again.
Spotson asks a question that most of us have asked in the past: "If I could travel back in time, what would I change...", and he answers in this personal, emotionally charged story.
Suffice to say, the dynamics of Time Travel, whilst presented simply enough, has clearly been researched and thought out very carefully, as the actions always have consequences.
A great read, by a superb author!

I’m reminded of a song by Anna Nalick. It’s called “Breathe” and I’m sure you’ve heard it. Part of the lyrics say “life’s like an hourglass glued to the table, no one can find the rewind button, boys…” But what if you could? What changes would you make in your life if you could hit that rewind button and do it all over again? And, if you did, how would those changes affect the people you knew in your other life? What if your new life didn’t live up to your expectations? Like the flutter of the wings of a butterfly, would the ramifications of your do over make the world a better place or do irreparable damage?

These are the questions and challenges Max Thorning faces when he decodes a mysterious ancient text leading him to the “Time Weaver.” Suffering a mid-life crisis, dissatisfied with his job and his marriage, Max is given the chance to relive his life from the time he is a teenager. Still retaining the memories from his first life, he’s determined to right the wrongs and regrets that have plagued him.

Mr. Spotson has done an incredible job of weaving together all the intricate details of this complex study of possibilities. My eyes were glued to the pages as I became emotionally involved with Max’s character and his journey through two lives. The completely believable supporting players as well as the well written, natural dialogue added to the experience and allowed me to immerse myself in the story line eager to see the outcome of each challenge.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s ever said, “If I had the chance to do it all again…”

Having previously reviewed Replay by Ken Grimwood, I was approached by the author to provide a review of this book which uses a similiar premise. Max Thorning is 42 and in a rut with his life. He works as an Auditor, is married to a woman he really doesn't love and has two young children. One day he finds an old book about the theory of time travel. He is obsessed with the book and finds some patterns that lead him to an address in Athens, Greece.

Max encounters Dr. Time who has a time machine that can both let him view any event of the past and to transfer his concious to an earlier version of himself. Max feels he wants a total career change and that he would want to go to Medical School. That would require having a different high school curriculum so he decides to go back to when he was 16. Dr. Time warns him that if does go back, everything that happened in his life will change, which means that his children would cease to exist. Max thinks there would be a way around this and decides to go ahead.

Max takes a totally different path in his teenage life. Some of the things he does have little effect on anything and some things change his friends and family and some things cause a wider effect. Max calls his new life "Life II" and he previous life "Life I." Life II consists of Max trying to create a better life and not repeat mistakes that he knows will happen. This includes using his "adult" intelligence to act as marriage counseler to his parents, trying to have his sister make a better life for herself and finding out if he can really go through with remarrying his wife from Life I.

This book is fairly large but it is a real fast read. The author explores a lot of philosophical as well as psychological issues that Max faces and the inner torment he faces with things like losing his kids and sometimes "adversely" affecting those he knew in Life I. I found the book difficult to put down. I could not give this book a full five stars because several things are not resolved (perhaps there will be a sequel to this book). Also, I found it unbelieveable that Max would have such an obsession with the old book that he drops all he is doing to go to Athens and then with limited thought agrees to go back to he early self.

In `Life II' we are introduced to Max, who lives an ordinary life, which is turned upside down when he meets the mysterious Dr Time, who have the technology and know-how to can control time itself.

Dr Time enables Max to relive his life from when he was 16 years old, while retaining his knowledge and memories about his life up to present day.

This intriguing `time travel' concept is explored to the full by the author, who let's Max enjoy the freedom to resolve and deal with many different situations such as his parent's failing relationship, his sister's dangerous relationship to Len, trying to prevent an untimely death in the family and many more well observed situations.

Some parts of the book are pure sci-fi in nature, while others are what one might term a conventional story about Max, his family and friends. I particular enjoyed Dr Time explaining to Max how the technology behind the mastery of time worked, a very believable description.

The story pulls you along gently, expectantly, with believable dialogue sparkling with intent, and characters you get to know and understand.

A thought provoking, nostalgic and in some places melancholy read ("Oh, Cherokee, why did you have to die?"), and yet wonderfully positive and uplifting read.

I've encountered a number of time travel stories -- in books, tv, and movies -- but this to me is a completely different, yet totally creative spin on time travelling. And while ultimately this is still fiction, I found it to be a very well thought out story, one where the entire story connects and seems logical. Just that alone is enough for me to give this book 5 stars. But there's more.

The story focuses on Max, a regular middle aged guy who would think about the what-ifs in life -- what if he studied medicine instead of being a desk-bound accountant, what if his relationship with his family and friends progressed differently...things would have been much better now. And this wish would come true for Max -- he travels 26 years in time back to his high school years with the earnest hope that, armed with the knowledge of hindsight, he could help the people close to him have a much better life. But as he would find out, things aren't so simple, results don't go the way he would have wanted, and even his very life would be affected in ways he didn't expect.

I was a bit skeptical initially on how the story would pan out but once the story shifted and presented how time travel works, things start to pick up. I got really intrigued with how the story would unfold that it became a real page turner for me. I found a portion of the ending a bit bizarre though, but perhaps the author just wanted to point out the vast possibilities of how people would react knowing such a time travel device exists. Nevertheless I believe the book ended in a fitting manner.

The author's writing style, plus the way in which each chapter was structured made for a very easy read. Very entertaining and something I will definitely recommend to others.

A Final Word: How plausible is this spin of time travel from a realistic standpoint? To me, the main issue that probably prevents me from thinking this is realistic is how to bridge someone's mind/awareness from the present time with his past's physical body. Although this does eliminate the conflict of having 2 versions of the same person. In any case, I am not an expert in this field, but it did elicit some further thoughts on the topic.

I love sci-fi books, and the longer they are the better. And let me tell you, Life II is a long one!

The premise of this book is that you can go back in time and change things that've happened to you. It all happens to Max when he finds an old book that makes time travel possible. Spotson does a great job bringing up all the ethical problems this could entail, and I really liked this; books that make you think are the best.

Characters are fleshed out pretty good and scenes are described well. While I don't expect most sci-fi books to have their science make perfect sense, Spotson does a decent job with it. And I really like the beings that make the time travelling possible.

If you want a good long read, and not some short pamphlet of a sci-fi novel, check out Life II!

It isn't unusual for someone to consider what it would be like to return to an earlier part of their life, taking only the knowledge they have gained since then, with them. For example, a man in his forties may think wistfully, "If only I could go back to high school and live these years over again." In 'Life II', Max Thorning does just that.
This book is captivating for the insights it provides into what such a travel through time would actually mean. What would be lost in such an excursion is not often considered, but Max finds that the return to an earlier part of his life has some definite downsides.
'Life II' is very well written, with believable dialogue about an unbelievable topic. I highly recommend it for a good, thoughtful, entertaining read.

Not your regular time travel book - If I could go back I would re-write the first sentence to say "I enjoyed this novel so much, I can see myself reading it a second time". Follow Max as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II. This book is over 600 pages but is a fast read. The writing is exciting, riveting, and thrilling. It's a real page turner, and you will be waiting with baited breath as you wonder what is going to happen next. The author explores a lot of philosophical issues involved in time travel that I found interesting. Some were are not resolved which left me wanting more! "Life II" packs a punch, and I think most people would enjoy this story.

GENERAL:

At first, I didn't know this book is about time traveling and then when I found out it was about time traveling, I was so happy because books that involves time traveling is one of my favorite things! When I started reading the book, I got hooked to Max's story and I can't stop myself from reading. It didn't disappoint me. One of the things that made me love this book is; how Max valued his family more than anything else. While reading the story in a third person perspective, you can really see that Max loves his family more than himself. Every chapter has something to offer and trust me, I didn't get bored even though there were some tiny details that were unnecessary. I also love how the story progresses.

CHARACTER(S):
Max is a great character, I admired him so much. I consider Max as a selfless person and he was a truly great son, friend, father, and husband. He is a really persistent person too. He didn't stop from achieving what he really wants. Everyone in this book is flawed, which is really awesome. Of all the characters, my favorite would be Max's best friend, Garfield. Garfield is dumb sometimes but he's the kind of friend who will stay beside you through thick and thin. I'd really love Garfield to be my best friend too.

PLOT AND WRITING STYLE:
The plot of this book really impressed me. It was a great idea and I love how Scott Spotson came up with this idea. As for the writing style, it was great too. I love the way he wrote this book. Everything was perfectly understandable.

FINAL VERDICT:
I did enjoy reading this book and I would totally recommend this book to those people who loves to read books that involves time traveling. Totally worth reading!

[This review is also posted at Book Buddies PH.]

Who could resist the temptation to travel back through time and reinvent earlier versions of one's life? In Scott Spotson's novel, Life II, a disgruntled middle aged named Max Thorning is given the opportunity to do just that. His goal is simple: Just make a few minor adjustments in the past, and create a new and prosperous future. Simple, or is it?

With the help of a little alien technology Max is catapulted back to his teenage years to what appears to be a pivotal moment in his early life. Almost immediately, he begins to make changes, not necessarily for the better.

What I loved about this book was the smooth, consistent writing and the believable characters. In particular, I enjoyed the anti-hero approach Mr. Spotson takes with his principal character, Max. Max is likeable and intelligent, but also sometimes selfish and shallow. You know, human! I also enjoyed how the author illustrated the affects that Max's trek through time had on the world around him. The impact was small at the epicenter, but radiated far beyond Max's direct influence, nicely done.

My only concerns with the book were the alien time keepers in the story, and the speed with which some of the events seem to happen. No sooner we meet max than he's back in the past reliving his life. The pace is quick, but written so well that you aren't thrown for off the story. As for the aliens, the author doesn't reveal much about why they would participate in these selfish journeys through the timeline. The obvious dangers to the rest of the planet seemed distilled down to mere personal inconveniences.

Nevertheless, of all of the time travel stories I have read lately, I'm most fond of this one. Heck, I think I'll read it again.

A wish we’ve all had, becomes a brilliant idea in Life II

As human beings, we’ve all wished we could do it: go back to our youth, knowing what we know now. As authors, some of us have no doubt wondered how this wish might become an idea for a book. In “Life II”, Scott Spotson takes hold of the idea, runs with it, and scores quite the touchdown, in my opinion.
Max is a bit north of 40, and unhappy with his career and marriage, though he has two children he loves. When a book he finds by chance turns out to contain intriguing codes and clues to possible time travel, Max follows the hints halfway round the globe, where he meets… an alien, the female Dr. Time, who has taken human shape in order to conduct an experiment. And because he has found his way here, Max gets to be the guinea pig, and travel back in time to 1987, when he was sixteen!
Now, this is where the book begins to impress me. The theory of time travel it presents is an intriguing idea, making the book legitimate science fiction, rather than just a simple fantasy that goes, “Oh, the aliens have magic, so they can do this.” No, we are given a real explanation of how it works, and a thought provoking one at that.
So Max goes back in time, with the intention of becoming a doctor like he always wished he had done, but to still marry his wife Abby and have their two children. But before long, he finds that things are turning out differently in Life II. Completely differently!
Without giving too much away, let’s just say that there are quite a few twists and turns. Even though it tops 600 pages, my interest was never lost. The only fault I could find is the periodic typos that should have been found with a thorough spelling/grammar check. But the book’s narrative voice never falters, and the amount of thought that was put into it is evident all the way through. Rather than being a simple adventure story in which the hero sees some action on the way to a life lesson learned, we are taken through Max’s do-over of his life just as though we are re-living it along with him.
“Life II” dares to be different. Bravo.

Good enough. (See Wildcard, btw - www.the store.com/gp/product/B00OVBYX9I/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1 - for an awesome sff book. Can't recommend it highly enough). Spotson takes us through a life lived, well, twice. Agree that it had a slowish start, but I'm a fairly patient reader, so I kept going. Terrible title, I thought. Didn't look at the book on that basis.

A great story in terms of characters, plot, tension, and all the things that make for good stories.
What really sets this novel above the rest, however, is the delicate amount of science fiction, with just enough time-travel to satisfy the needs of us sci-fi fans.
Thoroughly loved it.

It's quite uncommon for me to read a book that has a high word count and still wish that it had even more. This is one of the most original novels I've read in quite some time, and I devour a lot of them.

A unique and interesting story about time travel which refreshingly was not so much about the "science" of time travel as it is about the people involved. At the beginning of the story Max Thorning (protagonist) discovers a benign alien that has come to earth to study time and who have the Science to enable one to go back in time and re-experience their lives. Very much like The Butterfly Effect movies one cannot bring anything with them in a physical sense as only the consciousness moves back in time. And unlike the Back to the Future concept of time travel one cannot move forward in time as of course it has not occurred yet and is not likely to be the same any longer.

Max, father of two children and in a seemingly loveless marriage recklessly travels back in time to live his life again from the age of 16, set on changing as much as he can that he sees as wrong with his life for the better.
The focus of the book, increasingly in the later chapters, is of the difficulty Max Thorning has in living with his decisions to leave his loved ones behind from his first life, his guilt at doing so and his gradual descent towards madness as well as his tendency to assert his reality from the first time line onto persons around him in his second life despite this not being applicable. For me these were the best parts of the book evoking thoughtful consideration on the concept of changing past decisions and actions and the way they have played out to my current present.

A book well worth reading.

Please note: The ‘review’ of this book (which was donated to The Magnolia Blossom Review for the sole purpose of a review) was completed by John C. Laird based on the Rubric designed by the owner of The MBR, L. Avery Brown. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review’s site online today! John Laird has given L. Avery Brown permission to post this review using her the store reviewer’s site.

AND NOW FOR THE REVIEW...
1. Book Title- 5 of 5
For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's title. Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)
Life II An appropriate title that accurately hints at what the story is about. Upon seeing it, I assumed that somebody was going to have, or experience, some kind of a 'second' life. Exactly how and what form this might take would be enough for me to take a look and read the blurb.

2. Book Cover – 4 of 5
For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's cover. Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?
A tough call here between 4 or 5 points. I loved the man standing before a trail sign indicating two possible paths into the forest; he was obviously facing a tough decision. And the use of the forest was superb. After reading the book, this cover immediately reminded me of the idiom "You can't see the forest for the trees." My hesitation comes with the fonts used in the title and author's name. I know why the author used that particular font for the title; it's akin to the forest behind it. It didn't 'grab' me though, it was a little hard to read. And the author's name should have been more prominent and NOT in cursive. Many schools don't even bother to teach cursive anymore. You'd like your cover to be legible in a 'thumbnail', if possible. True, I'm nitpicking. But that's because I'm having problems finding anything wrong with this book.

3. First 500... – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?
Well, if you've opened the book and started reading you're obviously interested in a story about time travel. So, when the protagonist buys an old tome entitled 'Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory', by Medicus Tempus, with provocatively titled chapters, said chapters written in numerous and unconnected foreign languages, you, like the hero, wonder what this is all about. You know he's going to research it, and you are interested as to where it's going to lead.... Personally, I would have made the prologue chapter one since too many readers skip a book's prologue. It would have fit in seamlessly. Either way, the beginning does it's job.

4. Blurb Effectiveness – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?
The blurb is effective and summarizes the story line of the book. It not only confirms the time travel aspect but the serious choices the protagonist may face and the consequences of his actions. The blurb does its job.

5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?
Although no age recommendation was listed, this would be appropriate for most ages. Sex was limited to kissing and innuendo. Violence was almost non-existent until the end (and nobody dies as a result of it). This is a science fiction/time travel story. The author presents his take on time travel provocatively and with a unique slant on its possible ramifications.

6. Presentation/Format – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?
This story was presented clearly and concisely and followed all standard formatting requirements and recommendations. Paragraphs and dialogue are nicely done, allowing the reader to follow the author's presentation without distraction.

7. Theme/Originality – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was this book something you'd never read? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved?
Time travel has been written and rehashed over and over in the past. Many stories are formulaic. Not this one. Maybe someone has covered this particular presentation before, but if so, I haven't seen it. The author has taken time travel and presented it with a unique slant. Refreshingly original. And even better, the time travel aspect doesn't dominate the plot; Mr. Spotson uses it as a means to study the possible repercussions of getting the wish that many of us have--what if you had the chance to go back and do your life over--taking with you the knowledge and memories you learned during your life.

8. Description/Enhancement – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?
The author did a masterful job of describing characters, settings and the worlds in which they inhabited. Nicely done. The characters were extremely well-developed, natural and 'relateable'. I'm guessing the author created detailed character worksheets before he ever started writing. And the dialogue was very natural and flowed smoothly between characters.

9. Intrigue - 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)
He really 'hit the nail on the head' here. Considering the unique premise of the book, I had no idea where, exactly, the story was going or how the protagonist's problems might be resolved. Hence, I had to keep on reading to find out, classifying this as a 'page turner'. I did become worried as I neared the end. I started thinking 'Oh, no, the author's going to blow it on the home stretch. It's going to have the same old overused ending as others. But no, I was wrong. In keeping with the rest of the book, it was refreshingly different. I should have known.

10. Grammar/Mechanics – 9 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)
Finally, I get to nitpick some more. The grammar was excellent, but I did manage to find a few errors in spelling and word usage. Considering the book was over 600 pages, there weren't many, and most of them were of the variety that 'spell check' wouldn't find--make/made, startling/starting, tried/trying, etc. And a few minor omissions of the words 'and' and 'is'. But considering the books length and, compared to other Indy books, this was pretty darn clean.

11. Overall Impression – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?
EXCELLENT. Very enjoyable. Highly recommended. Unique premise, great plot, well developed characters, clean dialogue, intriguing story line and a satisfying ending make this a provocative and 'make-you-think' book. If you have any interest in the time travel sub genre of science fiction, you'll like this one. And even if you don't, you'd enjoy the protagonist's struggles with the sometimes dire repercussions of his choices. A professional effort. This is one you won't mind paying for.

THE BESTOWING OF THE BLOSSOMS...
It appears that John C. Laird really enjoyed Scott Spotson's "Life II' very much after seeing that he gave it 98 out of 100 points. And John has a pretty critical eye, too! It certainly sounds like the sort of book that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers - and who knows - it might even find its way to the big screen! Wouldn't that be awesome? And to think we, at The MBR, would be able to say 'Knew it all along - after all, it earned 5 Blossoms!' Here's wishing the very best to Scott Spotson as he goes forward in his writing career!

This book sort of revolves around the idea of, "What would you do if you could go back and change the things in your past that you regret?" This is not necessarily a new premise for a story, but it does make the point that changing the past could have unintended questions pretty well. The protagonist goes back and trades his old life for one in which he has a better chance of having a better life by every objective metric that society is used to determining success or failure by. Is it worth losing some subjective things that are also important? The writing is maybe a bit pendantic, the attempt at intrigue fizzled, and, the main character does come off as a bit whiny and then blames the time-traveling aliens for the fact that "Life II" is also unsatisfactory. But you sort of expect that from someone who would seriously consider going back and changing things about the life that he is unhappy with.

Life II is all about second chances, repeating old mistakes and dealing with new ones. For me, this is a thought-provoking and dark scifi book.

Yeah, this is scifi without laser shotguns and FTL spaceships, so don’t pick it up if you expect spaceship dogfights and plasma canons. (Caveat / spoiler: It has aliens and time travel).

Apart from that, I honestly can’t understand the 1-star reviews! The book is excellently written and the author probably poured thousands of good hours to think all the complex relationships through, both in the protagonist’s Life I and the rebooted Life II.

The premise is fascinating and ambitious. Max Thorning, the protagonist, is deeply troubled by mistakes in his past and unexpectedly finds himself back in his 16-year-old self. He has to live the last 26 years all over again. What will he do differently? Will he realize his own shortcomings?

Yes, Max Thorning is a flawed character, and yes, the story is not straightforward, but I think these qualities are what make the whole book memorable and fun.

Overall, I enjoyed Scott Spotson’s Life II. Thank you for writing this.

I enjoy reading books, and reviewing them – never have I encountered difficulty when having to review a book. There are simply not enough words to express my esteem for Life II.
With Life II, Scot Scopson pushes beyond the boundaries of human imagination, discarding existing boundaries, creating new ones, while keeping these beyond the scope of human reasoning.
The book deserves to be made into a movie. It really does. But it is going to be one of most difficult scripts to ever be written. This is because the whole plot of the book happens “in the mind”.
I do write reviews on books to assist those interested on what to expect. However, with Life II, I consider it a privilege to have written a review on such a magnificent book, while still in the lurch, because I know I have not exhausted the praise I have for it.

3.5

If you were offered a chance to live your life all over again, would you take it?

This is the premise of Scott Sponson's novel, Life II. His protagonist, an unhappy 42 year old accountant named Max Thorning, is dissatisfied with his boring job, his demanding wife, and his meaningless life. The only bright spots for him are his two children, Angela and Brandon, whom he professes to love deeply, and his faithful best friend, Garfield. When he discovers a book on time travel, he discovers clues that lead him to Dr. Time, an alien who offers to send him back to a specific date in the past. Max is told that he can still marry Abby and have his two children in his second life, so he immediately jumps at the chance. Why? He wants to live his life over again so that this time, he can become a doctor and help people.

Max goes back to when he was sixteen and immediately starts making choices different from the ones he made in Life I. As one would expect, things do not go as Max anticipates. One is reminded of the saying, "Be careful what you wish for."

Life II is a thought provoking journey as one man tries to go back in time to make his life better and finds that the things he thought were important - success, job prestige, wealth, fancy car - were hollow victories. For me, the most difficult thing was connecting emotionally with this character. Max continually professes to adore his children from Life I but was immediately willing to snap up a chance to walk away. His selfish desires come first and his justifications for his actions ring empty to me. Many of the events in Life II bring him tragedy and he is haunted by what he has lost from Life I. In the end, Max acknowledges his mistakes and finds a sense of peace.

Life II has a flowing, easy-to-read style and it tells a moral tale of the dangers of always desiring something better and not being satisfied with the riches that one has. The grass is not greener on the other side. Count your blessings. Well done, Mr. Spotson, on an interesting read!

I was quickly immersed into a richly and carefully woven science fiction story, full of thoughtfully laid out characters. From the beginning I was eager for each new scenario, each turn of the page. The authors own personal travels helped shape the story with detailed backdrops of a globetrotting Max wrestling within himself between Life 1 and Life 2. The entire story kept true to his internal struggles and what we as a reader could relate to if we “ could do it all over again”. I joyed how the author could step back into the shoes and vernacular of a young teenage Max and bring me there, as a reader. My interest was held, cover to cover. I look forward to the sequel. I will be reading it immediately and hope that a production company is wise enough to spot this gem and offer to make a blockbuster movie out of this rare find. The author made me feel quickly invited into the story early on and I was lost in the adventure. A true must read book and author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A great story in terms of characters, plot, tension, and all the things that make for good stories.
What really sets this novel above the rest, however, is the delicate amount of science fiction, with just enough time-travel to satisfy the needs of us sci-fi fans.
Thoroughly loved it.

Please note: The ‘review’ of this book (which was donated to The Magnolia Blossom Review for the sole purpose of a review) was completed by John C. Laird based on the Rubric designed by the owner of The MBR, L. Avery Brown. If you would like to read the entire review which includes an in depth author interview – please visit The Magnolia Blossom Review’s site online today! John Laird has given L. Avery Brown permission to post this review using her the store reviewer’s site.

AND NOW FOR THE REVIEW...
1. Book Title- 5 of 5
For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's title. Did it grab your attention right away? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Would you glance at it and then forget it? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book titles? (You should have plenty of space for each item on the form as I think I set it up for the boxes to 'grow'.)
Life II An appropriate title that accurately hints at what the story is about. Upon seeing it, I assumed that somebody was going to have, or experience, some kind of a 'second' life. Exactly how and what form this might take would be enough for me to take a look and read the blurb.

2. Book Cover – 4 of 5
For the Reviewer: Use this space to writer your impression of the book's cover. Did it grab your attention? (5) Was it ho hum? (3) Did it look like it was haphazardly thrown together? (1) What do you think the author might consider for future book covers? Did it help make the title more effective?
A tough call here between 4 or 5 points. I loved the man standing before a trail sign indicating two possible paths into the forest; he was obviously facing a tough decision. And the use of the forest was superb. After reading the book, this cover immediately reminded me of the idiom "You can't see the forest for the trees." My hesitation comes with the fonts used in the title and author's name. I know why the author used that particular font for the title; it's akin to the forest behind it. It didn't 'grab' me though, it was a little hard to read. And the author's name should have been more prominent and NOT in cursive. Many schools don't even bother to teach cursive anymore. You'd like your cover to be legible in a 'thumbnail', if possible. True, I'm nitpicking. But that's because I'm having problems finding anything wrong with this book.

3. First 500... – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Thinking of the first 500 (usually about 2 pages) words of the book, do you think the author provided enough incentive to urge the reader to continue? What stood out to you the most? Were you captivated after a couple of paragraphs? Did the 1st sentence grab you? Did you get to around the 500 word mark and didn't have a clue where the story was going?
Well, if you've opened the book and started reading you're obviously interested in a story about time travel. So, when the protagonist buys an old tome entitled 'Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory', by Medicus Tempus, with provocatively titled chapters, said chapters written in numerous and unconnected foreign languages, you, like the hero, wonder what this is all about. You know he's going to research it, and you are interested as to where it's going to lead.... Personally, I would have made the prologue chapter one since too many readers skip a book's prologue. It would have fit in seamlessly. Either way, the beginning does it's job.

4. Blurb Effectiveness – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Now that you've finished the book, please take a moment to look back over the blurb. How effective do you think the blurb will be to potential readers? Did the author write a blurb that was enticing and went along with the story? (10) Was the blurb lacking? (5) Was it entirely too long or too short? (1) Do you have any suggestions for the author to make it more effective?
The blurb is effective and summarizes the story line of the book. It not only confirms the time travel aspect but the serious choices the protagonist may face and the consequences of his actions. The blurb does its job.

5. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: If the book is entirely too young/juvenile for the intended age group? Is it entirely too mature? (Please take into account swearing/sexual scenes/drug use, etc... Classification - Was the book listed as a thrill ride of a read but was more of a bumper car ride (sort of all over the place)? Was it listed as a mystery and you simply had to turn the page to find out 'who did it'?
Although no age recommendation was listed, this would be appropriate for most ages. Sex was limited to kissing and innuendo. Violence was almost non-existent until the end (and nobody dies as a result of it). This is a science fiction/time travel story. The author presents his take on time travel provocatively and with a unique slant on its possible ramifications.

6. Presentation/Format – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the 'innards' of the book follow a clear, concise, standard format throughout the book? Or did you have a hard time keeping up with paragraphs or dialogue? Were multiple fonts used? Were they distracting?
This story was presented clearly and concisely and followed all standard formatting requirements and recommendations. Paragraphs and dialogue are nicely done, allowing the reader to follow the author's presentation without distraction.

7. Theme/Originality – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was this book something you'd never read? Or was it formulaic and a 'rehash' of a popular tale/current 'pop' genre? If it was a retelling - did the author make it feel fresh and just different enough that it kept you involved?
Time travel has been written and rehashed over and over in the past. Many stories are formulaic. Not this one. Maybe someone has covered this particular presentation before, but if so, I haven't seen it. The author has taken time travel and presented it with a unique slant. Refreshingly original. And even better, the time travel aspect doesn't dominate the plot; Mr. Spotson uses it as a means to study the possible repercussions of getting the wish that many of us have--what if you had the chance to go back and do your life over--taking with you the knowledge and memories you learned during your life.

8. Description/Enhancement – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did the author use descriptive language and 'all those extra little things' to make it the best it could be? Did you feel it was too sparse in description? Did the author go OVER board with the description?
The author did a masterful job of describing characters, settings and the worlds in which they inhabited. Nicely done. The characters were extremely well-developed, natural and 'relateable'. I'm guessing the author created detailed character worksheets before he ever started writing. And the dialogue was very natural and flowed smoothly between characters.

9. Intrigue - 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: Did you want to turn the next page because it was SO good? (10) Was it interesting but you didn't quite have an urge to keep reading? (5) Did you think 'I wonder if we have Twinkies in the pantry? Mmmmm, Twinkies' while you read? (1)
He really 'hit the nail on the head' here. Considering the unique premise of the book, I had no idea where, exactly, the story was going or how the protagonist's problems might be resolved. Hence, I had to keep on reading to find out, classifying this as a 'page turner'. I did become worried as I neared the end. I started thinking 'Oh, no, the author's going to blow it on the home stretch. It's going to have the same old overused ending as others. But no, I was wrong. In keeping with the rest of the book, it was refreshingly different. I should have known.

10. Grammar/Mechanics – 9 of 10
For the Reviewer: Was the book pretty darn flawless? (10) Did you see more that 5 or 10 'jump out' at you mistakes in grammar or the actual mechanics (verb tense, noun/pronoun agreement, misused words) ? (5) Did you feel it was a chore to read because it was riddled with errors? (1)
Finally, I get to nitpick some more. The grammar was excellent, but I did manage to find a few errors in spelling and word usage. Considering the book was over 600 pages, there weren't many, and most of them were of the variety that 'spell check' wouldn't find--make/made, startling/starting, tried/trying, etc. And a few minor omissions of the words 'and' and 'is'. But considering the books length and, compared to other Indy books, this was pretty darn clean.

11. Overall Impression – 10 of 10
For the Reviewer: When all is said in done - did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to others?
EXCELLENT. Very enjoyable. Highly recommended. Unique premise, great plot, well developed characters, clean dialogue, intriguing story line and a satisfying ending make this a provocative and 'make-you-think' book. If you have any interest in the time travel sub genre of science fiction, you'll like this one. And even if you don't, you'd enjoy the protagonist's struggles with the sometimes dire repercussions of his choices. A professional effort. This is one you won't mind paying for.

THE BESTOWING OF THE BLOSSOMS...
It appears that John C. Laird really enjoyed Scott Spotson's "Life II' very much after seeing that he gave it 98 out of 100 points. And John has a pretty critical eye, too! It certainly sounds like the sort of book that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers - and who knows - it might even find its way to the big screen! Wouldn't that be awesome? And to think we, at The MBR, would be able to say 'Knew it all along - after all, it earned 5 Blossoms!' Here's wishing the very best to Scott Spotson as he goes forward in his writing career!

It's quite uncommon for me to read a book that has a high word count and still wish that it had even more. This is one of the most original novels I've read in quite some time, and I devour a lot of them.