Second Skyn

Lost Time #1

by Damien Boyes

Toronto, 2058. A future without death, where life is cheap—and memory all that matters.

Finsbury and Constance Gage died on Oct. 08, 2057, victims of a freak accident. Thanks to his Second Skyn life assurance policy, Finsbury's mind was pulled from his ruined body and restored to life—with his thoughts running on a prosthetic brain and his body a top of the line custom bioSkyn.

His wife wasn't so lucky. She was declared unrecoverable at the scene.

Ten months later, Finsbury wakes again. This time on a slab in a dingy basement skyn shop, wearing a stranger's face and a body built for speed. The last thing he remembers is his wife's death, but now he's hiding under an assumed name, wanted by the cops for a murder he doesn't remember committing, while a venegeful superintelligence is hunting him down and a mysterious woman says they're in love and refuses to leave his side.

To find the truth of what happened in his lost time, he'll need to infiltrate a dangerous underworld of hackable brains and superhuman bodies—but will he discover his innocence, or come face-to-face with who he really is?

Lost Time is a mind-bending sci-fi action series in the spirit of Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, and Neuromancer. If you love intense sci-fi cops and robbers stories with twists that will keep you hooked, this is the series you've been looking for.

***

This book contains material previously published as Lost Time: Part 1 [Second Skyn] and Part 2 [Headspace]. If you're all caught up with the series jump ahead to the new Book 4: Winter Overrun, coming this summer.

Genres: Science Fiction, Amazon, Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks

318 pages, ebook

Published June 15, 2018

About the author

Damien grew up on Terminator and Raymond Chandler and Green Lantern. On Deus Ex and PWEI. Blade Runner is his chicken soup when he's sick. He rereads Neuromancer every few years, and still loves the image of payphones ringing one by one as Case walks by, anachronistic or not.

He's a UX designer by day, a dad and husband by night, and a writer in the moments in between.

Reviews

[Scott Rhine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice tone and atmosphere. Great chase scene between skyns. Poor execution otherwise. Gives us nothing for our investment, no conclusion or even progress. Bad break point for books in series. Lots of missing commas and comma splices.
Nothing on the main goal till 28 percent.
Sex and death of people we didn’t care about in chapter one. No chapter numbers. Violated every rule with the lawyer being replaced in ten minutes.
As a longtime cop, he doesn’t connect the lawyer’s limb removal with his partner’s?
Lunch gun?
The number of pocketed shyfts changed fron 6 to 4.
Odd words jangle

[John Gwilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like jumping back and forward in time like that and thought the book was too short. Since this was part of a series he could've combined at least 2 books together. It was well written but struggling to understand why the 2 personalitys were so different.

[Lyf · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly riveting read. The characters are nicely complex, the world is familiar and strange at the same time. It reminds me of Gibson's Neuromancer in that Boyes doesn't explain much of anything to you, he trusts you as a reader to be smart and pick it up as you go! I really appreciate artists like this.

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Skyn

An amazing book. Such vivid, rich detail. And most definitely unique story line. A wonderful read for all to have.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really care for this one all that much. It sounded like a decent book from the description, but after it started, it got a bit slow, things not making sense until a few chapters later, a whole who done it mystery thing going on (actually, multiple whodoneits), that wasn't really resolved by the end, (guess that's why there's more than one book in the series), but it just didn't strike me as all that interesting. If you like your murder mysteries to be snug and tidy in a single book, you won't like this one. If you like pretty good scifi themes, this might suit you, but for me, this book just didn't do the trick. I doubt I'll read more in the series, but perhaps if I run across them, I might read them anyway, but I'd not bet on it.
The book had decent progression, it had ok character development (as long as you can keep straight who is who), and it has all the required bits of murder mysteries, I just don't think it was handled well as a whole, too much left unexplained, too many things left hanging, and a not very satisfying ending. It's not a bad book, and I suppose if you read them all, it will turn out to be fairly decent, but just this first book isn't enough to do it.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book with a tragic emotional core. Definitely "shows" rather than "tells" most details about the universe, which makes it feel very alive. A little confusingly told via alternating between two versions of the same person interacting with most of the same characters. But on the other hand, that's part of the fun.

My biggest criticism is that the five book "series" reads like a single book that has for some reason been split into five installments. For a series to really read as a series there usually has to be some sort of really significant plot point that you can sum up as the "point" of that book. I get the feeling that Boyes might have preferred to publish this all as one book, but that the realities of being an indie author resulted in the "series."

Edit : Boyes confirms my hunch in a 2018 blog post where he says "Since I last posted I've compiled Lost Time into a single volume (the way it was meant to be read)" ... winning.

Still recommended, even though the subsequent books descend to 3 stars from the very strong 4 star intro.

[Chris Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening chapter is one of the most visceral, gut wrenching, and brutal starts to a book I think I've ever read. And that sets the tone for the rest of the story. Damien's writing is fast paced, extremely vivid, and sheer quality. The narrative jumps back and forth through time, which is all I'll say to avoid spoilers, but the way it's done is utterly brilliant.

I was reminded of Altered Carbon, but it felt more purposeful and tight, with no wasted ink on the page. (Or pixels on my kindle screen, as the case usually is.)

This is the first book of the series, and I'll absolutely be continuing with Lost Time (the series title). If you love cyberpunk, this book is filled with so much you'd come to expect, like a broken protagonist, crazy drugs ruining cities, shady operatives hiding in the shadows, and a tonne of mystery.

I love this book, so for me it's another perfect score.

[Stephen Ragsdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it was fast-paced and exciting. We follow Fin, a detective who has recently died. Luckily for Fin his wife had convinced him to sign up to have his conscious put in a new skyn upon death. Fin just assumed that death would be from old age. Fin now searches for clues to his early death, willing to do what it takes to get answers, weather its legal or not. I read it quickly because I wanted to know what was happening. We switch back and forth between 2 povs making it a quick read. This is a fast paced cyberpunk noir type book, with body mods and alterations. There's lots of mystery and questions. The biggest draw back from this book is that it just ends. In order to find out what happens you need to pick up the next book, which at the time of this review is free if you sign up for the authors news letter using the link at the end of the book.

[Liora Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Skyn by Damien Boyes is a gripping sci-fi thriller that throws you straight into a futuristic world of mind uploads, synthetic bodies, and lost memories. Finsbury Gage’s search for his wife’s killer becomes a haunting journey through identity, revenge, and what it means to be human. The pacing is intense, the twists keep you guessing, and the world-building feels cinematic and alive. Boyes blends emotion and action effortlessly, creating a story that’s as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. A must-read for fans of Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, and smart, character-driven science fiction.

[Subhajit Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about the book is the deep and compact storyline. The plot is perfectly woven and the contents is well developed. The title is what attracted me at the first place. The portrayal of the scenes are captivating and I loved the book completely. Definitely recommendable. Thank you.

[George Pettus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about living forever

Why was he so strange? Yet he tried to do and be the person heh believed himself to be. Very fast paced you had to keep up,or you got lost in the shuffle.

[David Pospisil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much I already started the next book in the series.
Great cyberpunk type story focused on manufactured replacement bodies and brains.
Loved the characters and the tense interplay between the humans and Reszo's (restored humans).

[Tina Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book! Based on some future of the human race, where technology isn't jus in computers, TV's, cars and so forth. If your a lover of science and find yourself with way more questions than answers. I suggest reading this techy thriller. Fast paced and I love that.

[Bryan Rumble · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent cyberpunk story set in a well thought out world set 15 minutes into our future. I couldn't put the first book down and am now starting the second in this series. If you're a reader of cyberpunk science fiction, you owe it to yourself to give this series a go - you won't regret it.

[Marc Rieck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive example of cyberpunk

I haven't read a cyberpunk novel this good in decades! It shows the differences in thinking between the wealthy and the poor folks in the cyberpunk world. I think I'm going to have to buy the rest of the series!

[Chris Curson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever !!

Any sci if and cyberpunk fan will love this, clever writing that once your get the rhythm will have you hooked !!

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit hard to follow the complex story line. Purchased this edition on July 6, 2023, from Amazon for free.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

good premise and writing style however

good premise and writing style however
This series is a to be continued so no closure.
Not my favourite type of series. But might be yours.

[Thomas Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series.

[Stephen Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be determined later

Imaginative and original. Liked the writing, but a lot of unresolved plot lines.
Can definitely see the William Gibson influence.

[Non Pantalones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good series - I definitely recognized some of the ingredients here, a bit of Blade Runner, a smidge of Neuromancer... looking forwards to the next one!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This "book" is a cliffhanger and my rating is downgraded for that sales gimmick. Gage is revived and put into a "skyn" after he and his wife are killed in a crash. He returns to his job as a cop, but then is resurrected again after he loses everything and his skyn is killed.

[David Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Skyne is the first in a 5 volume series, Lost Time, from indie author Damien Boyes. Like the series as a whole, Second Skyne is a gripping cyberpunk roller coaster. With spare prose, Boyes delivers a fast-paced thriller of a who- (and why-)dunnit. The story never gets bogged down in the technological gee-whiz, and has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing (usually incorrectly) until the very end. There's also some imaginative speculation on the social and economic consequences of a world in which computers can capture and reproduce human consciousness and memory. I haven't read enough cyberpunk to comment on the originality of these ideas, but they come fast and furious, so some of it is bound to be new to you. Finally, and most impressively, out of all these elements, Boyes has written a powerful story of lost love and its aftermath.

I was hooked from the first scene, as the main character relives his traumatic loss in slow-motion. The same feeling of being a helpless witness to tragedy which fills that scene is repeated on a longer timeframe over the entire work.

Though the theme and feel changes from book to book, this is really a single story; expect to finish one and immediately buy and start the next.

PS Note that, while Second Skyn is available as an epub, the later volumes are only available for Kindle.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta say this was awesome. Though I kept getting confused between the two character (the two Gages) but I was able to muddle through. I would guess somehow they got the one F. Gage and put him or a part of him in another. Since this was only book one, I hope those two will someday become one body. Don't worry about it. I still loved reading this.

I couldn't stop after I'd finished reading the last book I'd read and reviewed. Like it I couldn't put it down until I'd finished.

Looking forward to more. Thanks for letting me read/review this.

[Charl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The setting was well done, the tech plausible and well handled, and I was getting into the characters, and then the book ended. I hate the trend where each book is only part of the story, and has no real ending of its own. I won't be reading any more.

[Scott S. Loddesol · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting take on going deep uncover