SFINCS3 Review: A Second Life Worth Living by Karen Lucia
- Angela Boord
- 46 minutes ago
- 5 min read
“The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS, pronounced “sphinx”) is a yearly competition to recognize, honor, and celebrate the talent and creativity present in the indie community. We are a sister competition to both SPFBO and SPSFC, and we highlight greatness in the novella format in all areas of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.).” – From the official SFINCS website.
Note: The following review contains only my personal thoughts as a judge and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole.
Bennet Smith has already died once. He has no interest in a repeat act.
Caught in the crossfire of an increasingly violent revolution, Ben's first death doesn't stick. His bones ache. His body still feels phantom pains. Wrongfully killed, he should return ready to fight alongside the revolutionaries striving for change. Instead, he wants no part of it.
Bennet Smith is no hero. He has never been a hero. He has never wanted to be a hero. All Ben has ever wanted is to keep his head down, fly under the radar, and pass completely unnoticed. Death didn't change that.
Review
I wasn't sure what to expect from A Second Life Worth Living. At first, I was worried that the protagonist would be the kind of character who just tried to do nothing for a large number of pages and the theme would be a little on the nose considering the title.
Boy, was I wrong. This novella took my early worries and assumptions and turned them completely on their heads. In fact, the longer I sit with this book, the more powerful it feels.
Ben should be dead. Although only an innocent bystander to a protest, that didn’t stop him from being hauled before the authorities, interrogated and hanged publicly. His "death" has already sparked a wave of riots, but inexplicably, it didn't last forever. A random movement of magic brought him back to life, as it seems to be resurrecting others in Zenith, a megalopolis under the control of an authoritarian government whose police force is only referred to as "shades."
In fact, the political situation remains vaguely described throughout the entire novella. All the focus ends up on Ben and his circle of loved ones, and how this brutal regime affects them personally. Though the political fantasy reader and writer in me squirmed a little at not knowing all the details, I'm not sure we really need to know more. The really vital bits of worldbuilding or backstory are for the most part dripped in just when we need them.
This focus on the personal lives of “regular-people” characters is very effective at building emotional connection and effect as the story develops. Though I felt like the story stumbled a bit at the beginning--there were a few time jumps that confused me--it found its footing as it went on, especially as Ben starts finding his own feet.
Ben getting on his feet--cleaning up the hall outside his apartment, for instance--begins to spark change in everyone around him. His neighbors help clean up, replace the burnt out -bulbs etc. Then Ben goes out to have coffee at a farmer's market. This is when the story really begins, but without the tiny changes Ben has been making to this point, you definitely get the sense that this event would have all played out completely differently, if Ben had even managed to put on pants and leave his apartment. He is again caught up randomly in an act of violence when shades shoot into the crowd. He should run but he tries to help instead, and when he does, he discovers a family who have all been killed, including their young daughter. The girl is dead--and then she isn't.
Ben's choice at this point drives the rest of the plot, multiplying into a giant cascade of effects. This is also where I tell you that I can't separate this novella from the historical moment at which I read it. I picked it up and read it in one sitting because I couldn’t take any more news. Yet somehow, suddenly, this novella seemed to throw into sharp relief all the turmoil happening here in the US. It did for me exactly what SFF seems to be made for: it put everything into what-if land and gave me a safe place to wrestle with the ideas and emotions everything about the recent news was calling up.
And this novella does wrestle with some big questions. In the face of injustice and brutality, how are we meant to respond? Do we lock our doors and hide? Stay safe at all costs? Do we trade violence for violence? How many victims will still search for another scapegoat to bear part of the blame?
How are ordinary people meant to hold onto their humanity when their humanity is being warped, eroded and stolen from them?
Lucia’s answer is big-hearted. It lies in the tapestry she weaves of people making connections with each other and building communities of love. There's nothing really "on the nose" about this novella. She manages to paint a complex portrait of how people respond when they're trapped inside a regime that uses violence to keep people in line. After I finished reading, I read Lucia’s author bio the way I always read the author bio when I finish a book. Lucia lists "Army officer, working on a mass casualty response force" in her bio as well as "mother". I would venture to say that both experiences contribute to the raw, emotional quality of the story--and also to the fundamental compassion that informs it.
When I got to the end--which is an emotional gut punch--I sat with the book for a while. Because I’m supposed to be judging it, right? I mentioned there were a few stumbles in writing craft at the beginning. Occasionally the dialogue also felt a bit stilted. But I kept thinking about it. When I went to bed, I was still thinking about it, and I kept thinking about it all the next day. And to be honest, whenever I get online and see the news, I think about it again.
I finally decided that the odd craft wobble didn’t matter that much. The story has become a fundamental part of this moment for me, and I’m glad I got a chance to read it.
If you like urban fantasy or near-future science fantasy with deep personal stakes, excellent character work, and that addresses the issues of the moment--then definitely give A Second Life Worth Living a try.