Jumper

I read both book one and two this week. I lost quite a lot of sleep, getting the job done. I will discuss both books in this review.About the book Jumper, you should know that it really isn't like the movie at all. Due to the events of 9/11, I can see why they changed the movie. If you read this book, you will see what I mean. But they really Hollywood-ized the story, and seemed to make it more about the occult, I thought, than sci-fi. Also, it seemed to me that they sort of blended the two books into one story in the movie and much was lost.The first book is set in the 90's before the real computer and cell phone advances, so you need to take this into account as you read it. You will find yourself a little frustrated at a few of the events if you are not aware of this beforehand.One thing that is interesting about this story, is the moral dilemma of the two main characters. Davy (the Jumper)decides to use his incredible talent (teleportation) to fight crime and help people. And yet, he is often faced with difficult moral choices and sometimes commits crimes himself just to survive.He is wracked with an incredible amount of guilt, not only due to his somewhat criminal nature, but also due to his horrific childhood (which is what brings about his criminal tendencies). The guilt is almost paralyzing to him at times, a vicious circle. He walks a razor thin line between becoming the evil that he is fighting against, and doing only what is necessary for resolution. He is so unsure of himself, and his self-worth, that he struggles in his relationships with others. Yet in the crunch, he is swift and decisive, pulling no punches. In the end, he is a survivor, and will do whatever it takes to win. But he never shies away from putting himself on the line for others, even strangers.The second protagonist, his girlfriend Millie, becomes a mental health professional. They are an interesting combination due to this. She helps to keep him on the straight and narrow. However, in the second book, she is forced to re-examine her own set of values and morals as she moves to the front lines of the battle.Although they come from different backgrounds and therefore have different filters, they share a strong desire to help others and to always do the right thing.There is a 10 year gap in time between book one and two, but I must say that of these two books, the second one is the one that REALLY blew me away. It definitely needs the first book to set the stage, but in terms of plot and character development, the second book really shined.In book two, Davy begins to learn more about what he can do with his talent. However, at the end we are left with many questions and few answers. The main question being, HOW and WHY did Davy become like this? Due to a twist in the plot, even more questions are raised, but I don't want to spoil the story by naming them. I hope to find the answers in the next books.The only real critiscm that I had was the relationship between Millie and Davy. I felt like in the first book some of their interactions were really shallow and lame. In the second book, they don't have a whole lot of direct interaction, so it was less of an issue. However, I would like to have more of a sense of who they were together, and more of a sense of who Millie was on her own. We get a good sense of who Davy is on his own because he is the main character in book one. Although book two brings Millie to the forefront, I still have no idea who she really is. This issue is not distracting as you read the book though, it is more of an annoyance.I think I could go on for several more pages, but I'd better wind it down here :). These are both really great books: well-written, fast paced, and exciting.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. I bought this book after seeing the movie. I enjoyed the movie a lot and decided to see where it all started. When it arrived, I dove right in. I read half the book in a day, and then put it down for over a week before I finally finished it in an airport waiting for my plane. It was a good story, don't get me wrong, but it bore little resemblance to the film. In the film, a 17 year old boy discovers he can "jump" after falling into a freezing river. Then he robs a bank and lives the high life for 8 years until a secret organization starts to hunt him down. Good action flick, so I expected a good action story. But in the novel, our hero is 15 and a victim of serious child abuse. This is why I walked away from the book for so long. The first half was depressing. Really depressing. Another reviewer pointed out that the main character is almost raped. True, but that is only the tip of the iceberg in his sad life. Warning: some may consider the next paragraph a slight spoiler.Davy makes his first jump trying to avoid a beating. Then we follow him as a 15 year old runaway. Who is almost raped while hitch-hiking. Who can't hold a job because he has no social security card, or high school diploma. Who can't get a GED without his parents' approval. Who robs a bank so he won't starve. Who learns his mother left him after being nearly beaten to death herself. Who worries his father can jump and will find him. It goes on and on like that for far too long. This book does a good job of shining light on the ugly, harsh reality of life as a runaway. Only real runaways can't "jump" out of danger. The story finally picked up once he started traveling and attracted the attention of the NSA. Davy has a serious (and once again sad) motive for all his traveling besides wanting to see the world. After finally reuniting with his mother, she is killed by an airline hijacker. And he wants revenge. The NSA catches on to his visits to hot zone countries and subsequently learns his secret. There is no secret organization of Paladins and he never meets another jumper. But, the second half is very exciting as he cleverly eludes NSA agents, creates an illegal identity for himself, romances a college girl and jumps all over the world. There is also a good bit of humor in the second half too.The story is told in the first person, and has a lot of internal monologue. Sometimes, I got a little annoyed as Davy described everything he was seeing or thinking. However, this book is intended for young adults and the descriptive detail makes sense in that light. There isn't a lot of dialog compared to many other books, but there is a lot of action in the second half. The author doesn't reveal much about the "why" of jumping (as in the movie), but Davy does consider the issue throughout the book.Overall, I enjoyed the second half of the book enough that I'd like to read the sequel. It's too bad the sequel is currently out of print. I hope the movie attracts enough buzz that it re-released. Recommended.

Tive a curiosidade de pesquisar sobre o livro após me decepcionar com a série cancelada "Impulse" do Youtube Premium. O que me chamou a atenção foi o fato de o livro ter sido publicado em 1992, com os eventos narrados no livro acontecendo no ano de 1989. O livro é bem mais antigo que o filme (minimamente baseado) na obra, lançado em 2007. E

So viel besser als der Film.Die Fähigkeit, die dem Buch seinen Namen gibt, ist zum einen sehr mächtig, jedoch zum anderen begrenzt. So wird diese erst durch den intelligenten Einsatz des Benutzers herausragend, einem Nutzer, der letztendlich ebenso sterblich und verletzlich ist wie jeder andere.Und das bringt mich zum zweiten Punkt. Die Charakterentwicklung.Natürlich schwingt ständig der Konflikt zwischen Freiheit und Verantwortung mit, aber ein anderer Punkt ist viel wichtiger/interresanter.Der Protagonist hat ein Trauma, dass am Anfang nur biorgraphisch/faktisch durch den Leser registriert wird(wie eine Katastrophen Meldung - objektiv ist einem das Leiden bewusst, aber man fühlt es nicht wie bei persönlichem Bezug) . Im Verlauf wird einem mehr und mehr die Tiefe des Trauma bewusst, während man sich mehr und mehr in den Charakter einfühlt.Man bemerkt das Ausmaß der emotionalen Narben, welche tief vergraben Teil der Persönlichkeit eines überwältigen, verletzten, kleinen Jungens sind.Die hierauf basierende, anfangs zugleich unsicher und amüsante, Suche nach Gemeinschaft, Familie, Partner fesselt fasst mehr als die schnellen übernatürlichen Action-Szenen.Authentisch, spannend, fesselnd.Viel tiefgängiger als für das Genre zu erwarten.Werde es bestimmt noch häufiger lesen.Leider kein Audio-Buch.

Stephen Gould provides a ludicrously well researched novel that explores various geographical and political ideas without sacrificing pacing or forcing sub-plots. This story of a teen who discovers their ability to teleport during a vulnerable state of abuse does justice to the hardships of runaways, stowaways, and troubled youths without ever belittling or victim blaming them for their family history and difficult decisions. That coupled with the most authentic and thorough exploration of teleporting I have EVER seen makes the twists and turns feel undeniably raw and dangerous. The experimentation and generous attention to real physics/science in learning how teleporting could work adds a child-like innocence to the main character's path, making him relatable despite the growing stakes and eventual bomb-drop climax at the end. If you have seen the movie, erase it from your mind and get captivated in this tale of a boy becoming a man through extraordinary circumstances and trials. Oh, and the shipment came well packaged with no damage to the book.

The authors original vision was more than enough. The movie trashed the franchise but I'm so glad the books are still around and as good today as when they first came out.

Yeah book is fine. The font and spacing make the book thicker. "Paperback" needed extra care. You can't keep the book in a bag directly the edges can get folded.The story is brilliant. I wish I could buy the next part. But its too expensive. ₹3k faak!