Jumper by Steven Gould
ISBN: 9780007275991
Description
David Rice barely remembers his mother. She left his alcoholic father when Davy was very young. She left Davy too, and since then all of William Rice's abusive anger has been focused on his young teenage son. One evening, as he is about to receive another brutal beating, Davy shuts his eyes and wishes to be safe. When he opens them again, he finds himself in his small town's library. Slowly, he realises he is very special, he can teleport. Armed with his new power, Davy sets out with new purpose: he will leave his abusive home and find his long lost mother. Davy's confidence grows as his skills do, but they also draw unwanted attention and soon Davy finds that he too is hunted.
Reviewed on 28th October 2012
A literary adventure with one sci-fi element, Jumper surprised me in its depth and emotion, although in places seemed to lack direction. Davy Rice lives with his abusive father until one day he miraculously escapes by discovering a unique ability.
The strongest element of the story is the character of Davy - although forced to be strong he shows a lot of emotion throughout and it's clear that he, through the first person narrative, is putting a brave face on parts of his past while letting other moments show through in their raw nature.
The plot however is weaker and feels rather haphazard. A lot of the early plot is establishing things, and this part goes on possibly too long and involves several implausibilities. Time flows at a flexible rate and there are periods of time unaccounted for in order to line things up for the action, which arrives very late on in the story. Davy's emotional journey is certainly at the centre of things, but the events that tie into this seem off-balance.
It's certainly light on the sci-fi, and although I haven't seen the film, reading a synopsis confirms what I've been told: that it's a completely different story. Overall I found it an engaging read and one that I was surprised to find myself liking as much as I did. There is a sequel out there, and I'm planning to hunt it down.
Description
David Rice barely remembers his mother. She left his alcoholic father when Davy was very young. She left Davy too, and since then all of William Rice's abusive anger has been focused on his young teenage son. One evening, as he is about to receive another brutal beating, Davy shuts his eyes and wishes to be safe. When he opens them again, he finds himself in his small town's library. Slowly, he realises he is very special, he can teleport. Armed with his new power, Davy sets out with new purpose: he will leave his abusive home and find his long lost mother. Davy's confidence grows as his skills do, but they also draw unwanted attention and soon Davy finds that he too is hunted.
Reviewed on 28th October 2012
A literary adventure with one sci-fi element, Jumper surprised me in its depth and emotion, although in places seemed to lack direction. Davy Rice lives with his abusive father until one day he miraculously escapes by discovering a unique ability.
The strongest element of the story is the character of Davy - although forced to be strong he shows a lot of emotion throughout and it's clear that he, through the first person narrative, is putting a brave face on parts of his past while letting other moments show through in their raw nature.
The plot however is weaker and feels rather haphazard. A lot of the early plot is establishing things, and this part goes on possibly too long and involves several implausibilities. Time flows at a flexible rate and there are periods of time unaccounted for in order to line things up for the action, which arrives very late on in the story. Davy's emotional journey is certainly at the centre of things, but the events that tie into this seem off-balance.
It's certainly light on the sci-fi, and although I haven't seen the film, reading a synopsis confirms what I've been told: that it's a completely different story. Overall I found it an engaging read and one that I was surprised to find myself liking as much as I did. There is a sequel out there, and I'm planning to hunt it down.
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The Watchman
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Gone
Death Comes to Pemberley
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The Way of Kings (part two)
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