Favorite Books: Jumper Series

There are several books that I reread on a yearly (and sometimes more often) basis. These are my favorite stories, filled with some of the most interesting characters, yet don't get long-running series built around them. Hence the constant re-reading. I might not do it with a series like, say, Dune, but, with shorter series, that's no problem.

This week, I just reread Jumper and Reflex after reading the newest novel in the Jumper series, Impulse.

Yes, this is the series the movie was based off of. No, the books are nothing like the movie. Besides some names and the teleportation, the movie is a completely separate entity and, really, rather miserable in comparison.

Here's my quick breakdown on the series and why I love it.

Jumper

As good as the covers get.

This novel introduces us to David Rice and his special brand of teleportation, called 'jumping'. Initially, it helps David, called Davy, in his goal of running away from an abusive father. Next, he uses it to solidify his financial situation. From there, it's all just Davy trying to live his life. He researches other teleports, falls in love, and eventually runs afoul of the NSA. Oh, and he hunts for his mother, who ran out on him and his father, and then mixes it up with some terrorists.

All the characters in the book are well written. They change visible and realistically. Millie, the love interest (NOT the girl next door, movie-ugh), is particularly interesting. Davy, however, is the most dynamic character. We are constantly walked through his feelings and emotions to the extent that Davy understands them. His understanding grows and so does ours -- he's not a swashbuckling hero, he's a damaged kid who has had a rough life and is quickly finding out that life doesn't ever become easy. Even teleportation can't solve all of his problems.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is a relatively short read, so consider adding it to your list! It is easily one of the hardest reads to put down for me, and I very often finish it in a day, if not in a single sitting. I also enjoy that, due to a short, aborted scene on page 9, Jumper was also one of the most banned books in the United States... It's published as YA and Davy is 17 at the start of the novel, but this is a good read for anyone who enjoys fiction. Also, if you've ever wanted to be able to teleport, this novel will make you incredibly jealous. Seriously.

Arbitrary Rating: 10/10 -- To this day, I still try to 'jump' about once a month. I think I almost had it last week, but pulled a muscle.

Reflex

At the start of this book, Davy and Millie have been married for years. Davy sometimes works for the NSA while Millie tries to live as normal a life as possible, though she desperately wants children, something Davy struggles with due to his past.

See...

We jump (heh) from Millie to Davy's point of view in alternating chapters. Davy gets captured by an unknown organization and has to find a way to cope with his imprisonment, his captors, and his own moral boundaries. Also, his abilities are put to the test, and he learns a new trick... Millie picks up a new talent and has to hunt down her husband, except she has no idea who to trust. Is the NSA on their side, or secretly holding Davy? Is the FBI able to help, or only hinder? Does anyone know?

Millie's point of view is refreshing, and it's nice seeing the characters older. Gould's writing style has changed a touch to deal with stepping away from a pure YA audience, but his writing was never poor.

The book goes a touch slow in the middle, but the ending is constant energy and leaves you very, very tense, right up to the resolution.

Arbitrary Rating: 8/10 -- It's a good first time read, but it's not my favorite re-read, due to the dragging parts not being supported by doubt, but anticipation. And that's an important (arbitrary) value for me.

Shade

Shade is actually a short story, showing an example of what Davy and Millie do after the events in Reflex. It is from the perspective of someone on the receiving end of their relief aid, and it is interesting to see that Davy and Millie are keeping busy.

Arbitrary Rating: It's a short story. Set in the Jumper universe. I don't care for shorts, but this was good enough (wish I had read it when it came out, but I didn't find out about it until after reading Impulse...)

Impulse

... what I mean?

This novel, for the most part, is in the point of view of Cent, Davy and Millie's 16 year old daughter. Yes, this is a bit of a time jump from the last novel, but it does put it back in the realm of YA, which is shown in the shift of subject matter from Reflex. This doesn't hurt Gould's writing any; in fact, it's better than ever. He's able to be more descriptive than ever with a new set of eyes, and it's great to see someone young learning how to 'jump.'

The family lives in constant secrecy and seclusion until Cent decides she wants to go to public school for the first time. It's hard to deny a daughter at the best of times, and this one can teleport! This makes for an interesting family dynamic in general, but also adds to the pressure -- if they aren't careful and are uncovered again, the same folks who captured Davy years ago could make a reappearance -- they've been shown to have the resources and the drive.

Most of the novel is a young girl trying to integrate with society for the first time, while dealing with the additional strain of having a unique ability. We do meet the general school bully, but that turns out to be something much more explicit than one may initially guess.

On the Davy and Millie side of things, they're still helping around the world, as shown in the short story Shade.

Cent eventually learns her own trick with 'jumping' and, unlike her father's initial adventures, immediately begins using it for good, even if it's bound to get her in the trouble...

Love the new character. I normally dislike YA novels with a female protagonist, but Gould is able to avoid most of the trappings you'll see; there is a crush here and there, but Millie is never reduced to needing the assistance of a knight in shining armor. She's more than capable of handling things on her own, and that's refreshing.

Arbitrary Rating: 9/10 -- The eventual motive for the bullies seems a bit far fetched for me. But I've been out of high school for awhile, so maybe?



There should be a new novel coming out soon-ish, called Exo, and I'm looking forward to it. I love how Gould's writing has improved with every iteration, and the modernization of the series is so well done that it makes me smile when I go back to reading Jumper, which has its own quirks directly related to the years it takes place in.

Characters in Literature

You thought I forgot, didn't ya?! Well I didn't, here's part one of three for Character Week.

I'm going back to my old Top Five style, where the order doesn't matter except for the last slot meaning best of the best.

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Scarlet Spider/Ben Reilly 

(Several comic books series)

Hopefully making a comeback!

If you didn't except to see some Scarlet Spider love here, you're new. I love Spider-Man. I love that Peter Parker is a relatable guy who just happens to be able to do whatever a spider can. He has girl problems, money problems, and bad guy problems.

Ben Reilly, if you didn't know, is his clone. During the '90s, when Marvel was trying to retire Peter Parker (the first time, anyway), they brought in Ben. He has a tormented past and, due to more plot twists than you can shake a stick at, identity issues. Marvel played around with him being the real Peter Parker, just replaced years prior.

I espeically enjoyed Ben because he was everything Peter was, but with a darker tint. When he fought characters like Venom or Carnage, he had his own reasons for doing so and his own approach. He was a damaged character that did his damnedest to do right.

Also, I loved his Scarlet Spider AND Spider-Man costumes.

Corwin of Amber 

(The Amber Chronicles)
If you have no idea who this is, I forgive you. The Amber Chronicles are a series of books written by Roger Zelazny. One of his other characters, Jack of Shadows, almost took this spot, but Corwin pulled ahead by having one of the most interesting introductions ever.

Gotta love that cover art.

Well. Most interesting cliche introduction, anyway, because we meet Corwin when he's waking up in a hospital bed with amnesia. The thing is, amnesia doesn't stop our boy from being suspicious of everything, and we follow him along as he breaks out of the hospital and, using proto-Jason Bourne skills, slowly discovers the truth about who he is.

And THAT'S when shit really hits the fan. Corwin is a Prince of Amber, one of the two "real" worlds. Everywhere else, including our Earth, is a "shadow," a twisted, shaped reflection or refraction of the two real worlds. And we learnt his all through Corwin as he stumbles blindly into a fantastical world of literally infinite possibility.

When Corwin does get his memories back, we find out that he actually blows Jason Bourne out of the water in regards to awesomeness. His character continues to evolve in the five novels that follow him (and the others he appears in) and, while it does get pretty weird, it still makes for an engaging character you support the entire journey, even when he's a revenge-seeking tyrany-wannabe. Or a blind prisoner, confined for years. Or when he... Well... I don't want to spoil anything more. Read the books, they're amazing, and 90% of that awesomeness is pure Corwin.

David Rice 

(Jumper)

David as I know him, sorry Hayden.

While the movie ruined the character, it still didn't tarnish my love for the literary David Rice. This is another example of a damaged boy getting great powers, but the novel follows David in such a way that it feels completely new.

David's father is abusive. This and David's attempt at running away cause him to "jump" for the first time. Then we get to follow a broken boy on a journey by himself to discover himself and a world where he can, maybe, be happy. It's not always easy, but it is always interesting.

Teleportation is my power of choice, and this novel sets up a character that will explore this ability, his past, and the future with a wonderful sense of reality.

And, in the two books of the series that I've read (have yet to read the recently released third), there are no Paladins, no Samuel L. Jackson character, and there IS an engaging romance.

The novel, mainly due to David, is also an easy read targeted to young adults. I'd suggest this for anyone at any age, however.

Lazarus Long 

(Multiple novels by Robert A. Heinlein)
Lazarus is a strange character. He has an excessively long lifespan that allows him to go on many adventures (and create enough progeny that he's almost related to everyone). I wouldn't want to pin him down in one novel, simply because his story is so widespread, but Time Enough for Love is a good sample of the strange character and the even stranger settings he's put in.

Yeah, they're probably related.

The biggest draw to Lazarus is his completely unapologetic outlook on life. He does what he wants, when he wants to and, as long as it fits with his arbitrarily defined morals, it's all kosher. His life, lasting over thousands of years, has had lots of impacts, and the best part about the character is watching him as he bounces along the universe like a stone across water, leaving spreading ripples in his wake.

If you want an unusual character involved in time travel, parallel dimensions, and the undying pursuit of free love, look no further, you've found your man. And many of his children. And possibly a clone or two. Oh, and his mother who he... oh. Well. Let's leave that at that.

Julian "Bean" Delphiki 

(Ender's series)
I've mentioned this before, but I read Ender's Shadow BEFORE reading Ender's Game. Because of this, I was slightly disappointed by Bean's portrayal in the actual origin novel, and I'm concerned with how my favorite character of all time will be shown on the big screen.

You wish they'd stay this small...

Bean is my favorite character simply because of his precocious personality. His bizarre back story helps, but we get to follow Bean as he grows up (and up and up) and watch his personality shaped by the people and
events around him, even as he knows that he is easily smarter than them all. His intelligence his unparalleled due to a genetic manipulation that also puts him on a quick path to a very young death. We see him in the beginning of the Ender saga, but then he heads back to earth and an entire series follows him, his friends, and his family.

I think I enjoyed Bean so much because I actually felt smarter while reading his thoughts, seeing the way he inferred large amounts of detail with very little evidence and, even more so, catching on to things slightly before this massive intellect given body did, simply due to an almost-unseen naivete.

One other thing that made Bean especially great, even when compared to Ender, was his arch-nemesis, Achilles. Their relation far outshines many rivalries I've come to enjoy, and I voraciously read any scene that promised the two going head to head.

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Well, there you have it. I know I'm leaving out plenty of characters, but I'm very happy with this selection for the first Character Week on the Arbitrary Nerd.


Special shout out to (pretty much) the entire cast of Saga. It's still early in the series life, but I love Marko, Alana, the in-laws, The Will, Lying Cat, and many others. There isn't a single character I dislike popping up across the panels.