I didn’t know this was a sequel to Gould’s previous novel, Jumper, which I haven’t read, but I have seen the recent movie adaptation (which, according to my husband is pretty much nothing like the book). I can’t say that I particularly liked the movie (poor casting being the main reason), but I did like the idea of Jumper, so my husband thought I might like this book and borrowed it from the library for me. And he was right! It is a book I like! Yay! I was skeptical at first because we don’t tend to read the same sorts of books, so I’d say he made a pretty good choice. It’s like he knows me or something ;)

Davy Rice is the world’s only known jumper, or a teleport, as he calls himself. He’s able to teleport himself anywhere in the world he’s been to before in the blink of an eye. Pretty useful trick, don’t you think? Well, the National Security Agency certainly thinks so, and for the last 10 years, Davy has been working with them on various missions, doing such things as rescuing kidnap victims and foiling hijack attempts, to transporting goods to people living in hard to reach places. Davy likes to use his abilities for good; however, there are some very powerful and rich people who have other plans for Davy’s ability, and they know that this good-willed person isn’t about to help them with their sorts of plans (read: terrorism, freeing political enemies, transporting drugs, etc.). But Davy’s ability is too good to resist, so they devise a way to kidnap Davy and keep him contained so that he can’t jump while they (like Pavlov and his experiments) condition him to automatically jump where they want him to and perform what they demand him to under penalty of death if he doesn’t comply. Doesn’t really sound like something you could do to a person with Davy’s ability and strong personality, but Gould plots his story in such a way that it’s all believable and plausible. That’s probably what I appreciate the most about this book — that Gould doesn’t try to pull one over on the reader; he works to gain your acceptance and craft a story that’s believable (for a Sci Fi novel). The bad guys are successful in abducting Davy, and despite Davy’s best efforts, they’re also successful in forcing him to do as they want (it can get a little gruesome at times, but it’s necessary for believability).

Davy’s kidnapping leaves Davy’s wife (Millie) and the NSA scrambling to find him. The chapters in this book alternate, switching between Davy’s perspective to Millie’s, and the plot unfolds as Davy tries to figure out a way to escape, while Millie tries to figure out how to save him. As the story progresses, Millie learns something new about herself (I won’t spoil it for you here), that becomes very valuable in the rescue process, and before you know it, she becomes the true hero of the book. She’s strong, both in her determination and intellect, and it’s nice to see such an empowered female character.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the plot (fast-paced and engrossing), the characterization, and the writing. I’m going to have to read Jumper now.

My first exposure to Dean Koontz was with his more recent novels, The Good Guy and The Husband. Both of which I liked. Then I read Sole Survivor, which started out well enough and then fell apart with the twisted fantasy turn it took at the end of the novel. I figured I’d give Koontz another try, so I went to the library and took out The Face. I read the first half of the book and knew I was going to abandon it. I could see the hokey coming a mile away. My husband, who reads so much and sooooo quickly, had run out of his own library books to read, and picked up The Face to read (which he did, quickly), and when I mentioned that I might abandon the book because I wasn’t enjoying it, he pretty much agreed it would be a good idea.

Basically, the novel is about Ethan Truman, your every day good guy, who just happens to be the personal director of security for the most famous actor on the planet (Channing Manheim, also known as “the Face”).  Channing has been getting some disturbing packages in the mail from what can only be described as a crazy anarchist bent on destroying “The Face”and his family simply because he can. Ethan needs to find this person and protect The Face and his family.

Okay, so far, not so bad. But, like Sole Survivor, eventually, a weird fantastical element works its way in and… I just don’t buy it and I just didn’t like it. I suppose if you’re looking for a story about a good guy and a meek kid having to outrun a sadistic anarchist, and you appreciate the idea of guardian angels (literally) looking over you, this is your book. Just wasn’t mine. So I gave it up.