Reflex (2004)

Author: Steven Gould | Page Count: 380

The sequel novel to Jumper takes place about 10 years later from the first book. Davy and Millie are married and she earns a living as a therapist while Davy takes infrequent assignments from the NSA only if they are nonviolent or otherwise morally straight. Davy goes to a typical meeting with his handler when he is unexpectedly drugged and kidnapped. This sets Millie off on a search for him assisted by agents from both the NSA and FBI. The perspective alternates between chapters from Millie to Davy as she searches for him and Davy tries to learn more about his mysterious captors who have somehow found out enough about him to be able to restrain his teleportation abilities.

The sequel has moved past the character building of the first novel and is mostly now a straight up thriller. The characters are still as readers know them just in a larger story that the author manages to make feel authentic with some interesting stretches of science fiction. Most notably the question of restraining a teleport and some other technicalities of physics show Gould has an understanding of science that helps ground the story in a sort of reality. Albeit one where teleportation is possible. Mixed with the the mystery and intrigue of spies and conspiracies makes for an entertaining read.

3½ "In the box" reflexes out of 5

The Time Machine (1895)

Author: H.G. Wells | Page Count: 120

"And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment."

"My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong."

The nameless time traveler recounts his adventures of almost a million years in the future to a gathered group of acquaintances, made possible by his invention of the titular time machine. He tells a great tale of adventure and exploration with a smattering of commentary on social classes and the dangers of complacency.
One of the forefathers of modern science fiction is a title often bestowed on this novella and rightly so. The pseudoscience behind the premise is so enticing, I found myself wishing it was real. The idea that Time is just a fourth dimension that we simply haven't explored enough was an incredibly original idea. Exciting ideas being exactly what was lacking from most of the the film adaptations.

The writing itself is crisp and despite the story's short length, much is crammed inside without feeling rushed or short on time. It is very straightforward and easy to understand even with some deeper subtext. And it could  also be argued that it is still surprisingly relevant today with its depictions of class warfare and societal degeneration with a hint of socialist politics. A lot to get out of so few pages. Exciting, deep, and no wasted time on filler. Everything a great sci-fi book, or any book for that matter, should be.

5 Don't forget to actually bring supplies on an adventure out of 5

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Jumper (1992)

Author: Steven Gould | Page Count: 344

"Then his arm jerked forward and the belt sung through the air and my body betrayed me, squirming away from the impact and...
There was no sign of Dad, but this didn't surprise me. I was in the fiction section of the Stanville Public Library and, while I knew it as well as my own room, I didn't think my father had ever been inside the building.
That was the first time."

Davy is the son of an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother who fled the marriage years before. He soothes his anguish with books and then by becoming a runaway. This is made possible by his ability to teleport anywhere that he has been and has a clear memory of. The ability manifested itself as a way to avoid his father's rage and took him to his sanctuary of books at the local library. Having learned to use the ability to his advantage, Davy relocates to New York and begins living on his own.

Teleportation is an essential of sci-fi that gets a nice domestic spin here which is cool, but is secondary to the main theme of Davy coming to grips with his abuse at the hands his father and others. His struggles bring out his own rage and reveals his greatest fear of becoming an abuser himself. The later chapters focus a bit more on the consequences of his teleporting and push the character growth into the background, but it is still entertaining. An underpinning of science fiction to tell a very human story is a classic literary structure and is put to good use.

4 I liked the movie anyway, Lye out of 5