u/EndersGame_Reviewer

The teleporting concept is great.  But... (2.5)

I loved the concept behind this popular sci-fi novel by Steven Gould: 17 year old Davy Rice discovers he can teleport to any place that he remembers in his mind.  He uses this to escape from his abusive father, and to thwart crimes and help people in dangerous situations around the world.  In the process he develops a romantic relationship with Millie, and together they try to use his powers for good.

 The premise is terrific, and if you can suspend your sense of disbelief, the main storyline is a good read.  What I didn't care for, however, is the darkness around Davy's own family situation, such as the traumatic abuse he suffers at the hands of his alcoholic father.  And at times the story just gets too graphic with its detail about the things Davy must face.

 The story itself is a fun ride, and the teleporting "jumper" concept is well executed, even if it's not something we haven't seen before.  But I can’t recommend it wholeheartedly, mostly due to the mature themes, violence, language, and some sexual content.  For instance, the story starts with a scene of violent attempted homosexual rape of Davy as a 17 year old.  His dad is a drunk who physically abused his mother, and the family is completely broken and dysfunctional.  There are also multiple instances of strong language and use of God's name as an expletive. 

 Unfortunately things get even darker in the next book of the series, “Reflex”.  After "Jumper" successfully made the transition to film (with the storyline and characters somewhat changed), it went on to spawn a series that included three sequel novels, a short story, and a spinoff novel.  I've read the first sequel, “Reflex”, which fast forwards to David and Millie as adults, and where Millie also gains teleporting powers.  Much of the story sees Davy helpless while being psychologically and physically abused by government operatives who want to use his teleporting ability for their own purposes.  It's pretty brutal, and seeing him sidelined like this made the storyline quite a bit weaker.  The strong language and sexual content between Davy and Millie (who aren't married) are even more frequent than in the first book. 

 From what I’ve read, the next two books in the series, “Impulse” and “Exo”, continue with the dark psychological territory and moral darkness, rather than just the cool adventure concept which I liked about the first book.  The ideas are cool, but it’s just not worth the moral cost of reading this kind of content.  Clearly this is not for me.

 The short story “Shade” is well worth reading, however.  It is told from the perspective of a young boy named Xareed in a refugee camp in Kenya, and sees David and Millie show up and do apparent miracles to supply the refugees with water and to protect them against violence.  I just wish more of the sequels had been like that.