Jumper (novel)
Encyclopedia
Jumper is a 1992
science fiction
novel
by Steven Gould
. The novel was published in mass market paperback in October 1993 and re-released in February 2008 to coincide with the release of the film adaptation. It tells the story of David, a teenager who escapes an abusive household using his ability to teleport
. As he tries to make his way in the world, he searches for his mother (who left when he was a child), develops a relationship with a woman he keeps his ability secret from, and is eventually brought into conflict with several antagonists.
. After being mugged and discovering that he can't get a job without a birth certificate
and social security number
, David robs a local bank by teleporting inside the safe, stealing nearly a million dollars. He then begins a life of reading, attending plays and dining in fancy restaurants. At a play he meets a woman named Millie Harrison, and they spend some time touring New York before she returns to college in Stillwater, Oklahoma
. David later visits her in Oklahoma
, and they begin a romantic relationship. David also manages to locate and reunite with his long lost mother, Mary Niles. Mary left the family after being severely beaten by David's father, and all her attempts to contact David over the years were interrupted by his father.
The New York police start investigating David after he saves a neighbor from an attack by jumping her abusive husband to a park; the husband turns out to be a cop. The investigation drives David to move to Oklahoma, where he gets an apartment near Millie. One night while David is out, the police are in his New York City apartment when Millie calls, and Millie breaks up with him after learning that he is being pursued by the police.
Mary, who was on a business trip, is murdered by terrorists when her plane is hijacked. David then sets out to find Rashid Matar, the terrorist responsible for his mother's death. David starts jumping to Algeria
to search for Matar, having to dodge the police almost every time he is there. While he is searching for the terrorist, he and Millie eventually reconcile. However, the National Security Agency
, led by veteran agent Brian Cox, become suspicious when they find out he can get from Algeria to the United States
in only a few hours. When he is questioned, David jumps out of the NSA office, witnessed by Cox and several other agents. Cox and the NSA then become determined to capture David so they can use his powers. After numerous failures to grab David, Cox takes Millie hostage in order to get to him. David strikes back by grabbing Cox, and later captures Matar and his abusive father – thereby putting him in the unique position of controlling the fates of all three of his tormentors.
This experience has profound effects on all four of them. David finds himself unable to kill his captives despite their crimes against him, and ultimately releases them. David turns Matar over to the authorities, threatening to come after him again if he isn't found guilty for his crimes. His father is forced to acknowledge his abuse of David and Mary, and enters alcoholic counseling. Cox is forced to see the similarities between his actions and those of the terrorist and the wife-beating alcoholic, and has Millie released and agrees to stop hunting David.
Afterward, Millie comforts David as he realizes that he cannot escape his pain through teleportation or vigilante action, and he enters counseling as well.
A continuing theme in the novel is the cycle of abuse, the risk of Davy becoming an abuser himself. Davy frequently experiences rage and sometimes strikes out physically, then hates himself for acting like his father. His anger at the terrorist who killed his mother blends into his anger with his father and with the government agent pursuing him, and indeed, he finally brings all three men together. After nearly killing several times, he finally gets control of his anger, and in the end is getting counseling, with Millie's support. Although his rage is often directed at his father and various surrogates, Davy never directs violence at Millie, an important difference which implies he is successfully breaking the cycle of abuse.
, released on February 14, 2008, was directed by Doug Liman
, with a screenplay adapted by David S. Goyer
, Jim Uhls
and Simon Kinberg
. It starred Hayden Christensen
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Rachel Bilson
, Jamie Bell
, and Diane Lane
. The beginning of the film follows the early plot of the novel with respect to Davy's home life and discovery of jumping, but from there follows Davy's life as an adult and expands upon a different story. Most of the characters are presented in modified ways from the book, and there is an entirely new major character, Griffin O'Conner, another jumper. Also new are a group of people called Paladins, whose sole purpose in the world is to hunt down and kill jumpers, their claimed justification for doing so on religious grounds, with the Brian Cox character (renamed Roland Cox) being the group's leader and the principal antagonist in the film instead of an NSA agent.
A new novel was written as a tie-in to the movie, titled Jumper: Griffin's Story
. This book gives the backstory of the new character, and as noted in an introduction by the author, is not entirely consistent with the original Jumper or with Reflex
.
Jumper was number 94 on the American Library Association
's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999. Gould said: "considering that it wasn't published until the latter half of 1992, it had to work extra hard." The book was listed for the graphic description of David's abuse at the start of the book (page 2) and the description of David's debate about killing his passed out father (page 10-11).
, continues the story of David and Millie as adults.
The 2008 novel Jumper: Griffin's Story
tells the tale of another "jumper" character from the film inspired by the novel
, and serves as a spin-off. There is also a video game
of the same name, which was released in 2008. Both titles take place in the film's world, and not that of the novels.
1992 in literature
The year 1992 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Ben Aaronovitch - Transit*Julia Álvarez - How the García Girls Lost Their Accents*Paul Auster - Leviathan*Iain Banks - The Crow Road...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Steven Gould
Steven Gould
Steven Charles Gould is an American science fiction author and teacher. He has written eight novels and is best known for his 1992 novel Jumper, which was made into a film and released in 2008. He is married to science fiction writer Laura J...
. The novel was published in mass market paperback in October 1993 and re-released in February 2008 to coincide with the release of the film adaptation. It tells the story of David, a teenager who escapes an abusive household using his ability to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
. As he tries to make his way in the world, he searches for his mother (who left when he was a child), develops a relationship with a woman he keeps his ability secret from, and is eventually brought into conflict with several antagonists.
Plot
One evening, while being physically abused by his father, David Rice unexpectedly teleports (or "jumps") and finds himself in the local library. The origin of this power is never explained. Vowing never to return to his father's house, David makes his way to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After being mugged and discovering that he can't get a job without a birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
and social security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
, David robs a local bank by teleporting inside the safe, stealing nearly a million dollars. He then begins a life of reading, attending plays and dining in fancy restaurants. At a play he meets a woman named Millie Harrison, and they spend some time touring New York before she returns to college in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
. David later visits her in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and they begin a romantic relationship. David also manages to locate and reunite with his long lost mother, Mary Niles. Mary left the family after being severely beaten by David's father, and all her attempts to contact David over the years were interrupted by his father.
The New York police start investigating David after he saves a neighbor from an attack by jumping her abusive husband to a park; the husband turns out to be a cop. The investigation drives David to move to Oklahoma, where he gets an apartment near Millie. One night while David is out, the police are in his New York City apartment when Millie calls, and Millie breaks up with him after learning that he is being pursued by the police.
Mary, who was on a business trip, is murdered by terrorists when her plane is hijacked. David then sets out to find Rashid Matar, the terrorist responsible for his mother's death. David starts jumping to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to search for Matar, having to dodge the police almost every time he is there. While he is searching for the terrorist, he and Millie eventually reconcile. However, the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
, led by veteran agent Brian Cox, become suspicious when they find out he can get from Algeria to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in only a few hours. When he is questioned, David jumps out of the NSA office, witnessed by Cox and several other agents. Cox and the NSA then become determined to capture David so they can use his powers. After numerous failures to grab David, Cox takes Millie hostage in order to get to him. David strikes back by grabbing Cox, and later captures Matar and his abusive father – thereby putting him in the unique position of controlling the fates of all three of his tormentors.
This experience has profound effects on all four of them. David finds himself unable to kill his captives despite their crimes against him, and ultimately releases them. David turns Matar over to the authorities, threatening to come after him again if he isn't found guilty for his crimes. His father is forced to acknowledge his abuse of David and Mary, and enters alcoholic counseling. Cox is forced to see the similarities between his actions and those of the terrorist and the wife-beating alcoholic, and has Millie released and agrees to stop hunting David.
Afterward, Millie comforts David as he realizes that he cannot escape his pain through teleportation or vigilante action, and he enters counseling as well.
Characters
- David Rice The protagonist of the story. David is the victim of an abusive, drunk father who discovers that he can "jump" to any place that he can clearly visualize in memory.
- Millie Harrison David's girlfriend who he met at a play in New York and she attends a university in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
- Mary (Rice) Niles David's mother who left the family five years prior to the start of the novel due to her husband's abusive behavior. She is killed by terrorists during a business trip.
- Carl Rice David's abusive father.
- Brian Cox An NSA agent who attempts to capture David after witnessing him jump. He is the one who kidnaps Millie.
- Sergeant Washburn An NYPD officer and an abusive husband. He tries to get David arrested after David jumps him away from his abused wife.
- Rashid Matar A hijacker and terrorist. He was responsible for Mary Niles' death.
Themes & Issues
Domestic Abuse Both David and his mother are abused by his father, leading to David's mother abandoning him. The results of this abuse have many consequences for Davy. First, his abuse leads David to discover his ability to "jump" or teleport. Second, it leads David to establish a life on his own requiring him to rob a bank to survive. Third, it leads him to intervene in the domestic violence of his downstairs neighbor causing the police to investigate him. Finally, the effects of his abuse strain David's relationship with his girlfriend Millie, especially when he reveals his ability to her.A continuing theme in the novel is the cycle of abuse, the risk of Davy becoming an abuser himself. Davy frequently experiences rage and sometimes strikes out physically, then hates himself for acting like his father. His anger at the terrorist who killed his mother blends into his anger with his father and with the government agent pursuing him, and indeed, he finally brings all three men together. After nearly killing several times, he finally gets control of his anger, and in the end is getting counseling, with Millie's support. Although his rage is often directed at his father and various surrogates, Davy never directs violence at Millie, an important difference which implies he is successfully breaking the cycle of abuse.
Film adaptation
A film by the same titleJumper (film)
Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction film, loosely based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane...
, released on February 14, 2008, was directed by Doug Liman
Doug Liman
Douglas Eric "Doug" Liman is an American film director and producer best known for Swingers , The Bourne Identity , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , Jumper , and Fair Game .-Early life:...
, with a screenplay adapted by David S. Goyer
David S. Goyer
David Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...
, Jim Uhls
Jim Uhls
Jim Uhls born as James Walter Uhls is an American screenwriter and producer who rose to fame with his script adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Fight Club...
and Simon Kinberg
Simon Kinberg
Simon Kinberg is an English-born American screenwriter of American films.-Life and career:He was born in London, England. He is Jewish. His family moved later on to the United States. Kinberg attended Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California and graduated in 1991...
. It starred Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
, Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...
, Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
, and Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
. The beginning of the film follows the early plot of the novel with respect to Davy's home life and discovery of jumping, but from there follows Davy's life as an adult and expands upon a different story. Most of the characters are presented in modified ways from the book, and there is an entirely new major character, Griffin O'Conner, another jumper. Also new are a group of people called Paladins, whose sole purpose in the world is to hunt down and kill jumpers, their claimed justification for doing so on religious grounds, with the Brian Cox character (renamed Roland Cox) being the group's leader and the principal antagonist in the film instead of an NSA agent.
A new novel was written as a tie-in to the movie, titled Jumper: Griffin's Story
Jumper: Griffin's Story (novel)
Jumper: Griffin's Story is a novel by Steven Gould released August 21, 2007, as a tie-in to the movie Jumper. It follows the character Griffin as he deals with the death of his parents and the relentless pursuit of the Paladins through his adolescent and teenage years...
. This book gives the backstory of the new character, and as noted in an introduction by the author, is not entirely consistent with the original Jumper or with Reflex
Reflex (novel)
Reflex is the 2004 sequel to the best-selling 1992 novel Jumper by Steven Gould.-Synopsis:Since the conclusion of Jumper, David Rice, a young man with the ability to teleport, has married Millie and occasionally works for the National Security Agency, only accepting jobs that he finds to be morally...
.
Awards and nominations
- Compton Crook AwardCompton Crook AwardThe Compton Crook Award is presented to the best first novel of the year in the field of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc, at their annual Baltimore-area science fiction convention, Balticon, held on Memorial Day weekend in the...
Final Ballot (an award for first novels) - Locus Poll, second place, best first novel, 1992
- American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
, Best Book List, YA division - International Teacher's Association's Recommended Reading List
- Pacific Northwest Reader's Association, YA Award Final Ballot
Jumper was number 94 on the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999. Gould said: "considering that it wasn't published until the latter half of 1992, it had to work extra hard." The book was listed for the graphic description of David's abuse at the start of the book (page 2) and the description of David's debate about killing his passed out father (page 10-11).
Sequel
A 2004 sequel to the novel, ReflexReflex (novel)
Reflex is the 2004 sequel to the best-selling 1992 novel Jumper by Steven Gould.-Synopsis:Since the conclusion of Jumper, David Rice, a young man with the ability to teleport, has married Millie and occasionally works for the National Security Agency, only accepting jobs that he finds to be morally...
, continues the story of David and Millie as adults.
The 2008 novel Jumper: Griffin's Story
Jumper: Griffin's Story (novel)
Jumper: Griffin's Story is a novel by Steven Gould released August 21, 2007, as a tie-in to the movie Jumper. It follows the character Griffin as he deals with the death of his parents and the relentless pursuit of the Paladins through his adolescent and teenage years...
tells the tale of another "jumper" character from the film inspired by the novel
Jumper (film)
Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction film, loosely based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane...
, and serves as a spin-off. There is also a video game
Jumper: Griffin's Story
Jumper: Griffin's Story is a video game released for the PlayStation 2, Wii and Xbox 360 on February 12, 2008. It is based on the events of the 2008 film Jumper, released two days later.-Story:...
of the same name, which was released in 2008. Both titles take place in the film's world, and not that of the novels.
See also
- Alfred Bester's 1956 novel The Stars My DestinationThe Stars My DestinationThe Stars My Destination is a science fiction novel by Alfred Bester. Originally serialized in Galaxy magazine in four parts beginning with the October 1956 issue, it first appeared in book form in the United Kingdom as Tiger! Tiger! – after William Blake's poem "The Tyger", the first verse...
- Phyllis Eisenstein's 1978 novel Born to ExileBorn to ExileBorn to Exile is a fantasy novel by author Phyllis Eisenstein, the first of her two Alaric novels. It was originally published in 1978 by longtime U. S. specialty press Arkham House in a first edition trade hardcover of 4,148 copies; it has since been published in several mass-market paperback...
External links
- Jumper at the author's webpage
- Jumper novel at Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...