Impulse - BoundCovers

mass market paperback, 384 pages

Published Feb. 25, 2014 by Tor Science Fiction.

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-6602-3

(1 review)

Steven Gould returns to the world of his classic novel Jumper in the thrilling sequel Impulse. Cent has a secret. She lives in isolation, with her parents, hiding from the people who took her father captive and tortured him to gain control over his ability to teleport, and from the government agencies who want to use his talent. Cent has seen the world, but only from the safety of her parents' arms. She's teleported more than anyone on Earth, except for her mother and father, but she's never been able to do it herself. Her life has never been in danger. Until the day when she went snowboarding without permission and triggered an avalanche. When the snow and ice thundered down on her, she suddenly found herself in her own bedroom. That was the first time. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software …

Steven Gould returns to the world of his classic novel Jumper in the thrilling sequel Impulse. Cent has a secret. She lives in isolation, with her parents, hiding from the people who took her father captive and tortured him to gain control over his ability to teleport, and from the government agencies who want to use his talent. Cent has seen the world, but only from the safety of her parents' arms. She's teleported more than anyone on Earth, except for her mother and father, but she's never been able to do it herself. Her life has never been in danger. Until the day when she went snowboarding without permission and triggered an avalanche. When the snow and ice thundered down on her, she suddenly found herself in her own bedroom. That was the first time. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

4 editions

Will Sargent reviewed Impulse by Steven Gould

Review of 'Impulse' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

I'm a bit conflicted about this book.

On one hand, it's straightforward. No messy language details, no recondite SAT vocab words. There's no complex philosophical question to be considered, no mysterious butterflies or green frogs that tell you the Author Is Being Symbolic.

On the other hand... it's almost insultingly simple. It's a story about the daughter of a couple who can teleport, and how they've spent all their time living off the grid hiding from the people who attempted to kidnap them. The daughter turns 15 and they enroll her at a school, where hilarity ensues.

So here's the thing. This girl is supposed to be a genius. She could skip several grades and finishes the math and science questions early because she's so good. No social problems fitting into her school at all. S If anyone should be pretentious and smug and using big words and wondering about …

I'm a bit conflicted about this book.

On one hand, it's straightforward. No messy language details, no recondite SAT vocab words. There's no complex philosophical question to be considered, no mysterious butterflies or green frogs that tell you the Author Is Being Symbolic.

On the other hand... it's almost insultingly simple. It's a story about the daughter of a couple who can teleport, and how they've spent all their time living off the grid hiding from the people who attempted to kidnap them. The daughter turns 15 and they enroll her at a school, where hilarity ensues.

So here's the thing. This girl is supposed to be a genius. She could skip several grades and finishes the math and science questions early because she's so good. No social problems fitting into her school at all. S If anyone should be pretentious and smug and using big words and wondering about her future and screwing around with generators, it should be her.

Instead, she's near perfect. She's into Japanese anime, the Brontes, etc... and she's beautiful and she can teleport. She's a Mary Sue character in every sense of the world. Her enemies are almost laughably evil and misguided (a religious teacher who "just knows" people she doesn't like are Up To Something, drug dealers, etc) and while it's true she doesn't appreciate the work her parents have put into keeping her safe, it beggars belief that she wouldn't be more prudent for the sake of what her parents went through.

Put more bluntly, I REALLY WANTED ONE OF HER PARENTS TO DIE as a result.

As it is, this is a young adult book on the level of "Name of the Wind" -- it's good as wish fulfillment, but there are so many things it could have done better.