Jumper (novel)
1992, First Edition — Hardcover
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| Author | Steven Gould |
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| Cover artist | Romas Kukalis, cover art |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
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Publication date
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August, 1992 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 344 pp |
| ISBN | (hardback edition) |
| OCLC | 29012650 |
| Followed by | Reflex |
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 from whom he keeps his ability secret, and is eventually brought into conflict with several antagonists.
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 City. 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 attend a party, where he accidentally runs into Millie's ex-boyfriend, Mark, who tries to fight him, forcing David to jump Mark away, unnoticed. Feeling bad for David, Millie invites him to stay the night at her place. The two officially start a romantic relationship and make love. Millie and David continue to see each other and begin to fall in love. David 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 intercepted 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 police officer. 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. The police inform her of their investigation on him. David confronts Millie and tries to explain, but Millie breaks up with him and tells him to go. Out of anger, David jumps in front of her, back to his apartment in Stillwater.
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