author : Steven Gould

Davy Rice discovers he can teleport when his abusive father hits him once too often. But what does a precocious 17-year-old do with such a talent? Especially when events start to spiral out of control.

A "rites of passage" novel and an intelligent and mature teen power/revenge fantasy.

Ten years after the events in Jumper, Davy is now happily married, and occasionally jumping for the NSA. But then he is kidnapped by a sinister organisation, and constrained so that he can't jump away. They proceed to condition him, in a particularly gruesome and effective manner, to use his abilities for them. But he's not without resources -- and neither is his wife.

This is a great sequel. Intelligent, resourceful people exploiting a near-miraculous, but still constrained, ability, to battle the bad guys. It is also interesting to see Gould's move from "rites of passage" tales -- adolecents becoming adults, to tales where already mature adults still grow and develop. There is life after the "happy ever after".

A "rites of passage" novel about coping with a new-found ability in adolescence, this time, a gate to a parallel, unspoiled, earth. Charlie is short, fat, bright, and has his own secret world. But unlike most, his is real. He gets four friends involved, first selling passenger pigeons to zoos, then getting more ambitious, and into more danger.

This is great fun. All the kids (well, adults: they've just turned 18) are smart, sensible and competent, but they have problems too, with their families, with the law, and with each other. The action has all the flavour of classic Heinlein juveniles -- smart kids interacting with lovingly-described technology, here aeroplanes, and with the wilderness -- along with added depth of characterisation.

A great follow-up to Jumper (even better in one respect: this time there is an explanation for the new-found ability).

A colony's only contact with Earth is its glass helms, which can give the wearer all Earth's knowledge, but at the risk of madness or worse. When the unprepared 17-year-old Leland de Laal dons his family's helm against his father's express orders, events are set in motion that will change his world for ever.

This may be a "rites of passage" story for its protagonist (again coping with a newly found adolescent ability), but Gould's third novel brings in much more depth and breadth to the tale than do his previous works. The heterogeneous colony world is well drawn: relatively low-tech, but deeply affected by the memory of old Earth, and with certain interesting changes. Although there is one major coincidence in the middle, most of the plot is convincingly propelled by characters acting in character, and nothing is overly easy. The action is fun, with lots of good twists and turns, which helps the reader to feel some of Leland's confusion (although I might have expected him to have been a little more confused, or interested, by the VOICE).

Gould keeps getting better: I can't wait for his next outing.

Patricia Beenan has her work cut out in under-water salvage in a post-Deluge world where the sea levels have risen 100 feet. But when she finds a wreck sunk by what appears to be government forces, she has her work cut out just staying alive. Then there's the complication of Thomas Becket, CID inspector, who is investigating the crime, and who she seems to be falling for.

This is a pretty straightforward romantic thriller, as the bad guys try to silence Patricia and Thomas before they uncover the source of the conspiracy. But the fun is in the post-Deluge world-building, especially the floating city of New Galveston where Patricia lives. Lot of claustrophobic submarines, diving, and fish, to add atmosphere. (My only problem was with the occasional Spanish dialogue -- the key parts are translated, and it's possible to guess at other parts -- but even so, it's a bit disconcerting.)