Shade

Jumper #2.5

by Steven Gould

Steven Gould's classic SF novel Jumper is the story of a young man with a single mysterious he can teleport anywhere, in the blink of an eye. Now, in a story set after Jumper's sequel Reflex, we see that a single mysterious superpower can add up to a lot of different kinds of miracle…In 2008 Jumper was brought to the screen as a big-budget SF adventure of the same name, directed by Doug Liman and starring Hayden Christiansen and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie rearranged the story line and gave the protagonist a teleporting sidekick. When the movie's producers expressed a desire to see a novel published about the sidekick's backstory, Gould chose to write the book himself; it was published as Griffin's Story (2007), and is not canonical with the other two "Jumper" novels. "Shade" takes place in the world of the novels, not the alternate continuity of the movie.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Short Stories, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2010

About the author

Steven Charles Gould is an American science fiction author. His novels tend to have protagonists fighting to rid government of corrupt antagonists. The struggle against corruption is the focus, rather than the technology.

Reviews

[Choco Con Churros]

En "Jumper", los protagonistas de esta historia, haciendo "experimentos" y pruebas con este superpoder, intentando comprender su alcance y cómo era posible, hicieron un descubrimiento singular sobre su funcionamiento.
En "Reflex", el protagonista masculino, recordando ese "experimento" y sus implicaciones en medio de una emergencia terrible, decidió darle un uso distinto al de la "Teletrasportación" a ese superpoder, inmovilizándolo antes de su conclusión (no soy capaz de explicarlo mejor sin hacer spoiler🤷🏽‍♀) con unos resultados increíbles que constituyeron, en mi opinión, la escena más espectacular e impresionante de la saga hasta ahora.
Ahora, en este pequeñísimo relato, el protagonista masculino ya parece usar este segundo y peculiar uso del superpoder con distintas funcionalidades.
Este es un relato muy pequeñito, con su gracia, pero tampoco es que sea imprescindible en la saga. Está bien. Autores en GL Bis

[Bob]

This is a 5633 word short story that is available (free when I read it on 08/02/2010) online at http://www.tor.com/stories/2008/08/shade

[Badseedgirl]

I guess I should read the Jumper books.

[Danielle]

Shade is a short story set between Reflex and Impulse. Millie and Davy help a village in an unknown country where all the water has dried up. Shade definitely helps show the humanitarians that Millie and Davy become during the series. I found it interesting to see this different side to them, instead of the constant threat of being captured for being 'jumpers'.
Definitely read this if you enjoy the book series.

You can read it for free here.

[Jennifer (bunnyreads)]

Short story bingo read.

This story takes place in between Jumper and Reflex but I thought it was pretty self-explanatory by itself.
It’s been years since I read either of those two books, but Gould’s style is so relaxed and enjoyable it felt like visiting old friends. I really need to get back to this series, it's one of my all-time favorites.

[Lata]

#20 short story read -- couldn't read much yesterday, thx to migraine.

This was ok, but I found the transformation of the camp a little too fast post-lake.

Liked Xareed.

2.5 stars.

[Kieran McAndrew]

Living through a drought is becoming impossible for a village when two mysterious strangers appear as if from nowhere and offer a chance for salvation.

Gould examines the implications of the teleportation knack from 'Jumper' and makes it relevant. Very much in keeping with modern superhero storylines such as Kring's 'Heroes', this is an excellent examination of what it means to be human.

[Max]

comfort read <3

[Susan]

included in Jumpers

re-read 3/8/2013
re-read 4/7/2015

[C.O. Bonham]

I read this for free at http://www.tor.com/stories/2008/08/shade

This not book it is a short story. But it was still great. I wish it could have had more of Davy and Millie but it was fun to see someone discovering their abilities and really just going with it. Personally I would have freaked out but this young refugee just really wanted to believe in a miracle.

[Ylva]

Short story set in the Jumper universe. I saw the film almost a decade ago, but don't remember the characters. Or even if the two jumpers in this were the same people. Easy to follow even without having read the other books, maybe too easy? Also came across with a wee bit of white savior vibes, even if I appreciate the setting being a bit different than the norm.

[Laura (Kyahgirl)]

Its a testament to Steven Gould's writing that I enjoyed this story so much when I haven't read any of the main story (Jumper, etc).
This was a very short story that was well put together, interesting and compelling enough to make me go get the other stories.

[Tony Hinde]

I've read this short story several times and it still has enough emotional impact to make me cry.

[Joshua Maher]

This is an enjoyable short story, but I do not who Gould had in mind as the target audience. I don't think it does a good enough job introducing people to the Jumper universe, but at the same time, I don’t think it adds anything new to readers already familiar with the stories.

I enjoyed visiting the Jumper universe from the point of view of a normal person and taking the journey of encountering a person that can teleport and how the main character interprets what he sees. While this was written well, I question how a new reader would respond to this. Part of the enjoyment of the Jumper series is learning and understanding the teleporting abilities as David and Millie push themselves. Seeing it from this limited point of view was a fun read, but was not nearly as enjoyable as the other books in the series.

For those already familiar with the universe, this serves as a fun stop into the story of Millie and David, but did not offer anything new to the story. I understand that with this just being a short story, there can't be anything essential to the universe here, but there could have been more to add depth to something we already knew or even add something small that we have never seen as the audience. It does not do either of those things.

I would probably only recommend this short story to people that have read the first two books, but have not start the second two. It does not work as a jumping on point for a new reader and is probably not worth it to people that have finished the series. Ultimately, this would have worked better as a chapter in an existing book rather than a short story.

[Andrew]

Yay! What a nice surprise to finish the series and discover there was a short easter egg waiting at the end. Like "Griffin's Story" this views the Jumper world through somebody else's lens for a while, and it is refreshing. I would actually like to read more like this - not a story about a superhero or whatever but about the people who know them. The David Levithan book "Another Day" does this brilliantly by retelling the first novel but from a different character's perspective. Steven Gould could write quite a few more Jumper story snippets like that and I would love them.

[Taid Stone]

"Shade" is a charming story of two people from Canada who show up in a dry and hungry refugee village near a dry lake in the mid-East. Xareed, a boy waiting for a water truck, meets the mysterious couple and helps them as they perform in secret what appears to be miracles, the bringing of water and movable shade.

It is a charming story, but to truly understand motives, one would have to first read "Reflex," Gould's 2nd Jumper novel.

[Andrés Meza-Escallón]

Nice account of the exploits of Dave and Millie when they cross paths with a young brave lovely refugee. Unfortunately it is too short... or may be it was so good that I did not want it to end.

[Robin Korb]

While short, this story shows that humanity is not dead, especially if a gift is put in the hands of those who care. It's nice to read something where anything is possible.

[Terri]

Loved this. :)

[Gbolahan]

Awesome stuff. This is what superheroes do.
My fourth Jumper story so far.

[Paxton Holley]

Ebook novella. Prequel to Gould's upcoming third "Jumper" book, Impulse. I didn't like it. It jumped several years into the future and I didn't really understand what was going on.

[Nicole]

Very nice story

I liked the story but it was amazingly short. Needed more details and maybe some background on the young man

[Leo I]

It's a good story, really wholesome.

Only 3 stars, though, as it doesn't measure up to the books.

[Linda]

https://www.tor.com/2008/08/26/shade/

[Ross]

Nice little slice of life set in the Jumper universe before the Cent expansion. Love to hear more from the author about this world.

[Constance Rice]

A pleasant read

A lovely addition to the Jumper universe. I hope they venture back to this young man and his village for a longer story.

[David Yuan]

This is a short story that takes place after "Reflex" and tells a story of the humanitarian efforts of Davy & Millie.

[Tom]

cute short story

Shows the work of a few to feed many and feed themselves and the family ties. How a kid can stop and help others

[Pete Frey]

A wonderful little story

A perfect little compliment to the Jumper series, that shows mankind at their best, and worst, just as they are.

[Fortunato]

A good short story that takes place in the world of Jumper