Jumper

Griffin's Story

By: Steven Gould

Narrated by: Ted Barker

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Griffin has a secret. It's a secret that he's sworn to his parents to keep and never tell. Griffin is a Jumper: a person who can teleport to any place he has ever been. The first time was when he was four, and his parents crossed an ocean to protect the secret. The most important time was when he was nine. That was the day that the men came to his house and murdered his parents. Griffin knows that the men were looking for him, and he must never let them find him.

Griffin grows up with only two goals: to survive, and to kill the people who want him dead. And a jumper bent on revenge is not going to let anything stand in his way.

Jumper is a major motion picture released by 20th Century Fox in February 2008.

©2007 Steven C. Gould (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This is a book that you won't want to miss. It reminded me of why I first came to love science fiction, and yet I didn't have to be 12 again to have a great time reading it." (Orson Scott Card)

A must read series

I am in love with this book! I read it because I had seen the movie. Like most books it is far superior to the film. I would recommend this book and the sequels to anyone.

such a wholesome story

this was very unexpectedly a very compelling story that held my interest very strongly. I could not stop listening. The details of each character and situation peaked over and over again.

Definitely NOT for kids

This title is apparently part of the "Audible Childrens Library." Whoever decided to put it there made a huge mistake. This book is full of explicit language, sex, and violence. If books were rated like movies, it would definitely get an "R."

It also is not the same story as the movie. I understand (from reading at Wikipedia) that the movie was very loosely based on an earlier book.

Those things being said, this was a very enjoyable story to listen to. It is one of the better books I've heard in a while. Just don't share it with your kids.

Not a story for children.

How did this get in the kids section? Read this before you let your children read it. Not for kids.

The story of the other jumper from the movie

I had listened to all of Gould's other books before this one because of the confusing reviews on Audible. Let me try to clarify what this book is.

Simply stated it is a prequel to the movie. it tells the story of the second jumper in the movie. For a while this book was listed as juvenile literature in Audible because it starts off with a 9 year old boy. Through the book there are examples of foul language, sexual intercourse and graphic violence that certainly make the book unsuitable for many juveniles. However, the first book in the main Jumper series has more intense examples of each.

Some reviews make you think that this is a rewrite of the jumper story changing all of the physics/rules of the Jumperverse. that is not the case.

Some reviews make you think that this must be an intense and foul story that goes beyond anything in the previous books. While it is intense, that is not the case.

Some reviews make you think that this story is a reboot of Jumper. since it is a prequel and includes a character from the movie, that is not the case. It does tie in closer to the movie then the book series. It explains how Griffin ends up being the Lone Wolf we see in the movie.

If you have read the rest of the Jumper series and want more as you wait for the next book, there is no reason not to read Jumper: Griffin's Story.

Finally one that follows the movie

I have loved the jumper series, but I read book 1-4 first, and then this one. This one finally touches on what the movie brought. I'm not saying that it is better or worse than the other books, just tied to the movie where the other ones weren't. overall this is still a great listen and I went thru it in just 2 day, and while it is only 7 hours that is still pretty good for me.

If you read any of the other books and liked them, then you will like this. If you haven't read the others, but watched the movie and liked it, then listen to this. THEN you have to go listen to the others, as they are a completely different experiance.

Great author and great book. Highly recommended.

Worth a listen.

I liked the movie. That’s why I checked out the books. They’re good. A little young for me but I still enjoyed them. This seems to be where they got the idea of the movie from. They changed a LOT. Anyway, the whole series is worth a listen if you like sci fi.

Jump On This One!

I've downloaded numerous books since joining audible.com, but I don't think I've enjoyed another book as well as I've enjoyed this one. I almost exclusively listen to audiobooks in my car (as a criminal defense attorney practicing in multiple counties, I spend a lot of time on the road). I was repeatedly tempted to take this one into the house or office with me. I found myself looking for ways to get stuck in traffic; if a traffic signal looked like it MIGHT turn yellow, I slowed down.

On rare occasions, I did find myself thinking, "Okay...on with it, already" where I felt the story occasionally bogged down. This was rare.

One disappointment is that I really wanted to have more of my "why" and "how" questions answered.

For those who have seen the movie, it is my understanding that the movie and book are different. I haven't seen the movie, but asked someone how it handled his childhood (because it was my understanding the movie has him as an adult). I was told the movie dispensed with his youth in the first 15 minutes or so. The book, on the other hand, ends when he's around 16 years old, as I recall.

And I will say the ending left me somewhat dissatisfied, but I won't say why, so as not to spoil the story for anyone. I still give the book 5 stars and probably will listen to it again sometime soon.

Not for kids

If you have seen the movie, you will want to read (listen to) Griffin's Story which begins to answer questions raised by the film. This prequil describes very enjoyably how Griffin became a loner, a hunter. It is full of emotional moments as Griff learns to use caution and his "gift". This story is, however, inappropriate for kids. Audible has it as 8th grade or higher. I would suggest age 16 or higher. The book contains language and subject matter out side that which should be considered by those of a lesser age.

Growing up with powers story

I like the jumper series. This is a solid story in that series that slowly broadens the world If I had any big criticism of the book it would be that it didn't go far enough to broaden the world. Right about where you'd expect to start hearing about the secret organization the book ends. Id expect to hear some about the history of the organization, maybe its ethos. But really this book focuses on the main character and his growing up story. And thats fine, it does a good job of that.

Some other reviews talk about the book having a lot of sex and language and cautioning against it. I didn't find that to be true for me. You'd have to be pretty sensitive to find the book offensive.

While I liked the book I didn't find it as enjoyable as the others in the series. It could be that the book isnt as light hearted. There isn't really a sense of wonder of joy or play in the exploration of the power like there is in the other books in the series. It was simply a tool for him to get from one pace to another and that was about it. So the power part (the part you probably want to hear more details of in the story) was really kinda boring to listen about. I find "Cent" and "David" characters to be a more interesting characters in the series.