Pulitzer

Quantum Leap #10

by L. Elizabeth Storm

Maryland, 1975. Sam leaps into a psychiatrist at Bethesda Naval Hospital. His first patient, an unidentified POW just off the plane from Vietnam, seems to have an acute case of post-traumatic stress disorder. When Sam walks into the POW's room, he realizes who the soldier really is--Lt. Al Calavacci. But there's no time for a reunion, Al has been accused of treason.

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Media Tie In, Fiction, Novels, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 30, 1995

Reviews

[Kieran McLoone · Rating 4 out of 5]

L. Elizabeth Storm captures the voices of the key Quantum Leap characters perfectly in this, while telling an engrossing story of espionage and political corruption.

By focusing the bulk of the plot on Al, this acts as a great epilogue of sorts for anybody who has recently binged the show (like me). I don't know if you'd get as much out of it if you weren't already familiar with its references or world, but I loved it.

[Kevin Kangas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not that bad of a book, even though my review is gonna hit it. Thing is, if you're a casual Quantum fan, maybe you'll like this. I'm not that person. I've probably watched this series more than any other series out there, and I've rewatched a lot of TV.

And the problem with this book is that I--and most people--watch QT to see Sam's adventures, and Sam is only featured in MAYBE 50% of this book. We follow a reporter, and we follow some military guys, and we jump into the future where the QT project is trying to guide Sam, and we jump into fairly obscure QT characters like Verbena. I understand why the author did it--a QT episode is only about 50 minutes, so even novelized would come out around 80 pages. So rather than add plot(which she should have done), she added characters. It didn't work for me.

It's well written, and ties in closely to the Vietnam arc where the reporter takes a photo of Al as a POW. Ultimately it failed for me because Sam barely does anything in this book. Disappointing but readable.

[Diane Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite of the Quantum Leap novelizations so far. We get to find out exactly what Al endured as a POW in Vietnam. The author allows us to examine the political motives of all the players, which provides a level of suspense to see who will win out. Sam has added pressures because he wants to help his friend, but he can't change too much of the original history because Al's experiences directly affect the project. The down side is that the reader must be very familiar with the episode where Sam Leaps back to save his brother, which isn't too much of a downside because it's not too challenging to catch up.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unabashedly love reading these Quantum Leap TV Tie-Ins, and this one was no exception. A perfect little read for a pre-semester vacation (relaxing, easy, engaging). The author captures the Sam and Al dynamics and personalities very well, and the tie-in to one of the absolute very best sequence of episodes (The Leap Home Pt. 1 and Pt. 2), made for a very enjoyable book. ..... But...... I think I may have read a little too quickly and a little too lazily for me to fully appreciate the Vietnam Politics and History at play here, and so while it was very good, it was not amazing.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad writing style and an interesting concept for a Quantum Leap story, and the author managed to portray Sam and Al's mannerisms and ways of speaking in the show really accurately in this book. That being said, I get that this is fanfiction but even so....there were just way too many coincidences going on in this story to keep my belief suspended.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure I understood it all and some of the characters ran together, but I enjoyed It and thought Storm wrote a good novel. I’d be interested in reading more she wrote—is this a pen name?

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

L. Elizabeth Storm takes segments from several episodes of this seminal television series and some previously-unexplained moments from Sam and Al's pasts, and creates this excellent, page-turning narrative. Even the pickiest QL purist should not be able to find an inconsistency in the behavior of any of the characters, nor in their motivations. There are even some marvelous inside jokes; the kinds of asides and one-liners that we can hear Al's voice deliver.

Sam leaps into a psychiatrist practicing at Bethesda Naval Hospital just as a newly-repatriated POW is returned to the US, one Lieutenant "John Doe." Despite warnings from the present-day Al not to become involved, Sam is drawn into a circle of deceit and string-pulling that tests his mettle, and threatens to change history. In the process, he learns a great deal about how Al has come to deal with the world, and the pain that he's experienced at his worst moments.

The characters are well-developed and of course I came to the novel knowing the two main ones very well, so my expectations were high. Those expectations were fulfilled. It was so nice to spend time with these people again, and in such a beautifully-written experience.

[Carissa Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novelization of Quantum Leap that I have read. Storm captures the characters of Sam and Al well. I could easily hear them speaking the lines of the book. For the most part, they stay in character. I did feel that at one point Sam acted a little unlike himself. I don't want to spoil it, but note there was one point that seemed un-Sam like. I really enjoyed getting to see more of Al's past and liked a book that focused on Al so much. I agree with another reviewer, though, that there were too many characters to keep up with. If you read it quickly and straight through that would probably be a non-issue, but as a busy mom who had to put it down and pick it up, I kept having to try and remember who was who. The book could have been simplified character wise.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting spin off book from the show Quantum Leap. This book was about what happened when Sam jumped back to Vietnam and saved his brother who had originally died there and how that affected not only him but his best friend, Al Calavicci. This leap lets us know how that leap affected not only Al, but all the men left behind there. Even though this is fiction it is very true to our history.

[Mary Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd forgotten how much I loved this book. Al Calavicci was always my favorite character on Quantum Leap, and that was what drew me to this book initially. This fills in some of the gaps in the story told in the episodes "M.I.A." and "The Leap Home Part Two." A must read for any Calavicci fan!

[Kim]

Since these books are not written by the writers of the t.v. show they are hit and miss. This one was more miss than hit for me. There were too many characters to keep track of easily and the subject matter was disturbing, as is anything when dealing with trauma. I hurried to finish it just to be done with it, but I didn't enjoy it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just a sucker for Quantum Leap. The story hangs together well, and there are times when I can just hear Scott and Dean, as Sam and Al, speaking the lines in the book. Another easy read for one of my guilty pleasures.

[Tony Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel to the classic three-parter of "MIA," "The Leap Home," and "Vietnam" finds Sam Beckett leaping into his just-rescued buddy Al's psychiatrist shortly after Al came home from the far east. Along the way he has to save another young Naval cadet from committing suicide.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never a fan of the war type episodes of Quantum Leap, but this book was one of the best, definitely out of the non Ashley McConnell books in any case. Although it treads over old ground and uses a conceit that many of the books use, this was entertaining and character building.

[Jordan Lombard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional roller coaster! But such an awesome book! The things you learn about Al, and the things he goes through, it's all well worth the read!

[R. Joy Helvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best of all the Quantum Leap novels.

I own the UK edition, which has a different cover that is very beautiful.

[Snowrobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Quantum Leap!