Quantum Leap: Loch Ness Leap

Quantum Leap #16

by Sandy Schofield

March, 1986: Sam leaps into theoretical physicist Dr. Donald Harding, who has come to Loch Ness where his son Travis is attempting to prove to him the existence of the fabled monster.

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy, Tv

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith use the common pseudonym “Sandy Schofield” for a part of their collaborative works.

Reviews

[Diane Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book series definitely uses the freedom of the format to explore what happens back in New Mexico while Sam is Leaping. This installment focuses on that because due to changes Sam made in the past, one of the members of Project Quantum Leap no longer goes to work there. The part of the book that I enjoyed most was how the author included what Sammi Jo was doing in the present when she wasn't working on the Project. It provided another layer to the usual Sam/Al dichotomy.

[Joshua Glasgow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three QL books I own (the others are ‘Knights of Morningstar’ and ‘Search & Rescue’), this is undoubtedly the best. The heart of the book is in Sam’s attempt to juggle his need to repair his host body’s relationship with his son, along with his own need to forge a relationship with his daughter, who happens to be a part of the Leap. The way he walks that tightrope—much of the time without Al’s guidance—is very enjoyable.

I want to say that I’m not really keen on how much time the books spend in the future with Al and the QL project, but actually I liked the fact that it gave us an opportunity to see how Sam’s Leap has created an alternate reality, and Sammi Jo is an interesting character to spend time with.

The sci-fi stuff, the “time storm” shit, was pretty stupid. The idea that they couldn’t find Sam despite knowing exactly where and when he was felt ridiculous. I like the idea that it was resolved by Al appearing to Sammi Jo, and there’s a lot of good Al-as-hologram action with multiple people walking through him, but her insistence that it was all a practical joke seemed silly. And then there’s the ending, which, I mean, I guess you have to when you’re doing a Loch Ness story, but still. I had kind of hoped it would just... not.

Overall, this is light and pulpy stuff but I dug this one. Unlike ‘Search & Rescue’, I was riveted. I ate it up. It’s a very good book, for a QL book.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. The authors nail the voices of Sam and Al. There’s three parallel stories—I enjoyed them all. There were parts that seemed a little drawn out and the very ending was a bit corny. But I’d recommend this one!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sam leaps into his idol in 1986 he has opened up a real can of worms, Ziggy thinks he may never get home at all if he doesn't fix the mistake he made when he initially jumped. What is Al going to do to help him this time?

[Joshua Palmatier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Quantum Leap, why must you be over? In any case, I've been catching up on my Quantum Leap books (published in the late 90s if you can believe it) and this was the latest in the batch. You can guess where he leaps by the title--Loch Ness Lake--into the body of a physicist. Ziggy thinks he's there to patch up the relationship betwen the physicist and his son, but reports that there's only a 50% chance of that. But immediately after Al tells Sam, he and Ziggy lose contact and can't seem to get it back because of what Ziggy is calling a time storm. As they frantically try to figure out what's going wrong in the future, Sam is left to his own devices . . . and discovers that the phsyicist's son's girlfriend is none other than his own daughter, Sammy Jo. Torn between trying to figure out what wrong he's supposed to right, and spending time with the daughter he hasn't had the chance to see grow up, the situation only goes from bad to worse.

Initially I had reservations about reading this book because of the Loch Ness theme, but this book was far from "silly" in that respect. Notice that the Loch Ness monster wasn't part of my description of the book at all. Yes, it has something to do with why they're all there, but the real story here is the relationships between father and son, father and daughter, and the two college-age lovers. It was a great book in the Quantum Leap series, capturing the feel of the show, the little humorous twists, the serious character issues, and the sheer fun perfectly, especially the ending. This could easily have been an episode of the show itself.

So, a great book, highly recommended for fans of the show. I think I'm running out of Quantum Leap books in general, and when I do, it will be a sad day indeed.

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quantum Leap: Loch Ness Leap
This one of the best Quantum Leap books I've read. The always do a good job of fleshing out characters and elements that were glossed over on the TV Show. It's always interesting to follow Al out of the imaging chamber to see what's going on at the project. This one dealt with Sam's leap to Loch Ness where he inadvertantly finds his daughter Samantha. Because the leap has personal elements it disrupts the timeline making it difficult for Ziggy to locate Sam. Sam is forced to go it alone and figure out which of the many problems before him is the key to his next leap. Oh Boy.

[Edward Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the Quantum leap novels, what with it being quite similar to the Bigfoot episode, but a nice follow up to the Trilogy episodes with Sam's daughter making an appearance as part of the project.

[Erwin Beker · Rating 5 out of 5]

great quick read, read like a episode of quantum leap meets x files.
one of the best quantum leap books