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Quantum Leap #2
Quantum Leap
Trapped in the body of a 1950s carnival worker, Sam Beckett learns the true meaning of thrills and chills. According to Al, Sam's holographic contact with the future, a roller coaster will derail in four days.
The accident will result in seven deaths . . .
And Sam's chance of stopping it are one in a million.
The accident will result in seven deaths . . .
And Sam's chance of stopping it are one in a million.
294 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 25, 2021
I won't even admit how many years this book sat on my shelf waiting to be read. Over Christmas break, I binge watched Quantum Leap and wanted another adventure. This book satisfied and left me looking to find more adventures in the series.
September 30, 2015
When I read this, I had not yet seen any of the episodes, although I had heard a lot about the show. It was good enough (although slightly confusing for someone who had not seen a single episode) to get me to Netflix the show. Now that I'm on the very last disc (sob!), I remembered this book, and have started looking at the other tie-in books.
June 19, 2023
Finally. This was my third attempt to read this one. Once in middle school, second directly after high school and now. Quantum Leap has always been my favorite show, since grabbing the single episode vhs tapes back in the day.
Sam Beckett leaps into a body that is not his own (male human, female human and at one point, even a monkey) throughout time and his mission is to right a wrong in that person's life in order to leap into the next body, hoping to one day leap into his own body and be home at last. Accompanied by his friend Al, he let's Sam know his mission each time he leaps.
Oh, and to make things worse, Sam doesn't remember anything about his own life, except his name, which was provided by Al. He's not supposed to know too much about his own life or else it could alter the space-time continuum and all that stuff.
But anyway, this story doesn't really pick up until about page 160 or so. I did like how they showed some of what goes on on Al's side of the story, when Sam is somewhere through time, Al is back at the lab where the Quantum Leap experiment was started. The show never showed a lot of that kind of thing, but when they did show it, it was nice to finally see what goes on behind the curtain.
Other than that, it was a pretty simple story with no-so-high stakes. If I'm going to read a movie/television tie-in novel, I would expect the stakes to be a bit higher, without being restrained by a TV budget, but at least it still felt like an episode of the show, albeit a little boring in some places.
Sam Beckett leaps into a body that is not his own (male human, female human and at one point, even a monkey) throughout time and his mission is to right a wrong in that person's life in order to leap into the next body, hoping to one day leap into his own body and be home at last. Accompanied by his friend Al, he let's Sam know his mission each time he leaps.
Oh, and to make things worse, Sam doesn't remember anything about his own life, except his name, which was provided by Al. He's not supposed to know too much about his own life or else it could alter the space-time continuum and all that stuff.
But anyway, this story doesn't really pick up until about page 160 or so. I did like how they showed some of what goes on on Al's side of the story, when Sam is somewhere through time, Al is back at the lab where the Quantum Leap experiment was started. The show never showed a lot of that kind of thing, but when they did show it, it was nice to finally see what goes on behind the curtain.
Other than that, it was a pretty simple story with no-so-high stakes. If I'm going to read a movie/television tie-in novel, I would expect the stakes to be a bit higher, without being restrained by a TV budget, but at least it still felt like an episode of the show, albeit a little boring in some places.
April 27, 2019
I bought this for pure nostalgic reasons after Edward Lorn's high praise.
My memory of the TV show was pretty vague but I remembered thoroughly enjoying it, so I thought, yeah, I'm gonna buy that, why not?
From about a dozen or so pages in, the world of Quantum Leap came flooding back.
Now, going into this, I was sure I was going to be giving it a score of three stars at most.
I'd heard the writing wasn't going to set the world alight, but was adequate enough, and I was sure the story line wouldn't be up to much either. But I was wrong. I kept thinking that this WAS an episode of Quantum Leap. There was a certain familiarity about it. I even looked it up. Couldn't find nothing.
The thing is, everything in the story worked perfectly well. It didn't need to be super polished, in fact it probably would have lessened the experience if it was.
It was a quick read that didn't let up for a minute. The last hundred pages flew by.
If you were a fan of the show, and fancy a wee trip down memory lane, I'd definitely say go pick it up.
At most, it'll only cost you a few quid secondhand.
Light reading at it's finest.
My memory of the TV show was pretty vague but I remembered thoroughly enjoying it, so I thought, yeah, I'm gonna buy that, why not?
From about a dozen or so pages in, the world of Quantum Leap came flooding back.
Now, going into this, I was sure I was going to be giving it a score of three stars at most.
I'd heard the writing wasn't going to set the world alight, but was adequate enough, and I was sure the story line wouldn't be up to much either. But I was wrong. I kept thinking that this WAS an episode of Quantum Leap. There was a certain familiarity about it. I even looked it up. Couldn't find nothing.
The thing is, everything in the story worked perfectly well. It didn't need to be super polished, in fact it probably would have lessened the experience if it was.
It was a quick read that didn't let up for a minute. The last hundred pages flew by.
If you were a fan of the show, and fancy a wee trip down memory lane, I'd definitely say go pick it up.
At most, it'll only cost you a few quid secondhand.
Light reading at it's finest.
May 21, 2010
A book based on the TV series...In this story, Sam leaps into the an Oklahoma carnie's life during the summer of 1957. I enjoyed the descriptions of "present day" life in the Quantum Leap project in New Mexico which were a bit neglected in the TV show.
June 22, 2011
A wonderful read full of twists and true insight into the lives of the past.
June 18, 2019
This book is also allied CARNY KNOWLEGE
July 23, 2023
Theorising that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown desire to change history for the better ..."
Recently, I've started watching the paramount+ revival of one of my favourite 'tweenage' years shows.
I'm not yet - as of the time of writing - sold on it.
Having watched an episode or two, I thought I would revisit the original, albeit in literary rather than audiovisual form - I know that, in the past, I had read Quantum Leap 00: Too Close for Comfort and Knights of the Morningstar, but I had never read this one. When I cam across it, therefore, I thought I would give it a go.
I have to say, also, that - unfortunately - I just wasn't really all that impressed by it. I don't know whether that's because this was #1 in the book series, or because of the subject matter - being from the UK, carnivals (and the people who run them, known as Carnies (or so I've heard) ) aren't really all that much of a thing here! Nor do I particularly like roller-coasters ...
In this, Sam finds himself in the body of one such 1950 Carnie, a childhood polio survivor, who seems to have visions of the future in which people die after a roller-coaster derails on its maiden run, with all the hopes and dreams of the Carnival workers pinned on that roller coaster. This, I found, was bit slow in starting, although it did pick up towards the end! There's also segments in the (1990s!) future, showing what is missing from the revival in the Waiting Room, and explains a bit better than that revival does why Al is Sam's hologram as opposed to Addison being Ben's.
Worth a read for nostalgia factor, maybe.
Recently, I've started watching the paramount+ revival of one of my favourite 'tweenage' years shows.
I'm not yet - as of the time of writing - sold on it.
Having watched an episode or two, I thought I would revisit the original, albeit in literary rather than audiovisual form - I know that, in the past, I had read Quantum Leap 00: Too Close for Comfort and Knights of the Morningstar, but I had never read this one. When I cam across it, therefore, I thought I would give it a go.
I have to say, also, that - unfortunately - I just wasn't really all that impressed by it. I don't know whether that's because this was #1 in the book series, or because of the subject matter - being from the UK, carnivals (and the people who run them, known as Carnies (or so I've heard) ) aren't really all that much of a thing here! Nor do I particularly like roller-coasters ...
In this, Sam finds himself in the body of one such 1950 Carnie, a childhood polio survivor, who seems to have visions of the future in which people die after a roller-coaster derails on its maiden run, with all the hopes and dreams of the Carnival workers pinned on that roller coaster. This, I found, was bit slow in starting, although it did pick up towards the end! There's also segments in the (1990s!) future, showing what is missing from the revival in the Waiting Room, and explains a bit better than that revival does why Al is Sam's hologram as opposed to Addison being Ben's.
Worth a read for nostalgia factor, maybe.
October 16, 2025
originally reviewed on The StoryGraph
3.0 stars
A perfectly serviceable authorized fanfic. It matched well to the structure and pacing of an episode of the show. As a reader, I found the buildup of the suspects believable, but the way the narrative was presented didn’t make Sam, Al, or Ziggy privy to all of that information, so it felt weaker to the narrative when the Leap was solved.
3.0 stars
A perfectly serviceable authorized fanfic. It matched well to the structure and pacing of an episode of the show. As a reader, I found the buildup of the suspects believable, but the way the narrative was presented didn’t make Sam, Al, or Ziggy privy to all of that information, so it felt weaker to the narrative when the Leap was solved.
June 4, 2020
Enjoyable sci-fi based on the old TV show. I had enjoyed the show, and it helped to have memories of the characters. This story was one episode, which stands on its own just fine. Pretty good.
April 9, 2023
a good quantum leap adventure, but at times the story was a little odd but I think the book was written before the show made some things cannon. Worth the read for QL fans
June 8, 2018
Been years since I have seen the TV show. Found at the local used book store & thought, ‘why not?’
It gave pieces I don’t recall from the show. Tina was a huge disappointment. Really why do you have to add a bimbo/Smart girl??? Some of the science about how it worked seemed like someone trying to make stuff up that they didn’t get, too.
It gave pieces I don’t recall from the show. Tina was a huge disappointment. Really why do you have to add a bimbo/Smart girl??? Some of the science about how it worked seemed like someone trying to make stuff up that they didn’t get, too.
January 31, 2014
Sam becomes a physically challenged,psychic carney in the late 50's. A roller coaster is going to have an accident killing 7 people in 4 days; Ziggy is breaking down and Al is having problems with Tina the scientist that may be able to fix it. A set up for a great Leap story! I really did enjoy it. For the most part it stayed true to our beloved characters and the premise of the series.The only issues I had were with the depiction of who or what might be behind Sam's leaping and the author's stating that it is the minds that exchange places and not the bodies. The series was a little unclear about this as well,but the episode where Sam "leapt" into a pregnant teenager or the one with the young rape victim seem to make the case that the bodies changes places.Anyway,I would recommend this to any Quantum Leap fan.
September 14, 2008
One of the best TV series of the early 1990's! How cool would it be to travel in time and help people get a second chance in life. Although "leaping" onto other people's bodies must have some kind of psychological side-effects after a while, wouldn't you think?
October 6, 2012
Loved this tv show. True story, during the series finale I cried so hard my husband at the time thought he was going to have to call 911. I was about 5 or 6 months pregnant, and if I'd had a boy, he would have been named Sam.
July 17, 2015
Technically this was the first proper Quantum Leap novel, and scarily got ripped off a number of years later in the plot to Final Destination 3! Pretty good stuff, considering that so many books based on TV shows at this time were just horrible.
October 3, 2021
Just like the TV series, Sam is lost in time, at least in 1957. He'll have to find out exactly what he needs to figure out this time to leap back home. A good little story to continue Dr. Beckett's Quantum Leap.
November 13, 2011
I attempted to read this in high school, and frankly, I could not get past the first chapter. The poor language was unbearable. Perhaps a good read for elementary students.
April 23, 2011
It was a decent fan fiction type book, but not one I would want to reread. The characters were a bit off from the show, but not horribly so. It was fun to revisit one of my favorite t.v. shows. :)
January 10, 2012
Brings me back to the good ol' days.
One of my favorite shows.
Some details and backgrounds are nice touches, makes me want to delve my memory about this show.
One of my favorite shows.
Some details and backgrounds are nice touches, makes me want to delve my memory about this show.
Want to read
August 21, 2012I loved this show when I was young. There's a signature date that I read the book, but I cannot remember even one aspect of the plot. So... I guess it wasn't mind-blowing.
July 12, 2016
Not bad for a tie-in novel, though the story about an amusement park ride about to collapse wasn't all that inspired.
August 29, 2016
Perfectly acceptable adaptation that fits into the show vibe quite well.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews