Quantum Leap: Independence

Quantum Leap: Independence by John Peel

Published by Boulevard Books in August 1996

Dr. Samuel Beckett finds himself leaping into Samuel Beckett, and into trouble, on the eve of the Revolutionary War. The plot revolves around Sam and Al trying to figure out what they need to put right without changing the outcome of the revolution. This normally wouldn't be so hard, but the Sam Beckett from 1776 isn't cooperating for fear of a British trap, and to top it off, access to him has also been restricted for fear of contaminating the timeline.

 

Sam finds himself being forced to join the Committee of Safety, which is basically a group of overzealous patriots who bully Tories that they have a personal grudge against. From the minute Sam begins his mission, he is in trouble as several members of the Committee are out to frame him as a traitor; which is made easy when he saves the life of a man the Committee has decided to run out of town, quits the Committee with his friend Isaiah, and is seen meeting with a known British spy - it just happens that he's actually a double agent for the patriot cause.

With a little trial and error, it is determined that Sam is here to save Isaiah's live during the Battle of Brooklyn. The task would normally be challenging, but it's made even harder when he's captured and beaten by the Committee while his wife, Hannah, is shot trying to help him. Some derring-do, and a little help from Al, sees Sam escape, get Samuel Beckett's wife and son to safety and rescue Isaiah. To confound matters a little more, Sam is strongly attracted to Hannah and he has the moral obligation to not act on it.  It later turns out that she is the spitting image of his own wife, who he can't remember with his swiss-cheesed mind.

While this is the first Quantum Leap book that I've read, I'm no stranger to the series; and I think that a knowledge of the show is a requirement for the enjoyment of the book. Some story points and characters are not explained very well and relies on the assumption that if you're reading this book then you already know all about the story points from the television show. While I quite enjoy the show and the time period, it goes without saying that I enjoyed this book. I found the feeling of the show is captured quite well within the pages of the book. Quantum Leap: Independence delivers a fun adventure story with a few added touches from the series that enhances the human drama - the loneliness of being "trapped in the past, leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home."
     

Summer Criterion Collection Sale

Barnes & Noble has once again priced all of their Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays at 50% off.  It looks like the sale runs July 10th through the 30th.

 

Barnes & Noble 50% Off Criterion Sale

 

Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear

Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear by Gabriel Hunt

Published by Leisure Books in 2009

This is the second of six books in the adventures of Gabriel Hunt series. Each book was written by a different author using the name of the main character of the series. From the cover image alone, you know you're in for a pulp hero type of adventure along the lines of Indiana Jones; and that's just what I was looking for. Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear was written by Charles Ardai, the same man who came up with the idea for the Hard Case Crime series.

Gabriel Hunt is the oldest son of two famous authors who mysteriously vanished in the Mediterranean. Using the Hunt's substantial fortune, Michael, the younger son, runs the Hunt Foundation which bankrolls archaeological expeditions for legendary artifacts.

 

Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear begins with Gabriel Hunt rescuing a lovely damsel in distress named Sheba from the clutches of our villain Lajos DeGroet, a very wealthy Hungarian antiquities collector and Olympic fencing medalist. He brings her back to New York, but before they can determine why DeGroet is interested in her, she is kidnapped once again. After a car chase through the streets of New York, Gabriel manages to sneak on board the villain's plane by hiding in a crate. The plane lands in Egypt and they are taken to the Sphinx where DeGroet opens a hidden chamber in the Sphinx's left paw. Since Sheba is an authority on ancient linguistics, she has been brought in to decipher the inscriptions hidden within the chamber.

  

Dressing in the traditional Arab desert gear, Gabriel manages to disguise himself as one of the diggers and follows them into the Sphinx. After witnessing a deadly booby trap, which is quite reminiscent of the Breath of God from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Gabriel is chosen to try to go in next, and is found out. With Sheba's help he is able to work out the way through the trap and makes it into the inner sanctum where he discovers an ancient coin and a map showing the way to Greece.

After a brief fight, Gabriel Hunt and Sheba escape DeGroet and his thugs and it's off to Greece where our heroes get into (and out of) several fights and meet an old bard who is a direct descendant of Homer. More importantly, the bard tells them of the Greek influence on the Egyptian Sphinx, the ancient legends of the Sphinxs and he shows them an ancient temple which holds another coin and a second map pointing the way to the Cradle of Fear in Sri Lanka. It turns out one of these legends tells of some terrible weapon that freezes it's victims with fear.

Next, it's off to Sri Lanka, by way of Istanbul where Hunt meets up with his long, lost sister who just so happens to be an ace computer hacker. She rigs up some kind of tracking device that homes in on DeGroet's cell phone and the race is on to the Cradle of Fear. Hunt and Sheba arrive in Sri Lanka shorty before DeGroet and are captured once again. Another secret chamber and a few booby traps later, Gabriel Hunt has thwarted DeGroet's plans and came face to face with the last living sphinx whose riddle he must solve to save mankind from annihilation.

All in all, this series seems to be shaping up nicely; it's a shame there didn't seem to be enough interest to keep the series going (although I've only read the first two books - so far). While not quite as good as some of the better Indiana Jones novels, Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear is a solid, action-packed pulp adventure - some fun summer reading.

  

Never Get Out of the Boat

Happy Independence Day!

The Deer Hunter by E.M. Corder

Published by Jove in March 1979 (2nd printing)

He was a young steelworker from a sad little hill town in Pennsylvania. Nothing had prepared him for war in the jungles of Asia... nothing except the hellish heat of the blast furnaces... gut-searing boilermakers... the trailer life... and the strength of his passion for hunting the great deer of the Alleghenies.

The deer hunter was young, but he had steady nerves, the grace of a cat, and the high mountain passes in his heart. He would need all of them to survive.

The Deer Hunter

A deeply moving story of courage and friendship set against the terrifying odds of war.

---

Rambo: First Blood Part II by David Morrell

Published by Jove in May 1985

First Blood.

Second Chance.

John Rambo. Vietnam vet. American. First Blood unleashed the fury of his rage. Now in prison for his bloody one-man war against a small-town sheriff.

Colonel Trautman. Green Beret. Rambo's former commanding officer. With a signed release form - if Rambo will take on what would be a suicide mission for most men.

One:  Penetrate the remembered jungles of Hell, and find the missing Americans who are still being tortured there.

Two:  Don't rescue them. Only bring back photos. Don't engage the enemy. Don't get revenge.

For Rambo, the first part is tough.

The second, impossible...

---

Platoon by Dale A. Dye

Published by Charter Books in December 1986

They were the men of Bravo Company. Officers and grunts. Black and white. All of them Americans. It was war that brought them together - and it was war that would tear them apart. This is their war - a war of camaraderie forged in violence and of brutality born of madness. This is their story - gritty, unflinching and real.

You'll never forget the men of Platoon.

A novel by Dale A. Dye, a Vietnam veteran who served 21 years in the Marine Corps and was technical advisor for the film.

Based on a screenplay by Oliver Stone, a decorated infantryman who spent 15 months in Vietnam. A screenwriter with Midnight Express, Scarface and Salvador to his credits. Stone was one of the men of Platoon - and he still is.

---

Hamburger Hill by William Pelfrey

Published by Avon Books in 1987

In ten days, they lived a hundred lifetimes...

On 10 May 1969 troops of the 101st Airborne Division encountered the enemy at the base of Hill 937.

Ten days and 11 bloody assaults later, the men who fought there called it...

 Hamburger Hill

A brutal testing ground of courage, sacrifice, and the kind of brotherhood where a buddy's life meant as much as your own... and sometimes more.

     

Warner Archive 4 for $44 Sale

Attention all movie fans! Now through July 5th, 2012 you can pick up 4 Warner Archives DVDs for $44 (plus sales tax) with free shipping.  Of course, this is for select titles only, but there are currently 1,131 titles in this sale.  This includes all of the Lon Chaney silent films they have released to date - even the four new titles! I've already placed my order, so what are you waiting for?

Warner Archive 4 for $44 Sale