violet200509's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
violet20225's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
jhliu's review against another edition
4.0
Quantum Break is a video game released this past April that involves manipulating time: a time-machine experiment gives Jack Joyce the power to slow down time (thus moving very quickly, from the perspective of his enemies) and create “stutter shields” in which time freezes. Meanwhile, time itself is breaking down—sometimes time will stop altogether, or even rewind and replay in short segments, forcing Jack to work his way through explosions and a fractured world with unpredictable pacing. It looks pretty amazing.
So what does that have to do with books? Well, Quantum Break: Zero State is a novel based on the video game, written by one of the guys who was on the creative team for the game. However, it’s not a novelization of the story in the game: in a world with time travel and branching timelines, Cam Rogers chose an alternate timeline for his story, so the book doesn’t spoil the video game’s plot and vice versa, even though they share the same characters and world.
The book focuses on Jack Joyce, who left Riverport after a nasty incident and hasn’t been back in six years. When he comes back, he gets caught up in a complex web—a time machine, a powerful corporation, and the end of time itself. I don’t want to give too much away, but I had a blast reading this book. Aside from Jack’s time-manipulation powers, which are a reflection of the video game, there’s a mind-bending storyline that plays with time travel and causality in fascinating ways. Some of it reminded me of 12 Monkeys, the way that sometimes trying to change the past actually causes what has already happened.
So what does that have to do with books? Well, Quantum Break: Zero State is a novel based on the video game, written by one of the guys who was on the creative team for the game. However, it’s not a novelization of the story in the game: in a world with time travel and branching timelines, Cam Rogers chose an alternate timeline for his story, so the book doesn’t spoil the video game’s plot and vice versa, even though they share the same characters and world.
The book focuses on Jack Joyce, who left Riverport after a nasty incident and hasn’t been back in six years. When he comes back, he gets caught up in a complex web—a time machine, a powerful corporation, and the end of time itself. I don’t want to give too much away, but I had a blast reading this book. Aside from Jack’s time-manipulation powers, which are a reflection of the video game, there’s a mind-bending storyline that plays with time travel and causality in fascinating ways. Some of it reminded me of 12 Monkeys, the way that sometimes trying to change the past actually causes what has already happened.
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