Quantum Leap: Angels Unaware

Quantum Leap #14

by L. Elizabeth Storm, Elizabeth Storm

Years after Al appears to a young girl and leads her to believe he is her guardian angel, the girl, now grown, loses her faith and goes to a monastery to die, and Sam, having leaped into the body of a priest, must prevent her death. Original.

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

308 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Carlin Trammel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the Quantum Leap novels based on the show, this was the one I was most interested in as it picked up the threads from a second season episode and followed up on a promise made by the main characters that was never fulfilled during the series.

The author constructs a story that feels like it could have been an extended episode of Quantum Leap, although the focus is largely shifted away from Sam Beckett and it packs in additional Quantum Leap mythology that would have been stripped away in a show.

This is a story ultimately about Al and a lot of the story takes place in his timeframe. A couple of additional characters from the show reappear. At first, I was not all that excited about the return of Angela, the "real angel," however, she winds up working here and playing a vital role in both the plot and the theme of exploring what is an angel.

The book was filled with references to previous episodes and subtly explained things that would have needed exploration since most of the story was told from Al's point of view. Ultimately, the explanations given match my understanding of the "rules of the show" and I could easily graft it into my "head canon" without it bumping on anything that aired.

While I enjoyed the book overall, it doesn't get five stars for a few reasons...

It is so steeped in Catholicism and the exploration and explanation of certain Catholic practices and traditions that I got lost and disinterested. Where it got most interesting (the debate about what an angel is) was not given enough time.

As mentioned before, Sam Beckett is ultimately a secondary character and comes off as a bit more aloof and disengaged than normal. Spending more time with him would have helped his portrayal.

The book is a sequel of sorts to an episode of Quantum Leap's second season. During that episode, Al was seen by a young girl and promised to come back to visit her. This tells the story of that follow up. Without spoiling it, I was left somewhat unsatisfied by the emotional reconnection and I think it caused more questions than it resolved.

All in all, I'm glad to have read this book and have another chapter in the life of these great characters.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time Sam is a priest leading a symposium at a retreat but has a number of potential issues to resolve, one of which is the possibility to phone himself and tell him not to step into the machine in the first place.
This was a nice tale that had an angelic character from the series that I hadn't seen, so wasn't sure about them.
The ending packed a surprising punch.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book.

[Avril · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 'Quantum Leap' novel is a great deal of fun. It features both original characters and people that Sam and Al met on previous (televisual) Leaps, tying it strongly into the TV series. Even better, it has a reason for making the links; at one point Al ponders the fact that it is "as if Someone had designed a collage of several of Sam's previous Leaps and put them all together into one". (p. 173) At the end, it's the memory of those previous Leaps that help Al save Sam.

Lots of theological speculation; a wonderful description of an oblates' retreat in a Benedictine Monastery; a bittersweet ending. For anyone who enjoyed the television series (for a few years it was essential Saturday night viewing for me and my housemate) this is well worth a read.

[Diane Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another chronicle of the Further Adventures of Sam and Al. The book was an enjoyable read, but there was nothing extraordinary about it. The massive amount of connections to old Leaps was interesting, but at a certain point it got to be a bit much. The author did discuss that one of the nuns had worked at an orphanage in Philly in her younger days, and then goes into quite a bit of detail about the nun that Al was fond of when he was in an orphanage in Philly, but then went no where with the connection, which I found distracting. With so many other "coincidences", it should have been fully explored.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story with a dark twist, fans of the show will enjoy this original novel as it is chock full of references to different episodes from the five year run.

[R. Joy Helvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I HATE the ending. Otherwise, good book.