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Quantum Touch #5
Storm Surge
As Fritz Russell's summer of exploring the past with the portal comes to a close, the president recruits him for a crucial mission - stop a coup that threatens the outcome of a vital election. With moles inside the government passing crucial information about the portal, Fritz must be cautious about how it's used, and who he can trust. With surprise visits from Ben Franklin, Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein, Fritz attempts to prevent himself from becoming a pawn in a complex game of chess. But can Fritz put an end to the conspiracy and prevent checkmate? This is the large print edition of Storm Surge, with a larger font / typeface for easier reading.
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About the author
Michael R. Stern
28 books69 followersMichael R. Stern is the Amazon best selling author of "Reflections on a Generous Generation", and "Storm Portal."
His newest release, Shadow Storm, book 3 of the Quantum Touch series, tells the story of a history teacher, whose classroom door is a portal to the past and a tunnel through the present.
Michael is a history lover. His future writing, both non-fiction and fiction, will offer perspectives on the way the past threads to the present and future, and why our past provides the guidance to understand and plan for the world we inhabit together.
Michael grew up in Garden City, New York, is a graduate of Cornell University, and now lives outside Philadelphia with his family. After a long career in business, he has begun a writing adventure.
His newest release, Shadow Storm, book 3 of the Quantum Touch series, tells the story of a history teacher, whose classroom door is a portal to the past and a tunnel through the present.
Michael is a history lover. His future writing, both non-fiction and fiction, will offer perspectives on the way the past threads to the present and future, and why our past provides the guidance to understand and plan for the world we inhabit together.
Michael grew up in Garden City, New York, is a graduate of Cornell University, and now lives outside Philadelphia with his family. After a long career in business, he has begun a writing adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 31, 2025
History is a fascinating subject. So is politics. Coupled together with the ability to time travel, author Michael R. Stern entertains a wide array of readers in his six-book Quantum Touch adventure series. This week I finished the fifth one, Storm Surge, which left me eager to dive right into the next... but since it's the last in the series, I will wait a bit longer, at least until after the holidays. Something I can definitely look forward to among the merriment and Christmas treats.
When we left off last, Fritz had become a father yet his marriage was falling apart. His dedication to supporting the President of the United States, via the time traveling portal he's connected to, often gets him trouble. It leaves friends and family injured and dead. In-laws with vengeance on their mind. Criminals in desperate search of him. Fritz's secret is out, and now he has to figure out how to stay hidden, protect his family, and still assist the POTUS with saving the world. As the months pass by, the US government relies on Fritz more and more, to the point the world almost comes to an end.
Stern is a great storyteller. While much of the book is the thriller / adventure style, showcasing bombs, gunfire, kidnapping, and torture, it's handled well and without excessive gore or shocking detail. It straddles the line of young and older readers. The undertone of the drama, the pull between love of family and country, is what most stands out. Sprinkled throughout the story are necessary downtimes, where Fritz can teach his high school classes, take side trips into history to meet Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, and many other important political figures. It is often the brilliance of these former leaders that prompts Fritz to solve current-day problems and find a solution for winning the war on humanity.
Ripe with conspiracy, lost love, surprising revelations, and great history lessons, the book is a fun and educational read. The tone and style has grown more mature, but it's also become more well-rounded and connected (amongst the various plot lines). Characters gain substance; readers root for marriages to heal. Learning how deeply embedded the people you once trusted are in with the bad guys now is heartbreaking and alarming... and so much of it aligns with our present-day reality. I'm much looking forward to a powerful conclusion when I read the last book in a few weeks.
When we left off last, Fritz had become a father yet his marriage was falling apart. His dedication to supporting the President of the United States, via the time traveling portal he's connected to, often gets him trouble. It leaves friends and family injured and dead. In-laws with vengeance on their mind. Criminals in desperate search of him. Fritz's secret is out, and now he has to figure out how to stay hidden, protect his family, and still assist the POTUS with saving the world. As the months pass by, the US government relies on Fritz more and more, to the point the world almost comes to an end.
Stern is a great storyteller. While much of the book is the thriller / adventure style, showcasing bombs, gunfire, kidnapping, and torture, it's handled well and without excessive gore or shocking detail. It straddles the line of young and older readers. The undertone of the drama, the pull between love of family and country, is what most stands out. Sprinkled throughout the story are necessary downtimes, where Fritz can teach his high school classes, take side trips into history to meet Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, and many other important political figures. It is often the brilliance of these former leaders that prompts Fritz to solve current-day problems and find a solution for winning the war on humanity.
Ripe with conspiracy, lost love, surprising revelations, and great history lessons, the book is a fun and educational read. The tone and style has grown more mature, but it's also become more well-rounded and connected (amongst the various plot lines). Characters gain substance; readers root for marriages to heal. Learning how deeply embedded the people you once trusted are in with the bad guys now is heartbreaking and alarming... and so much of it aligns with our present-day reality. I'm much looking forward to a powerful conclusion when I read the last book in a few weeks.
March 3, 2022
"Storm Surge" is the fifth in this series. Another school history tournament is planned. Meanwhile, a new group of the mysterious Caballeros is formed to create destruction, chaos, and wealth. This story has elements that remind me of a Tom Clancy thriller novel. It’s intense, with many twists and turns, while also gritty and a bit darker. One of the things I like best is the deep, enduring friendship between Ashley and Fritz, as they support each other through harrowing times.
April 27, 2018
Just keeps getting better and better.
This series just keeps getting better with every offering. When it started out it was written for a younger reader but quickly morphed (for the better) for an older audience. Even so, one of the things I liked best at the beginning was the lack of graphic violence. That is still 'mostly' the case, but to be true to the characters being built, there had to be some escalation. While that increase was true to the story and perfectly integrated, there was one scene I felt was so needlessly over the top, it could have easily been left out without compromising the story, but that's just my opinion.
The development of the various characters' relationship evolution is realistic under the stresses of their situations and family dynamics and makes the story more believable in a 'natural' way that enhances the overall story. Without revealing spoilers, I also liked the way the author expanded the time travel and portal abilities.
My only complaint is that I'm not a fan of an endless series that becomes nothing more than sci-fi soap opera that goes on and on and on. I was hoping this series would end with this offering, and the author could create a new series and world, but can wait for one (or maybe two) more episodes because it has been so enjoyable up to now.
This is a solid five star effort and I'm looking forward to the next episode.
This series just keeps getting better with every offering. When it started out it was written for a younger reader but quickly morphed (for the better) for an older audience. Even so, one of the things I liked best at the beginning was the lack of graphic violence. That is still 'mostly' the case, but to be true to the characters being built, there had to be some escalation. While that increase was true to the story and perfectly integrated, there was one scene I felt was so needlessly over the top, it could have easily been left out without compromising the story, but that's just my opinion.
The development of the various characters' relationship evolution is realistic under the stresses of their situations and family dynamics and makes the story more believable in a 'natural' way that enhances the overall story. Without revealing spoilers, I also liked the way the author expanded the time travel and portal abilities.
My only complaint is that I'm not a fan of an endless series that becomes nothing more than sci-fi soap opera that goes on and on and on. I was hoping this series would end with this offering, and the author could create a new series and world, but can wait for one (or maybe two) more episodes because it has been so enjoyable up to now.
This is a solid five star effort and I'm looking forward to the next episode.
December 26, 2019
Sometimes an author tells the tale of history, using fiction as a metaphor, perhaps altering some of the aspects of reality for the sake of the drama set out in the story. So it is with this exciting book. You start it, wonder how the cabal trying to eliminate the President will be discovered, dealt with, if at all. As you read it gathers you, grabs you, then won't let you go. I started reading this one two days ago, in my usual way a few pages at a time. I read about 75% of the book today. It was a Christmas present to myself. I won't tell you what the metaphor was, nor what the outcome of the efforts of the cabal were. You will be shocked (yes pun intended) by the events as they unfurl in the author's presentation. Your sense of just how wrong things could go in our country will be struck if you have any concerns about its direction at the moment. Take the time, read this book carefully, think about the story and much more. This one is well worth the time and the money. An easy five stars.
June 2, 2018
This series keeps getting more surprising.
I've been reading this series since the very first one. They need to be freed in sequence to really get the most out of it. Storm Surge goes to places with the characters that I didn't see coming but which made sense when I read it. The writing in this book is more sophisticated, more nuanced and full of suspense. The scenes on the boat had me on the edge of my seat. I could feel the waves lapping at the sides, anticipation building as I started to put together the sinister plot, only to be surprised at another twist. As with all of the books I'm this series, politics is the sub plot, and history the foundation. I'm really looking forward to what I imagine will be the last in this series. Kudos to the writer Michael Stern, for such an entertaining and thought provoking book.
I've been reading this series since the very first one. They need to be freed in sequence to really get the most out of it. Storm Surge goes to places with the characters that I didn't see coming but which made sense when I read it. The writing in this book is more sophisticated, more nuanced and full of suspense. The scenes on the boat had me on the edge of my seat. I could feel the waves lapping at the sides, anticipation building as I started to put together the sinister plot, only to be surprised at another twist. As with all of the books I'm this series, politics is the sub plot, and history the foundation. I'm really looking forward to what I imagine will be the last in this series. Kudos to the writer Michael Stern, for such an entertaining and thought provoking book.
April 26, 2018
Book 5 Great
Michael Stern has recaptured the essence of this series, which I had felt was lost somewhat in Book 4. His characters are extremely well developed with more depth than ever, and the story lines are all intertwined in a realistic, comprehensive way. Everything, the time travel, the relationships, and the determination of the "good" characters and the "bad" are believable. The twists and turns within the plot for everyone keeps the reader on edge and it's never easy, as a result, to put the book down!
Usually I don't read chapter teasers from the next book, but I was so invested in this story and the characters, that I didn't want the book to end, so I read the teasers. Now I eagerly await Book 6.
Michael Stern has recaptured the essence of this series, which I had felt was lost somewhat in Book 4. His characters are extremely well developed with more depth than ever, and the story lines are all intertwined in a realistic, comprehensive way. Everything, the time travel, the relationships, and the determination of the "good" characters and the "bad" are believable. The twists and turns within the plot for everyone keeps the reader on edge and it's never easy, as a result, to put the book down!
Usually I don't read chapter teasers from the next book, but I was so invested in this story and the characters, that I didn't want the book to end, so I read the teasers. Now I eagerly await Book 6.
May 15, 2018
Not what I expected, could not wait for it to end.
Felt like the author wanted to confuse me with a hundred short cuts. No images formed in my mind as I read, just a bunch of low quality unconnected drama. I apologize to Mr. Stern but this is crap.
Felt like the author wanted to confuse me with a hundred short cuts. No images formed in my mind as I read, just a bunch of low quality unconnected drama. I apologize to Mr. Stern but this is crap.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews