When he opened a portal into the Oval Office, Fritz Russell agreed to help make the world a safer place. He saved hostages, prevented a nuclear war, and began a life of excitement and danger he never saw coming.Now, a terrorist group has captured the President, and Fritz must turn to the portal as a weapon to save him. Soon, unrest escalates and Fritz becomes a target himself.The portal may be … portal may be the only way he can save the president and end the growing danger. But against a power that will stop at nothing to bring chaos to the world, can Fritz prevail?
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The Quantum Touch series written by Michael R. Stern offers an opportunity to revisit a history that we might not have thought much about since grade school… in Shadow Storm, the third I’ve read in the author’s series, several historical figures guide our hero, a high school teacher who’s found a portal, as he attempts to save the world again. This time, the US President is in danger, and Fritz is stuck between saving his country and protecting his own life and that of his unborn child.
One of the things I love best about this series is the tone and writing style. Stern has a wonderful way of sharing historical facts with a gentle, guiding hand that intrigues and educates readers. You turn the pages to find out what parts of the past might tell him how to prevent a disastrous future, but you also worry that he’ll cross a line one day and never return. But truthfully, the books aren’t so much about time travel as they are using time travel to help someone in present times. While science-fiction guides the plot, the underlying story is one of friendship, love, mystery, and drama.
Fritz’s wife wants him to help save the world, but she worries about him dying. She’s eight months pregnant and has to straddle the line of what’s fair. Ashley, his best friend who never settled down, might have met the woman of his dreams finally. And the school principal is always against using the school for the portal’s magic… in this book, he has no choice but to comply. And as the plot thickens, we learn that someone has betrayed the President and Fritz. Life hangs in the balance. The portal might fall into the wrong hands. What a clever story, and one I highly recommend for young adults, adults, and even those who aren’t typical science-fiction readers like myself. There is a world of fantastic characters and strong settings to pull you in and keep you interested.
The continuation of a series, this being the third, containing the same characters with addition of a few more, this is a fast reading tale well worth the time. I set it aside for a time after starting the book, then today read right through it non-stop. It wasn’t by choice I kept reading this day, it was compelled by the urgency of the story and the currency of the issues discussed in the story. The characters have even more flesh, making them human, the story is woven with the characters entering and leaving in a manner which draws you to both the characters and the story. The ideas presented in the story are vital, current, and reflect a thoughtfulness on the part of author. I won’t relate the tale to you. You will have to read it yourself. One thing I will say and that is the naming of a President in the book did nothing to diminish its intensity or readability. Using current figures of import can backfire but it certainly did not in this story. There are five books in this series and I will definitely be reading the fourth very soon. Great job again Mr. Stern.