Jumpers: Code Zero (book review)

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author for free, in exchange for a review. I was under no pressure from the author, and maintained full autonomy for this review post.

Z.R.R Beatham's debut novel, Jumpers: Code Zero (The seeds of chaos book 1), was released on 16th September 2025 and I was privileged to have been accepted as an advanced reader ahead of its publication. If you're interested in reading other reviews, a number of reviews are already on Goodreads. You can also purchase the book on Amazon [1].

Sitting in the sci-fi genre, "Jumpers" is set in a dystopian future where you are implanted with technology on turning sixteen. These computers, or Data Control Units, provide their users a great deal of access to everything from information to money. The author opens with an impressive prologue that gives you more questions than answers, and has you wondering "what was all that about?" from the beginning.

Readers are quickly thrust into an investigation by the police force, known as hunters, that many of the public fear. While the hunters seem fair, their extra privileges with their data control units make them formidable. You don't want to mess with a hunter. We follow a hunter on his first field mission investigating alterers, people who modify technology and not necessarily for the better.

Beatham switches between viewpoints regularly in this book, and sometimes that can throw you. Within a paragraph or two though you're back on track. These changes help the narrative keep pace, and give a greater insight into the world we find ourselves in. At times the world feels familiar, while at others you're imagining technology to come. Though the world may have been ravaged by war, there's still enough familiarity to not completely disorientate the reader - people still go about their lives, there's still pubs, jobs, trains, for example.

Scenery is well described, giving the reader enough information to paint a picture in their mind but without taking pages and pages of text (ahem Tolkien!). Bearing in mind that some settings would be familiar to us now (offices, streets, pubs) and others are very different (laboratories), the author does well on the description front.

This novel's plot provides plenty of questions and mental avenues to go down and I was pleased to see that not all the questions are answered, leaving space for a sequel. There's also sufficient twists and turns so that just when you think you know what's going on you need to think again. You might be right, but equally you could be wrong!

I found this book really came into its own in the second half, once the groundwork was laid, and for me the second half was the more enjoyable. In the first half I found myself having to re-read some paragraphs, although I suspect that's down to how I read as much as it is the author ensuring there was mystery and intrigue (some things had to be vague for example).

I'd certainly encourage you to support this new author - his debut novel was enjoyable and I want to know what happens next. If you have read Snow Crash (by Neal Stephenson) then you may find this book evokes similar feelings. At least it did for me.

Banner image: Cropped screenshot of the book's cover art, copyright its respective designer / author.

[1] - I receive no commission, I'm just providing you a link should you wish to purchase it!