The Return of Spring-heeled Jack cover

The Return of Spring-heeled Jack

by Jennifer Caress

Spring-Heeled Jack is a British urban legend, first appearing in 1837. Eye witnesses tell of a man who could leap several stories in the air with little effort. Some say he could breathe blue fire, others say he lured women out of their homes and attacked them by clawing at their faces. By all accounts he was a thief and a menace. Sightings of Spring-Heeled Jack continued for several centuries and crossed numerous continents, but he has been mysteriously absent from the 21st century. Until now. Spring-Heeled Jack breaks into the houses of two women, brutally attacking them both. Police report that a few items from each house were stolen and neither women were critically injured. His appearance is frightening: dressed in all black with hat, full face mask, goggles, cape, shirt, pants, and boots. He then breaks into an antique store, searching for special items for their energies including a rare glass knife. With the correct combination of objects and energies, Jack can open portals to different times and places. Enter Alice, who works at the store. Jack suspects she herself can open portals and the two develop an unlikely alliance in a search for a portal to a mythological utopia.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?