F. Paul Wilson’s The Tomb (1984, revised edition 2004) introduces a character who lives “off the grid.” Jack has no Social Security number, doesn’t pay income taxes, or deals with the Government. Jack reminds me of an extreme form John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee (a “salvage expert”) because he is hired to deal with problems and “fix” them privately.
F. Paul Wilson has a sense of humor because he has Jack’s friend (and armorer), Abe, display a neon sign that reads:
FINE WEAPONS
THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE
RIGHT TO BE FREE
Of course, those lines come from A. E. Van Vogt’s Science Fiction classic, The Weapons Shops of Isher. In these times of Trump, those words take on an ominous aspect.
In The Tomb, Jack is hired to find a missing necklace. That leads to an investigation to find two missing sisters. And, an ancient curse with supernatural and Lovecraftean implications comes into play. F. Paul Wilson didn’t write another Repairman Jack novel for 15 years. I’ll be reviewing the entire series over the next year. Have you read any Repairman Jack novels? GRADE: B+
REPAIRMAN JACK SERIES
The Tomb (1984)
Legacies (1998)
Conspiracies (1999)
All the Rage (2000)
Hosts (Oct 12, 2001)
The Haunted Air (Oct 18, 2002)
Gateways (Nov 1, 2003)
Crisscross (Oct 7, 2004)
Infernal (Oct 20, 2005)
Harbingers (Sep 19, 2006)
Bloodline (Sep 18, 2007)
By the Sword (Oct 14, 2008)
Ground Zero (Sep 15, 2009)
Fatal Error (Oct 12, 2010)
Dark at the End (Oct 11, 2011)
Nightworld (1992 – Extensively revised edition: May 22, 2012)
JACK: YOUNG ADULT SERIES
Secret Histories (May 27, 2008)
Secret Circles (Feb 2, 2010)
Secret Vengeance (Feb 1, 2011)
REPAIRMAN JACK: THE EARLY YEARS
Cold City (Nov 27, 2012)
Dark City (Oct 15, 2013)
Fear City (Nov 11, 2014)
George, I’m a big fan. I devoured the Repairman Jack series as each book came out, as well as the Young Jack and Early Years series. Despite the author’s raging Libertarian philosophy, he managed to make Jack the perfect hero for our times; politics seldom gets in the way of a good story well told. Jack has much in common with John Connolly’s Charlie Parker and (to a lesser degree) Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. Also recommended is Wilson’s Adversary Cycle, two of which are also part of the Repairman Jack series, and BLACK WIND, a historical novel that ties into both the Adversary Cycle and the Repairman Jack series. The Repairman Jack short stories and novellas were collected in 2012 as QUICK FIXES; there was also a short story written in collaboration with Heather Graham where Repairman Jack and Graham’s Michael Quinn team up. Wilson also edited the 1992 Horror Writers of America anthology FREAK SHOW which also links the Adversary Cycle and the Repairman Jack series. Wilson also used the YOUNG JACK trilogy to obliquely link Jack to his science fiction series about the LaNague League.
At one time, Wilson planned a series of graphic novels about Jack but I don’t think that happened, and a Repairman Jack film has evidently been stuck in development Hell.
Jerry, thanks for your analysis of F. Paul Wilson’s work, especially the Repairman Jack series. I’ve been collecting Wilson’s work for decades and now I’m finally reading the Repairman Jack series. I’ll have to track down FREAK SHOW. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve not read them, but they sound interesting. Maybe when I stop reviewing I’ll have more time to read. I’ll probably start with a short story collection
Maggie, plenty of people have recommended the Repairman Jack series to me over the years. Like you, I have too many books and not enough time!
George, I’m not familiar with F. Paul Wilson but the Repairman Jack Series sounds interesting. I don’t think I have come across any of the books.
Prashant, I plan to read the entire Repairman Jack series over the next year or so. F. Paul Wilson has had a long, successful career writing Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy. Very prolific!
I read THE TOMB when it first came out in paperback, and I’ve read several of the later books in the series. Probably a total of four. I liked ’em but not enough to read the entire series.
Bill, I get the same feeling reading a Repairman Jack novel that I get reading a Jack Reacher novel. Same vibe, same fun!
What Bill said. I read THE TOMB and have read 2 or 3 others. You do need to be in the mood. I’ll have to look for that short story collection. I did read the collaboration with Heather Graham.
Jeff, I have the collaboration of Wilson and Heather Graham. Months from now, I’ll eventually get to it.
OK, I bought the Kindle edition of QUICK FIXES.
Jeff, I’ll have to look for my copy of QUICK FIXES. It’s around here someplace.