Rating: Summary: A Spear Has No Branches........ Review: ...Or so says the mysterious Russian lady whose presence sets the strange events of Hosts, F. Paul Wilson's 5th Repairman Jack novel, in motion. Urban mercenary Jack is unwittingly hired by his older Sister to investigate a strange cult her lover Jeanette has (seemingly) joined. As usual with Jack, there's more than meets the eye with this case: All of the Cult members are patients of the same Doctor, and they've all been on the receiving end of an experimental Cancer treatment. The Virus used to treat the Cancer has been tainted by "Ms. Aralo" (Longtime Jack fans will recignize the letters in that name...), and soon the patients are joined in a Hive-mentality that threatens to mutate into an air-borne virus that could signal the end of life as we know it by eradicating individual thought and making Humanity drones and slaves to "The Otherness". Good thing Jack's on the case.... Hosts is probably the weakest of the Repairman Jack novels to date, but it's still head and shoulders above most horror or suspense novels. As usual, Wilson does a great job of making his characters seem like real,three-dimensional people, and he peppers the book with enough sub-plots (Revenge-seeking arsonists, a Reporter who discovers Jack's identity, the introduction of Jack's Sister) to keep the story moving along briskly. By the end of the book, the reader has learned a lot of new information about Jack, and the stage is set for more battles against The Otherness. As another reviewer pointed out, the hardcover is filled with typos and name transpositions, which is really sloppy. These were hopefully corrected in later printings. This was especially jarring when reading about the sibling arsonists, whose names kept getting switched around....Otherwise, Hosts is a pretty good read, and sure to please longtime Repairman Jack fans and newbies alike.
Rating: Summary: Sad...(Sniff). Review: I found All the Rage's plot a little annoying; yet the characters and circumstances were so up beat and dynamic who could fill to enjoy the book? Hosts though...Seemed to be a repetition of many of the major plot points of All the Rage worse it didn't have the dynamics. I never thought I'd give a Repairman Jack book three stars; but with great reluctance...I do.
Rating: Summary: Of course you know this means war Review: I guess I am not sufficiently "literary" because I got so frustrated with the internationally acclaimed Swedish police procedural "The Laughing Policeman" that I gave up on it and, rather skeptically due to its 500 page length, picked up Hosts instead. Well, much to my suprise, its great pulp fiction with a nice hard-boiled edge to it. My first Repairman Jack won't be my last...read this if you want something easy.....and enjoyable to read.
Rating: Summary: The most frustrating RJ book Review: I'm a Repairman Jack fan. So I enjoyed this book. If you're also a fan, you'll probably enjoy it, too. But many times I wanted to grab author Wilson by the lapels and say, "What the beejeebers are you doing?" Because the subtitle of this book should be, "Repairman Jack gets stupid." Jack does have several wonderful moments -- with the subplots, especially. But he spends most of this book being uncharacteristically and inexplicably (not to mention unforgiveably) dense. The only rationaliziation for his obtuseness is to stretch the book out, and Wilson is usually above such sloppy plotting. For any less enjoyable character and writing, this would rate only two stars. Since Jack remains so much fun, this squeaks by with three.
Rating: Summary: The most frustrating RJ book Review: I'm a Repairman Jack fan. So I enjoyed this book. If you're also a fan, you'll probably enjoy it, too. But many times I wanted to grab author Wilson by the lapels and say, "What the beejeebers are you doing?" Because the subtitle of this book should be, "Repairman Jack gets stupid." Jack does have several wonderful moments -- with the subplots, especially. But he spends most of this book being uncharacteristically and inexplicably (not to mention unforgiveably) dense. The only rationaliziation for his obtuseness is to stretch the book out, and Wilson is usually above such sloppy plotting. For any less enjoyable character and writing, this would rate only two stars. Since Jack remains so much fun, this squeaks by with three.
Rating: Summary: Hosts: Repairman Jack Lives On! Review: If you haven't read any of the Repairman Jack books, you don't know what you're missing. Buy them at Amazon today! Start with The Tomb and work your way up Hosts, the latest installment in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson. It proves that you can't keep a good man down! Of all the trains in the city, the gunman just had to pick the one that Jack was riding. Jack saves a trainload of passengers in the first few pages of the book, almost has his identity blown by an overzealous reporter and then has to help his long lost sister get her friend out of what appears to be a weird cult. Jack is back and at his best. Get ready for a wild ride that only Repairman Jack can provide. I couldn't put this one down! This has something for everyone. Die-hard Jack fans will learn more about his past and be delighted to know that he's got some adventures ahead! Looks like the Otherness has a thing for him and it's not letting go. I can't wait for the next book!
Rating: Summary: No masterpiece but pure entertainment Review: One of my favorite series features Repairmen Jack. He "fixes" things and frequently those things concern insidious evil that can cost many innocent victims their life. In this, the fifth episode, Jack must deal with several threats. First of all Jack must protect his identity when he saves a subway carload of passengers from a crazed killer. Second, he must battle a virus, which threatens to take over the personality of the victims and potentially infect the whole human race robbing them of individuality. This would change mankind as we know it. Third, he must reestablish ties with an estranged sister who is under immediate threat from the virus. F. Paul Wilson writes a highly effective thriller, which is quite typical of this series. They have in common a scientific horror, which can include monsters or deviant drugs with many lives at stake. Characters are very effective, yet, some are more reminiscent of those found in comic books. The pacing never wanes right up to the usual explosive and fiery conclusion. This is no masterpiece but it is pure entertainment and that alone is no small feat.
Rating: Summary: Jack is back and bringing some more trouble with him... Review: Repairman Jack has been through it all: he's faced evil in all its forms, supernatural and otherwise. And he's survived...barely. Has he finally met his match? It begins with his sister, Kate, who follows her lover to a secret meeting. There are eight people there, and they seem to be up to something. A cult? An old lady with a dog gives her a card with the word JACK on it, and with nothing better to do, Kate calls. Meanwhile, Jack is on the subway heading home when a gunman begins killing people in his subway car. Jack naturally kills the gunman...and the only person to get a good look at Jack's face is a reporter looking for his big break... And, yes, there is yet another subplot: the story makes the headlines, yes indeed, and gosh darned if it doesn't catch the eyes of the Kozlowski Brothers, a couple of Jack's old enemies. They're angry and looking to settle a score... Repairman Jack is thrust yet again into a topsy-turvy world where right becomes wrong, and reality becomes something more--and less--than normal. He is forced to face the fact that he may be more than he once thought he was...he may not just be a "repairman": he may be humanity's only hope for survival against something called The Adversary. If he can just save his sister first. "Hosts" reveals more about Repairman Jack's past, while making him even more mysterious. The Repairman Jack series is not the only good writing F. Paul Wilson has done; check out "The Keep"--which, in a way, is related to this novel--if you need more proof of that. But the Repairman Jack novels ARE good, VERY GOOD. They feature one of the most unique heroes in modern fiction: a guy who will willingly risk his life for those he works for, and yet has a woman and child he loves. Repairman Jack is human...and that's what makes him so real. F. Paul Wilson strikes gold yet again, folks. Pick this up! (Really, I mean get this novel! It'll keep you turning the pages well past dawn...you just might miss work!)
Rating: Summary: Another Solid Adventure Review: Repairman Jack is at it again in another engrossing adventure with supernatural overtones. Although the story ties in with Wilson's Adversary Cycle series, you won't have any problems getting into this book if it's your first from this author. The story primarily focuses on a virally-based group mind seeking world control and the efforts of Repairman Jack to thwart it. The evil behind the virus, fully chronicled in the Adversary Cycle, is only briefly mentioned, although there is one extremely chilling chapter in which its ultimate goals are made clear. Wilson envisions evil as being intelligent, restrained, and patient, which is a welcome change from so many other authors who resort to the standard portrayal of evil that's only goal is to kill as many people as horribly and quickly as possible.
Rating: Summary: Not one of the Best Review: This is not one of my favourite Repairman Jack's novel. Too much focussed was given to the story of the journalist and his pursuit of the Savior. I would have preferred if more emphasis is given on Jack's 'fix-it' jobs. Maybe that's why Jack's heroism did not really shine in this novel.
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