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: Of course you know this means war
Review: Besides the entertaining character of Repairman Jack, I like the little, well, what I think are jokes that F. Paul Wilson inserts into his pages. From Hosts, just after Jack side stepped another attempt on his life: Jack: Munching on a carrot, he turned to her. "Of course you realize this means war." This one line, brought one of many smiles to my face as I read this page turner. That one small comment, made me think of all things, Bugs Bunny. I can't for the life of me not think that line, especially with the carrot, was anything but intentional on the part of the author, and made me stop and laugh. You gotta love Repairman Jack.
Rating:
Summary: REPAIRMAN JACK IS BACK!
Review: F. Paul Wilson brings Repairman Jack for another adventure. And his sister too! Finally, we learn more about the personal life of Repairman Jack. This installment plays off the supernatural element introduced in The Tomb and continued in a lesser form in Conspiracies, All The Rage, and now in Hosts. Once you start Hosts, be prepared to read through the wee hours of the morning. The Keep, The Tomb, The Touch and Nightworld were all extraordinary novels. All the Rage and Hosts fall a step below the aforementioned novels, but any novel involving Repairman Jack is addictive . . . and you keeping asking for more.
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: 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: It Kept Me Interested Which is Saying A Lot
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: Jack, but a little different
Review: I've read all Repairman Jack novels and have to say this was my least favorite. This didn't seem like the Jack I've grown to love reading about. I did enjoy getting to know some of his past via his sister, but I never really cared about the plight of his sister and the reporter just annoyed the heck out of me. The story wasn't bad, but I prefer more of the old Jack.
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!
| 
