Repairman Jack is one of the most intriguing fictional characters in modern literature today.
He’s a literal urban mercenary, who takes repair jobs that need to be kept hush hush, or deal with things that are against the law.
Things that people don’t want to have the police or other officials involved with.
Even though he’s a mercenary for hire, he’s still a very ethical and righteous man – even if he is what amounts to a career criminal.
Jack was created by the not only prolific but excellent author F. Paul Wilson. The first novel he appeared in was ‘The Tomb’, which was part of his Adversary Cycle series of books.
The character grew from that point, and even though it took several years for him to appear again, he is now part of his own series which at the time of this review, now spans over ten books.
And they’re all worth reading.
Mr. Wilson came up with a brilliant idea to introduce a new generation of readers to his pivotal character. He began to write a trilogy for teens – known as the Secret Histories. The trilogy deals with Jack as a teenager, and all the events that lead up to him becoming the man he is in the other novels.
Before I go any further, my usual disclaimer. I will not reveal any spoilers that you couldn’t get from reading the back cover of the novel. I won’t ruin it for anyone.
The first novel, Jack, introduces a couple of Jack’s friends, people who were important to him as he grew up. We also are treated to seeing what Jack’s life was with his whole family.
And, for any fans of the series, there are all of Mr. Wilson’s trademarks, things and events that have been mentioned in his series that appear in the first book. A real thrill for long time readers.
Although many new readers, such as my son, will not catch onto the clues unless he begins to read the adult series.
The novel begins with Jack and his friends off in the woods around the town he grew up in. They discover a mound and upon further investigation, find the remains of a murder victim, as well as a strange artifact.
The discovery becomes the buzz of the town and with it other more sinister events begin to take place.
The novel mainly deals with Jack’s history, which is very much welcome. As I stated above, we get to meet people that were important to Jack as a young adult and see events that shaped him into the man that he became.
Oh, yes, there was indeed violence, but nothing like you would read in the regular novels. The violence always takes place off camera, so it is most definitely kid friendly for younger readers. And there are no sexual situations or for that matter foul language.
A great read even for adults like myself, as it fills in a lot of history. I eagerly await the next novels in the trilogy.
5 out of 5