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thejessleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
betaadamantium's review against another edition
3.0
That was a rough book, overly long I felt. The action just wasn't sustaining in parts, and there was almost too much focus on motives and feelings and whatnot. It wasn't terrible and I *do* plan on trying more of the books. Just kind of underwhelmed.
careythesixth's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like I start a lot of these reviews with, "I like this book better than I thought I would..." And if I have, it's because I've been reading a lot of books that are either book club selections or recommended by someone else. My brother has been harping on me to read this book for years. When I had the chance to meet F. Paul Wilson last weekend at C2E2 (he was super cool), I figured I better get cracking.
Repairman Jack is in the business of vigilante justice. He's kind of like The Punisher, except with a narrower scope of rage (he doesn't shoot people in the face for littering, for example) and a better sense of humor. Jack fixes things for people when the police either don't do their job or don't do the right kind of job. When someone commits a crime, Jack makes sure they pay in the appropriate way -none of this trial by judge and jury crap.
In The Tomb, the first Repairman Jack book, jack is hired for two jobs: 1. Retrieve a stolen necklace and maybe kick the ass of the guy who stole it since he beat up an old lady in the process. 2. Find his ex-girlfriend's missing aunt. As the story goes on, Jack realizes these two jobs are connected. And there's some funny business going on. For example, how did Gia's aunt disappear from a secure third story bedroom without a trace? And just why is this necklace so dang important - it's just iron and topaz?
This was a quick and easy read and a little outside of my normal fare. But my brother promises there will be all kinds of apocalyptic shit going down in later books. The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there isn't much rereadability factor. But I had a good time with the first read. And now I have to go punch my brother for getting me hooked on a 16 book series when I have too many other things to do...
Repairman Jack is in the business of vigilante justice. He's kind of like The Punisher, except with a narrower scope of rage (he doesn't shoot people in the face for littering, for example) and a better sense of humor. Jack fixes things for people when the police either don't do their job or don't do the right kind of job. When someone commits a crime, Jack makes sure they pay in the appropriate way -none of this trial by judge and jury crap.
In The Tomb, the first Repairman Jack book, jack is hired for two jobs: 1. Retrieve a stolen necklace and maybe kick the ass of the guy who stole it since he beat up an old lady in the process. 2. Find his ex-girlfriend's missing aunt. As the story goes on, Jack realizes these two jobs are connected. And there's some funny business going on. For example, how did Gia's aunt disappear from a secure third story bedroom without a trace? And just why is this necklace so dang important - it's just iron and topaz?
This was a quick and easy read and a little outside of my normal fare. But my brother promises there will be all kinds of apocalyptic shit going down in later books. The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there isn't much rereadability factor. But I had a good time with the first read. And now I have to go punch my brother for getting me hooked on a 16 book series when I have too many other things to do...
smcscot's review against another edition
2.0
This was a fun little book, but it definitely had issues. The first thing that threw me a little for a loop, was the title. I haven't really figured out why this book is called The Tomb. There is a Temple, there is a Freighter, but there is no tomb. It almost felt like Wilson was trying to give the story more gravity by giving it this title.
My next issue with it was the content editing. The story looses a bunch of it's suspense because you know everything that is going on at all times. Now in full disclosure, I did read "The authors definitive edition", so he may have gone back through and added a bunch more back into the story, but knowing everything took all the surprises out of the story.
The next issue was that the characters never quite lived up to their tropes. The bad guy never really directly did anything very bad, Jack was a cool character, but the beginning of the story had him seeming extraordinary, and that never really panned out.
The ending was very satisfying. It was a cliffhanger for sure (not in a story sense, but in a character stylistic choice...it'll make sense if you read it), but it gives Jack a certain amount of gravitas. Reminiscent of Indiana Jones, or James Bond.
It was also entertaining enough to ignore the coincidental nature of the plot, but just like the 2 stars says, it was ok. I think this will be a series much like the Dresden Files, where the first few were just ok, but then when the character development really started to develop, the series took off. Looking forward to the next one.
My next issue with it was the content editing. The story looses a bunch of it's suspense because you know everything that is going on at all times. Now in full disclosure, I did read "The authors definitive edition", so he may have gone back through and added a bunch more back into the story, but knowing everything took all the surprises out of the story.
The next issue was that the characters never quite lived up to their tropes. The bad guy never really directly did anything very bad, Jack was a cool character, but the beginning of the story had him seeming extraordinary, and that never really panned out.
The ending was very satisfying. It was a cliffhanger for sure (not in a story sense, but in a character stylistic choice...it'll make sense if you read it), but it gives Jack a certain amount of gravitas. Reminiscent of Indiana Jones, or James Bond.
It was also entertaining enough to ignore the coincidental nature of the plot, but just like the 2 stars says, it was ok. I think this will be a series much like the Dresden Files, where the first few were just ok, but then when the character development really started to develop, the series took off. Looking forward to the next one.
serpabooks_0103's review against another edition
5.0
Hail to Repairman Jack!
Jack would be my new idol aside from Rankin's John Rebus whom I admired being a fictional character.
I expect that this second of Adversary Cycle was a thriller but I was wrong because it has a supernatural touch to it.
Maybe Jack's personality would gave me a puah through to read Secret Histories of the World. Hella adventure I love this one and didn't let me down. I loved the character development, twist of it and how Wilson turns human into monstrous being who bloodthirstly seek revenge even to the roots of long long ago.
Next stop Demonsong.
Jack would be my new idol aside from Rankin's John Rebus whom I admired being a fictional character.
I expect that this second of Adversary Cycle was a thriller but I was wrong because it has a supernatural touch to it.
Maybe Jack's personality would gave me a puah through to read Secret Histories of the World. Hella adventure I love this one and didn't let me down. I loved the character development, twist of it and how Wilson turns human into monstrous being who bloodthirstly seek revenge even to the roots of long long ago.
Next stop Demonsong.
whatmeworry's review against another edition
4.0
I devoured novels like this back in the 80s but somehow never read this one. It's a slightly silly, not really that scary, but enormously entertaining horror yarn with a likeable 2 fisted hero, a decent supporting cast and some really fun monsters. I suspect this version has been revised to bring some of the cultural references up to date but there's no getting away from that great B-movie feeling that so many 80s horror novels had.
Definitely looking forward to more of the same.
Definitely looking forward to more of the same.
waywardkangaroo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
chrisp623's review against another edition
1.0
I could not get into this one at all. I felt weirded out reading about the demonic Indian thing.
braydin's review against another edition
5.0
I've read a few of Wilson's stand alone books and have enjoyed them immensely. I've looked forward to the first of the Repairman Jack series and I wasn't disappointed. Most of Wilson's books center on a secret history that most people are unaware of. These secret histories often have some sort of mystical or mythical component that dovetails seamlessly into traditional history, much in the manner of Tim Powers, though usually with a darker tone. Think urban fantasy for guys. While there are love interests in this first book, it is most definitely not the focus of book.
I've been eager to see how Wilson will handle a series of books over an extended time. If this first book is any indication, it should be a wild ride.
I've been eager to see how Wilson will handle a series of books over an extended time. If this first book is any indication, it should be a wild ride.
subryder68's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0