Honey, I Have Something to Tell You...

...I've been having an affair with a man named Jack! I can't seem to keep my hands off him!

Of course I'm referring to Repairman Jack who is a fictional character in F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack and Adversary Cycle series.

When I stumbled across a reference to one of Wilson's books a little over a year and a half ago, I was intrigued. I sent an email to my friend and her interest was peaked also and she started on a search for the books. I didn some research, came across the Repairman Jack website and I was hooked, without ever reading a single line of his books!

Jack is not your typical repairman. He fixes things but its not appliances or plumbing problems that he fixes. He fixes situations and in doing that, he gets involved in some situations of his own. In the eyes of the government, Jack doesn't exist but he soon discovers that his existence is very important and he finds himself caught in a situation beyond his control, something bigger than just a scam or a missing person. He was born for this, whether he likes it or not. Its the classic "good vs evil" but its so, so much more than that.

Jack's a character I grew attached to almost immediately. He's honest and reliable and loyal to a fault and "The Man" as Wilson is often known as has created a real treasure with this series and while there are many times I think he needs a slap upside the head, he constantly amazes me at how he continually weaves the separate storylines together so that they intertwine and become one.

While I've mentioned the Repairman Jack series, there are really *2* separate series intertwined and to fully understand the one, you must read the other. While the Adversary Cycle is not Repairman Jack per se, Jack is a part of those stories too. I'm a huge proponet of reading series in order. It irks me to no end to find out I've read the wrong book first. Some people may not be bothered by that but I am so I've outlined below the reading order of the Adversary Cycle/RJ books. I did not read the books in the exact order listed below, I am ashamed to say. I read many of the Jack books first before reading Black Wind which I found to be an excellent story and when I came to read By The Sword, a lot of things became clear in my mind. The Man tied things together once again!

Reading Jack is a huge undertaking but one I would highly recommend. Not all of the items listed below are novels. The Man has written many short stories involving Jack and not all of the books have been published yet. I urge you to find a F. Paul Wilson book, preferably Black Wind and see what you think. I don't think you will be disappointed!

(novels listed in ALL CAPS)
(yet to be released novels in italics)
(* can be found in THE BARRENS AND OTHERS)

(**can be found in AFTERSHOCK & OTHERS)

The Past:

"Demonsong" (prehistory)

"Aryans & Absinthe" ** (1923-24)
BLACK WIND (1926-1945)
THE KEEP (1941)
REBORN (Feb-Mar 1968)
"Dat Tay Vao"*** (Mar 1968)
Jack: Secret Histories

Jack: Secret Circles (published Feb 2010)

Jack: Secret Vengeance (yet to be published)

Year Zero Minus Three:

SIBS (February)
"Faces"* (early summer)
THE TOMB (summer)
"The Barrens" *(ends in September)
"The Wringer"
"A Day in the Life"* (October)
"The Long Way Home"
LEGACIES (December)

Year Zero Minus Two:

"Interlude at Duane's" ** (April)
CONSPIRACIES (April) (includes "Home Repairs")
ALL THE RAGE (May) (includes "The Last Rakosh")
HOSTS (June)
THE HAUNTED AIR (August)
GATEWAYS (September)
CRISSCROSS (November)
INFERNAL (December)

Year Zero Minus One:
HARBINGERS (January)
BLOODLINE (April)
BY THE SWORD (May)
GROUND ZERO (July)

THE TOUCH (ends in August)

The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium (ends in September)
"Tenants"*

Repairman Jack #14 (Fatal Error is slated to be the title)

Year Zero:

"Pelts"
REPRISAL (ends in February)
the last Repairman Jack novel (ends in April)
NIGHTWORLD (starts in May)