Hosts (Repairman Jack) (Hardcover)

by F. Paul Wilson (Author), Harry Morris (Illustrator) "Kate Iverson stared out the window of the hurtling taxi and wondered where she was..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sandy Palmer, New York, Great Leap (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Wilson's latest Repairman Jack thriller (after All the Rage) shows the long-running series still creatively malleable and full of surprises. Each begins with the identity of the latest person to seek the urban mercenary's unorthodox skills: his beloved sister Kate, who's unaware at first it's her younger brother's job to "fix" problems and injustices that fall outside the usual legal boundaries. Kate asks Jack to investigate an apparent cult that her lover, Jeannette, has fallen in with while recovering from experimental viral treatment for a brain tumor, and Jack finds that the virus, tainted with a contaminant that has made it sentient, is organizing infected human hosts into "the Unity," a hive consciousness single-mindedly devoted to spreading itself throughout the world. Though the Unity's insidious ramblings about the joys of collectivism recall classic SF parables of communist mind control, Wilson swathes Unity's rhetoric around several interlocking subplots Kate's coming out as a lesbian, Jack's avoidance of a crusading reporter whose efforts to lionize him in print would destroy his anonymity to leaven the fantastical intrigue with provocative observations on the roles that individuality, privacy, self-interest and self-sacrifice play in our society. Wilson's fans, who know to expect nonstop action and a hero who can seem a "cryptofascist comic book character," will no doubt be pleased by the more humanized Jack on display here, as well as an ending that packs an emotional wallop even as it sets the stage for his next eagerly anticipated adventure.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Repairman Jack is a wonderful character, ultra-competent but still vulnerable . . . . Wilson strolls into X-Files territory and makes it his own, keeping the action brisk and the level of suspense steadily rising."-San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle
-- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Gauntlet; 1ST edition (June 2001)
• ISBN-10: 1887368396
• ISBN-13: 978-1887368391
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,013,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The most frustrating RJ book, May 19, 2004

By	S. Glaser (champaign, il United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hosts (Repairman Jack) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read!, September 25, 2004

By	M. R. A Bohm (Cordova, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hosts (Repairman Jack) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my First F. Paul Wilson novel, and my first introduction to Repairman Jack - and I'm hooked! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel even with no prior knowledge of Repairman Jack - the situation fixer.

Repariman Jack is called in to action when a hitman starts taking out innocent passengers on a subway. Gunning down the shooter - Repairman Jack is dubbed 'The Savior' - a title which although flattering threatens to wreck havoc on the lifestyle he has built for himself...out of the eye of authorities. Witnessed by an ambitious reporter with dreams to make it big, Repairman Jack struggles to stay out of the limelight.

Meanwhile, a call from a new client to help with a bad situation leads to an out of the blue meeting with his long lost sister, Kate. Kate's girlfriend Jeanette has become involved in something sinister following a brain tumour operation (which Kate suspects is a cult), and Kate wants to get to the bottom of the situation fast. Who better to solve a bad situation than Repairman Jack.

Hosts is a fast paced, sci-fi thriller which will leave you craving more of the incredible Repairman Jack - I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of the Best, October 15, 2003

By	"fearlessfosdick" (Singapore Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hosts (Repairman Jack) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.