Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A CURSE FROM THE PAST INVADES THE PRESENT..., November 23, 2006
The horror genre is enriched by this book, which is inventive and original. Though the book is plot, rather than character, driven, it does not suffer for its lack of character development. The reader is kept too busy thinking about the plot to worry unduly about character development. Such is the power of this unusual and compelling horror story.
The plot is relatively simple. The horror reaches out across the world from India to the United States. A heinous defilement and murders by British soldiers in a temple in mid-nineteenth century India unleashes a curse that is to follow the descendants of the leader of the attack. Coupled with that curse is an entourage of creatures of unimaginable horror that have once again risen to do the bidding of one who would avenge past wrongs. With great power, however, comes great responsibility.
Enter Repairman Jack, a man who works to right what once went wrong and who earns his living by his wits and by his ability to defend himself to the death, if necessary. If one has a problem, he will fix it. When he agrees to help a one-armed Indian gentleman, Kusum Bahkti, retrieve a necklace that is a priceless family heirloom, he soon discovers just how priceless it is.
Jack suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of a series of almost inexplicable events. Besieged by mysterious disappearances, rank odors, unusual substances of Indian origin, he finds that the necklace holds the key to an ancient horror. He then comes up against the most formidable foes he has ever encountered. He must find a way to vanquish some pretty hellish creatures or risk losing those whom he loves.
Highly original and inventive, this is a pretty well written horror story that should keep even the most jaded of readers turning its pages. It is also the book that introduced Repairman Jack, a popular character that would go on to have a series of books revolve around him.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Repairman Jack's first book, November 1, 2006
Repairman Jack could be described as a fixer - you got problem and for a fee, he can fix it, or a champion of the oppressed - you can't afford a fee, we'll work something out. To the government he doesn't exist. He has never collected a paycheck and has never paid income tax. He has no credit, no credit cards, no FICO score, has never voted, has no social security card, has never been arrested, has no driver's license or passport (at least in his real name). In short, he works outside the system totally under the radar.
Jack has a fiancee named Gia, who has a nine year old daughter named Vickey. She doesn't approve of what Jack does but Jack has saved both their lives on more than one occasion, so she grudgingly accepts his occupation. Jack is crazy about both of them and Vickey idolizes Jack.
More about Jack
Jack is average in every way - average height, weight, looks, hair and eyes and clothes. Since Jacks works within an underground society he works at blending in, being non descript if you will but that's where all similarities to an average man end.
Jack is tough as nails. When he doesn't have a client he works out and practices martial arts. Jack is deadly in a fight and is afraid of no one. Has Jack beat anyone up? You bet. Has he killed anyone? Only those who deserved it and even then, reluctantly. Jack has friends in low places like the intractable, Abe, proprietor of a sporting goods store that is a front for an armory, both legal and illegal weapons. The more you read him the more you decide that Jack is a very interesting fellow.
The Tomb
Jack can be your worst nightmare but as nightmares go, everything is relative and Jack takes second fiddle in this book!
Jack Meets a lovely but troubled woman named Gia. She has an adolescent daughter named Vicky. Jack grows to love Gia and Vicky. He would lay down his life for either and in this story he almost does.
Vicky's father (who's divorced and not in the book) has the surname Wesphalen and hence Vicky's is Wesphalen. None believe it but the Wesphalen family is living under a curse, precipitated by the murderous acts committed by an unnamed, greedy ancestor over a hundred years ago in India.
Kusum Bhakti, an East Indian priest of a tiny sect that worships the bloodthirsty deity Kali and his sister Kolobati are descendants of the victims of the atrocities perpetrated by this elder Wesphalen. They have come to New York City to carry out their vendetta and wipe out the rest of the Westphalen line. Kusum has brought with him the Rakoshi, vicious, flesh eating monsters, to accomplish this horrible undertaking.
Rakoshi are huge (over eight feet tall) hideous, malodorous, perversions of the humanity created eons ago.
Coincidently, Kusum hires Jack to locate the thief that mugged his aged grandmother and stole a necklace which is a family heirloom. Jacks thinks lightning just might strike twice so he dresses up like an old lady and sure enough our perp. attacks him. Jack quickly turns the tables and after a couple broken bones convinces the perp. to relinquish his ill gotten gains. Funny thing, the perp. claims the victim was young.
In fact, the aged grandmother is Kolobati, Kusum's younger sister and both of them are almost 150 years old. They maintain their young appearance because of the necklaces they wear (the family heirlooms) and of course when the mugger took the necklace, Kolobati began to age immediately.
When Jack returns with the necklace, Kusum is ecstatic and Jack walks away a few thousand richer and now has to visit Gia and Vicky. Gia called while Jack was on the Mugger case and needed to see him.
Gia Westphalen, who is a freelance commercial artist, had broken off her relationship with Jack after accidentally discovering his real occupation but decided to call Jack anyway, when one of Vicky's two aunts disappeared.
She's decided Jacks line of work, which she abhors and is the reason she broke with Jack, might be helpful to locate the Aunt. Unfortunately the aunt is long gone and the other aunt is next and Jack and Gia get dragged into a battle with Kusum and supernatural creatures, the Rakoshi to save the last remaining Wesphalen - Vicky
Conclusion
Not for the faint of heart, this story gets quite scary as our hero Jack must confront the apparently insane, murderous Kusum and his nest of monsters in order to save Vicky.
Wilson does introduce some homey, risible moments into the story, through Jack and a couple friends of his. For instance, Julio owns a bar which sometimes substitutes for Jacks office. Julio's Bar (Julio's) has dozens of dead potted ferns located around the bar because he thinks it will keep the yuppies away. Abe owns a pawnshop which is also Jacks armory. While Jack is somewhat upbeat, Abe is kind dour and pessimistic, always predicting a financial or a social catastrophe and he always seems to have a spot of ketchup or mustard on his shirt. Wilson uses moments of levity to lighten the overall darkness of the story.
The Tomb is an excellent fast paced read that I personally have read four times. Wilson's writing is very reader friendly and fast moving, though he does digress occasionally. The novel is fast paced and seems to cover a lot of ground in just over 400 pages. Wilson seems to be a natural storyteller. In this and other novels I have read by him, he draws you in and makes you terrified for our hero and his loved ones. For horror fans this is essential reading!!!!
This novel has ultimately been listed as one of six books that form the Adversary Cycle. I don't think it started out that way but it ended up that way. It and "The Touch" are self contained reads that can be taken that way with no further reading; however they should be read sometime before reading the final book of the series "Nightworld".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I have found a new favorite author!!, September 11, 2006
What a powerhouse storyteller! I was enthralled from beginning to end! Repairman Jack is one of the best thought out and interesting characters I have come across in a long time. All the characters in this book are believable and well developed. The story itself flows along at a perfect pace. I plan on reading the whole series!!
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