This product is currently out of stock. Please check back.
Product Details:
Author:
F. Paul Wilson
Mass Market Paperback:
432 pages
Publisher:
Tor Books
Publication Date:
August 29, 2006
Language:
English
ISBN:
0765351382
Package Length:
6.6 inches
Package Width:
4.2 inches
Package Height:
1.4 inches
Package Weight:
0.55 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 35 reviews
Description:
The ninth Repairman Jack novel begins with a tragedy that throws Jack together with his brother Tom, a judge from Philadelphia. They've never been close and Jack, the career criminal, soon finds that he adheres to a higher ethical standard than his brother the judge. Determined to get to know his brother better, Tom convinces Jack to go on a wild treasure hunt together. Armed only with a map pointing the way to a desolate wreck off the coast of Bermuda, the brothers come across something much stranger, and much more dangerous than mere treasure.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Good read but lacking a little something...Feb 26, 2008 This was very creepy at 3 in the morning with still 50 pages to go, but when it ended it seemed a little too easily wrapped up, and in the light of day the next morning, definitely dropped a star. I enjoyed the search for sunken treasure, but I've read enough Clive Cussler to roll my eyes when they found a sunken ship in one afternoon using only scuba gear and an underwater hand-held sand blower.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
GoodFeb 25, 2008 I chose the cheap shipping and it was still here pretty quick, exactly what I ordered and in good shape. Repairman Jack is amazing!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Character-Strong, Supernatural WeakJan 13, 2008 Wilson's 9th entry in the Repairman Jack series veers off a little from its predecessors in that the focus is on Jack's relationships with his brother, colleagues, and friends instead of on his battle with the Otherness. Usually it's the other way around.
There are elements of the supernatural present in the book, but the Otherness is not as omnipresent as it has been. There are also fewer details of Jack 'fixes.' What holds the story together is the character of Jack, and Wilson has done a good job writing about him here.
I recommend this book, but also acknowledge that it isn't as exciting as the other books in the series.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Some bright spots, but contrived & slow movingJan 07, 2008 Repairman Jack doesn't officially exist. He has no social security number, no tax records, no legal identity of any kind. Jack has spent his adult life trying to disappear from everyone, including his family, but some of those barriers have recently begun to fall. Jack spent some time with his father and bonded with him during the events of Gateways (Repairman Jack) and now his dad is coming to see him. Sadly, terrorists attack and kill everyone from his father's flight devastating Jack and forcing him to call his brother, Tom. Tom is a judge, but about as corrupt as a human being can be and, after the funeral, convinces Jack to go to Bermuda with him to recover some hidden money. Tom badly needs the funds to disappear and start a new life. Jack agrees, reluctantly, and the two take a boat ride to the island.
En route to Bermuda, Tom reveals something of an obsession he has to recover an ancient artifact from a Spanish ship that sank near Bermuda in 1598. Jack wants no part of the search, but finally gives in. This leads to recovery of something that should have been left at the bottom of the sea and brings plenty of grief to Jack, Gia, and Vicky.
Infernal is a change of pace for a Repairman Jack novel. The only fix-it job shown is handled in just one or two pages. The first two thirds of the book consist of Jack dealing with his obnoxious brother. They hang out in New York, travel to Bermuda, search for treasure, travel back to New York, Tom connives a way to stay with Jack, etc. Tom also falls madly in love with Gia the first time he sees her and actively tries to woo her despite the fact that she's six months pregnant with Jack's child. This struck me as so out of character and contrived that I rolled my eyes every time it came up throughout the book.
The final third of the novel is when it starts to look vaguely like something from the Repairman Jack series. A supernatural threat relating to the treasure threatens Vicky while Jack frantically searches for a cure. There's also some action involving the group who claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack that killed his father. The ending is forced and not very believable but most of what leads up to it is decently suspenseful and interesting.
One issue I had with the book was the poor handling of the return of Lyle and Charlie, the two brothers from The The Haunted Air : Repairman Jack (Repairman Jack) (Repairman Jack). When last we saw them, Lyle had gained the ability to see the future, at least when he is inside his house, and his brother Charlie had become a helpful ghost. Now Lyle's only purpose is to talk to Charlie's ghost, and Charlie is the one who sees everything. This was a disappointing lapse in continuity from my favorite novel of the series.
Infernal is not one of the stronger books in the series. The pace is very slow and Tom is such an annoying character that it really isn't fun to put up with him through hundreds of pages. This isn't a guy you love to hate, you just hate. The last third of the book is pretty entertaining, but then the ending is like something out of a really bad movie. If you haven't already read a Repairman Jack novel, this is certainly not the place to start, as it's one of the weakest of the lot. Established fans should enter at their own risk. There are some significant events in Jack's life that you'll want to know about, but then again they are all summed up in Harbingers: A Repairman Jack Novel (Repairman Jack) and it isn't that tough to follow.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Infernal is Eternally Solid Storytelling!Jul 20, 2007 F. Paul Wilson's fantastic 9th Repairman Jack novel is yet another breath of fresh air in sheer storytelling. This series has it all, from terrific characterizations to elements of sci-fi. horror, and fantasy, all rolled up to make this a urban merc fiction series that is second to none.
It is no wonder such literary giants such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz are even huge fans. Wilson is a dynamo in this field. There hasn't been a bad Repairman Jack novel yet. Even Infernal, with its lack of major action and adventure that I normally crave, makes little difference when the story and characters themselves make the reader easily immerse themselves into the fantastic plotline and newcomer characters.
Such as Jack's brother, Tom. This latest entry character to the series is very believable - like always - and he is the exact opposite of his urban merc brother, Jack. The storyline goes from New York to the Bermuda Triangle, and has various elements that keep the reader intrigued until the very last word in the novel. Twists and turns abound with the new threat of Jack's brother, Tom from getting Jack exposed, to an alien 'thing' long lost for centuries that Jack and Tom bring up from the ocean's depths, and even post 9/11 terrorists that do more damage to Jack's family from the get-go.
All these elements mesh so well together, and so seamlessly, that create yet another top-notch reading experience for tons of readers. My husband and I are newlyweds to this awesome series, and we can't wait to sink our teeth into the next novel, Harbingers, when it comes out in paperback next month.
So, for this novel Infernal, we give 5 stars for overall storyline, but 4 stars because there wasn't enough action and adventure like in past novels. Can't wait until this Otherness and the Adversary finally meet.
based on 35 reviews
