Category: Books

Repairman Jack : Ground Zero…

Ground Zero is the thirteenth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

Jack meets up with an old school friend who has become fixated by the secret history of the world and more specifically, how it links to the 9/11 conspiracy theories…

This story adds a bit more flesh to Jack’s life before he became a fix-it man. It also gives a lot more information about how the Otherness is planning to take over our reality. The link to 9/11 is both a good and bad in my eyes. It’s good because it gives this work of fiction a lot more depth and gives it a very real feeling. It’s bad because it seems a little like exploitation of a real situation and the lives it affected. I’m really not sure what to make of this aspect of the plot.

As with the last few books, we are in the zone of counting down the days to the (possible) end of the world. Two more books to find out if we survive seems an awful long wait. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Repairman Jack : By the Sword

By the Sword is the twelfth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

Jack is hired to find a battered old Japanese sword. Unfortunately, there are some other people looking for it, including a group of Yakuza, a group of self-mutilating Japanese monks and people from a US religious cult. This is not going to be easy…

We are gradually getting closer to the end of times, so things are getting progressively chaotic and weird. Despite how ridiculous the plot sounds in a one-liner, it actually moves along quite well. As I’ve said before, I’ve become so desensitized to the dark nature of the books, I’m able to see past the grimness. I’m not sure if that should worry me or not…

Cheers

Tim…

Repairman Jack : Bloodline

Bloodline is the eleventh book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

After taking a break from doing fix-its, Jack takes on a simple case for Christy Pickering. She is looking for dirt on her daughter’s boyfriend, who is twice her daughters age. Not Jack’s normal work, but it sounds simple enough, until the first guy Christy hired for the job turns up dead. As usual, nothing is ever simple for Jack…

There is some very dodgy stuff going on in this book. I’m not going to go into it because it will be a spoiler and I don’t want the subject matter to appear on this blog. It’s not the sort of thing you want appearing when someone does a search on you or your blog. 🙂

At this point in the story it is less than a year away from the armageddon that keeps being foretold…

Cheers

Tim…

Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control: Managing Data Center Chaos

If you are interested in finding out more about Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control, Porus Homi Havewala‘s new book called Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control: Managing Data Center Chaos, will be available in printed and electronic formats in September 2012. If you are super-keen, it’s available for pre-order now. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Free Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012

Michael McLaughlin‘s blog has a post about a free MS SQL Server book (Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012) available here. If you are into MS SQL Server, you can’t get a better deal than that. 🙂

Remember, you can still get hold of a free copy of Tom Kyte‘s book (Expert Oracle Database Architecture, 2nd Edition) from Red Gate.

Cheers

Tim…

Repairman Jack : Harbingers

Harbingers is the tenth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

The last of Jack’s relatives are gone. Are his girlfriend (Gia), her daughter (Vicky) and Jack’s unborn child the next in line? Is there anything Jack can do to protect them?

This book focuses more on Jack’s relationship to “The Otherness” and “The Ally”. We see a more aggressive side of Jack, as well as the cold calm detachment when he’s doing his job. Dark, dark, dark, but also kinda exciting.

Cheers

Tim…

 

 

Repairman Jack : Infernal…

Infernal is the ninth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

Another family tragedy has the effect of reuniting Jack with his brother Tom, the judge. It turns out Tom is not as squeaky clean has he appears and needs Jack’s help for something less than legal. As you can probably guess by now, it all turns sinister and mystical… 🙂

I’ve definitely become desensitized to the darkness now. Every time a new character is introduced, pretty much my first thought is, “I wonder how they will die?” It’s a bit like watching Star Trek and knowing the security officer (in the red top) you’ve never seen before is the one that’s going to eat lead/laser…

Cheers

Tim…

Repairman Jack : Crisscross

Crisscross is the eighth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

I’m trying desperately not to sing “Kris Kross will make you jump, jump“. Failed.

Two quick fix-it jobs get very complicated. First Jack tries to help a Nun who is being blackmailed. Then a concerned mother asks him to find her missing son who has joined a cult. You would have though by now Jack would realize there is nothing like a simple fix-it.

I think I am being desensitized to the darkness of these books. I don’t think that is a good thing, but it does mean I can enjoy them without feeling the need to ring the doctor to get some Prozac. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Repairman Jack : Gateways…

Gateways is the seventh book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

Jack’s dad has an “accident” and is left in a coma. Jack goes to visit him and tries to find out what happened. Another brush with “The Otherness” inevitably follows.

As I’ve come to expect, the backdrop to the story is quite sinister, but it moves too fast for you to dwell on that. It’s more like a full on action story and much less bleak than some of the previous stories. Maybe I’m just getting acclimatized… 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

PS. Having this cold has certainly allowed me to motor through some of these books.

Repairman Jack : The Haunted Air…

The Haunted Air is the sixth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson.

It seems the world is quite literally going to Hell and Jack is one of the few people that might be able to stop it. This latest adventure sees Jack getting drawn into investigating the ritual killing of children, phony mediums and a ghost interfering in his private life.

On the plus side, the book was well paced and I was desperate to know what happens next. On the negative side, the content is really heavy and disturbing. There are elements that are very similar to one of the Felix Castor books, but with a much darker edge.

I like the main character. I want to see how his family life continues to develop. I’m not sure I can make it much further through the series without a break for something a bit lighter though.

Cheers

Tim…