All the Rage

The Repairman Jack stories are some of the better constructed storylines around. All the Rage is a stand alone story, but it reads so much better if youve experienced the previous books. All the Rage is a page turner: murder, mafia, designer drugs, plotting, revenge and action which is nonstop. All this wrapped up into a healthy mix of science fiction, horror and fantasy. Youre missing out if youre not reading about Repairman Jack.

When I first read F. Paul Wilson, I thought of him as a horror writer, but the more I read of his books, the less I feel the label applies. Yes, he writes horror, but most of his novels would probably be better categorized as supernatural adventure: action-oriented thrillers that have an otherworldly quality. Of course, you’re unlike to find such a genre in the book store, but many writers don’t fit into those simple categories.

All The Rage is the fourth book in Wilson’s Repairman Jack series and is part horror, part thriller and part science fiction. In it, Jack learns of a drug with a street name of Berzerk. The manufacturers, however, are a semi-legitimate drug company who refer to it as Loki. The effect of Loki is to unlock a person’s aggressive side; in minute doses, this can be positive, but with too much, a person will become vicious and potentially homicidal.

Jack is hired by Nadia Radzminsky, a scientist working for the drug firm GEM. She is afraid her boss is being extorted by a local gangster Milos Dragovic and wants Jack to help him. Jack decides to take on Dragovic in a very indirect manner, in an effort to help not only Nadia, but another client as well. What neither Jack nor Nadia are aware of is that her boss is in business with Dragovic; specifically, the selling of Berzerk.

Loki gets its name because, like the Norse god, it is something of a shapeshifter. Every new moon, the fresh batches of Loki suddenly change into an inert chemical. What’s stranger is all records of Loki’s original form disappear and even memories of it grow vague. Nadia, unaware of the drug’s use, is recruited to try and synthesize the drug. What she is also unaware of is that the source of the drug is a demonic being known as a rakosh, the last survivor of a previous confrontation with Jack (back in The Tomb).

While All The Rage has a more-or-less standalone story, it is better appreciated if you’ve read the first three Repairman Jack books. Besides the plot in this book, there is a larger story going on, one that pits Jack against something called The Otherness and a demonic being disguised as the human Sal Roma. This bigger story – which also relates to many others of Wilson’s non-Jack novels and stories and continues beyond this book – has a nice Lovecraftian feel to it.

What’s most important, however, is that this book, like its predecessors, is a fun read. Jack makes a good hero. Although both likable and intelligent, he is no superhero and he continues to find himself in way over his head. If you have enjoyed other books in the series, this should be another good read; if you haven’t, start with the Tomb and get to this book later.

This was another great Repairman Jack book. The characters were great & the story excellent. Sometimes I don’t like Mr. Wilson’s female characters. I think he must like whiny women! Usually the characters are likeable if they are men, unless it is the “bad guy” of course, but even the “good” women are pretty tiresome. I always hope each book doesn’t dwell on Gia very much. All of the “regulars” are great except for her. So I am still looking forward to all the other “Jack” books & the great stories. The supernatural phenomenon in each book is just right – doesn’t take over the whole story but gives the reader the creeps.

F. Paul Wilson has done it again. The Repairman Jack series have been the best books I’ve read in a long long time. “All The Rage” had me from the beginning until the surprising conclusion. The new characters – The Ozymandias Prather Oddity Emporium crew and the “bad guys” Milos Dragovic and Dr. Luc Monnet were fresh and original. The old characters Gia, Vick, and Abe were wonderful as usual. (The inclusion of the Rokoshi was el perfecto’) I have read every book which features Repairman Jack and none have been the least bit disappointing. Each one has a unique and interesting premise. Wilson has a great talent for storytelling -he blends the real and supernatural so well. (read his Adversary series to get the full effect.) I’ve always been looking for a hero who bridges the gap between reality and fantasy and to me Jack is duh man. His character is the everyman, yet he also embodies the rebel we all wish to be. In “All the Rage” Jack is put through the wringer – his worse fears are realized – getting caught by the police, losing control, hurting Gia and Vick, and the Rokashi’s return and he manages to not only survive but to do it with his unique style. Jack is an action oriented guy but his “repairs” are well crafted. If you are a fan of Repairman Jack you will love this book. If your not a fan, then read this book and you soon will be. (You’ll be a Repairman Jack junky like me.) The only trouble with Repairman Jack novels is the wait in between.

As a big Repairman Jack fan I have to say that All the Rage is probably his best adventure next to The Tomb. Not only does it mark the return of the Rakoshi but it has one of the best ever Jack “fixes” in how he handles Milos Dragovic. And every Repairman Jack fan will appreciate the way Jack ties up all his loose ends at one sroke. We also get to see a slightly different Jack that almost lands him in a brush with “Officialdom”(shudder!). To wrap up the book there is a very ironic ending that I just loved. All in all right at the top of the list of best Jack books along with Criss Cross, Gateways and The Tomb.

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