The Dark At The End

by | Jun 30, 2011 | Reviews | 0 comments

Well, here it is. The 15th and final Repairman Jack novel. Granted, readers will see him again in a heavily revised Nightworld next year, but the cycle has ended. Tears will be shed. Women will scream his name (Jack’s, not Wilson’s. Okay, maybe a little of both). Regardless, Jack’s story has come full circle – at least until the final piece of the Adversary Cycle is told.

And it’s a brilliant, shocking setup to that conclusion.

Jack has landed in Long Island with childhood friend Weezy. Rasolom has holed up in an affluent neighborhood with the child of Dawn Pickering, the child who has some role in the Otherness’ plan to wreak havoc on earth.

Glaeken has given Jack permission to attempt to destroy Rasolom. With the help of longtime friend and sport shop owner/arms specialist Abe, Jack plans to decimate the mansion in which his enemy resides. However, when it comes to the battle between the Ally and the Otherness, nothing ever goes as planned. As Glaeken’s health is failing, his immortality gone, Jack finds a wound of his healing at an inhuman rate. Has the torch been passed? The Lady returns, dead twice but still kicking with one more life to go. Drexler, once close with Rasolom and an integral part to the Jack mythos, finds himself torn between the Otherness and his own priorities. The Kickers return, as does Eddie, Weezy’s brother in a manner to tie up many threads while still moving forward at locomotive speed.

To say more would spoil the fun.

Dark At The End has interesting tie-ins to the Young Repairman Jack series which brings the entire “Secret History Of The World” mythos (this reviewer’s term, not Wilson’s) full circle. This is a first in a series character and if there ever was a reason to turn to YA fiction, there couldn’t be a stronger one.

As usual, Wilson tells his story without the bells and whistles some other best-sellers rely upon; rather, he produces some of the leanest, cleanest prose which renders him invisible to what is truly important – the story. Even the smaller character ring out, speaking their piece, disregarding filler exposition and dialogue for what is needed for the best thriller writing possible.

Of course, for the Jack fanatics, F.Paul Wilson has signed a 3 book deal to fill the gap between the third YA novel and The Tomb, showcasing the evolution of Jack from troubled youth through his early New York City years which brought the legendary antihero to the world.

Recommended for any fans of good fiction, however, it is suggested to go back to the beginning and enjoy it from the start.

About Dave Simms