Synopses & Reviews
Following last year's successful
The Haunted Air, F. Paul Wilson returns with another riveting episode in the saga of Repairman Jack, the secretive, ingenious, and heroic champion of those whose problems no one else can solve. As Dean Koontz says, "Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing characters to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages. His adventures are hugely entertaining."
In Gateways, Jack learns that his father is in a coma after a car accident in Florida. They've been on the outs, but this is his dad, so he heads south. In the hospital he meets Anya, one of his father's neighbors. She's a weird old duck who seems to know an awful lot about his father, and even a lot about Jack.
Jack's arrival does not go unnoticed. A young woman named Semelee, who has strange talents and lives in an isolated area of the Everglades with a group of misshapen men, feels his presence. She senses that he's "special," like her.
Anya takes Jack back to Dad's senior community, Gateways South, which borders on the Everglades. Florida is going through an unusual drought. There's a ban on watering; everything is brown and wilting, but Anya's lawn is a deep green.
Who is Anya? Who is Semelee, and what is her connection to the recent strange deaths of Gateways residents-killed by birds, spiders, and snakes-during the past year? And what are the "lights" Jack keeps hearing about-? Lights that emanate twice a year from a sinkhole deep in the Everglades . . . lights from another place, another reality.
If he is to protect his father from becoming the next fatality at Gateways, there are questions Jack must answer, secrets he must uncover. Secrets . . . Jack has plenty of his own, and along the way he learns that even his father has secrets.
Review
Praise for
Gateways:“Wilson deftly contrasts the self-imposed isolation of his vigilante hero with the forced exile of societys outcasts. . . . Wilson is unsurpassed in depicting his characters feelings of alienation as they attempt to comprehend the cosmic forces that have misshapen their lives. . . . This one will appeal to horror aficionados and to fans of Carl Hiassen and James Lee Burke.”—Publishers Weekly
“Gateways is the perfect Florida escape for devotees of the supernatural, who also appreciate zany characters and a fast-moving plot.”
-Orlando Sentinel
“Jacks latest adventure, Gateways, is an exciting addition that moves swiftly and crackles with suspense, yet also delivers the necessary character development and narrative logic . . . Longtime Wilson readers, of course, will delight in the way he ties the Repairman Jack stories to his “Adversary” cycle . . . building a vast fictional universe similar to what Stephen king has done with his Dark Tower mythology. But even if youre a new reader, the authors clear, snappy prose keeps it all straight. The name is Jack, Repairman Jack, and its a name worth looking up next time you want a great supernatural thriller.”
--Fangoria
Review
"F. Paul Wilson is a great storyteller and a thoughtful one." -David Morrell
"Jack is righteous!" -Andrew Vachss
"This sixth novel in Wilson's gutsy Repairman Jack series (after Hosts) teams the righteous urban mercenary with his strangest bedfellows yet .. . . Readers know they can count on Wilson to weave the most unruly narrative strands into a tight Gordian plot and he doesn't disappoint here. . . . The tale speeds briskly to its spooky climax . . . Above all, the novel enhances the enigma of Jack, a hero who commands respect " -Publishers Weekly on The Haunted Air
"Repairman Jack is a wonderful character, ultracompetent but still vulnerable. While there's plenty of violence in Conspiracies, there's also a lot of humor. Wilson strolls into X-Files territory and makes it his own, keeping the action brisk and the level of suspense steadily rising." --San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle
"Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing characters to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages. His adventures are hugely entertaining."
--Dean Koontz
"Like the best of Dean Koontz's work, Wilson's work combines an action/adventure yarn with a touch of the fantastic. . . .They're smart, exciting, and, most of all, fun. --The Denver Post
Review
"Atmospherically taut and well paced, this novel belongs in most horror collections."
Library Journal
Review
This one will appeal to horror aficionados and to fans of Carl Hiassen and James Lee Burke."
Publishers Weekly
Review
"The name is Jack, Repairman Jack, and it's a name worth looking up next time you want a great supernatural thriller."
Fangoria
Synopsis
F. Paul Wilson returns with another riveting episode in the saga of Repairman Jack, the secretive, ingenious, and heroic champion of those whose problems no one else can solve. As Dean Koontz says, "Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing characters to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages. His adventures are hugely entertaining."
Synopsis
In
Gateways, Jack heads south to Florida when he learns his estranged father is in a coma after a car accident. In the hospital Jack meets weird old Anya, one of his father's neighbors, who seems to know an awful lot about his family.
In an isolated area of the Everglades, a young woman named Semelee who has strange talents and lives with a group of misshapen men, feels Jack's presence. She senses that he's "special," like her.
Back at his Dad's senior community, Gateways South, there's a ban on watering. Florida is going through an unusual drought, and everything is brown and wilting. Everything except Anya's lawn, which is a deep green.
Who is Anya? Who is Semelee, and what is her connection to the recent strange deaths of Gateways residents? And what are the "lights" Jack keeps hearing about? Lights that emanate twice a year from a sinkhole deep in the Everglades . . . lights from another place, another reality.
If he is to protect his father from becoming the next fatality at Gateways, there are questions Jack must answer, and dangerous secrets he must uncover.
About the Author
F. Paul Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and virtually everything in between. His books include the Repairman Jack novels, including Ground Zero, The Tomb, and Fatal Error; the Adversary cycle, including The Keep; and a young adult series featuring the teenage Jack. Wilson has won the Prometheus Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Inkpot Award from the San Diego ComiCon, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers of America, among other honors. He lives in Wall, New Jersey.