Hosts

Granting that I'm a good deal older…but this story scared me almost as much as the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" so many years ago. The idea that your consciousness could be subverted & perverted is all too repulsive for me--this is also why I never finished Peter Hamilton's "Reality Dysfunction" series. In Hamilton's stories your consciousness is pushed out; in this story your sense of self is forcibly seduced and then perverted. If Wilson wasn't such a good writer I don't know if I could have finished reading it.

Hosts is the fifth book in the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson and it starts off with a bang. Immediately beginning with a much darker tone than the novels before it, Hosts sets the stage for deeper darkness and a much more serious tone from Jack than we have seen in previous books. Wilson is good at keeping the reader on their toes but still gives them enough line to piece together the plot.
This addition to the series brings together a group of people with, shall we say, the hive mentality. Yes, the otherness is abroad and those tied to the adversary are out for blood. Well…not if Jack can help it. I thought this book was much better than “All the Rage”. Not as campy and more personal. The brothers from a previous book show more make an appearance and the interactions between them and Jack are almost comically Coyote and Roadrunner like. The writing is good, but once again…Wilson and his omitting of pronouns at the start of a sentence is prevalent. Yes. It is annoying but for those who have read more than a handful of his books, it is easy to see that this formula is intended. Hosts is a good book for its place in the series and acts as a well-placed anchor in the development of Repairman Jack’s persona and the events that shape him. show less

When Jeanette Vega is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor she is offered the chance to participate in an experimental treatment program using a tailored virus. A miracle cure follows, but what she or her lover Kate Iverson hadn't bargained for was the strange personality change which followed the treatment. Slowly but surely Jeanette is pulling away from Kate, and joins in a cult-like enclave with her fellow patients. When Kate is given Repairman Jack's card as a possible source of help, she makes contact. To the amazement of both Jack and Kate, they have already met - Jack is the brother who dropped out of their family after their mother was killed.

Jack has his own problems to deal with. Caught on a subway train with a mass show more murderer, he goes into action, shoots the killer and saves dozens of lives. Unfortunately, another passenger is Sandy Palmer, a third string reporter for a New York scandal sheet, who realizes this story is a chance to make it into the big time. Jack, who has made a career out of being totally anonymous, sees only that publicity will destroy his hard won independence. He is willing to do everything in his power to deflect Sandy's well meant attention.

The Repairman Jack novels started out as horror stories with a strong supernatural bent, and have gradually become suspense stories with a slight touch of the spooky. This is not one of my favourite Repairman Jack's novel. Too much focussed was given to the story of the journalist and his pursuit of the Savior. I would have preferred if more emphasis is given on Jack's 'fix-it' jobs. Maybe that's why Jack's heroism did not really shine in this novel. show less

Most of the Jack's in this stretch of the SHW have been related to The Otherness or The Adversary. This one is no different, though it comes at it in a bit of a different way. This one is concerned with a virus that is trying to take over the world by using humans as...hosts. We also see the return of Jack's sister, Kate, which is refreshing. There is a character that appears, in a rather supernatural way, as a sort of harbinger, or spirit guide, for Jack - essentially tells him that he is a soldier, the soldier, in the ongoing battle with The Adversary. I have a suspicion who this is, or represents, but I'm not sure yet. We'll have to see if she continues to pop up.

This was not my favorite of the group I've been reading because of show more FPW's decision to give the virus a voice, amplified by the victims. I didn't care for those passages much - but it didn't detract too much from the book.

4 bones!!!!
Recommended!!!! show less

Jack is riding on the subway when a passenger starts randomly shooting people until he puts him down; however, a reporter decides to pursue Jack as "The Savior" putting his anonymity at risk. Meanwhile his estranged sister unknowingly calls him for help in rescuing her lesbian lover, who has been injected with a virus that is creating a collective hive mentality among its victims.

I love Repairman Jack. If there was such a person in this world, you'd really want to have him on your side. In the world of fantasy, horror and often verging into pulp, this entire series is just fun.

In this installment, Jack, who prefers to remain anonymous, has his work cut out for him. After an incident on the subway, a New York tabloid reporter wants to find him and draw him out of hiding. This thread continues throughout the book and ultimately is interwoven with the main story -- in which Jack's new client turns out to be his long-estranged sister. Without much detail, Jack is drawn into the world of a strange group of people, all of whom are patients of a certain doctor whose treatment has altered their brains. I won't say any show more more; suffice it to say that Jack is under a deadline to stop a nefarious plot (is there really any other kind in the sci-fi, horror world?) and you can feel the tension heating up as the time grows nearer and Jack must once again save the world.

Hosts is the type of book that you absolutely have to read as escape fiction, or at least just for the sheer fun of it all. Once you start it, it's hard to put down and trust me, you'll get through it quickly because it's a page turner.

My advice on reading the Repairman Jack series -- start from the beginning and do not miss a single one in order -- http://booksnbytes.com/authors/wilson_fpaul.html

Anyone who likes a bit of horror fiction with some dark humor would like these books. show less

After thwarting a subway shooting, Jack is hounded by a reporter-witness who thinks the story is his ticket to the big time. Meanwhile, Jack's estranged sister needs his help because her lover has gotten involved in a cult. Or is it something even more sinister? Can Jack save the world--or even his sister?