Book Review: CONSPIRACIES, by F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson
CONSPIRACIES (Repairman Jack #3)
Forge, 2000
317 pages
Private Detective / Supernatural / Suspense

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good fantasy novel. I know how to suspend reality when watching a movie. But there is something about talking monkeys (Planet of the Apes excluded) that bothers me almost as much as talking dogs or cats in adult fiction novels (NOT excluding Jim Butcher's THE AERONAUT's WINDLESS) . I can't help but find it cheesy.

Anywho ...

Repairman Jack is not the guy to call if your dishwasher is on the fritz, there is a hole in your roof, or your car won't start. Jack's for hire, but doing handy jobs around one's property is not what he is about. Jack's specialty is finding people. And he's selective about the jobs he takes on.

That is why when Lew Ehler shows up asking for Jack's help, the Repairman almost turns him away. The reason he doesn't is simple. Lew's wife has gone missing. She did, however, manage to get to her husband a message. She wanted him to hire Jack, explaining only Jack could help.

Intrigued, because Jack had no idea who this Mel Ehler was, Jack takes the assignment. But the case only goes from odd to crazy in a heartbeat. Mel is part of a bizarre group of conspiracy theorists that specialize in anything and everything alien-related, from UFOs to alien abductions.

At a special invite-only convention downtown, Jack and Lew crash the event. Turns out Mel had been working on a theory that might bring a new light onto the idea of intelligent lifeforms beyond our little planet earth. It is possible she has found the truth. She had planned to make a major announcement on the last day of the convention.

And it is possible that Mel put her life in jeopardy because of her discoveries! Maybe there were people out there who did not want the truth exposed? Maybe there were people out there who feared everything they once believed was about to be shattered by Mel's findings? And maybe, just maybe, people are crazy and should be locked up off of the streets?

Whichever way, Repairman Jack found himself committed to the cause! His investigation brings his past dealings with the supernatural into the forefront, and he begins questioning his own sanity, his own reality, and is all too aware of his own growing fears. Something beyond loons and nuts are at the giant convention. There is a murderer in their midsts. And if Jack isn't careful he could wind up the one dead before finding out whatever happened to Mel Ehler!

Although not my favorite Repairman Jack story (I've only now read the three), it was still a fun, and entertaining tale. I am not discouraged, and will continue on with the series. I love the human aspect of Jack's life --his ongoing relationship with Gia and her daughter Vicky. Above all, I really like the way F. Paul Wilson writes. Witty. Dry sense of humor. Character depth. The perfect amount of descriptions. An enjoyable narrative ... what's not to like? Except monkeys. Talking monkeys.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE RAINS, by Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz
THE RAINS
Tor Books
YA / Apocalypse / Science Fiction

I have read many thrillers by best seller, Gregg Hurwitz. Tight chapters packed with intense action, crisp dialogue, and characters that you give a damn about. When I saw that Hurwitz was taking a swing at something in the Young Adult field, I was anxious to see what he'd do.

And what he did was, THE RAINS. It is NOT just another zombie book. Trust me.

The plot focuses primarily on three kids. Chance and Patrick Rain, and Patrick's girlfriend Alex. On a midwest farm in Creek's Cause, Somewhere USA the two brothers, raised by their aunt and uncle, realize something is wrong.

After a meteor crash . . . they call it the Dusting. Spores filled the air. Those over eighteen were immediately affected. Their appearance altered. Holes bore through the center of their heads. If only that was the worst of it. The people infected became crazed. Violent. And they wanted one thing . . . to gather up all of the kids eighteen and under.

Chance has always looked up to his big brother Patrick, and for so many good reasons. But when the three of them hole up in the high school with a group of survivors, a small group of kids who were able to escape the clutches of the things outside locked doors, he knows it is time for him to grow up and get things done.

The creatures that once were neighbors of the Rains are walking every inch of the land, as if mapping the terrain. Others gather any and all weapons only to destroy them. And then, even more of these mind-controlled beings concentrate on the crating and hauling away all of the children.

When Patrick is near death, and Alex is taken by the invaders, Chance steps up his game. Bites back his fear, and sets out to rescue his brother's girlfriend. Chance knows he has a responsibility to those inside the high school, and an obligation to his brother. He vows to bring Alex back.

Doing his best to remain undetected, but having to fight off hordes of drones to stay alive, Chance learns a truth about the aliens that is more than he can stomach.

They have a leader. A Queen. And the Queen has grotesque plans for the bodies of the kids.

Thump. Squelch.

Is there any way Chance, Patrick, and Alex can save themselves? What about saving Creek's Cause? How about saving earth? It just can't be possible. There isn't a chance . . . or is there?

You have to love Hurwitz. The writing is taut. No words wasted. He grabs readers at page one. He holds their attention, grows their interest, and promises an extraordinary journey. And then he delivers. So what's not to love? Best I can tell from the last page of the book --there may be another in the works. LAST CHANCE? One can only hope!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Series,
and the Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: ALIEN MORNING - Rick Wilber

Rick Wilber
ALIEN MORNING
Tor / A Tom Doherty Associates Book
Science Fiction

The year is 2030. Peter Holman was a minor league basketball player. He enjoyed modest success, and fame until a knee injury took him out of the game for good. Left with few options, he took the money he had and invested in an up and comping technology. Sweeping. Connected to the web, viewers tune in to watch live, and pre-recorded feeds as Holman interviews athletes, hits the clubs, and peeks into his personal life.

For unknown reasons, when aliens make contact on earth it Holman they want as their spokesman. His audience following is exactly what they admire. Likeable, they feel he can inform everyone of the plans the S'hudonni have for the planet, and put anxious minds at ease.

It comes down to family, basically. Holman's past is a constant pull on his thoughts. A stern father who never thought him good enough, a sister who spent her life making bad mistake after bad mistake, and a brother who was always father's favorite. Holman knows truths, though, that he has kept to himself since he was a teen. Revealing the information would destroy his brother. The sibling rivalry between Holman and his younger brother is at the center of the story.

The sibling rivalry doesn't stop there. Alien representatives Twoclick and Whistle are at odds as well. The agreement prior to arriving on earth was how to divide the planet. Twoclick, a jovial and happy being is nothing like his brother, Whistle. While Holman works hard at putting earthling minds at ease about the aliens, Whistle destroys the peace, the trust, with aggressive actions that leave countries protesting, and rioting in the streets, putting the world leaders on high-alert.

Exposed to secrets about the aliens, and thrust into compromising positions with his family, Holman is forced to pick through the jigsaw pieces and find out how best to make everything fit! With proven superiority the S'hudonni race can not just cripple, but destroy the world in a war. If Holman can't gain control of the situation, billions of lives are at risk.

Rick Wilber's ALIEN MORNING was not what I expected. It was better. It was more.  His creation of Sweeping can't be far from happening. We're almost there with some of the shelf products, and apps available now. Wilber's narrative is engaging, and easy, descriptive, and tight. The characters are so precisely drawn, that all I wanted was more. More about Holman's past. More about his brother. More about his sister. I wanted more about the aliens. More. More. More. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy