At one time I was obsessed with the Repairman Jack series and gobbled them up as soon as I was able to. My obsession waned before the previous “last” book unfortunately. I was very excited to receive this new book involving Jack. In this one, he is pulled into a missing person case which becomes much more. This was a fun read and has renewed my interest in Jack.

Terrific new entry in the Repairman Jack series with links to Wilson's larger Secret History of the World.

I had not read any Repairman Jack books prior to this one. I found this to be a pleasing combination of action, adventure, mystery, with a touch of the supernatural. Aside from the occasional discordant political comments, this is a good read, involving and exciting.

The Last Christmas is the first Repairman Jack novel published in seven years. By all accounts, Jack’s fans are going to eat this book up with a spoon.

Jack is a fixer. He helps people with difficult problems to find a solution. In this case, he is hired to look for a missing person and safeguard an object. Jack uses his wits more than any weapon to solve these cases. There are a lot of paranormal aspects thrown into this novel. There is extensive alternate history type world-building too.

The series, especially if you include the author’s related Adversary Cycle books, is long. This book is book 13.5 in the sixteen books in the Jack series. I have never read any book from either series until now. To be honest, I felt that I didn’t get all the nuances in the plot and between the characters that a long-time reader would have immediately understood. Still, even from a new reader’s perspective, The Last Christmas is a great genre mash-up of a hard-boiled PI within a paranormal fantasy setting. Therefore, 4 stars!

This book was intriguing enough that I’m going to look for the best book to begin the saga. But that question is harder than it sounds. Should I begin with the book published first in the Repairman Jack series, The Tomb? Or Jack’s chronologically first book, Secret Histories? Or perhaps the first book in The Adversary Cycle, The Keep, which is then followed by The Tomb (at least in most lists) because The Tomb intercepts both series? You can see why I’m confused so please let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you.

Thanks also to Gordian Knot, Crossroad Press, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Christmas is a new book in the intriguing New York-based Repairman Jack urban fantasy series, which ended a few years ago, but the author has inserted a new chapter in Jack’s adventures which sits between Ground Zero (Book 13) and Fatal Error (formerly Book 14.) I have read all 15 main books in the series, but not the related Adversary Cycle books or the culmination of it all, Nightworld. For those who already know Jack, this will be a welcome addition that harks back to the earlier stories, whereas newcomers may find it all a bit confusing.

Repairman Jack is a free-spirited urban mercenary who specialises in solving tricky problems for people who can’t go to the police or other authorities. He has spent his whole adult life under the radar but has still managed to build a life with a girlfriend, Gia, and good friends who help him out with his “fixes”. He has a strong moral code and will always stand against injustice, but is not afraid to use violence when necessary. Many of his adventures have had him facing various supernatural threats, and as the series evolved, his role in the Great Cosmic Battle between the Ally and the Otherness, being played out on earth has become clearer, as his destiny of becoming The Heir is revealed.

TLC is set in the week before Christmas and has Jack moping about the deaths of his father and brother the previous year, and over his powerlessness in the battle against the evil Rasalom. When an old acquaintance suggests a job tracing a missing person, he is initially reluctant, but realises it may help him out of his low mood. Unfortunately the clients are not being honest about who - or rather what he is hunting. Meanwhile a mysterious woman asks him to safeguard a priceless object from a rival collector who will stop at nothing to steal it from her for his own ends, and a massive snowstorm is about to paralyse the city...

I had mixed feelings about this series, which I continued on with despite half only earning 3 stars, because I’d bought them all on special and wanted to know what it was all about - this was before I had quite so many other books on my TBR. This was one of the better ones as it focused on Jack doing what he does best, and didn’t feature the tedious villain Rasalom or annoying teenager whatshername and her baby. It introduces some cool new (as far as I can remember anyway) characters, like Tier Hill, Mohawk tracker/PI, and the enigmatic Madame de Medici.

The writing is sound and the story well-paced with enough action and some pathos, especially Jack’s unfortunate target. There are plenty of odious baddies and I enjoyed the various Point of View changes through the book.
I don’t think this works as an introduction to the series though, and would strongly recommend reading them in order if you like this kind of gritty fantasy.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review, and apologies to the author for the delay in providing it.
The Last Christmas is available now.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Jack is back! Whoo hoo! It’s been so long and an added bonus to have some more time with Jack.

This is a different kind of Repairman Jack story and yet the same. The characters we have known and loved are all back. We get to see the quirkiness of Jack and the weirdness of his case just as we always have. And then there is a bit of supernatural (for lack of a better word) that happens with Jack.

Any fan of the series will be thrilled to have this last visit. It is like seeing a friend that we thought we would never see again.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a treat. A new Repairman Jack tale. Just in time for the Holidays too. After wrapping up the big ongoing story of the Secret Histories and the battle for Humanity's survival and filling us in on how Jack came to be a "Repairman" , there was a feeling of finality to it all. However, along comes The Last Christmas and we realize, once again, there simply can never be enough Repairman Jack stories. Long, short, in between, they always always hit the spot. A truly iconic character is back in a not-so-little in-betweener romp during the holidays and shortly before the All Hell breaks loose concluding novels already published. Jack is bored and a little depressed this Christmas season and is moping about doing not much of anything when an old friend pops up with a small fix request from a pair of academics and thinks of Jack. How hard could it be to find a missing animal with a tracker implanted in it? Not his usual gig, but, Jack needs something to do. Well, after meeting with his new clients and immediately recognizing their B. S. we start a not so typical, typical Repairman Jack fix because the animal isn't just an animal and the more Jack uncovers about what's really going on the more PO'ed Jack gets. Not good. Don't want Jack on your bad side. Anyway, as all thats happening we meet a few new characters in a seemingly side story that bring a very nice new freshness to this particular story. Teir Hill is a great addition to the Secret Histories and Madame De Medici is perfect for any story Jacks involved in. Over all a greatly entertaining story that keeps Jacks' resume growing and better, gives us Repairman Jack fans one more wild ride in F. P. Wilsons wild world. Loved it.

The Last Christmas tells a story of Repairman Jack in Manhattan one late December, between the happenings of F. Paul Wilson's Ground Zero and Fatal Error.

Jack takes on a job to discreetly find a missing creature who looks like 'a cross between a wolf and an ape', on behalf of employees of the Bronx Zoo. In parallel, PI Tier Hill Tier has taken on a job for a sleazy client, Roland Apfel, to follow he mysterious Madame de Medici, and find out where she's hidden an ancient artifact he claims she'd stolen.

Like all Repairman Jack novels, The Last Christmas is engrossing, though perhaps best enjoyed by those already following the series.

I was super excited to discover a new Repairman Jack novel, and I was ecstatic to discover it's just as fantastic as the rest of the series. The characters I grew to love over the course of more than a dozen novels are here and Jack's fixes are as satisfying as ever.

There are two things that keep me from rating <i>The Last Christmas</i> five stars: first, and I'll admit this is a little nit-picky, it seems to take place around 2019 while the rest of the series seems to be set about a decade earlier. Time has always been a little wonky in the series, but it really stands out here.

My second reservation is that it can't quite decide if it's a stand-alone entry or not. While it doesn't focus so much on the Adversary and the ongoing cosmic battle that are central to the later books, which should make it work as a stand-alone, <i>The Last Christmas</i> contains many references to and major spoilers for the earlier books.

On the whole, I greatly enjoyed this one and do recommend it to fans of Repairman Jack, even though I wouldn't suggest it as a good place to start the series.

Received via NetGalley.

Repairman Jack, the protagonist in the latest adventure in Paul Wilson's Adversary series, accepts an odd assortment from an even odder employer The plot is complicated, the characterrs include a wolf man whose escape from a top secret lab triggers a cascade of action, and while readers unfamiliar with the fantasy world created by the author and explicated in his previous novels may find this one confusing for a few chapters, they'll be rewarded for sticking with it.

http://www.passarella.com/blog/614/the-last-christmas-f-paul-wilson-new-egalley-received/ (review added)

REVIEW: I’ve read all of the Repairman Jack novels in the main timeline of the Adversary Cycle (and have a lot of them in the original hardbound editions), though I admit I haven’t read the young Jack YA novels. My favorite novel in the Adversary Cycle series is probably The Haunted Air. I was curious to see how Wilson would treat a new novel within the existing timeline and, it occurred to me, that Wilson’s approach is a bit how I (as a more-than-occasional original media tie-in novelist) work on tie-in novels.

The Last Christmas doesn’t change what has already happened (naturally) but also can’t alter what is to come in the future novels. Also, Jack’s personal relationships and the status of the world at large remains where it was at that moment in time. In this respect, it’s kind of a “lost story” or “lost episode” out of Jack’s life as the Heir. If you are reading the Repairman Jack novels for the first time, you can slot this one in right in the middle of the timeline after Ground Zero and before Fatal Error.

It’s been a while since I read the conclusion of the Adversary Cycle, so I can’t say that this story breaks new ground or reveals anything we don’t eventually discover by the end, but what I can say is that it’s a familiar and enjoyable tale of Jack working a fix (finding a missing not-so-human person) in the middle of apocryphal happenings. If you have fond memories of reading the Repairman Jack novels, then The Last Christmas feels a bit like time-traveling to visit an old (and highly-competent) friend.

What a gem! This is my first dip into the Repairman Jack series …. and still I was able to enjoy this as a standalone … but, I certainly intend on quenching my thirst by delving into Jack's previous fixes. In late December, but before Christmas,, Jack is contacted by an old associate, Edward Burkes... and is cajoled into taking on a missing-person fix …. but not actually involving a person but an ancient object. At the same time, the beautiful, mysterious and seemingly ageless Madame de Medici hires Jack to hide and safeguard a "valuable object"
And, certainly Jack thinks he can do both at the same time. Suddenly he's being hounded by hired thugs sent to retrieve this mysterious object.
Wilson treats us to an exciting twisty plot infused with well fleshed out fascinating characters and boundless action and adventure. Jack continues to "fix" what's wrong with the real and supernatural world.. The tension is mercilessly ratcheted up to an overflowing level of excitement.,
Thanks to NetGalley and Crossroad Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review..

Repairman Jack is a unique character that F Paul Wilson takes on some very unique adventures. If you've never read any Repairman Jack books, prepare to be thoroughly entertained. The world is in such a state that Jack truly believes this will be THE LAST CHRISTMAS....ever. As he is sitting, pondering if it's worth the trouble to "fix" what is broken, Jack is hired for his first adventure. A really good story, written by a true artist who knows how to keep his readers entertained. It doesn't really matter what genre is your favorite, Repairman Jack will fit in there somewhere.

A must for Repairman Jack fans and I consider myself one. It's well written, entertaining and fast-paced. Highly recommended..

Jack aka Repairman Jack is depressed. He has lost his unborn daughter Emma and misses her. He is sitting in Julio’s bar when an old friend comes in and gives him a job to find a missing person. Jack says no first but is talked into it by the two men who is “lost” him. Just as he starts working on that job, a lady (Madame de Medici) comes to his home and has him take care of the “infernal object” so it doesn’t get stolen by a man who is desperate to get it. Jack needs to keep it safe until the man dies. Why? What is so special about this “infernal object?” Jack discovers that the missing person is a man who has been turned into a wolf/man hybrid. Will Jack find him? If so, what will Jack do with the hybrid man?

The story is excellently written. I couldn’t help being involved with is book as I am a big fan of Repairman Jack novels. The author wrote about Repairman Jack as if he hadn’t written a story about Repairman Jack in what seem to be years to me. I hope this won’t be the last one he writes. There are twists and turns in the novel that I didn’t expect. You can read this novel as a stand-alone and enjoy it. However if you read the other books in the series, you will perhaps understand the “infernal objects” better.

I'm quite happy I decided to give The Last Christmas by F. Paul Wilson a chance. When I first read the book description I was intrigued but upon further research I found it it was part of the Repairman Jack book series and I had second thoughts. Not because I had heard bad things but because it was part of a series that I had never read let alone heard of. Luckily some reviews said while helpful, it was not necessary to have read any of the previous books. It is true, The Last Christmas does work as a stand alone; there were times I did wish for clarification of some terms used but in no way was my enjoyment impeded. I do intend to read the rest of the series but that is because of the high quality of the writing and well, dang it, I really liked it!

I found the characters to be well written, I liked the majority of them. The ones who were jerks were jerks but they were supposed to be; the good guys were good, the most interesting were the ambiguous ones. They really got my attention. It can be difficult for an author, in my opinion anyways, to draw that fine line that keeps the reader wondering. What makes that character tick? Are they good, bad, indifferent? What will they do next? The author makes us care and keeps us guessing. They earn our interest by keeping us on tenderhooks. Not every author is up to the job but Wilson is.

I like mysteries, I like them even more when there are hints of myths (real or made up by the author). I like a book that keeps me guessing. I like my heroes to have a code. This book has all that and more. I recommend this book. Don't let the fact it is part of a series stop you. It is a well written story, you won't regret it.


TheLastChristmas #NetGalley

F. Paul Wilson knocks it out of the park again with Repairman Jack, he took his time with this inspired story - and it shows. EXCELLENT!

Repairman Jack is back for one more round.

The best thing about this book is that it can truly stand on its own. While it does help to know the Repairman Jack world, it’s not a necessity to enjoy this story.

I have to say, right off the bat, this was one of my favorites.

I can re-hash the plot like everyone else does, but who wants that? Just read the book. What you’re looking for in a review is this – “Is it worth reading?” Well, first, it’s F. Paul Wilson; of course it’s worth reading. But more importantly, it’s a good story. It has humor, intrigue, deception, love, lies, and an element of the supernatural. Oh, and it takes place at Christmas. You really can’t ask for more in a book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read, and review, this book.

Hooray - Repairman Jack is back and as strong a character as ever! Honestly, I didn't expect to see more from Wilson's Repairman Jack series. There are a lot of books in multiple series that all interweave into this fabulous and incredible world, and I've thoroughly enjoyed them all. The last appeared some time ago, and given how things were tied up (well, as much as they ever are/were in Jack's world) I rather assumed that was the end.

What a delicious surprise it was to find a new title announced on here, and I jumped at the chance to request/review it. I was a little apprehensive - not that I expected nonsense from Wilson, mind you, but because it had been a while since I'd read them all and they were VERY involved and intricate plots, interwoven across storylines in such a way that I wasn't sure I'd be able to fall back in without a significant time-commitment for a refresher course. Not so at all! I jumped right back in with both feet, rather like Jack, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I'm sure there were some connections that I missed; in a very detailed world-building exercise like Jack's universe there is likely always something you miss. But I found myself falling right back into the rhythm of these remarkable stories almost from the opening pages. Sure, it took me a minute (and occasionally a Google search) to remind myself of character backstories and relationships, but I never felt like I was lost or meandering - and that's testament, I think, to Wilson's excellent and crisp storytelling. It sticks with you, as do his characters, and that means that you can take a vacation - even for years - and still fall right back into the swing of things with relative ease.

There were a few new characters who added depth to the story/series, but I was mostly interested in the return of the characters I knew and loved - particularly Abe, Glaeken, and Vicky and Gia (who didn't play a big role, unfortunately). The plot felt like a continuation of things, but also offered a fresh story that was engaging and entertaining in its own right. I think you probably could read this one if you hadn't read any of the others, but you'd be missing a lot of what makes the Jack books so phenomenal: namely, the incredible breadth of the world that has been crafted by Wilson over the course of decades and dozens of books. Every book feels original and fresh, yet every book slowly and inexorably builds toward a conclusion that we still haven't quite reached... Here's hoping Wilson doesn't decide to stop here - I'd love to see more from Jack as soon as possible!

This review will run on my blog in August 2019.

The Last Christmas by F. Paul Wilson, a really great read. Action on all sides, with mysterious characters, lies, betrayals, and intrigue galore. I definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR list.