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Quick Fixes: Tales of Repairman Jack
Who do the world’s most exciting authors turn to when they need a shot of adrenaline? F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack!"One of the all-time great characters in one of the all-time great series." — Lee Child “Repairman Jack is one of my favorite characters—I’m full of happy anticipation every time I hold a new RJ novel in my hands.” — Charlaine Harris, creator of True Blood “The Tomb is one of the best all-out adventure stories I’ve read in years.” — Stephen King Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages. His adventures are hugely entertaining. — Dean Koontz F. Paul Wilson is a hot writer, and his hottest and my favorite creation is Repairman Jack. — Joe R. Lansdale F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack is a cultural icon. If you haven’t crossed paths with him you’re out of the loop. Get with the program. — David Morrell, creator of Rambo. Repairman Jack is one of the greatest fictional characters created by any thriller writer in the past half century. If you haven't discovered him and his world yet, what a fabulous, extraordinary, and electric reading experience awaits you. — Douglas Preston, co-creator of the Pendergast novels I'm a Repairman Jack addict. Be Read one book and you'll become one, too. If you've got an impossible problem to solve, he's the one guy you want in your flawed, conflicted, and oh-so-wonderfully brutal. Each book is a sweet hit of pure adrenaline. Pick up a copy and get hooked today. — James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Doomsday Key Jack is righteous!” — Andrew Vachss Finally! All the Repairman Jack short fiction - many hard to find, one nigh impossible - collected for the first time. QUICK FIXES "A Day in the Life" "The Last Rakosh" "Home Repairs" "The Long Way Home" "The Wringer" "Interlude at Duane’s" "Do-Gooder" "Piney Power" "Infernal Night" plus author introductions to each story from the author's I compiled this collection at the insistence of Repairman Jack fans, especially the completists. A number of small presses have approached me to do a signed, limited first edition, but I'm not comfortable with charging a premium price for previously published material.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2011
128 people are currently reading
583 people want to read
About the author
F. Paul Wilson
421 books1,990 followersFrancis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 27, 2024
4.5/5
Simply put these stories were a blast.
Simply put these stories were a blast.
January 27, 2016
I loved this book. I had been meaning to read a Repairman Jack novel, but had trouble finding any in the used bookstore. I came across Quick Fixes for my Kindle and downloading it as an introduction of sorts. Every story is a winner. Now I plan on seeking out the novels.
March 19, 2023
Before there was Orphan X, there was Repairman Jack, an urban mercenary who solves problems for people that the law can’t help with - some of them supernatural. The main series spanned 16 books, published between 1998 and 2019, and there were also some prequel novels about his younger years.. Quick Fixes is a collection of short stories about Jack, some fitting in between the full length books, and some ended up being part of them.
“A Day in the Life” © 1989 has Jack trying to protect a cafe owner from thugs, and works as a great example of the kind of work he undertook before the supernatural elements took over.
"The Last Rakosh" © 1990 was incorporated into “All The Rage” as follows on from the events of lathe Tomb” with Jack horrified to discover that one of the scary “shark-men” has survived.
"Home Repairs" © 1991 Is another typical Jack commission - saving a client’s sister from domestic abuse.
"The Long Way Home" © 1992 has Jack interceding in a hostage situation - with dire consequences for his usually secretive way of life.
"The Wringer" © 1996 ended up being part of Fatal Error and is the nastiest story of the collection - a man is forced to commit increasingly awful acts by a foul racist stranger.
“Interlude at Duane’s” © 2006 Jack and his friend stumble into a robbery at a drugstore. I agree with the author - this one was fun.
“Do-Gooder” © 2006 Short and brutal.
“Recalled” © 2009 Another uncomfortably nasty villain targets a local community for mysterious reasons.
“Piney Power” © 2010 is the only story in the collection featuring Jack during his teen years.
If you’ve always wondered about this infamous character, and wanted to decide whether to dive into the series, this collection certainly give a good taste of what the full length books are like. I liked the author’s introduction to each short, explaining how it came about. For someone who has read the whole series, they work as a little reminder of the early books, before the Secret History of The World supernatural plot lines took over. I had already read two of them as part of the main books but didn’t mind reading them again - although I had forgotten how disturbing The Wringer was. Overall, worth the small investment of time and money.
“A Day in the Life” © 1989 has Jack trying to protect a cafe owner from thugs, and works as a great example of the kind of work he undertook before the supernatural elements took over.
"The Last Rakosh" © 1990 was incorporated into “All The Rage” as follows on from the events of lathe Tomb” with Jack horrified to discover that one of the scary “shark-men” has survived.
"Home Repairs" © 1991 Is another typical Jack commission - saving a client’s sister from domestic abuse.
"The Long Way Home" © 1992 has Jack interceding in a hostage situation - with dire consequences for his usually secretive way of life.
"The Wringer" © 1996 ended up being part of Fatal Error and is the nastiest story of the collection - a man is forced to commit increasingly awful acts by a foul racist stranger.
“Interlude at Duane’s” © 2006 Jack and his friend stumble into a robbery at a drugstore. I agree with the author - this one was fun.
“Do-Gooder” © 2006 Short and brutal.
“Recalled” © 2009 Another uncomfortably nasty villain targets a local community for mysterious reasons.
“Piney Power” © 2010 is the only story in the collection featuring Jack during his teen years.
If you’ve always wondered about this infamous character, and wanted to decide whether to dive into the series, this collection certainly give a good taste of what the full length books are like. I liked the author’s introduction to each short, explaining how it came about. For someone who has read the whole series, they work as a little reminder of the early books, before the Secret History of The World supernatural plot lines took over. I had already read two of them as part of the main books but didn’t mind reading them again - although I had forgotten how disturbing The Wringer was. Overall, worth the small investment of time and money.
May 9, 2016
Jack, a libertarian/anarchist urban mercenary
This volume consists of nine repairman Jack stories. One of the stories features a supernatural demon/monster. The others feature human villains, some of whom make the monster look good. The urban mercenary Jack, with no military, law enforcement or any other kind of special training is a little hard to believe. However, the story Piney Power, drops a broad hint that there may be something very special about Jack which has helped him become so successful in his chosen work. His chosen work is to solve problems which the police and other government agencies can't do or don't do satisfactorily.
The stories as a whole are entertaining if violent. But if the bad guys didn't want to suffer violence, they shouldn't have started it. Jack's job is to end it.
I noticed a strange weapon choice by the mob boss in the story, A Day in the Life. It's hard to believe that anyone with knowledge of weapons and any money at all would choose a Jennings .22 caliber pocket pistol.
This volume consists of nine repairman Jack stories. One of the stories features a supernatural demon/monster. The others feature human villains, some of whom make the monster look good. The urban mercenary Jack, with no military, law enforcement or any other kind of special training is a little hard to believe. However, the story Piney Power, drops a broad hint that there may be something very special about Jack which has helped him become so successful in his chosen work. His chosen work is to solve problems which the police and other government agencies can't do or don't do satisfactorily.
The stories as a whole are entertaining if violent. But if the bad guys didn't want to suffer violence, they shouldn't have started it. Jack's job is to end it.
I noticed a strange weapon choice by the mob boss in the story, A Day in the Life. It's hard to believe that anyone with knowledge of weapons and any money at all would choose a Jennings .22 caliber pocket pistol.
September 18, 2018
This book collects all of the Repairman Jack short fiction (prior to its publication in 2011). There are a total of nine short stories included as well as explanatory author’s notes at the beginning of each story describing how it came to be.
Three stories were actually included as part of the Repairman Jack novels: “Home Repairs” was worked into Conspiracies, The Last Rakosh was part of All the Rage, and “The Wringer” was part of Fatal Error. I had read these three before, either as part of the novels or as short stories printed elsewhere. But re-reading an RJ story never gets old so I was happy to re-read them.
Fans of Repairman Jack will definitely need to add this to their collection.
Three stories were actually included as part of the Repairman Jack novels: “Home Repairs” was worked into Conspiracies, The Last Rakosh was part of All the Rage, and “The Wringer” was part of Fatal Error. I had read these three before, either as part of the novels or as short stories printed elsewhere. But re-reading an RJ story never gets old so I was happy to re-read them.
Fans of Repairman Jack will definitely need to add this to their collection.
December 29, 2017
My introduction to Jack the Repairman was worthwhile in all respects. I don't know why his books have escaped my notice all these years but this excellent collection of short stories set up Jack's back story. Some stories are understandably better than others but for the most part, they introduced me to a very entertaining protagonist who helps New Yorkers in desperate circumstances who need extra legal, off the books assistance the police can't legally provide.
May 9, 2011
All the Repairman Jack short fiction collected together for the first time. A couple I'd read, some were integrated into some of the novels, but most were new to me. One or two were previously only available in low print runs.
A big fan of the series? These are essential reading then.
A big fan of the series? These are essential reading then.
November 24, 2025
I was first introduced to Repairman Jack through the Adversary Cycle books, in which he appeared in The Tomb, the fourth book in the series. I thought him an interesting enough character, though I much preferred the stories that centered around Glaeken. But somehow or other, the Repairman Jack character took over.
I never did understand that. Because his background is something of a mystery, he’s somewhat two dimensional.
After reading this anthology, I’m even more puzzled. The stories are often filled with violence, with people being killed or maimed. And while Jack is supposed to be the good guy, he’s really not that much better than those he goes after. He’s judge and executioner rolled into one. The stories are pretty much the same; he’s hired to go after whoever is threatening his client. Most of the time they end up dead.
There were a couple of stories I liked, The Last Rakosh, (probably because it ties into the Adversary Cycle,) being my favorite. But they weren’t enough to change my mind about the book.
I do so hope the novels are better, that there’s more substance to them, because I have about a dozen of them.
I never did understand that. Because his background is something of a mystery, he’s somewhat two dimensional.
After reading this anthology, I’m even more puzzled. The stories are often filled with violence, with people being killed or maimed. And while Jack is supposed to be the good guy, he’s really not that much better than those he goes after. He’s judge and executioner rolled into one. The stories are pretty much the same; he’s hired to go after whoever is threatening his client. Most of the time they end up dead.
There were a couple of stories I liked, The Last Rakosh, (probably because it ties into the Adversary Cycle,) being my favorite. But they weren’t enough to change my mind about the book.
I do so hope the novels are better, that there’s more substance to them, because I have about a dozen of them.
June 30, 2017
This short story collection is a great introduction to Repairman Jack, if for some reason you have missed all of F. Paul Wilson's novels featuring the character. I hadn't read most of these stories before; while I love reading short stories, I've avoided purchasing recent anthologies after being burned on a couple of duds. I found this through Amazon's kindle unlimited program; if you have access to it there are a couple of the Repairman Jack novels available as well.
Jack makes his living "fixing" unconventional problems, the kind that tend not to have a viable legal remedy. Some of the problems he faces have a supernatural origin, although only one of the stories in this collection goes in that direction.
Great fun.
Jack makes his living "fixing" unconventional problems, the kind that tend not to have a viable legal remedy. Some of the problems he faces have a supernatural origin, although only one of the stories in this collection goes in that direction.
Great fun.
September 5, 2019
Wilson collects short stories featuring Repairman Jack . 3 of the tales were later incorporated into Repairman Jack novels:
The Wringer later incorporated into Fatal Error
Home Repairs formed the basis of Conspiracies
The Last Rakash later became part of All the Rage.
The Rakash was one of the "monsters" that confronted Jack in The Tomb, one of the finest novels of I have ever read. The Keep is my favorite F Paul Wilson novel-the opening lines stayed with me and my mom years after we read it. Enemy of the State is the other Wilson novel i am fond of.
The Wringer later incorporated into Fatal Error
Home Repairs formed the basis of Conspiracies
The Last Rakash later became part of All the Rage.
The Rakash was one of the "monsters" that confronted Jack in The Tomb, one of the finest novels of I have ever read. The Keep is my favorite F Paul Wilson novel-the opening lines stayed with me and my mom years after we read it. Enemy of the State is the other Wilson novel i am fond of.
July 31, 2020
Pulls together a bunch of uncollected Jack stories
This is a miscellaneous set of short stories featuring the Repairman Jack series, previously available only in anthologies edited by others. They are uniformly entertaining, and author Wilson provides an introduction to each story explaining how he came to write it.
This is a miscellaneous set of short stories featuring the Repairman Jack series, previously available only in anthologies edited by others. They are uniformly entertaining, and author Wilson provides an introduction to each story explaining how he came to write it.
January 6, 2018
3-2018. Short story collection by the Repairman Jack author. Discovered this character in an anthology series I read last year. I like the character, especially when the stories did not involve any supernatural creatures.
December 15, 2020
The Repairman Jack Series is a great roller coaster ride of being both having hints of supernatural happenings along with a great adventure story....
as an addition to the series, these pre-history books are awesome
Keeping an eye out for Women with dogs still....
as an addition to the series, these pre-history books are awesome
Keeping an eye out for Women with dogs still....
April 2, 2024
An excellent collection of Repairman Jack shorts. You won't be disappointed. Old Jack, young jack, happy Jack, pissed Jack. It's all about Jack! Get your need for revenge satisfied (virtually). Justice shall be done.
April 27, 2024
Been a fan of FPW for a long time The Adversary series is on of my faves of all time. I'm not normally into short stories but this is fun especially if you know Jack. Last one was a bit mehhhh but I'll forgive that!!
August 30, 2017
It wasn't my kind of book. I just couldn't get into it.
October 20, 2019
For completists only. Removed from the context of his full novels, Repairman Jack becomes just another generic pulp hero.
June 12, 2021
awesome repairman jack collection
May 17, 2022
Most stories have been previously encountered, but it's Repairman Jack, so it's ok.
October 13, 2023
Jack fans will like it.
May 11, 2011
A Day In The Life – Jack finds a way to kill three birds with one stone.
The Last Rakoshi- Pretty much a sequel to The Tomb. This short story was incorporated into book #4 of the Repairman Jack series, All The Rage.
Home Repairs- Jack is hired to fix a domestic violence situation, but the customer gets more than he bargained for. This short story was incorporated into book #3 of the Repairman Jack series, Conspiracies
The Long Way Home- Jack’s worst fear comes true when he gets involved in a robbery in-progress. Jack, meet officer Johnny Law.
The Wringer- Jack needs to find a psychopath before a man’s family is murdered. This short story was incorporated into book #14 of the Repairman Jack series, Fatal Error.
Interlude At Duane’s- Jack takes on 4 thugs that try to rob the wrong convenient store at the wrong time.
Do-Gooder- Too short to give a description.
Recalled- Wilson pays homage to Richard Matheson’s story “The Distributor”. Told from the perspective of Theodore Gordon, as he attempts to sabotage his neighbor’s and turn them against each other, someone is following behind him and undoing his work. Who could be doing this to him?
Piney Justice- Featuring 14 year-old Jack from the young adult series. Jack’s shares his brand of revenge with the kids of the pine barrens when they catch some thugs dumping waste in the barrens, but piney’s have their own idea of justice.
The Last Rakoshi- Pretty much a sequel to The Tomb. This short story was incorporated into book #4 of the Repairman Jack series, All The Rage.
Home Repairs- Jack is hired to fix a domestic violence situation, but the customer gets more than he bargained for. This short story was incorporated into book #3 of the Repairman Jack series, Conspiracies
The Long Way Home- Jack’s worst fear comes true when he gets involved in a robbery in-progress. Jack, meet officer Johnny Law.
The Wringer- Jack needs to find a psychopath before a man’s family is murdered. This short story was incorporated into book #14 of the Repairman Jack series, Fatal Error.
Interlude At Duane’s- Jack takes on 4 thugs that try to rob the wrong convenient store at the wrong time.
Do-Gooder- Too short to give a description.
Recalled- Wilson pays homage to Richard Matheson’s story “The Distributor”. Told from the perspective of Theodore Gordon, as he attempts to sabotage his neighbor’s and turn them against each other, someone is following behind him and undoing his work. Who could be doing this to him?
Piney Justice- Featuring 14 year-old Jack from the young adult series. Jack’s shares his brand of revenge with the kids of the pine barrens when they catch some thugs dumping waste in the barrens, but piney’s have their own idea of justice.
July 14, 2014
My favorite parts of the repairman Jack series have always been his "fixes." The only way this could be better would be if it included all the "fixes" from all the books. There were some new ones here that I hadn't seen before.
A Day In The Life - New to me and quite good.
The Last Rakoshi - Read in "All the Rage;" it's ok, but no real fixes.
Home Repairs - Read in "Conspiracies," and enjoyed it.
The Long Way Home - New to me. I enjoyed it, even though it also is not really about a "fix." Jack's worst nightmares come true when he gets arrested and fingerprinted.
The Wringer - Read in "Fatal Error." Not really a fix; more of a detective story. A truly psycho bad guy.
Interlude At Duane’s - New to me. Loved it. Four thugs try to rob a convenience store and threaten Jack's friend.
Do-Gooder - New to me. Loved it. Very short.
Recalled - New to me; a great story. The author plays off of Richard Matheson’s story “The Distributor”. The bad guy from that story, Theodore Gordon, finds that someone is undoing his work.
Piney Justice - New to me. A decent story, but no real fix. A young Jack helps some "Piney" kids catch some thugs dumping waste in the barrens.
A Day In The Life - New to me and quite good.
The Last Rakoshi - Read in "All the Rage;" it's ok, but no real fixes.
Home Repairs - Read in "Conspiracies," and enjoyed it.
The Long Way Home - New to me. I enjoyed it, even though it also is not really about a "fix." Jack's worst nightmares come true when he gets arrested and fingerprinted.
The Wringer - Read in "Fatal Error." Not really a fix; more of a detective story. A truly psycho bad guy.
Interlude At Duane’s - New to me. Loved it. Four thugs try to rob a convenience store and threaten Jack's friend.
Do-Gooder - New to me. Loved it. Very short.
Recalled - New to me; a great story. The author plays off of Richard Matheson’s story “The Distributor”. The bad guy from that story, Theodore Gordon, finds that someone is undoing his work.
Piney Justice - New to me. A decent story, but no real fix. A young Jack helps some "Piney" kids catch some thugs dumping waste in the barrens.
April 28, 2013
This book collects all the short fiction concerning "Repairman Jack" one of the first urban heroes. Jack lives in a world that is both magical and mundane. He fights enemies both natural and supernatural. He also fights his own nature. Jack is driven and prone to fits of murderous rage. Most of the time this rage is aimed at the murderers, extortionists and other monsters he chases. Sometimes he fights this anger in the midst of everyday situations. One thing that Jack does excel in however is achieving justice for the downtrodden, for the everyday person.
Many of these stories have been printed elsewhere or written into other "Repairman Jack" novels. They are still some good examples of writing suspenseful stories. Wilson's action scenes are descriptive and fast-paced, and Jack's inner monologue wry and philosophical, but never too serious. This book is fun and has a couple of gems that are not included in other works. If you are a fan grab this one up.
September 16, 2015
I tend to prefer full-length novels, but occasionally I'll read short story collections. They make for a nice break between longer and often intense novels--kind of a way to cleanse my reader's palate! :-) Anyway, I've read a couple of the Jack novels and really like the character so thought I'd give Quick Fixes a try. I found I really enjoyed the stories. I think my favorite may be the last one that features the young Jack--or maybe the one where he gets caught by the police--or maybe--oh, forget it! I liked them all! The only reason I didn't give it five stars is there were a few typos--not a lot and not enough to interfere with my enjoyment of the stories, but more than I expected.
November 30, 2013
I enjoyed the versatility and anonymity Jack enjoyed as a man for hire when it came to matters of vengeance or retribution. Jack comes out on top in a variety of situations that test his considerable skills. Wilson rarely makes anything easy for Jack, which, of course, is what makes the stories so intriguing. The most compelling story of the collection of shorts would undoubtedly be 'Recalled.'
February 2, 2015
Nice little collection of Repairman Jack short stories that were previously published in other anthologies, limited edition runs or written specifically for certain conventions. Yes, they are available elsewhere, but this saves hunting down and buying specific anthologies just for that one short story.
Plus, rather pathetically, it filled in that 'no more Repairman Jack' gaping hole, just for a little while.
Plus, rather pathetically, it filled in that 'no more Repairman Jack' gaping hole, just for a little while.
December 26, 2015
If you've read Repairman Jack novels before, then you know what to expect. I had actually purchased this a while back, but put it off because it was the last of these stories I had yet to read. I wanted to save some Repairman Jack for a later date. I eventually decided to read it, enjoying it greatly. Fast paced action, creative solutions - everything you've come to love.
August 13, 2012
The majority of Jack fans will recognize most, if not all, of these stories. The first story, "A Day in a Life," was the one I read in a collection of short stories that hooked me on the Jack novels. All of these are well written and it was good to stroll down memory lane on some of Jack's adventures.
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December 29, 2014More hard-boiled action thriller stories. This was recommended to me as a good way to see if I'd like the series as a whole. I liked the later stories in the anthology "Interlude at Duane's" (for the sheer frenetic search for useful tools in the drugstore) and "Piney Power" (for that creepy hint of the paranormal) the best, so I think I'll be keeping my eye out for his later books.
July 29, 2015
Repairman Jack in all his glorious short stories in one!!!!!!!
Jack is the best, and now a chance to read some stories I missed priceless. If your a fan then this is a must read! If you have never heard of or read Repairman Jack this is a great intro before getting his first book and starting the series. A must read.......
Jack is the best, and now a chance to read some stories I missed priceless. If your a fan then this is a must read! If you have never heard of or read Repairman Jack this is a great intro before getting his first book and starting the series. A must read.......
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews