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Repairman Jack #4
All the Rage
Repairman Jack returns to uncover the secret and dangerous origins of a strange drug called Berserker, a drug that brings out the user's most aggressive behavior, leading to mindless rages. By the author of The Tomb and Legacies. 40,000 first printing.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2000
139 people are currently reading
1033 people want to read
About the author
F. Paul Wilson
421 books1,989 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 162 reviews
January 12, 2019
Readers please take note – you can not start reading the Repairman Jack novels here. You really, really need to go back and start with The Tomb (Adversary Cycle, #2).
Now then :
All The Rage
In a parallel literary universe somewhere between Fringe and Supernatural, consisting of a dollop of Horror, a slice of Science Fiction & Fantasy, a smattering of Techno-thriller, a dash of Action & Adventure and a wee bit of Suspense lies the genre-defying world of the Repairman Jack books.
This entry is no different.
A premonitory worm of unease began to wriggle in [his] gut.
The author paints a rather scary picture concerning the effects of a drug titled, rather aptly, Berzerk. (I’m not particularly fond of crowds myself, but crowds of raging psychotic crazy people? Not fun). Jack is pulled into this in a rather oblique fashion, when he is contracted by a concerned employee to investigate some strong arm tactics against her employer, who just happens to be a big shot in the pharmaceutical industry. Jack obviously uncovers some nastiness and the game commences.
“Never seen anything like it. Like they all went crazy at once.”
I probably did mention this in one of my previous Repairman Jack reviews, but this is one guy you don’t want to piss off. I’ll say one more thing for the Repairman Jack novels: they are tense. When things go right, they go punch-the-sky right, but when things go wrong they go very wrong.
The drug angle was actually not my favourite part of this novel: I was much more partial to Ozymandias Prather’s Travelling Circus and Oddity Emporium. Okay, so obviously everything is connected here, but still. There is a fantastic re-introduction of an old acquaintance, which I can’t go into since it is elite spoiler territory.
A chill ran over her skin.
Yes – the otherness is mentioned (although no new details are forthcoming)
Yes – there are tires that fall out of the sky
Yes – Gia is rather annoying, but at least she doesn’t feature much
Yes – there is a [spoiler]
Yes – you should read this series
And then a scream of fear and mortal agony echoed through the trees, rising toward a shriek that cut off sharply before it peaked.
Now then :
All The Rage
In a parallel literary universe somewhere between Fringe and Supernatural, consisting of a dollop of Horror, a slice of Science Fiction & Fantasy, a smattering of Techno-thriller, a dash of Action & Adventure and a wee bit of Suspense lies the genre-defying world of the Repairman Jack books.
This entry is no different.
A premonitory worm of unease began to wriggle in [his] gut.
The author paints a rather scary picture concerning the effects of a drug titled, rather aptly, Berzerk. (I’m not particularly fond of crowds myself, but crowds of raging psychotic crazy people? Not fun). Jack is pulled into this in a rather oblique fashion, when he is contracted by a concerned employee to investigate some strong arm tactics against her employer, who just happens to be a big shot in the pharmaceutical industry. Jack obviously uncovers some nastiness and the game commences.
“Never seen anything like it. Like they all went crazy at once.”
I probably did mention this in one of my previous Repairman Jack reviews, but this is one guy you don’t want to piss off. I’ll say one more thing for the Repairman Jack novels: they are tense. When things go right, they go punch-the-sky right, but when things go wrong they go very wrong.
The drug angle was actually not my favourite part of this novel: I was much more partial to Ozymandias Prather’s Travelling Circus and Oddity Emporium. Okay, so obviously everything is connected here, but still. There is a fantastic re-introduction of an old acquaintance, which I can’t go into since it is elite spoiler territory.
A chill ran over her skin.
Yes – the otherness is mentioned (although no new details are forthcoming)
Yes – there are tires that fall out of the sky
Yes – Gia is rather annoying, but at least she doesn’t feature much
Yes – there is a [spoiler]
Yes – you should read this series
And then a scream of fear and mortal agony echoed through the trees, rising toward a shriek that cut off sharply before it peaked.
December 14, 2009
So we've made it up through book 4 of the Repairman Jack series now. The friend of mine who is lending me this series has been using this book as a lure to keep me going: "Oh yeah, that part that really bugged you in book 2? Well, it'll all be worth it once you get to All the Rage." While David is often wrong on a good many subjects, on this occasion he has been proven correct. I will forgive much of what has come before because I had so much pure fun with this read. In fact, this is probably the best of the Repairman Jack books that I've read thus far.
Wilson ties together the various disparate threads from the first three books- a familiar baby-snatching rakoshi is revealed to be alive and well, Professor Roma moves in the shadows manipulating events and Jack with equal aplomb, and the cursed township of Monroe (that almost-beachhead of the Otherness in our reality) makes another appearance. This go-round has Jack tussling with a Serbian drug lord who is peddling a drug called Berzerk that performs a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde metamorphosis on its users, making them more confident, aggressive, and, finally, violent. As already-rabid New Yorkers get even more juiced up, Jack has to track down the source of this new drug, protect those he loves, and avoid getting dosed himself- an event that would let the tightly-leashed beast inside Jack run amok throughout the five boroughs.
Fun, fast and relatively mindless, this book hit me at just the right time. With the change of seasons and increasing demands from employers, I was struggling through three other books that weren't particularly gripping me and I just needed something frivolous to get me back into the reading habit. Fortunately, the adventure stories of Repairman Jack were just the fluff I needed to get myself back on track and excited for a full Winter of reading. Recommended for those who've read the first three books or anyone with a tedious several-hour flight ahead of them who wants it to pass without notice.
Wilson ties together the various disparate threads from the first three books- a familiar baby-snatching rakoshi is revealed to be alive and well, Professor Roma moves in the shadows manipulating events and Jack with equal aplomb, and the cursed township of Monroe (that almost-beachhead of the Otherness in our reality) makes another appearance. This go-round has Jack tussling with a Serbian drug lord who is peddling a drug called Berzerk that performs a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde metamorphosis on its users, making them more confident, aggressive, and, finally, violent. As already-rabid New Yorkers get even more juiced up, Jack has to track down the source of this new drug, protect those he loves, and avoid getting dosed himself- an event that would let the tightly-leashed beast inside Jack run amok throughout the five boroughs.
Fun, fast and relatively mindless, this book hit me at just the right time. With the change of seasons and increasing demands from employers, I was struggling through three other books that weren't particularly gripping me and I just needed something frivolous to get me back into the reading habit. Fortunately, the adventure stories of Repairman Jack were just the fluff I needed to get myself back on track and excited for a full Winter of reading. Recommended for those who've read the first three books or anyone with a tedious several-hour flight ahead of them who wants it to pass without notice.
November 11, 2017
Don't have it yet. The library can't seem to get their copy back, I have found it in a book store ALLLLLLL the way across town and they will hold it for me till tomorrow. Plan to pick it up.
Okay, I bought it.
**********Spoilers below this line ***********
Okay, I bought it.
**********Spoilers below this line ***********
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2025
This was such an intense and well done title!!! I absolutely loved the ending! These Repairman Jack titles seriously need to be made into movies or a series!
December 1, 2020
Another good installment in the Repairman Jack series! I am a little amazed I did not stumble upon this series before because not only are they lots of fun, they are right up my alley. Jack as usual has a few jobs going, but when he gets a referral from an old job (the lady from the children's HIV clinic from a few books back) he decides to met Nadia. Nadia is a doctor currently working in a clinic in NYC serving insulin to the homeless. One day she receives a job offer from an old professor to help research a new molecule his drug firm is working on and she accepts. Soon after, she sees her old prof being pushed around by Milos Dragovic, a Serb who buys and sells just about everything where there is money to be made and currently setting himself up as a player in the NYC scene. Jack already has a job concerning Milos, so decides to help Nadia find out what is going on between her old prof (Luc) and Milos...
Par for the course, things quickly get complicated. There is a new drug hitting the streets that after a blissful high, ramps up people's aggression (hence the title!). Further, there seems to be some connection concerning Milos, Luc and the drug. Is Luc using his drug company to make it and having Milos distribute it? Where did the drug come from in the first place?
Wilson really turns on the humor in this one; between that and the plotting, All the Rage is a very satisfying read. Jack has quite an imagination when it comes to fixing things and All the Rage has some great scenes as a result. I guess you could call this urban fantasy as, like in the others in the series, there is an 'outre' component, one that dates back to others in the series. Yet, it is pure thriller for all that as well, and one done nicely. You never know exactly where Wilson will take you with this series, but you can guaranteed to be entertained along the way. 4.5 stars, but rounding down due to the occasional bit of cheese.
Par for the course, things quickly get complicated. There is a new drug hitting the streets that after a blissful high, ramps up people's aggression (hence the title!). Further, there seems to be some connection concerning Milos, Luc and the drug. Is Luc using his drug company to make it and having Milos distribute it? Where did the drug come from in the first place?
Wilson really turns on the humor in this one; between that and the plotting, All the Rage is a very satisfying read. Jack has quite an imagination when it comes to fixing things and All the Rage has some great scenes as a result. I guess you could call this urban fantasy as, like in the others in the series, there is an 'outre' component, one that dates back to others in the series. Yet, it is pure thriller for all that as well, and one done nicely. You never know exactly where Wilson will take you with this series, but you can guaranteed to be entertained along the way. 4.5 stars, but rounding down due to the occasional bit of cheese.
May 11, 2020
Wow - a smorgasbord of real world/alternate reality in this adventure story. A mind altering designer drug that ups the aggression quotient in anyone, from bankers to sports players. Oz Prather's traveling sideshow of human oddities. A Serbian mobster with an over inflated image of himself who ends up on Jack's radar. Good action sequences and humor.
November 19, 2025
Such an enjoyable character.
May 19, 2015
5 Stars
All The Rage book number 4 in The Repairman Jack series by F.Paul Wilson is a return to it's roots. After the fabulous and strange book three Conspiracies, Wilson dials new back the notches on this one back to nearly ground zero. All The Rage is another story with next to zero supernatural forces at play. That is of course if you don't put the awesome sharkman like creatures the Rakoshi in that category. Once again these fantastical Bengali creatures end up in Jack's cross hairs.
All the Rage has the plot focused on a new designer drug that causes users to unleash their beast within. Some very cool scenes involving the drug and our hero ensue. Wilson writes and paces the story at a break neck speed, once again making it difficult to put down.
4 books in, The Repairman Jack series is now one of my favorite. I cannot pin point exactly why that is even though I love our anti hero Jack. My love for the series probably stems for my love and appreciation of great writing. F.Paul Wilson makes it tough for me to put his books down.
Simply fabulous.
All the Rage is a great read and exactly what this series needed after the emotional ride of book 3 Conspiracies(my series favorite up to this point).
Highly recommended.
All The Rage book number 4 in The Repairman Jack series by F.Paul Wilson is a return to it's roots. After the fabulous and strange book three Conspiracies, Wilson dials new back the notches on this one back to nearly ground zero. All The Rage is another story with next to zero supernatural forces at play. That is of course if you don't put the awesome sharkman like creatures the Rakoshi in that category. Once again these fantastical Bengali creatures end up in Jack's cross hairs.
All the Rage has the plot focused on a new designer drug that causes users to unleash their beast within. Some very cool scenes involving the drug and our hero ensue. Wilson writes and paces the story at a break neck speed, once again making it difficult to put down.
4 books in, The Repairman Jack series is now one of my favorite. I cannot pin point exactly why that is even though I love our anti hero Jack. My love for the series probably stems for my love and appreciation of great writing. F.Paul Wilson makes it tough for me to put his books down.
Simply fabulous.
All the Rage is a great read and exactly what this series needed after the emotional ride of book 3 Conspiracies(my series favorite up to this point).
Highly recommended.
August 15, 2017
Needless to write, I am hooked on the Repairman Jack series. I was a huge fan of the tv show "Fringe" and this series, with its continuing development of the "Otherness" as a narrative thread throughout these books, is starting to remind of that beloved show. Reading the Repairman Jack series is like feasting on a sundae of literary genres -- a splash of horror, a slice of science fiction, a dollop of techno-thriller, a sprinkle of action & adventure and a smattering of mystery & suspense -- a guilty pleasure.
As Jack is contracted to make sure a prominent researcher isn't over his head with a Serbian gangster, once again, he finds himself involved in more than he bargained for. Quickly, Jack's investigation turns from one man to a potent designer drug named "Bezerker" born of an unusual and recently discovered molecule named "Loki" -- an apt reference to the mischievous god of Norse mythology. His investigation will lead him to a bizarre traveling freak show as well as back to something sinister and supernatural that first terrorized Jack and his loved ones in the first book in the series "The Tomb."
Bring the popcorn. Don't overthink things. Just enjoy the ride!
As Jack is contracted to make sure a prominent researcher isn't over his head with a Serbian gangster, once again, he finds himself involved in more than he bargained for. Quickly, Jack's investigation turns from one man to a potent designer drug named "Bezerker" born of an unusual and recently discovered molecule named "Loki" -- an apt reference to the mischievous god of Norse mythology. His investigation will lead him to a bizarre traveling freak show as well as back to something sinister and supernatural that first terrorized Jack and his loved ones in the first book in the series "The Tomb."
Bring the popcorn. Don't overthink things. Just enjoy the ride!
March 14, 2012
The fourth Repairman Jack novel; Jack is hired by a research scientist to look into her boss’ involvement with a Serbian gangster. What Jack uncovers is a the creation and distribution of a new street drug that temporarily turns the user into a violent, rage-fueled psychopath. Even worse, the drug is synthesized from the blood of the last living rakosh.
I was a bit bored with the last RJ novel (perhaps because it tied in to other stories and books I haven’t read, as well as its lackluster resolution), but this one is possibly the best yet. The villains are fully fleshed out, given realistic motives, preferences and goals. The violence is pulse-pounding (the sequence in which Jack is dosed with the new Berzerk drug and kills some Serbian thugs is especially exciting), and the several plots are suitably labyrinthine and exotic. And I must say, I was not expecting the ending to the final grudge match at the end of the book. Absolutely riveting reading.
I was a bit bored with the last RJ novel (perhaps because it tied in to other stories and books I haven’t read, as well as its lackluster resolution), but this one is possibly the best yet. The villains are fully fleshed out, given realistic motives, preferences and goals. The violence is pulse-pounding (the sequence in which Jack is dosed with the new Berzerk drug and kills some Serbian thugs is especially exciting), and the several plots are suitably labyrinthine and exotic. And I must say, I was not expecting the ending to the final grudge match at the end of the book. Absolutely riveting reading.
June 30, 2013
Really like this series. Where else could you find a research scientist, a Serbian mobster, a travelling freak show, and an unholy ancient creature all intwined in the same story.
This latest adventure has "Jack" up to his usual business, balancing his 'home' life with his 'repair business'.
Jack takes on a Serbian mobster on behalf of two clients. One a newly hired researcher for a pharma company and the other a disgruntled citizen looking for a revenge killing.
In the course of the story some characters from the first 3 books in the series rear their ugly heads, including the mythical Rakosh, Professor Roma.
Who is Roma, what is the "Otherness"? All questions that the series will answer hopefully
All in all a very good book, fast paced action packed, good story and plot line.
This latest adventure has "Jack" up to his usual business, balancing his 'home' life with his 'repair business'.
Jack takes on a Serbian mobster on behalf of two clients. One a newly hired researcher for a pharma company and the other a disgruntled citizen looking for a revenge killing.
In the course of the story some characters from the first 3 books in the series rear their ugly heads, including the mythical Rakosh, Professor Roma.
Who is Roma, what is the "Otherness"? All questions that the series will answer hopefully
All in all a very good book, fast paced action packed, good story and plot line.
March 28, 2020
4 Stars. Audio.
March 2, 2009
Jack gets mixed-up in a drug ring in this adventure of the Repairman Jack series. This is my favorite Repairman Jack book so far. I thought the plot had a lot of nice twists and turns. The ending was extremely satisfying to read.
I don't want to go into too many details, but there were tons of entertaining parts to this book: Sal's Dragovic revenge, Events leading to Jack's hospital stay and his payback for it, revisiting the Rakoshi, Jack's Pine Barrens adventure... the list goes on.
This book does take a while to get moving, but once it does it's hard to put down. It still might be a little cliche for some to read. Plus, "The Otherness" (the supernatural element in the series) makes a minor visit to this story. Still, "All the Rage" is just that for a Repairman Jack fan.
I highly recommend reading at least "The Tomb" prior to reading "All the Rage".
I don't want to go into too many details, but there were tons of entertaining parts to this book: Sal's Dragovic revenge, Events leading to Jack's hospital stay and his payback for it, revisiting the Rakoshi, Jack's Pine Barrens adventure... the list goes on.
This book does take a while to get moving, but once it does it's hard to put down. It still might be a little cliche for some to read. Plus, "The Otherness" (the supernatural element in the series) makes a minor visit to this story. Still, "All the Rage" is just that for a Repairman Jack fan.
I highly recommend reading at least "The Tomb" prior to reading "All the Rage".
November 6, 2025
3.5/5
One of the weaker entries in the series, even if I liked it better on a second read.
One of the weaker entries in the series, even if I liked it better on a second read.
January 14, 2023
If you like your action stories with a tinge of supernatural horror, this may be the series for you. Our main character, Jack, just Jack, is a repairman. He's made it his life's work to be invisible to society. He does not have a social security number. He does not have a driver's license. He has erased his very existence. Jack lives in New York City and carries out repairs. His ad is small, and unspecific. He fixes things for people; not appliances, mind you, Jack fixes situations. He sometimes uses guns and other specialty tools.
Living at the edge of things, though, Jack sometimes runs across a weird situation. Here, he's hired by two different people to look into the activities of an Eastern European crime boss. While he's doing that, he runs across a new drug that seems to bring out all of the violent feelings and actions in the people who take it. He's later surprised that the two things are related. They're also related to the bad things that happened in The Tomb. The whole thing becomes personal when his girlfriend, Gia, and her daughter, Vickie, are endangered.
This setup would work well for a Jack Reacher type character or even an "Equalizer" series. What I think of while reading them, though, is Kolchak: the Night Stalker, the old TV series about the newsman who runs across vampires and all kinds of things that are outside the norm. Think of these as a bit more violent version of that. It's fun in a creepy sort of way.
Living at the edge of things, though, Jack sometimes runs across a weird situation. Here, he's hired by two different people to look into the activities of an Eastern European crime boss. While he's doing that, he runs across a new drug that seems to bring out all of the violent feelings and actions in the people who take it. He's later surprised that the two things are related. They're also related to the bad things that happened in The Tomb. The whole thing becomes personal when his girlfriend, Gia, and her daughter, Vickie, are endangered.
This setup would work well for a Jack Reacher type character or even an "Equalizer" series. What I think of while reading them, though, is Kolchak: the Night Stalker, the old TV series about the newsman who runs across vampires and all kinds of things that are outside the norm. Think of these as a bit more violent version of that. It's fun in a creepy sort of way.
May 1, 2021
Some unscrupulous scientists at a big pharmaceutical company team up with a Serbian drug dealer to distribute a rage-inducing street drug. Another scientist at the same company enlists Repairman Jack to find out what is going on and it transpires that the drug is developed from a molecule with mysterious—perhaps even occult—properties and an origin that is intimately connected with a past case of Jack’s.
F. Paul Wilson delivers the most successful Jack story since the first. The various subplots are integrated successfully and tantalizing elements are introduced (or reintroduced) that seem as if they will figure prominently in the saga that Wilson is developing. The story loses momentum around the middle but picks up again from the point where Jack is dosed with the rage drug. Jack does seem a little sloppy with security for someone who has successfully stayed off the grid for years. However, the way he torments Dragovic, the dealer, is very entertaining.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
F. Paul Wilson delivers the most successful Jack story since the first. The various subplots are integrated successfully and tantalizing elements are introduced (or reintroduced) that seem as if they will figure prominently in the saga that Wilson is developing. The story loses momentum around the middle but picks up again from the point where Jack is dosed with the rage drug. Jack does seem a little sloppy with security for someone who has successfully stayed off the grid for years. However, the way he torments Dragovic, the dealer, is very entertaining.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
May 15, 2022
Loved it! Best one since The Tomb. This is book 4 in the series. I HIGHLY recommend starting with book 1, The Tomb. Otherwise, you won’t know the history and backstory and won’t enjoy it nearly as much.
December 17, 2024
Jersey Devil!
July 5, 2017
This was my favorite of all of the Repairman Jack books so far. I immediately bought the next one and started it. The last half of the book, the subject ("He" began walking. Has been removed. The line reads, Began walking. It was VERY annoying. I toughed that part out and I'm sure it was intentional, I just can't figure out why F. Pail Wilson would do that. I really did like the book though!
August 29, 2021
I have been an F Paul Wilson fan since The Keep, which I admit to first familiarity through the movie, but that prompted me to read the book and, well, subsequent fandom. I hold his Nightworld as the most terrifying novel I ever read. But I am not a Repairman Jack fan, which is odd, because RJ is an ongoing character in practically every book of the Adversary cycle, which this book is number...three? Four?
Who knows?
I don’t think even Wilson knows the right sequence of his loosely tied Adversary Cycle, which begins with The Keep and ends with Nighworld. What’s between is anyone’s guess. I think it goes: The Keep, The Tomb, The Touch...or is that other way around?...Reprisal, and then Nightworld. With a whole bunch of Repairman Jack novels/novellas/stories in between that introduce characters and concepts all falling together in Nightworld. So if you want a true sequence...good luck. Just grab an F. Paul Wilson and read it, saving Nightworld for last. You’ll be all right.
This novel is early in the sequence and may actually be an outlier but don’t worry about it, read it anyway. It seems to be a sequel to The Tomb, which I first read under the title Rakoshi, and if you know what that is then you know what The Tomb is about…
This is like a homework assignment, isn’t it?
Anyways, RJ is out with his long-suffering girlfriend, Gia, and her daughter, Vicky, attending an art opening at the Met….that RJ is one sophisticated dude, ain’t he?
Well, no, he’s not. Gia dragged him into a Cezanne retrospective and RJ is a bit underwhelmed when they run into a gang of middle aged frat boys in the middle of a freakout. Yep, paunchy receding-hairline Polo shirted accountants attacking women and passersby like they’re Moros on a juramentado, right there on the steps of the Met. This is RJ’s first encounter with a designer drug called Berzerk, or Loki to its corporate manufacturer, which figures quite prominently in the rest of the story.
Which is: Nadia, a friend of a friend, hires Jack to find out if her boss, Luc, the manufacturer of Loki, is in cahoots with a Serbian crime lord. Which, of course, he is, something everyone except Nadia knows because she had a one day affair with Luc some ten or twenty years before and, apparently, it was a pretty good one because he can do no wrong, as far as she is concerned. Even though it’s obvious he’s doing plenty wrong.
Loki is a strange drug, its potencies and formula and even research notes and spreadsheets disappearing every new moon. Right off the page, right out of the computer, right out of everyone's memory. That’s why Luc hires Nadia, who is a world class chemist, to figure out what in the blue blazes is going on with this stuff before the next new moon wipes out all previous knowledge. And Nadia hires Jack because it’s gotta be this Serbian thug, gotta be, not something otherworldly going on. Nah.
Because this is an RJ novel, you know something supernatural is happening and it is, as depicted in The Tomb. As managed by Ozymandias Prather, one of the best named and best overall characters, introduced here. And the Jersey Devil.
Just read it.
And, yes, endure the annoyances because RJ annoys me. Just does. I spent a goodly portion of my life engaged in various investigative and intelligence ops and simply can’t accept RJ’s ability to remain absolutely off the books. A phantom. A whiff. No one sees me leave. And while a guy back in the pre-cellphone 80s and 90s in which most RJ stories are set could, to a certain extent, remain invisible, everyone leaves a trace. Especially when tires ran down from the heavens.
What?
Just read it.
Who knows?
I don’t think even Wilson knows the right sequence of his loosely tied Adversary Cycle, which begins with The Keep and ends with Nighworld. What’s between is anyone’s guess. I think it goes: The Keep, The Tomb, The Touch...or is that other way around?...Reprisal, and then Nightworld. With a whole bunch of Repairman Jack novels/novellas/stories in between that introduce characters and concepts all falling together in Nightworld. So if you want a true sequence...good luck. Just grab an F. Paul Wilson and read it, saving Nightworld for last. You’ll be all right.
This novel is early in the sequence and may actually be an outlier but don’t worry about it, read it anyway. It seems to be a sequel to The Tomb, which I first read under the title Rakoshi, and if you know what that is then you know what The Tomb is about…
This is like a homework assignment, isn’t it?
Anyways, RJ is out with his long-suffering girlfriend, Gia, and her daughter, Vicky, attending an art opening at the Met….that RJ is one sophisticated dude, ain’t he?
Well, no, he’s not. Gia dragged him into a Cezanne retrospective and RJ is a bit underwhelmed when they run into a gang of middle aged frat boys in the middle of a freakout. Yep, paunchy receding-hairline Polo shirted accountants attacking women and passersby like they’re Moros on a juramentado, right there on the steps of the Met. This is RJ’s first encounter with a designer drug called Berzerk, or Loki to its corporate manufacturer, which figures quite prominently in the rest of the story.
Which is: Nadia, a friend of a friend, hires Jack to find out if her boss, Luc, the manufacturer of Loki, is in cahoots with a Serbian crime lord. Which, of course, he is, something everyone except Nadia knows because she had a one day affair with Luc some ten or twenty years before and, apparently, it was a pretty good one because he can do no wrong, as far as she is concerned. Even though it’s obvious he’s doing plenty wrong.
Loki is a strange drug, its potencies and formula and even research notes and spreadsheets disappearing every new moon. Right off the page, right out of the computer, right out of everyone's memory. That’s why Luc hires Nadia, who is a world class chemist, to figure out what in the blue blazes is going on with this stuff before the next new moon wipes out all previous knowledge. And Nadia hires Jack because it’s gotta be this Serbian thug, gotta be, not something otherworldly going on. Nah.
Because this is an RJ novel, you know something supernatural is happening and it is, as depicted in The Tomb. As managed by Ozymandias Prather, one of the best named and best overall characters, introduced here. And the Jersey Devil.
Just read it.
And, yes, endure the annoyances because RJ annoys me. Just does. I spent a goodly portion of my life engaged in various investigative and intelligence ops and simply can’t accept RJ’s ability to remain absolutely off the books. A phantom. A whiff. No one sees me leave. And while a guy back in the pre-cellphone 80s and 90s in which most RJ stories are set could, to a certain extent, remain invisible, everyone leaves a trace. Especially when tires ran down from the heavens.
What?
Just read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 27, 2021Rj3w
October 2, 2025
this series never disappoints. What can I say? Lots of action and clever twists.
July 3, 2012
My favorite Jack book so far. I'm still not in love with the series, but I like Jack enough to overlook the flaws in storytelling. This volume had a good villain in Dragovic, a couple of cool action scenes, a great comeuppance for the bad guys, a Terminator 2 Cyberdyne type plot development, and best of all, an entire chapter written in a bizarre drug addled stream of consciousness a la American Psycho that was easily the best written chapter in the series so far. The coincidences are still too contrived (I'm sure some would say that the Otherness is connected to Jack, but I would say it's an easy plot crutch for Wilson), but it's a fun series if only for every moment we get to see the inner working of Jack's psyche.
March 28, 2017
Another consistently wonderful chapter in the "Repairman Jack" saga.
With each one I read, the same things keep coming to mind.
#1) It is always wonderful and refreshing how each "case" from each book is unique and different. You don't see Jack tackling the same kinds of problems over and over again. Each book does its own thing.
While "The Tomb" is straight up action/horror, each book has its own feel to it.
"Legacies" is a much more straight forward action/adventure novel.
"Conspiracies" is really out there with the cosmology of Wilson's world.
"All the Rage" leans more towards the typical action/adventure book, but with strong connections to the horror/cosmology side of things.
I already have 3 more on the bookshelf lined up and read to go.
With each one I read, the same things keep coming to mind.
#1) It is always wonderful and refreshing how each "case" from each book is unique and different. You don't see Jack tackling the same kinds of problems over and over again. Each book does its own thing.
While "The Tomb" is straight up action/horror, each book has its own feel to it.
"Legacies" is a much more straight forward action/adventure novel.
"Conspiracies" is really out there with the cosmology of Wilson's world.
"All the Rage" leans more towards the typical action/adventure book, but with strong connections to the horror/cosmology side of things.
I already have 3 more on the bookshelf lined up and read to go.
November 19, 2017
I am becoming an increasingly rabid fan of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack. Maybe some of the plot devices he used in this book have been done before but I've never read anything like what I found in this installment. A drug made from an inhuman being's blood, and when taken will give people super-charged rage and aggression. This sounds like trouble floating around NYC. Jack needs to put the supply out of business, for good.
I like that the characters of every installment are new, but he also had a growing trope of older characters that keep popping up; even deceased characters are often brought up again. It feels rewarding to me to know 100% about a situation of Jack's past means to the current story.
I like that the characters of every installment are new, but he also had a growing trope of older characters that keep popping up; even deceased characters are often brought up again. It feels rewarding to me to know 100% about a situation of Jack's past means to the current story.
May 23, 2013
Jack has two different clients with a beef about the same guy, a local mob boss. A mob boss who is trying to buy his way into successful society.
It's a story that touches on all the classes, from ultra wealthy to side show 'freaks'.
It's a story about people who think the ends justify the means - even if that means innocent people die. It's also about people who are horrified to wake from the spell of thinking they're king of the world only to see what their actions have done.
Wilson does a good job of introducing new characters and making them reasonably complex, particularly the character of Luc.
It's a story that touches on all the classes, from ultra wealthy to side show 'freaks'.
It's a story about people who think the ends justify the means - even if that means innocent people die. It's also about people who are horrified to wake from the spell of thinking they're king of the world only to see what their actions have done.
Wilson does a good job of introducing new characters and making them reasonably complex, particularly the character of Luc.
March 23, 2011
Jack is back. After a bit of a slowdown in book 3, Wilson kicked the pace back up in book 4. The development of Jack continues as does the tying together of a number of storylines from the first 3 books into what looks to form the basis of the overarching plot for the rest of the series. I devoured this one in record time, but for those looking to get into the Repairman Jack series, I'd recommend starting at the beginning as some of the references made in this novel will be lost without the background from the previous stories.
May 24, 2024
Because I love the Repairman Jack series, yet have PTSD from triggered sentences in books. We figured out a solution so I could continue to read F. Paul Wilson's books. My husband has already finished reading the Repairman Jack books (many years ago). He is re-reading the books ahead of me, applying washi tape over triggered sentences. I am able to read it myself without my husband having to sum up the book for me............... I will write a review once I am done reading the book. I am So DELIGHTED..........
June 24, 2019
Repairman Jack Great Again
The Repairman Jack stories are some of the better constructed storylines around. All the Rage is a stand alone story, but it reads so much better if you’ve experienced the previous books. All the Rage is a page turner: murder, mafia, designer drugs, plotting, revenge and action which is nonstop. All this wrapped up into a healthy mix of science fiction, horror and fantasy. You’re missing out if you’re not reading about Repairman Jack.
The Repairman Jack stories are some of the better constructed storylines around. All the Rage is a stand alone story, but it reads so much better if you’ve experienced the previous books. All the Rage is a page turner: murder, mafia, designer drugs, plotting, revenge and action which is nonstop. All this wrapped up into a healthy mix of science fiction, horror and fantasy. You’re missing out if you’re not reading about Repairman Jack.
August 31, 2013
This was the usual fun with Repairman Jack, but I thought he was a little thick headed at times, some of the surveillance was unrealistic. Nevertheless, Jack prevailed in the end, which was quite satisfying. One of my favorite characters was a monster- the rakosh- I have to watch out if I ever go into the Jersey swamps.
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