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Jack Strong
In a Las Vegas hotel room, a man awakes to confront his destiny.
Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.
On behalf of one of them, Jack reignites a feud with some corrupt casino bosses. Drawing on the skills of another, he beats the life out of two bodyguards. Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him lies a soul. The answer may lie with whoever is tailing him in a sleek black car--if Jack can somehow confront him.
Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.
On behalf of one of them, Jack reignites a feud with some corrupt casino bosses. Drawing on the skills of another, he beats the life out of two bodyguards. Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him lies a soul. The answer may lie with whoever is tailing him in a sleek black car--if Jack can somehow confront him.
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
118 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
Walter Mosley
203 books3,894 followersWalter Mosley (b. 1952) is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, as well as numerous other works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 31, 2014
2.5 Stars
Walter Mosley is one of the most prolific writers around. By the end of this year alone, he would have released a total of four books, including the e-book, Odyssey, earlier in the year, the well-written and erotic Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore: A Novel, a new Easy Rawlins mystery coming later this year called Rose Gold: An Easy Rawlins Mystery, and this one, Jack Strong . Not only does Mosley obviously not sleep, he is constantly challenging himself, and is always intriguing!
This short novella is no different. It follows a man with patchwork skin, multi-colored eyes, a middle finger of a black man, and the pinky of a white woman. Well, that's awkward. More importantly, his psyche is comprised of countless personalities (even one that just might be a wolf!) that are constantly rotating in dominance.
This fascinating concept makes way for interesting shifts in point-of-view as well as exciting surprises in Jack's abilities as different personalities come to the surface when needed with a variety of skills. The book is a bit disappointing though because it doesn't feel complete, instead it feels like a couple of chapters of an unfinished novel. Let's hope so, but this one failed to make a lasting impression. I'm still a fan though!
*Advanced Copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review*
Walter Mosley is one of the most prolific writers around. By the end of this year alone, he would have released a total of four books, including the e-book, Odyssey, earlier in the year, the well-written and erotic Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore: A Novel, a new Easy Rawlins mystery coming later this year called Rose Gold: An Easy Rawlins Mystery, and this one, Jack Strong . Not only does Mosley obviously not sleep, he is constantly challenging himself, and is always intriguing!
This short novella is no different. It follows a man with patchwork skin, multi-colored eyes, a middle finger of a black man, and the pinky of a white woman. Well, that's awkward. More importantly, his psyche is comprised of countless personalities (even one that just might be a wolf!) that are constantly rotating in dominance.
This fascinating concept makes way for interesting shifts in point-of-view as well as exciting surprises in Jack's abilities as different personalities come to the surface when needed with a variety of skills. The book is a bit disappointing though because it doesn't feel complete, instead it feels like a couple of chapters of an unfinished novel. Let's hope so, but this one failed to make a lasting impression. I'm still a fan though!
*Advanced Copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review*
March 15, 2023
3.5*
A different take on Freddie's favourite band of rag tag misfits.
A different take on Freddie's favourite band of rag tag misfits.
July 11, 2014
I have read Walter Mosley before, but only knew him as the author of the Easy Rawlins and Leonid McGill mystery series. I had no idea he also wrote speculative fiction. My ignorance was an oversight.
This short story features Mosley's strong voice and excellent writing, and adds an imaginative story about a patchwork man with the memories, abilities and seemingly, souls, of many others inside of him. This plot device is similar to Brandon Sanderson's Legion and the Cowboy Ninja Viking graphic novel, but the style is all its own.
This story seems to be the prelude of a larger narrative, which I can only hope is the case, as my appetite has been whet for more Jack Strong adventures, and more answers to Strong's mysterious past.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
This short story features Mosley's strong voice and excellent writing, and adds an imaginative story about a patchwork man with the memories, abilities and seemingly, souls, of many others inside of him. This plot device is similar to Brandon Sanderson's Legion and the Cowboy Ninja Viking graphic novel, but the style is all its own.
This story seems to be the prelude of a larger narrative, which I can only hope is the case, as my appetite has been whet for more Jack Strong adventures, and more answers to Strong's mysterious past.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
June 30, 2014
I can appreciate how prolific Walter Mosley has been and it appears he's now taking advantage of e-publishing potential for releasing shorter narratives. And Jack Strong is this.
Its biggest allure is that there's more to it. It ends all too quickly after a single caper, and this is when you realize that it wasn't a novel as you thought it was. But that's okay because the possibility for future installments is there in the conclusion.
The idea of a multitude contained within a single living vessel is not quite new, but that's not important. What's important is the delivery, and Jack Strong delivers, as its eponymous narrator puts the pieces of the puzzle, literally revealed on his flesh, together to find redemption.
There's hope for continuation as a kindle serial, and I'm thinking Mosley would do to give every Jack Strong story a sub-title belonging to the name of the voice seeking redemption or revenge.
Its biggest allure is that there's more to it. It ends all too quickly after a single caper, and this is when you realize that it wasn't a novel as you thought it was. But that's okay because the possibility for future installments is there in the conclusion.
The idea of a multitude contained within a single living vessel is not quite new, but that's not important. What's important is the delivery, and Jack Strong delivers, as its eponymous narrator puts the pieces of the puzzle, literally revealed on his flesh, together to find redemption.
There's hope for continuation as a kindle serial, and I'm thinking Mosley would do to give every Jack Strong story a sub-title belonging to the name of the voice seeking redemption or revenge.
December 3, 2023
Big fan of Walter Moseley’s mysteries, and will occasionally venture into his more fanciful fiction. Jack Strong: A Story of Life After Life, a novella -certainly qualifies as fanciful…
And Now for Something Different. “the man who had just awakened in the hotel room, had hands that were masculine and Caucasian except for the Negroid ring finger on the left hand and a tapered, feminine baby finger on the right.” … “The full-length mirror in the bathroom revealed a patchwork of pink, pale, and tan flesh and a face that was maybe not quite forty. I had a square jaw, one blue eye and the other brown. My hair was a wiry auburn, closer to chestnut than red. I had black hair on the upper portion of my chest. One nipple was rugged and reddish where the other one was smooth and ocher in hue. The penis amazed and surprised me. I lifted it gently, remembering being another sex. It came to me that it wasn’t so different being man or woman. We all slept and woke up, felt heat and cold, got hungry and aged over time. Our senses approximated each other’s, and memory offered up images that had more meaning than anything real, today.” … “and vagina—they tilted in different directions, blindly headed for summits of very different emotional climes. I was a man in a man’s body and a woman, too.”
Identity. “My driver’s license said that I was Jack Strong, born in 1976, in June, and my eye color was multi.” … “I was not a man but an agglomeration of potentials on one side and personalities on the other.” … “I wondered if I was schizophrenic with side orders of multiple personalities and delusions.” … “My awareness was like a pulpit or a podium that varied personalities approached in order to use their knowledge and abilities. I was always there but not necessarily in control.”
Later. “So you got me mixed up in some kind of science fiction movie?” “Just like if Corman and Romero went to bed and had the same dream.”
And the story. It’s short, complicated perhaps, on one hand, but in the realm of fantasy it’s simply a little strange.
And Now for Something Different. “the man who had just awakened in the hotel room, had hands that were masculine and Caucasian except for the Negroid ring finger on the left hand and a tapered, feminine baby finger on the right.” … “The full-length mirror in the bathroom revealed a patchwork of pink, pale, and tan flesh and a face that was maybe not quite forty. I had a square jaw, one blue eye and the other brown. My hair was a wiry auburn, closer to chestnut than red. I had black hair on the upper portion of my chest. One nipple was rugged and reddish where the other one was smooth and ocher in hue. The penis amazed and surprised me. I lifted it gently, remembering being another sex. It came to me that it wasn’t so different being man or woman. We all slept and woke up, felt heat and cold, got hungry and aged over time. Our senses approximated each other’s, and memory offered up images that had more meaning than anything real, today.” … “and vagina—they tilted in different directions, blindly headed for summits of very different emotional climes. I was a man in a man’s body and a woman, too.”
Identity. “My driver’s license said that I was Jack Strong, born in 1976, in June, and my eye color was multi.” … “I was not a man but an agglomeration of potentials on one side and personalities on the other.” … “I wondered if I was schizophrenic with side orders of multiple personalities and delusions.” … “My awareness was like a pulpit or a podium that varied personalities approached in order to use their knowledge and abilities. I was always there but not necessarily in control.”
Later. “So you got me mixed up in some kind of science fiction movie?” “Just like if Corman and Romero went to bed and had the same dream.”
And the story. It’s short, complicated perhaps, on one hand, but in the realm of fantasy it’s simply a little strange.
June 27, 2014
~3.5
Jack Strong awakens in a hotel room, not with no knowledge of his previous self, but with far too many memories of his previous selves. While the composite being refers to himself by the masculine singular, his body and memory seem to be composed of pieces of other men and women; one of his eyes is blue, one brown; most of his hand is masculine and white, but one of his fingers seems dark and feminine. Without understanding how he as Jack Strong came to be but with memories of the dead clamouring in his head, he decides to quiet the voices by completing some of the unfinished business in his newly unique manner.
Jack Strong is an odd little novella, rather more like an extended preview of a longer novel than a full story in its own right. I loved the general ideas; I’m a sucker for the idea of possession, especially possession by a multitude, and who doesn’t love a story of the dead coming back to complete some unfinished business? However, whilst the ideas had a lot of potential, I had the unsatisfied sense that none of them really came to fruition. Told in the first person by the eponymous Jack Strong, the story gives us pieces of the (mostly criminal) lives of the crowd in Strong’s head, and it hints slightly about how he came to be in his state, but it never actually completes the thought. Like many other science fiction tales that I have encountered, it deals with only the “what if” without considering the “why” or “how.” In all honesty, the (utterly unexplained) setup is so illogical that it simply isn’t something I’m willing to take on faith.
As always, Mosley’s writing is elegant and his dialogue gives a sense of the speakers’ voices and dialects; also as always, his plot deals heavily and thoughtfully with issues of race. Also as always, there is a pretty woman and a rather detailed sex scene. Considering how short the novella is, I would have preferred a little less time spent on the tetanic sex and a little more time on the actual plot and worldbuilding. Overall, while the story is written with Mosley’s usual panache, it left me with a dissatisfied sense of a story that bursts with potential, yet is not merely unfinished, but only barely begun.
I wonder if there will be a sequel.
Excerpted from my review on Booklikes.
~~I received this ebook through NetGalley from the publisher, Open Road Integrated Media, in exchange for my honest review.~~
Jack Strong awakens in a hotel room, not with no knowledge of his previous self, but with far too many memories of his previous selves. While the composite being refers to himself by the masculine singular, his body and memory seem to be composed of pieces of other men and women; one of his eyes is blue, one brown; most of his hand is masculine and white, but one of his fingers seems dark and feminine. Without understanding how he as Jack Strong came to be but with memories of the dead clamouring in his head, he decides to quiet the voices by completing some of the unfinished business in his newly unique manner.
Jack Strong is an odd little novella, rather more like an extended preview of a longer novel than a full story in its own right. I loved the general ideas; I’m a sucker for the idea of possession, especially possession by a multitude, and who doesn’t love a story of the dead coming back to complete some unfinished business? However, whilst the ideas had a lot of potential, I had the unsatisfied sense that none of them really came to fruition. Told in the first person by the eponymous Jack Strong, the story gives us pieces of the (mostly criminal) lives of the crowd in Strong’s head, and it hints slightly about how he came to be in his state, but it never actually completes the thought. Like many other science fiction tales that I have encountered, it deals with only the “what if” without considering the “why” or “how.” In all honesty, the (utterly unexplained) setup is so illogical that it simply isn’t something I’m willing to take on faith.
As always, Mosley’s writing is elegant and his dialogue gives a sense of the speakers’ voices and dialects; also as always, his plot deals heavily and thoughtfully with issues of race. Also as always, there is a pretty woman and a rather detailed sex scene. Considering how short the novella is, I would have preferred a little less time spent on the tetanic sex and a little more time on the actual plot and worldbuilding. Overall, while the story is written with Mosley’s usual panache, it left me with a dissatisfied sense of a story that bursts with potential, yet is not merely unfinished, but only barely begun.
I wonder if there will be a sequel.
Excerpted from my review on Booklikes.
~~I received this ebook through NetGalley from the publisher, Open Road Integrated Media, in exchange for my honest review.~~
July 2, 2014
I would like to thank NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for the opportunity to read this story. Although I received the e-ARC for free, that in no way impacts my review.
Goodreads Blurb:
Mr. Mosley certainly hit upon a creative concept, which he did an excellent job of executing. This is one very original story, with interesting characters and plot developments that keep both the protagonist, Jack, on his toes, as well as the reader. The mystery is one that grabs hold of you and won't let go.
The premise of the story is vague enough that it may be different for each reader, yet for me it seemed to be about redemption and the associated cathartic emotions. Even with a vague premise the story hooked me early in, which meant the first couple of pages, seeing as this whole story is completed in a mere 52 pages. However the ending offers hope for a follow-up, sequel, or just plain continuation of the storyline. Well worth the read!
Goodreads Blurb:
In a Las Vegas hotel room, a man awakes to confront his destiny.
Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.
On behalf of one of them, Jack reignites a feud with some corrupt casino bosses. Drawing on the skills of another, he beats the life out of two bodyguards. Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him lies a soul. The answer may lie with whoever is tailing him in a sleek black car--if Jack can somehow confront him.
Mr. Mosley certainly hit upon a creative concept, which he did an excellent job of executing. This is one very original story, with interesting characters and plot developments that keep both the protagonist, Jack, on his toes, as well as the reader. The mystery is one that grabs hold of you and won't let go.
The premise of the story is vague enough that it may be different for each reader, yet for me it seemed to be about redemption and the associated cathartic emotions. Even with a vague premise the story hooked me early in, which meant the first couple of pages, seeing as this whole story is completed in a mere 52 pages. However the ending offers hope for a follow-up, sequel, or just plain continuation of the storyline. Well worth the read!
June 5, 2014
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/06/04...
Publisher: Open Road
Publishing Date: July 2014
ISBN: 9781480489141
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0/5
Publisher Description: Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.
Review: Cover art is a little too clean for the man depicted.
This is a really short Novella and is subsequently hard to rate. It was fantastic while it lasted, but a few chapters does not a novel make.
Jack Strong is kind of a pieced together, hard-boiled reincarnation of Sam Spade. The Souls in his head aid Jack with a tapestry of individual abilities. He has super strength, hardly any emotion and has a constant boner.
Jack sets about getting $600k back that he embezzled from a casino as someone else who died at the hands of his traitorous girlfriend. This amalgamated patchwork man, resurrected with thousands of voices in his head, is fascinating.
I am going to give it 4 stars as is. Which is pretty good considering the length. Perhaps there is a complete novel in the works.
Publisher: Open Road
Publishing Date: July 2014
ISBN: 9781480489141
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0/5
Publisher Description: Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.
Review: Cover art is a little too clean for the man depicted.
This is a really short Novella and is subsequently hard to rate. It was fantastic while it lasted, but a few chapters does not a novel make.
Jack Strong is kind of a pieced together, hard-boiled reincarnation of Sam Spade. The Souls in his head aid Jack with a tapestry of individual abilities. He has super strength, hardly any emotion and has a constant boner.
Jack sets about getting $600k back that he embezzled from a casino as someone else who died at the hands of his traitorous girlfriend. This amalgamated patchwork man, resurrected with thousands of voices in his head, is fascinating.
I am going to give it 4 stars as is. Which is pretty good considering the length. Perhaps there is a complete novel in the works.
June 17, 2018
The narrator wakes up as Jack Strong, but his mind contains a host of dead people's memories and emotions. In this novella, he resolves a problem he had as Lance Richards, who embezzled money from a casino boss before being killed by a partner. Short and sweet.
June 29, 2014
disclaimer – i received an e-galley of this novella from open road media in exchange for an honest review.
i have a confession to make. are you ready? here we go: i had never read anything by walter mosley before this novella. i know, what is wrong with me? the simple truth is that i didn’t know anything about his work, and no one ever came to me and said, “OH MY GOD you just have to read this!” i’ve glanced at his books on audible but was just never interested enough to grab one. wow, was i missing out.
jack strong was a great way to be introduced to mosley’s writing. the character hears voices but also has knowledge from dozens of different lives so maybe those voices are real people. how did he get those people inside of him and just who is he anyway? how can he do the things he does and who are the people following him?
it would be great if there were more written about jack strong’s character (or any of his inner characters for that matter). there’s so much more i want to know about him. mosley wrote a compelling science fiction piece that drew me in and kept me asking questions even after i was finished with the story. to me, that’s what an author is supposed to do and i’m sorry that it took me so long to find him.
three out of five stars
i have a confession to make. are you ready? here we go: i had never read anything by walter mosley before this novella. i know, what is wrong with me? the simple truth is that i didn’t know anything about his work, and no one ever came to me and said, “OH MY GOD you just have to read this!” i’ve glanced at his books on audible but was just never interested enough to grab one. wow, was i missing out.
jack strong was a great way to be introduced to mosley’s writing. the character hears voices but also has knowledge from dozens of different lives so maybe those voices are real people. how did he get those people inside of him and just who is he anyway? how can he do the things he does and who are the people following him?
it would be great if there were more written about jack strong’s character (or any of his inner characters for that matter). there’s so much more i want to know about him. mosley wrote a compelling science fiction piece that drew me in and kept me asking questions even after i was finished with the story. to me, that’s what an author is supposed to do and i’m sorry that it took me so long to find him.
three out of five stars
June 13, 2014
'Jack Strong' is a new shorter sf work from Walter Mosley and it's a good one. I'd love to read more stories about this character, because there were a lot of things left unexplained by the end. That's not a bad thing. That's an enticement to want to learn more.
Jack Strong wakes up in a fancy Las Vegas hotel room from a dream with lots of voices in it. He still hears them when he wakes up, and his body is scarred and patchworked. His hand has a ladies finger on it among others. To top it all of, there are folks in a black van that keep following him around.
The story revolves around all these dead people suddenly sort of residing in Jack's body with him. He can cycle through them at will to find the one with the skills he needs at the time. He's figuring out that he might need to help some of them. For instance, there is this guy who died in the desert on the outskirts of Las Vegas after he was double-crossed by his girlfriend.
It's a short breathtaking page turner and while the story is complete, it definitely left me wanting to know more about Jack and some of the people living inside him. Suspenseful and imaginative.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Open Road Integrated Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this action packed ebook.
Jack Strong wakes up in a fancy Las Vegas hotel room from a dream with lots of voices in it. He still hears them when he wakes up, and his body is scarred and patchworked. His hand has a ladies finger on it among others. To top it all of, there are folks in a black van that keep following him around.
The story revolves around all these dead people suddenly sort of residing in Jack's body with him. He can cycle through them at will to find the one with the skills he needs at the time. He's figuring out that he might need to help some of them. For instance, there is this guy who died in the desert on the outskirts of Las Vegas after he was double-crossed by his girlfriend.
It's a short breathtaking page turner and while the story is complete, it definitely left me wanting to know more about Jack and some of the people living inside him. Suspenseful and imaginative.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Open Road Integrated Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this action packed ebook.
July 29, 2014
Jack Strong is a novella/very short story and we all know how I feel about those. The whole setup of the story is what spoke to me. We have a man who is a compilation of many different men and women, even children. Some of those were good people and some not so good.
Now this is mostly mentally, so you can see it as a very bad case of schizophrenia. Though it's not just different personalities, he also inherited their memories. Physically her reminded me of Frankenstein, though not that extreme. The guy has some serious scars and is patched together from different people. To me this seemed very interesting and screamed government secret soldier.
After finishing this though I still don't really know what is going on. It feels like this was a short introduction of the character and that we would get a full novel later. There's a constant struggle in Jack's head of the people wanting to take over. He uses their memories to clear up some unfinished business. The interesting fact though is that Jack barely has any clue of what is going on himself. He doesn't know who he is and how he came to be.
On it's own this story didn't do much for me. The main character is fascinating though and I just hope he gets a full length novel.
*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Now this is mostly mentally, so you can see it as a very bad case of schizophrenia. Though it's not just different personalities, he also inherited their memories. Physically her reminded me of Frankenstein, though not that extreme. The guy has some serious scars and is patched together from different people. To me this seemed very interesting and screamed government secret soldier.
After finishing this though I still don't really know what is going on. It feels like this was a short introduction of the character and that we would get a full novel later. There's a constant struggle in Jack's head of the people wanting to take over. He uses their memories to clear up some unfinished business. The interesting fact though is that Jack barely has any clue of what is going on himself. He doesn't know who he is and how he came to be.
On it's own this story didn't do much for me. The main character is fascinating though and I just hope he gets a full length novel.
*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
July 29, 2014
I ride for anything Walter Mosley writes (except for a few elect efforts), but this is the first that has gotten me excited in a long time. A protagonist with a future that can go almost anywhere. A scene laid out in 60 pages that leads to a redemption, a new awareness...this was goodness. Read once, will read again. I think this is a winner character; it's no Easy, but it's definitely someone who you're curious about and with whom Mosley can certainly explore a ton of options.
August 10, 2014
A short story by an author I like but this story seemed mailed in. Jack Strong is somehow a man and woman who had many people floating around in his head. He retrieves money stashed away by one of his personalities then heads off to LA. Strange story.
June 12, 2014
Unique story about a man with multiple personalities. I enjoyed the story and was left wanting more. Who created this modern Frankenstein? And why? I hope Mr. Mosley writes more about Jack Strong.
December 13, 2014
waste of time, hopfully just few hours as it,s really short but still waste
March 11, 2015
Yeeeeaaahhh.... Ummmm not just no but hell no! This was terrible land I do not know how a great concept could go so terribly wrong. Don't waste your time.
July 18, 2019
This is a really really short Novella and is subsequently hard to rate. As a different approach and something new that is done well, I should rate this higher than a two. But I feel deceived as it was left with no true answers, totally incomplete.
Jack Strong is kind of pieced together set of souls, and this story feels that way as well. Jack the character is super strong, without much emotion and is mostly outside of self. Jack spends some time getting in touch with the feminine side but does not connect with others in a 'true' way.
I am going to give it 2 stars as is; Which is the best I can do considering the length and being left totally hanging by the story. This was an unfinished menagerie. Perhaps I will rerate if the rest of it is ever found.
Jack Strong is kind of pieced together set of souls, and this story feels that way as well. Jack the character is super strong, without much emotion and is mostly outside of self. Jack spends some time getting in touch with the feminine side but does not connect with others in a 'true' way.
I am going to give it 2 stars as is; Which is the best I can do considering the length and being left totally hanging by the story. This was an unfinished menagerie. Perhaps I will rerate if the rest of it is ever found.
May 21, 2024
Um I need more Mr. Mosley
I totally get the concept of novellas. However, there are some that leave you wanting more. And Mr Mosley has a habit of doing just that with his novellas. This story follows Jack Strong, a man who seems to have a special gift but doesn't know why or how. We journey with him through a dangerous adventure in Las Vegas.
There's too many questions about the hows and the whens and the what happens now.
This would make an awesome full sci-fi book.
And I know there are people who don't care for Mr. Mosley's sci-fi work. But as an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader. I love them. Just wish they were longer
I totally get the concept of novellas. However, there are some that leave you wanting more. And Mr Mosley has a habit of doing just that with his novellas. This story follows Jack Strong, a man who seems to have a special gift but doesn't know why or how. We journey with him through a dangerous adventure in Las Vegas.
There's too many questions about the hows and the whens and the what happens now.
This would make an awesome full sci-fi book.
And I know there are people who don't care for Mr. Mosley's sci-fi work. But as an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader. I love them. Just wish they were longer
January 16, 2024
I think Mr. Mosley posted an ad on Facebook. I was surprised that I could buy the Kindle edition; the Bargain Books took me to Amazon. I wish I had paid attention. This is not a book; it is a short story. The ending sounds like it might be the start of a new series.
I am not a Sci Fi fan. The premise was good, although hard to understand. At some parts, Jack Strong sounded like Easy Rawlins' voice. Not sure how to explain that. It was an okay read, but not a good one.
I am not a Sci Fi fan. The premise was good, although hard to understand. At some parts, Jack Strong sounded like Easy Rawlins' voice. Not sure how to explain that. It was an okay read, but not a good one.
August 14, 2024
This definitely was a like/hate feeling towards this book. It was just really weird and hard to follow at times. Basically, dead man comes back from the dead but he is made up of many different individuals and their personalities, both good and bad. Strong is a "patchwork" man made up of dozens of men and women woven together along with their minds and their voices are in his head.
Maybe it needed to be longer.
Maybe it needed to be longer.
May 29, 2019
Jack Strong is a short story I’d like more of. I think Mosley is best known for his PI Easy Rawlins novels, and I can see some of that genre here. Jack is a modern Frankenstein’s monster of sorts, but we don’t get much of the way of back story in this brief tale.
The noir styled writing is engaging and it’s interesting to see him learn to cope with the multiple personalities housed in his body.
The noir styled writing is engaging and it’s interesting to see him learn to cope with the multiple personalities housed in his body.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2020
This is just a short installment of a larger story that ends abruptly and without satisfaction. It might be okay as a whole, even though it is very similar to the plot of the Netflix show “Sense 8”, but as it stands it is not much to stimulate my interest.
October 26, 2018
A really good book. left me wanting more, will definitely get the next edition once it's out. this book is very short, I think it's just a prequel
February 7, 2018
Good book but to short.
I love Walter Moseley book. This was a great read but to short. Should be a second book to take you further into the story.
I love Walter Moseley book. This was a great read but to short. Should be a second book to take you further into the story.
December 26, 2018
Shirt but interesting
Haven't read a short story in years...held my interest. Want more. Like the style and clarity the author brought to the story.
Haven't read a short story in years...held my interest. Want more. Like the style and clarity the author brought to the story.
October 21, 2021
Read eBook as a loan. inexperienced me didn’t notice, and was astonished, when it ended at pg 77. All considered, though, it’s a fascinating read.
August 27, 2024
Different compared to Mosley’s classic mysteries. Keeping up with the many “sides” of the protagonist was a challenge for me in getting through this short.
October 6, 2025
Definitely different…
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