By the Sword: A Repairman Jack Novel (Repairman Jack)

By the Sword: A Repairman Jack Novel (Repairman Jack)

By the Sword takes up the adventures of Repairman Jack directly after Bloodline. Jack is hired to find a legendary Japanese sword, a katana stolen from the Hiroshima Peace Museum and brought to New York City. Central characters include the members of a weird Japanese cult, a young Japanese businessman and his three Yakuza bodyguards, plus Hank Thompson, the Kicker cult leader from Bloodline. The cult, the businessman, the Yakuza, and the Kickers are looking for the sword as well.

Also in the mix is the pregnant teenager carrying a child, loaded with abnormal DNA, who will be a decisive force in the cosmic shadow war raging behind the scenes. She becomes a pawn in the game, hunted by both sides. Following his usual m.o., Jack maneuvers all sides into a bloody melee from which he plans to waltz away with the fabled katana. Of course, when things don’t go as planned, Jack must improvise (and he hates to improvise). By the Sword takes F. Paul Wilson’s trademark breakneck pacing and interweaving storylines to a new level.

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Customer Review: By the Sword
I was disappointed with By the Sword and the direction Wilson is taking the Jack as a character. I've read all the previous books loving the story lines where Repairman fixes other people's problems. These stories are clever and at time humorous (recalling the helicopter dropping used truck tires on a gangsters outdoor party LOL). I don't read the books for the fictional cosmic battles between good and evil that Jack got sucked into. This book wasn't fun at all to read, it was very dry and dark. I'm having serious doubts that I'll finish the set knowing there are only two or three volumes left. On the other hand I may just wait for the paperback versions so I can be disappointed as cheaply as possible.
Customer Review: Worthwhile continuation of the series
It's hard to rate this book higher than 4 stars, just because it doesn't really feel "complete". But it is a worthy addition to the series, answering many questions without really introducing too many new ones. The "Kicker" movement is explained, as is (at least in part) the women with the dog. And it is an action filled tale; plenty is happening, and Jack seems to be right in the middle of everything. It was a fun read, and at some point for me, became a "can't put it down" type of read. I'm looking forward to the other final books of the series. Not a book to read as a standalone, for sure. You really need the context of the earlier novels. But if you have that context, you're going to enjoy this one.


The Devil
Readers enter the realm of the Prince of Darkness, but their journey will be a safe one if they keep within the pages of this fascinating volume. It's an entertaining chronicle that reviews both the legends and the religious beliefs about devils—a vast array of lore that dates back thousands of years and endures to the present day. Here are accounts of the Judeo-Christian Satan as he appears in the Old and the New Testaments. Here too are accounts of the dibbuk, from Eastern European Jewish folklore . . . the Hindu asuras, who are said to be frightening goblinlike spirits . . . Mara, the leader of an army of demons in the Buddhist tradition . . . the powerful jinni of Islamic folklore . . . and even Lilith, a female personification of a devil, believed by some Jewish scholars to have been Adam's first wife and a killer of children. This compendium of demonic information includes true tales of devil worship and witch hunts, as well as quotations about demons from famous literary works, legends from around the world, discussion of demonic imagery, and many atmospheric full-color illustrations.
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Customer Review: Interesting
Very interesting look at Demon and Satanic history, extremely informative. A fun book as well, many pictures that accompany the information. Recommended to those with an interest in dark fabled history.
Customer Review: Nicely Illustrated Introduction to the History of the Devil
Amelia Wilson's illustrated history of the Devil is a wonderful intoduction to the myth of the Archfiend as he appears throughout history and across religions and cultures. The book examines the origins of the concept and idea of "the Devil" in ancient Sumerian/Babylonian myth and its influence on ancient Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Wilson shows that in the Hebrew Bible, contrary to popular belief, Satan appears only as a servant of God, and not as an all powerful individual entity of pure evil. In fact, Satan serves a relatively minor role in ancient Judaism. It is only with the advent of Christianity that Satan takes on such a prominent role in worldly and spiritual affairs, tempting mankind to sin and thus seducing inumerable souls into the firey pit of Hell. It shows briefly how the idea and image of the Devil himself changes over time, from early Christian traditions to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and finally to modern times, where the image of the Devil has largely lost its diabolic element and has been reduced to an advertising ploy and horror film cliche. Wilson also quickly examines the history of Satanism and its impact on history, perceived and real, and the Devil's role in the witchcraze of the 16th and 17th centuries. Overall, a nice and generously illustrated, but ultimately short book that draws essentially on secondary sources. For a much more in depth investigation into the history and mythology of Satan, I recommend Jeffery B. Russell's "The Prince of Darkness", a fantastic book that fleshes out many of the concepts only lightly touched upon here.