Many of the negative, or just mediocre, reviews at Amazon for By The Sword seem to not like the new focus of the series. Many seem to feel that now that the books are focused more on the Otherness, that they are not as worthwhile.

Another common complaint is that since there are so many characters in BTS, that Jack takes a backseat too much, and Gia and Vicky are almost completely absent (vicky is actually). Also, that it was the every day fixits that people liked, and they are not as interested in the larger Cosmic battle, that it is too conventional.

Now, I am not one of those people. By The Sword was one of my favorite books of the series, and I did not really miss Gia or Vicky. I feel I would if they were gone indefinitely, but I do not mind them taking on a lesser role.

I really enjoy the Otherness, it is what drew me to the series. If not for that aspect, I do not think it would have ever appeared on my radar. The Otherness: Glaeken, The Lady, Rasolom etc, really adds something to the series, that in my mind it would lack with just the Urban Mecenary angle. Something I also enjoy about long-running series is growth. I get tired of the character doing the same old same.

If Jack just kept on doing normal fixits in the face of the end of the world and all, it wouldn't seem right with his character. Now that he knows how much is out there, and how big it all is and it isnt going away, it seems natural to me that he would do his best, in his own way, to fix things.

but between the action, the Japanese Samurai elements, and Glaeken, I just thought By The Sword was excellent. I really love Samurai stories, so it was a real crossover treat. I am encouraged by it and Bloodlines. I feel that as long as they stay this good, the big Cosmic Battle will just be awesome.

Afterall, for me Jack is it, he is the Cake. All the other characters are the icing, and I do not even like icing that much, give me extra cake any day.

New here, visited plenty of times but never posted before.

I was looking around and could not find any mention of the second Young Jack novel?

The first came out at the end of March last year, so I assumed another would be due out this Spring, but there is not even a listing for it yet at Amazon?

I have not noticed any revised news about it either, all stuff FPW said about it last year. But it sounded like he was already half done with part 2 when the first one was coming out. has it been delayed? or was it always meant to take longer than a normal RJ book?

thank you

I'm new here will be the first to admit that I may have missed something.

I have a few (not-for-profit, for-fun) RJ-related film projects rolling around in my head but, being a canon-loving fan, want to make sure I get the little things right. Things like movies watched, guns used, etc. These are things I usually look for in my favourite internet resource, but the content there is rather basic (well, compared to other fandom-related articles).

Has anyone started a project like a Repairman Jack wiki, or made similar lists? I know there is an encyclopedia in the works (according to the site), but with the MediaWiki code being free to use, is that an option?

The UK's Times Online named their choices for Best Film Twists Ever.

"The most powerful tool in cinema is the perfect twist, those vertiginous seconds when the bottom falls out of your seat and you are no longer sure whether to trust your eyes."

The films mentioned are:

Great Expectations
The Empire Strikes Back
Rosemary's Baby
The Wicker Man
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Fight Club
Planet of the Apes
The Sixth Sense
The Crying Game
Rebecca
Blade Runner
The Shining
The Usual Suspects
The Prestige
The Others
Jacob's Ladder
Dead Man's Shoes
Sunset Boulevard
Vertigo
Psycho
Dr. Strangelove
Kiss Me Deadly

The article itself is FULL of spoilers, so click at your own risk here.

A couple of movies that weren't big box office but that I thought had really good twists are Arlington Road starring Jeff Bridges and Fallen starring Denzel Washington.

Anybody else have a nominee or two for best film twists ever?

I am surprised no one has posted this yet. Pretty amazing voice! I will admit, I should never have seen this before heading into the studio yesterday - she makes me feel incredibly vocally inadequate! the only other recording of her singing (Cry Me a River from 1999) is also on You Tube.

Introducing Susan Doyle, a 47 year old average woman from Scotland with an incredibly unaverage voice

I hope no one changes her.

Some interesting comments, here!

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comme...=1#Item_16

Click the above link to be taken to a forum thread which has the first three "webisodes" of a new GIJOE series called GIJOE: Resolute. This is not your daddy's GIJOE.

Any chance that some of your older works will become available on the Kindle?

I've read everything of yours that I can get my hands on, but there are some others that have eluded me. Luckily, I was able to devour the Repairman Jack Books before I became addicted to the Kindle. One of the main ones I would love to read on the Kindle is The LaNague Series.

After posting I ran into a similar thread. Oh well, I guess another push for the Kindle can't hurt?

Just joined the damned thing and found a group called F Paul Wilson Appreciation. The Pic they have of Paul looks like a mugshot. I was curious if this was any of you guys and gals?

Just wanted to say that I very much appreciate being able to follow FPWs twitter as well as his "The Next Question" blog. Interesting and occasionally amusing comments such as this one.

Sorry. Haven't been by the forums in a while but had to stop by and give my praise for JACK: SECRET HISTORIES.

Wow!

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA novel. It was a walk down memory lane of sorts. And it broke a lot of Jack "rules".

First of all, I must say that the introduction of Jack's mother with hugs ranks right up there with my favorite Jack moments. FPW is the man and he nailed the details perfectly.

Secondly, the fact that Jack relies on the authorities (Tim, etc.) to help with his first fix it is great. Can't do that in a typical Jack book.

I could go on and on about how he learns lock picking, how the characters reflect those of his adult friends, and how the things mentioned in bits and pieces throughout the Jack novels seem to culminate into a greater whole in this book.

I can hardly wait for the next installment.

Plus, as a writer, I have been inspired not to rule out marketing some of my work to the YA market.

Thanks!