Hey all,
I had read The Tomb a long time ago and I completely loved it. Recently I met up with an old friend and he mentioned that there were more Repairman Jack books! Happily I searched them out and I have been ingesting them with gusto. I just finished "All the Rage" and each book is better than the last.

But in all my online searches for pictures of rakosh I have come up with almost nothing, just some cartoon style drawings. Do any of you know where I might find some serious rakosh art? Has this been done?

It gets me to thinking that if one were to commission an artist to make some drawings, how would you describe the rakosh and what do you think would be the most important features of these curious 300 pound killing machines? What passages in which books would you give to this artist for his consumption?
Thanks
-Dorian

First let me start by saying that I absolutley love the RJ series. RJ is one of my favorite characters ever (with Roland from Steven King, Spenser from Robert Parker and my growing liking of John Rain from Barry Eisler). RJ is the man. The below can be discarded if it is too impudent, but it is my worthless take on RJ's liabilites.

That said I have a few points that I would like to make about his character. First and foremost is his "blending in". RJ should strive to be as invisible as possible. It seems that is his goal (as I read it, please correct if I am off track). That said it seems RJ's only method of "blending in" is to dress in some sort of blue jeans and a plaid shirt. He even had one on in a formal party if memory serves. This is the opposite of blending in. Blending in means that one dresses in the entire that EVERYONE else is in. As someone whose profession entails being undercover every day this is important. I will not dress the same in a business environment (say Wall Street) as I would for Julio's bar. Jack should always strive to be as invisible as possible - to leave only a ripple in his wake. He should also watch his walk and his attitude. It seems kind of "woo-woo" but I have, after a lot of OJT and luck, been able to "feel" a truly dangerous person. Like you can feel when someone is staring at you, a truly dangerous person puts out a vibe that other heavy hitters can feel. It seems metaphysical but it exists.

Second, Jack needs to be shown keeping in practice with his physical and firearms skills. Also, what is his background? One doesn't just "poof" become a proficient fighter and shooter (I may have missed something here because I haven't read Gateways yet). These are perishible skills. If I don't go shoot at least once or twice a month I definitely know the difference. Jack has an advantage in that he is well-acquainted with adrenal stress, which can make even an excellent shooter freeze up on "that day", but he still needs to stay sharp. Also, hand to hand stuff is important. Jack is not a self-defense (SD)practiconer. In other words he fights until its over - he rarely just hits to stun and then try and get away like a SD practioner would. His fights tend to run long, which necessitates a higher level of fighting and conditioning. I am built like Jack (5'10" 185). I spend a lot of time keeping in physical shape. Lifting weights, wind sprints, martial arts (muy thai, brazilian jiu-jutsu, silat). This is important if you are in a lifestyle where physical violence is very possible. We should see Jack doing this a little bit and maybe learn his background in it.

Third, Jack and Abe's argument aside, Jack should ALWAYS carry a round chambered. This is gunslinging 101. In the old West the technology did not allow this kind of carry. Modern technology has remedied this. In an adrenal scenario higher brain functions shut down. It is too difficult to remember to chamber the round unless you instill this practice through constant practice (see above). And even if you do, it is too slow. When you need a gun you need it RFN (Right F-ing Now). To have to chamber a round is amazingly slow. Fractions of seconds are important in a gunfight. Jack should also stick with one carry method. To switch from shoulder holsters to ankle and to SOB (small of back) is too confusing to the lizard brain. When the shit hits the proverbial fan your lizard brain is going to fire and send the hand to where you practice looking for the gun. If it is not there it will take a while for the brain to catch up and remember where it is. And valuable time is wasted. While you are wasting time your bad guy is not standing there waiting for you. You are a bullet magnet.

Lastly, Jack needs to carry a blade of some sort. Guns can be hard to deploy in CQC (close quarters combat) environments. Guns need distance. If the bad guy is too close it is too cumbersome. Blades are easier. Blades are usually closer (especially folders with a clip). They are also good gun retention tools although this is not too much of a problem for RJ. Still, RJ is an operator. He has a job to do and he must be willing to use the tools necessary. We know he will cut you (if you can slice a guy's eyeballs with your fingernails cutting someone with a blade is easy). You go to the toolbox to get the appropriate tool. Sometimes a kinfe, sometimes some brass knuckles, sometimes a smile and nice word. Use the appropriate tool at the approriate time.

And, for what it is worth, I would recommend (ask) FPW to read On Killing by Dave Grossman. It is a study of Killology (author's defintion). It is the study of how people kill and do violence to each other and the problems people in the lifestyle encounter. It discusses military history, the rates of kills (and percentage of shots fired by soldiers) in each war, and the ability (or inability) of people to kill. It also discusses how the military and law enforcement have developed to counteract the human instinct to NOT kill. It is an amazing work. If you have already read it then my apologies. Another one I enjoyed was Killer, by Joey. It is a how-to book on Mob operations (shylocking, numbers, murder). It tells you how it is done and how to do it yourself. Joey is a pseudonym for some old Mob button man. Another amazing book. Out of print but I found 2 copies just recently on Amazon. I think these books would help RJ out in his actions, the guilt he must feel (even if the bad guy was a real piece of crap taking life and doing violence is NEVER easy) and maybe help with some badguy info.

My opinion only. Your mileage may vary.

What color is Rakosh blood?

Susan

While rereading the CRISSCROSS Outline, it struck me that "Noomri" is an anagram for "Moroni." Was that intentional, or a wonderful accident? (For any of the gang reading this and wondering what the hell I'm talking about, "Moroni," in the LDS faith, was the angel who lead Joseph Smith to the tablets that became THE BOOK OF MORMON.)

FYI -- Just signed papers agreeing to an 18-month option for "Faces." Someone's looking to make a theatrical film of the story. Could be cool if it ever happens (which it won't). Experience has taught me the best thing to do in these cases is cash the check and forget about it.

These are the movies that your friends hope you'll grow out of, that your family warn you about. The ones that you stay awake after your long-suffering partner has gone to bed for...
The movies that are bad for us, yet we watch them anyway!

Its time to take the first step (exhales deeply and stands..)
"I'm Ben and I'm addicted to bad movies"

For me it was The Monster Squad that started it(the best way to describe it is 'The Goonies' vs. the Universal Monsters!!!), I saw it maybe 15 years ago and the love of bad movies was born within me. :p

Many others followed... Flesh Gordon, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Carnosaur, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Hell Comes to Frogtown(starring 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper!)... A rollercoaster ride of bad special effects and worse acting. I've got it under control now, I think..
Although, occasionally I still hear Humanoids From the Deep calling to me....

Think of this a support group to exorcise your B-movie demons, let me know of any good bad movies I may have missed.

For those who need extra help check out http://www.badmovies.org

Remember aproblem shared is a problem halved, you no longer have to suffer alone!
-BD

Oh. My. God.

Shyamalan's best.

Just...UH!!

Someone else should start a real discussion about this fantastic film. I'll just keep making gutteral noises...surprised I made it this far.

MAJOR SPOILERS ARE (going to be) IN THIS THREAD!!!

I'm sorry if this has already been discussed but, on imdb.com there is a listing for Midnight Mass(2003). I'm guessing its based on the short story... But has anyone seen it? The reviews are kinda mean as they usually are... I was hoping for a fan's response...

-FPW, are you really Noah Randall?

-BD

This is soooo funny.

http://www.sfu.ca/~mey/japanese.wmv

Enjoy,

Ken V.

Guess who this unlucky soul is?



Might become part of a wallpaper, might just be part of a larger random picture. I hope to get Semelee in here as well.

This particular scene from The Haunted Air always tickled my morbid fantasy; I hear silent applause whenever I read it. Another evil-doer meets a gory end. Hah.

May your eyeballs enjoy.