Hung By The Neck Til Dead Wrote:Essay Question: What I find the memorable about the RJ books is the
fight at the end of the Tomb with Jack and Scar-lip, the terror of Gia
and Vickie and Abe's amazement at the rakoshi , with Jack bloodlust
protection of Vicks makes me cry, hoping that I would do the same
thing in Jack's place.

Kenji Wrote:Bonus essay question: "What is the most memorable scene in all the
Jack books?"......Oil dropped from Helicopter(All the rage).

Ken Valentine Wrote:This of course depends on what mood I happen to be in at the time.
Today, it's:

The scene where Jack has come to avenge Vicky. He has just flamed
one of the Rakoshi, and he is following it down the companionway.
Kusum sees Jack, striding down the companionway behind the Rakosh, "
looking like the avatar of some vengeful god."

Scott Hajek Wrote:Several years later, F. Paul Wilson surprised me again. Legacies was the full-fledged return of Repairman Jack and the brief history of his published adventures was explained in an author’s note. I could hardly contain my excitement in the bookstore and rushed home with this new chapter in the “Saga of Jack.” Now, this book was the start of a whole new series of books that would explain Jack’s co-existence with the supernatural (as he would later know as the Otherness). It was also a continuation of my obsession with the writings of F. Paul Wilson.

There are several memorable scenes throughout the Repairman Jack novels. Some involving Jack’s family, others related to Jack’s introduction to the Otherness. Jack’s humanity, his devotion to his friends and family and his fascination with classic films make him a great enjoyable character. Yet, it is when Jack does his thing that makes him one of the greatest characters and F. Paul Wilson one of the most creative writers.

Supernatural elements aside, what Jack does in his line of work is believable. Jack’s ability to “fix” things for others is unusual in writing because it is extremely creative and plausible. While some tricks might require advance planning and good connections, such as air dropping tires onto a pool party, others are simple, elegant and downright mean.

Now, I have had the greatest privilege of meeting F. Paul Wilson because of the persistence of some of his most devoted fans. Speaking with him and many of his other fans I was able to get to know what a truly nice and humble man Paul is. (I also learned it was okay to call him Paul instead of “F. Paul Wilson” or “Dr. Wilson.”) Having met him and knowing more about him makes Jack’s work even more interesting. How can such a nice guy come up with such nasty tricks? The combination of Jack as a great character and Paul as a great writer makes the other memorable moment of Repairman Jack’s story even more memorable.

So, for me, the most memorable scene is on page 88 of the hardcover edition of Legacies. Jack shows how creative and nasty he can be by disrupting a gang of car thieves. While a scenario where one man takes on three is described as being a Hollywood scene, Jack is not stupid or reckless, but evens the odd with actions that were believable and plausible. Jack “snatches” a blue eye from one thug and frightens the others away by pretending to have an appetite for blue AND brown eyes. The use of a squirt bottle filled with “Hollywood blood mixed with ten percent capsicum” and a handful of novelty eyeballs made this scene shocking, disgusting, extremely well-paced and very, very memorable.
In a vote for “the most memorable scene in all the Jack books,” the eyes have it.