SPOILER WARNING-
I became a fan of Repairman Jack after reading all the original adversary cycle novels back in the 80s and 90s. I've just got around to reading the last Repairman Jack (The Dark at the End) and am now reading the revised version of Nightworld. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed the slight error involved with the katana that first appeared in By the Sword? At the beginning of Fatal Error Rasalom tells Ernst Drexler to expect a package. Towards the middle of the same novel Ernst receives the package. Towards the end of The Dark at the End Ernst gives the package to Rasalom, who ends up using the katana inside to kill The Lady. However, at the beginning of The Dark at the End, Jack has possession of the katana. I understand that since Rasalom knew where Jack lived, he could have stolen the katana anytime he wished. But that would not explain how Ernst possessed it during Fatal Error, Jack had it at the beginning of The Dark at the End, and Rasalom had it at the end of the same novel (afterwhich, Jack again reclaimed it). Any suggestions out there?

SPOILER WARNING-
Towards the end of The Dark at the End Ernst gives the package to Rasalom, who ends up using the katana inside to kill The Lady.

Not true. Rasalom goes into Jack's apartment himself to retrieve the katana.

I too am confused.

Jack had it, and was trying to schedule a boat ride to dispose of it. No one would take him out. The next time I remembered reading about it Drexler went to his own place to get it for Rasalom, who apparently gave it to Drexler before leaving.

I must have missed Rasalom's raid somehow.

Check the last day - Tuesday -- section 8. That's when R retrieves the Katana from Jack's apartment.

After rereading that portion of the novel again, I saw that that is indeed where Rasalom must have retaken the sword. But that still doesn't explain what was the purpose of the package (box) that Ernst received in Fatal Error and gave to Rasalom just before he took the sword out of Jack's apartment. The only thing Rasalom used it for was to carry the sword from Jack's place to Glaeken's. Unless I'm missing something, the sword didn't require a special container.

I didn't remember either, so I went searching. The quote below is from a thread titled, The Dark At The End, Spoiler Edition from a few years ago. My wife knows her RJ. LOL
As to the box, I always thought Raslom didn't want to touch the blade, as maybe he feared it hurting him.

There was a point after the R man got back to NYC after he healed. I think it was after he came out of the drug rehab center. It described where R snuck along an alley and broke into Jack's apt. to steal the blade.

I didn't remember either, so I went searching. The quote below is from a thread titled, The Dark At The End, Spoiler Edition from a few years ago. My wife knows her RJ. LOL
As to the box, I always thought Raslom didn't want to touch the blade, as maybe he feared it hurting him.

It definitely didn't happen after Rasalom got blown up. After he went to the rehab center and healed up, he bad Drexler take him to Drexler's place.

Rasalom said, I gave you an item, before I left, for safe keeping. Go get it. Drexler went into his own place to get it. He was afraid Jack would be waiting for him like before, but this time no Jack. If Rasalom stole it, it was long before that.

When I get back to Florida, I'll dig up my copies of Fatal Error, and Dark at the End, to check. I don't think my copies had Rasalom stealing it after jack let the lady cut herself with it.

If memory serves, that was simply the empty box that once held the katana. When R returned from Jack's apartment (you were in Drexler's POV and he didn't know who lived there), the katana was inside.

It definitely didn't happen after Rasalom got blown up. After he went to the rehab center and healed up, he bad Drexler take him to Drexler's place.

Rasalom said, I gave you an item, before I left, for safe keeping. Go get it. Drexler went into his own place to get it. He was afraid Jack would be waiting for him like before, but this time no Jack. If Rasalom stole it, it was long before that.

When I get back to Florida, I'll dig up my copies of Fatal Error, and Dark at the End, to check. I don't think my copies had Rasalom stealing it after jack let the lady cut herself with it.

If I'm wrong....ok. But I remember R sneaking along an alley outside of Jack's apt. I thought that was when the blade got stolen.
My books are still in boxes....so anyone wanna look it up?

It definitely didn't happen after Rasalom got blown up. After he went to the rehab center and healed up, he bad Drexler take him to Drexler's place.

That's what threw me off too. I think what we need to understand is that the box never had the sword in it (at least at first). After leaving Drexler's place (where the box was under the bed) Rasalom has Drexler take him to a four story brownstone in the West Eighties (that's where Jack lives). If you read the passage, although it doesn't exactly say it, this is where Rasalom probably retrieved the sword and put it in the box. It then says that Rasalom ends up walking east towards Central Park (which is where Glaeken lives). I just can't figure out the importance of the box. Since the package (box) was mentioned several times in two different books, it seems there should be some type of importance attached to it.