Gateways: A Repairman Jack Novel (Hardcover)

Jack heads down to Florida after his father is involved in an auto-accident. There are no more coincidences for Jack, of course, and he finds more going on with his dad than he would ever have expected.

The repairs in Gateways are personal and not as layered as those in The Haunted Air or Hosts (for example), but the personal information on Jack's life and the much-needed reconnection with his father make this a more-than-worthwhile read. And, afterall, it is Repairman Jack, and F. Paul Wilson doesn't disappoint here. It'll keep you going from start to finish.

Jack reluctantly encounters his family when his father, recently relocated to a Florida retirement community, is in a terrible car accident. After supercilious years of looking down on his father as an innocent unacquainted with "real" life, Jack discovers a ruthless, extremely self-disciplined, and honorable man. This Korean War veteran and Marine sniper is his father -- and unrealized role model.

The Everglades are wonderfully evoked here, with touches of Zora Neale Hurston's lush description. The novel picks up the pathos of the "clan" of nexus-deformed persons trapped by their "home." Carl, the only one to escape to near-normal life, is touching and charming.

Anya is a great creation, and her dog Oyv is perfect. Apparently she'll turn up in the future -- but could Wilson bring back Oyv too?

This novel is full of interesting characters. First there's the mutant clan leader Semelee who has special gifts that she is certain set her apart as a Chosen One, and who targets an unwitting Jack as her soul mate. Then there's Anya, an eccentric Gateways resident who watches over Jack and his father and whose green lawn in the midst of drought indicates that she may be more than she seems. Wilson delves into Jack's past and treats the reader to more on the mysterious man's background. And finally, there are some surprising discoveries about Jack's father that indicate that Jack didn't fall that far from the family tree. Now that Jack and his father have come to know each other better, they have a reconciliation that adds depth to the story.

The Everglades, in a mingling of the natural and the supernatural, provides an exotic and colorful backdrop for this tale. Otherworldly lights appear semiannually from a sinkhole deep within its wilderness. It harbors fantastic creatures both real and surreal. The Otherness is exerting its influence on both man and beast there. There is information about its natural wonders here too. Even though I am a South Florida resident living in a city bordering the Everglades, I learned some fascinating new facts about its ecology. I recommend this as a great horror story, thriller, and source of background information on the enigmatic Jack. It is hard to put down, and it definitely deserves its 5 star rating.

Eileen Rieback