If you are a fan of Repairman Jack you will enjoy this book. I am assuming that anyone who is reading this is all ready familiar with the series. If you are not I would advise you to start with the first book in the series. This book as other reviewers have said does not contain as much action as previous entries in the series. However it does go into details regarding the mysterious woman with dog which was good. Basically this book picks up right where the last one ended. It used the tragedy of 9/11 as jumping off point for the one of the Otherness's evil plans. The other bad guys like the Kickers are present as well. The series is winding down and Wilson is trying to wrap up all the loose ends. What I want to know is the last Repairman Jack novel the end or is the book Nightworld the real end of the series. I know Nightworld is being heavily revised.

The story arcs for the Repairman Jack series are far-reaching and amazing in scope. Come for the character, stay for the continuing adventure. The climax is coming soon!

Ground Zero by F. Paul Wilson was a good read. If you enjoyed the previous Repairman Jack novels, I'm sure you'll like this one too.

It's almost done now, F. Paul Wilson really making it official in this novel's foreword. The Repairman Jack series culminates with the 15th novel, with GROUND ZERO being the 13th. Debuting in THE TOMB in 1984, our righteous urban mercenary struck an immediate chord with the readers. He next had a supporting role in the 1992-published NIGHTWORLD, the apocalyptic finale to the Adversary cycle. Repairman Jack proving to be uber-popular, F. Paul Wilson decided to backtrack and overhaul continuity. His follow-up Repairman Jack novels, beginning in 1998 with LEGACIES, spring off THE TOMB, with the novels' continuing story arc inexorably looping back towards NIGHTWORLD. These thrillers cast Jack as a more central figure in the ongoing war between two ancient cosmic forces, the malevolent Otherness and the indifferent (and therefore more benign) Ally, with Jack tapped as the very reluctant champion of humanity (or, rather, the backup champion). It's been a very cool retcon job so far.

The Repairman Jack stories have always made my day. Except that GROUND ZERO may be my least favorite RJ novel, although I still liked it. Nothing much happening, action wise, and F. Paul Wilson, as he focuses more on pinning Jack tighter to the Adversary cycle, has gone away from chronicling his street-gritty, non-supernatural fix-its. Mostly I got the sense that this book is just a place holder, with Wilson prepping to really rev things up in the final two RJ novels before the re-issue of NIGHTWORLD (which Wilson states will be heavily revised).

So not one of the best, but GROUND ZERO does offer several treats. If you've read JACK: SECRET HISTORIES, Wilson's first foray into Young Adult fiction territory, then you may get jazzed up because Louise "Weezy" Connell and her brother Eddie reunite with Jack here. And I always relish other characters' impressions of Jack who, remember, is on the surface this unassuming looking guy. But dig a little deeper and people soon learn just how much of an absolute bad mother*****r he is and how ruthless and implacable he can be. Weezy the genius girl who in her childhood was obsessed with the "Secret History of the World" has grown up to become a conspiracy blogger and her controversial online posts regarding the 9/11 attacks have made her a target of some seriously dangerous people. Weezy's last desperate recourse is to call on her childhood friend Jack for help. And in Jack's world of no more coincidences, what are the odds that her wild theories tie in to what's been effing up his life?

Another neat thing is that we finally learn the scoop about the old ladies and their dogs who seem to have haunted Jack all his life. And, as ever, the best character moments surface whenever Jack is hanging out with Gia and Vicky. Can't get enough of Gia and Vicky, and whenever they're in the picture, you're reminded of just how much Jack has to lose with his getting saddled with the saving-the-world stuff.

There's also a brief stint in which Jack, a big time movie buff, flies out to La-La-Land and gets to visit famous Hollywood landmarks and movie tour spots. It's a fun read, and I always get a kick when Jack channels his inner movie nerd.

As this series gets closer to final approach, it's gotten to the stage now where you need a scorecard to keep track of what's what and who's who. Wilson picks up threads from past RJ novels, and new readers may get frustrated and bewildered with the sheer amount of previously introduced plot elements. The Kickers and the Dormentalist cults. Diana the 14-year-old Oculus and her alarming visions. Young Dawn Pickering, pregnant with what could well be the Anti-Christ. The baffling Compendium of Srem. The ageless but aging Mr. Veilleur. The ancient, all-powerful Septimus Order. Yeah, it's a lot of stuff to take in for folks just jumping on board now.

I'm disappointed that Jack doesn't spring into action all that much and that F. Paul Wilson does away with the secondary, more mundane fix-it gigs. And, to be honest, Jack proves to be fairly ineffective in the story's climactic moments. Although another way of looking at it, I guess, is that you can really see how the odds are so stacked against even a resourceful guy like Repairman Jack, who after all is this mere mortal tasked with going up against cosmic forces. And yet I love that I know Jack will never for one second give up the fight.

I absolutely dig Repairman Jack, but I would say, 3 out of 5 stars for GROUND ZERO.

Like many here, I'll mourn Jack leaving us. He's been a very interesting character with a very interesting backstory and I've enjoyed the ride we've been on with him. Even though his main, overriding plot may be coming to a close I hope his stories don't (but know they will.)

I picked his first novel up in an airport back in May and just finished the 13th tonight. It's been quick, entertaining reading. Not literature, but far better than most of his peers.

But there's been a change in Jack. Obviously the main theme has become more and more important and become the whole purpose of the books. And, as Wilson points out, these final books keep setting up the next and are not as focused. But Ground Zero moves beyond that. It sadly gives some credence to the conspiracy theories it's been mocking (bombs, really?), and it kind of hustles along a plot that feels, well, shallow. I suppose it's the length of the book that does it in - honestly it feels like a very thin book. Half of a book, really, as if it's missing a side-plot. Tight and focused, arguably, but lacking, especially when we know our time with Jack is limited.

Also frustrating for me is all the ret-conning of Jack's past. I'd imagine this is due to Wilson writing the young adult stories about Jack, but putting these in the canon feels wrong. Jack suddenly in his mid-30s realizes all these things from his past that hadn't been there before? It feels dirty and really pulls you out of the story.

Bottom line - good read but very quick read. It feels less like a meal and more like an appetizer, though. Too short, and too much monkeying with Jack's past.

The end of Jack is going to come too quickly.

F Paul has done it again. His Repairman Jack series has not disappointed yet.

Have been purchasing books through Amazon for a while. They arrive within days of the purchase. Excellant condition.

Pointless, meandering...as flat as a 3-day old beer at Julio's.

The only thing I can say is..."FPW, how much can we pay to NOT have another installment?" I'm sure more than a few long-time RJ fans would contribute to the cause.

After reading this dreck, I thought about volunteering for pillar duty in the Opus Omega...

As some said, this one seemed light on action, and though there is plenty, it just doesn't seem like the usual Jack story, with any fix-its. This is purely about Jack and the back history and the leading up to the final 15th book. A lot of questions are answered as well as a few new questions that come out. Throughout this, Mr. Wilson keeps the story moving and it progresses just fine.

Weezy is new to the cast and I wonder how she is going to develop from this point on. Gia and Vicky didn't have a lot to do in this one except being referenced to, more than anything. Abe just made a brief appearance near the beginning.

About half of the story was from the POV of the bad guys as they grow the Finntmanchka. There would be a few chapters of that then it cuts back to Jack or Weezy. All in all, Jack only had about a third of the book in his POV.

Mr. Wilson is building background for the big ending and I think he managed to pull it off while still keeping some kind of story flowing.

It was a very enjoyable read and it kept me glued to my seat. If you've never read any of the other books, I wouldn't suggest you start with this one as you will be scratching your head trying to figure out what they are talking about. In that respect, it isn't that great of a stand-alone novel. However, if you take it as part of the series, it answers many questions and made me happy. Highly recommended.

This is the best book I've read in some time.

I hope to be able to write a book this well someday. Prior to this, the only Repairman Jack book I'd read was The Tomb (Adversary Cycle/Repairman Jack). Although not familiar with a lot of the storyline in between, I was pulled into this novel and finished it quickly. Rather than leaving me confused, the references to prior story elements piqued my interest and I picked up Bloodline: A Repairman Jack Novel and By the Sword: A Repairman Jack Novel.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers, especially those with paranormal elements - even those who haven't read any of the previous Repairman Jack stories.

Looking forward to the final few books in the series and very interested to see how the new Nightworld will compare to the original. If you pick up this book, I think you'll get hooked on the series too!

No one would be disappointed reading the Repairman Jack series! F Paul Wilson has created a hero for all. Jack, Abe, Gia and Vicki are very much like any of us, caught up in mysterious doings. Add Glaeken and the Lady with a Dog and you have a true thriller...

F. Paul Wilson's latest Repaiman Jack novel revelas yet more of the overall 'big picture' of the entire series.

With only 2 books left to total completion of the series, Wilson's GROUND ZERO pits Jack in the world of terrorism and the 'real cause' of 911 and the tragic fall of the World Trade Center Towers. Creating his own author's conspiracy theory of 911, Wilson spins yet another solid yarn in the Repaiman series.

Although not as action-packed as past books, still Wilson has a great gift of storytelling, chock-full of different and interesting characters - both of this world, and not.

A lot of holes are filled in this novel, and the pieces of the puzzle are all coming together, from the Otherness and the Adversary, to the mysterious Lady and her dog that has followed Jack throughout the series. Great stuff, this!

Wilson also combines his 1st YA Repairman Jack novel with this new one, introducing Jack's childhood friends and strange neighbors that come back to haunt poor 'ol Jack. Jack is cursed, and he has to continually find a way to keep his loved ones safe from enemies of this world...and from another strange dimension.

My husband and I wanted to give more stars to this novel, but think some of the past ones were better. Thus the 3 stars. But there is never any boredom here, but only fun reading in finding out several mysterys that fans have been waiting for.

Although we are sad to see the nearing end of this great series, we are also happy to see that Wilson is not 'selling out' and just writing more books just to get a paycheck. He obviously has his vision of this series, all the time having a beginning, middle and end in sight. We give him major kudos for that.

We can't wait for the next book.

As the author begins the final (boo hoo!) few books in this series that lots of us love, we find Jack continuing to be kneedeep in the battle between ancient good and evil for control of our world. As most of the readers know (but just in case there is a new one out there!) Repairman Jack is a man who lives outside the grid, and makes his living by "solving problems" for people. He won't contract to harm someone, but woe betide the villain who comes up against him! Here we find a great conspiracy of evil that actually influenced the people who destroyed the twin towers in NYC. Jack has to keep the bad guys from awakening an evil tool that will possibly drive the "ally" (Good) away from our world forever.

OK. Enough of the story. I don't want to say more other than it also involves more of Jack's background (old high school friends). Regarding the writing, Wilson continues to tell a good story with excellent dialogue and plotting. My only hesitancy? I wasn't sure I was ready for a 9/11 conspiracy book. It still seems pretty raw to me, and it was hard for me to put aside the sad reality for this fiction.

Still,it is a good book, and I'm sure any reader of Repairman Jack will enjoy it!

Thirteen books in and Repairman Jack is still going strong. While this is probably the worst book possible for anyone new to RJ to read, it is a nice continuation for those of us in the loop! This time Jack deals with a mess of conspiracies surrounding 9/11, and discovers a whole lot more about the Secret History of the World.

This book draws heavily from the story and characters that FPW created for the Young Jack novels. Jack's "client" in Ground Zero, is none other than Weezy, his good friend from childhood. Turns out that Weezy has hit upon a small but critical part of The Otherness' minion's "Opus Omega". Rasalom and The Order of Septimus are attempting to expedite the descent into Nightworld with a new evil targeting The Lady. Weezy has stumbled upon a kernel of truth behind the 9/11 attacks, and her life is put in danger: Enter Jack.

I would have to say that of the last few books, Ground Zero suffers the most from Wilson's self-described "River novel" approach to the end of the Jack series. While I found myself enjoying the book very much, there was a lot less Jack action and adventure in this book. I believe that taken in full context, once the series is complete, this one will seem better, but as a stand alone it is definitely one of the weakest in the series. It is missing any real RJ "fix" moments, and is very light on the action, only a couple scenes of butt-kicking. Jack also seems to spend way too much time just walking around in this one, even takes a trip out West and basically just walks around!

But do not get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed this book, and there was a LOT of action in By The Sword, so really being only one chapter in a much larger novel, this one was bound to be more expository. That is the true strength of the book. By this time there are a LOT of unanswered questions and secrets about the True History of the World, and this book really delves into many of those. In a sense, this book is a lot like the reader is actually reading from the Compendium of Srem!

Jack has had that ancient tome for a while now, and it has kinda sat there just waiting to be explored. With Weezy's brains and perfect memory, we finally have a guide through the First Age. So much has transpired without taking a moment to catch the reader up on all the elements and concepts introduced into the series, so this book is essential in that regard. Many answers are finally given about The Lady, Glaeken and The Conflict.

It was inevitable to have a book that answered the questions and delved into the Compendium, so in that sense the book is great. It was also inevitable that the closer the end came and the more involved Jack became in The Conflict, that the less time there would be to dedicate to the minor "fixes" he used to do, which is somewhat disappointing. I was also somewhat disappointed that Jack was more like Jake Fix than Repairman Jack in this book. He was just like an ex-CIA badazz, instead of manipulating people into doing his work for him. That was one of the things I enjoyed about By The Sword, even though the conflict was huge he still utilized his Repairman Jack skills to have disparate problems resolve one another!

What makes this book is the character and the writer. Jack is a fun character to read about, even just walking around, and F Paul Wilson is never boring, whether writing exciting action or mundane exposition, it is still compelling reading. And, again, I have a feeling this one will age better in context. So I am willing to take Mr Wilson at his word in his introduction, that things may not be wrapping up as we would like, but it will all fall into place once the series is complete.

I eagerly anticipate the last 2!:( Repairman Jack novels, and the two remaining Young Jack novels as well. I have faith in FPW and RJ that they will not let me down! :)

366 HC pages 4 out of 5 stars