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F. Paul Wilson
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The Haunted Air: A Repairman Jack Novel Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2002

by F. Paul Wilson (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 534 ratings
In the sequel to The Tomb, Repairman Jack returns in a chilling adventure set against the backdrop of a Queens house haunted by the ghost of a nine-year-old girl as Jack becomes embroiled in a terrifying struggle in which the forces of evil threaten to engulf the world. 25,000 first printing.
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  1. Book 6 of 16
    Repairman Jack
  2. Print length
    400 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Forge
  5. Publication date
    1 Oct. 2002
  6. Dimensions
    16.31 x 3.87 x 24.33 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0312878680
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0312878689
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Product description

About the Author

F. Paul Wilson, a New York Times bestselling author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and virtually everything in between, is a practicing physician who resides in Wall, New Jersey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Forge
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Oct. 2002
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312878680
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312878689
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 719 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.31 x 3.87 x 24.33 cm
  • Book 6 of 16 ‏ : ‎ Repairman Jack
  • Best Sellers Rank: 3,460,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 534 ratings

About the author

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F. Paul Wilson

F. Paul Wilson

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I was born toward the end of the Jurassic Period and raised in New Jersey where I misspent my youth playing with matches, poring over Uncle Scrooge and E.C. comics, reading Lovecraft, Matheson, Bradbury, and Heinlein, listening to Chuck Berry and Alan Freed, and watching Soupy Sales and horror movies. I sold my first story in the Cretaceous Period and have been writing ever since. (Even that dinosaur-killer asteroid couldn't stop me.)

I've written in just about every genre - science fiction, fantasy, horror, young adult, a children's Christmas book (with a monster, of course), medical thrillers, political thrillers, even a religious thriller (long before that DaVinci thing). So far I've got about 55 books and 100 or so short stories under my name in 24 languages.

I guess I'm best known for the Repairman Jack series which ran 23 novels. Jack is out to pasture now, but I may bring him back if the right story comes along.

THE KEEP, THE TOMB, HARBINGERS, BY THE SWORD, and NIGHTWORLD all appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List. WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS won the first Prometheus Award in 1979; THE TOMB received the Porgie Award from The West Coast Review of Books. My novelette "Aftershock" received the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. DYDEETOWN WORLD was on the young adult recommended reading lists of the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, among others (God knows why). I received the prestigious Inkpot Award from San Diego ComiCon and the Pioneer Award from the RT Booklovers Convention. I'm listed in the 50th anniversary edition of Who's Who in America. (That plus $3 will buy you a coffee at Starbuck's.)

My novel THE KEEP was made into a visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible movie (screenplay and direction by Michael Mann) from Paramount in 1983. My original teleplay "Glim-Glim" first aired on Monsters. An adaptation of my short story "Menage a Trois" was part of the pilot for The Hunger series that debuted on Showtime in July 1997.

And then there's the epic saga of the Repairman Jack film. After 20 years in development hell with half a dozen writers and at least a dozen scripts, Beacon Films has decided that "Repairman Jack" might be better suited for TV than theatrical films. (We'll see how that works out.)

I've done a few collaborations too: with Steve Spruill on NIGHTKILL, A NECESSARY END with Sarah Pinborough, THE PROTEUS CURE with Tracy Carbone, and the Nocturnia series with Thomas Moneleone. Back in the 1990s, Matthew J. Costello and I did world design, characters, and story arcs for Sci-Fi Channel's FTL NewsFeed, a daily newscast set 150 years in the future. An FTL NewsFeed was the first program broadcast by the new channel when it launched in September 1992. We took over scripting the Newsfeeds (the equivalent of a 4-1/2 hour movie per year) in 1994 and continued until its cancellation in December 1996.

We did script and design for MATHQUEST WITH ALADDIN (Disney Interactive - 1997) with voices by Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters, and the same for The Interactive DARK HALF for Orion Pictures, based on the Stephen King novel, but this project was orphaned when MGM bought Orion. (It's officially vaporware now.) We did two novels together (MIRAGE and DNA WARS) and even wrote a stageplay, "Syzygy," which opened in St. Augustine, Florida, in March, 2000.

I'm tired of talking about myself, so I'll close by saying that I live and work at the Jersey Shore where I'm usually pounding away on a new novel and haunting eBay for strange clocks and Daddy Warbucks memorabilia. (No, we don't have a cat.)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
534 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book highly readable, with one noting it's their favorite in the Repairman Jack series. They appreciate the character development, with one customer describing it as an encyclopaedia of characters and storylines. The storyline receives positive feedback, with one customer finding it strangely compelling.

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ReadabilityCharacter developmentStoryline
9 customers mention ‘Readability’9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book excellent, with one mentioning it's their favorite in the Repairman Jack series.

"As is to be expected, the book is great, as are all Repairman Jack novels." Read more

"This is probably my favourite of the Repairman Jack novels, and it although the action takes place in the middle of the meta-narrative that runs..." Read more

"The spooky bits in this was very well done I thought, reminded me why I started reading F Paul Wilson books in the first place...." Read more

"...I've got every single one and they are all consistently good...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting it as a huge encyclopaedia of characters and storylines.

"F Paul Wilson has a huge encyclopaedia of characters and storylines and he weaves them into a mesmerising jigsaw...." Read more

"Good - I like the characters introduced - the ending wasn't quite what I expected, but that's not a bad thing." Read more

"...enjoys fantasy, horror, and a ridiculously intelligent and brilliant main character who is the ultimate good guy gone rogue." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Storyline’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, with one finding it strangely compelling and another noting how it sets up future storylines.

"...plots speed along, tying the past in with the present and setting down future storylines...." Read more

"...are easy reading, but do expect to be educated, amused, excited and intrigued...." Read more

"...fact that they are far from the best books I have read they are strangely compelling and I continue to work my way through the series." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • manbearpig
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read- a real keeper...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This is probably my favourite of the Repairman Jack novels, and it although the action takes place in the middle of the meta-narrative that runs through most of Wilson's books it a great introduction to Jack.

    The refreshing anti-hero becomes involved with two bogus spiritualists, and it soons becomes clear that something strange is awakening in the basement of their new house. As always with Wilson there are wheels within wheels throughout the book, with a particularly sinister child abductor eventually meeting a justly hideous fate in one sub plot, whilst his lover Gia is also given a larger than normal part in proceedings.

    In a sense though there are no sub plots in FPW's works as almost all the loose ends are drawn together eventually, and if you want to get the most out of this book you really should have read the Keep. That said, its a really good read in its own right, and I have actually re-read it more times than any other Wilson book...there are also simple and sound explanations for some of the tricks performed by fortune tellers, and the usual array of horrid people getting exactly what they deserve thanks to Jack.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • whalley1972
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The spooky bits in this was very well done I thought, reminded me why I started reading F Paul Wilson books in the first place. I feel a bit more thought went into this than the previous Repairman Jack novels churned out.
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  • L Raynshaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story and characters
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2023
    Verified Purchase
    F Paul Wilson has a huge encyclopaedia of characters and storylines and he weaves them into a mesmerising jigsaw. His plots speed along, tying the past in with the present and setting down future storylines. These brothers are great and there are arc throughout repairman jack is one of my favourites
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  • Knifemaster
    5.0 out of 5 stars Let a little Jack into your life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2013
    Verified Purchase
    If you've not read repairman Jack novels before then your in for a treat. I've got every single one and they are all consistently good. Don't expect high literature, these are easy reading, but do expect to be educated, amused, excited and intrigued. You'll be drawn into Jacks unusual and often frighteningly strange world, and if you're like me you may leave somewhat inspired and addicted.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Love f Paul Wilson books, started with the keep. This keeps you on the edge of your seat, couldn't put it down. You will recognise threads from other of his books running through. Can't wait to start my next book. A must is to keep reading the repairman Jack series.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars I really like Repairmen Jack books
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Good - I like the characters introduced - the ending wasn't quite what I expected, but that's not a bad thing.
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  • Mr. Craig Watts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best in this genre
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2019
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    F Paul Wilson, the best author not known this side of the pond
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  • Tom C
    4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2012
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    My brother is a big repairman Jack fan and got me into them and in spite of the fact that they are far from the best books I have read they are strangely compelling and I continue to work my way through the series.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Russ McKenna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nearly got them all and won't stop till I do.
    Reviewed in Australia on 12 April 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Page turner. Expect to lose sleep. I did. Sent me off to kindle to buy everything he had written. Destined to one of the great SF/Horror writers of this century.
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  • Wayne C. Rogers
    5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS POSSIBLY THE BEST IN AN ALREADY GREAT SERIES!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 December 2002
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    THE HAUNTED AIR by F. Paul Wilson-author of THE KEEP, THE TOMB, ALL THE RAGE, and HOSTS-is the sixth "Repairman Jack" novel in this utterly fantastic series about one man's attempt to protect himself and the people he loves from an evil supernatural phenomenon known simply at the "Otherness." This novel is certainly a lot longer (415pp. of very small print) than the previous books in the series, and I would probably have to say that it's also the best, which is a mouthful, considering how well written most the other novels are. This time around, the story centers on two brothers, Lyle and Charlie Kenton, whom Jack develops a close relationship with. The brothers are two psychic scam artists who have the perfect setup with their supposedly haunted house in a suburb of Queens, giving mystical readings to the rich wives and widows who want answers about the their impending future. Except for threats and gunshot warnings from some of the local psychic competitors, everything is going fairly good for the brothers until Jack and his girlfriend, Gia, show up one night with friends who want a reading from them. A mild earthquake takes place as soon as Jack and Gia start to enter the house. This cracks open the concrete floor in the basement, releasing the spirit of a murdered girl that now wants revenge against the people who killed her. Jack, who's still recovering from the death of his sister (see HOSTS), suddenly finds himself caught up in the brothers' dilemma as he attempts to find out who's been threatening them and as another case he's working on begins to tie in with the death of the little girl. While all of this is going on, Gia finds out that she's pregnant with Jack's baby and begins to worry that he may not want to give up his secret life in order to become an actual parent for the child. What neither one of them realizes is that the "Otherness" is back and wants the unborn baby for its own obscene purposes. As my mama used to say-when it rains, it pours! In THE HAUNTED AIR, the author delves more deeply into the personality of Repairman Jack as the character is forced to make an important decision about his life and the lives of the people closest to him. Jack's not even sure it's possible for him to become a citizen without facing heavy fines for tax evasion and jail time for breaking the law. Gia also has to make a life-changing decision with regards to her feelings for Jack and what having his child may mean to her own goals and desires. Mr. Wilson makes these two characters appear more human and their choices in life more complex. Another thing that interested me was the discussions throughout the book on the nature of faith, religion, The Bible, God, and the essence of "good" and "evil." It helped me to clarify some of my own thoughts in relation to these subjects. One thing to keep in mind about the "Repairman Jack" novels is that all of them take place during the mid-eighties within a fifteen-month time frame, though some of the technology is present day and references are made to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centers, and the murdered child was supposedly killed in the late eighties. And let's not forget all of the references to current music. This can get pretty confusing if you allow yourself to even think about it for a moment. The best thing to do is simply enjoy the ride for what it is. There's also a connection within this book to Mr. Wilson's first novel, THE KEEP (the stone blocks from Romania). Finally, a really nice addition to this series is the introduction of the Kenton brothers. These are two guys that kind of grow on you as the book moves along, and you find yourself hoping that the author will bring them back in a future novel, or at least one of them. With prose that's razor sharp, a more intricate plot, and stronger character development, F. Paul Wilson has written what is possibly the best novel in an already great series! I know his legions of fans will grow even larger after reading THE HAUNTED AIR.
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  • mrliteral
    5.0 out of 5 stars Jack and the Haunted House
    Reviewed in the United States on 27 July 2008
    Verified Purchase
    With its Lovecraftian touches, F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack novels superficially appear to be horror stories, which seems kind of strange. After all, horror is not really designed for series fiction. Instead, I think it's better to think of these books as fantasy novels that use the trappings of horror. However you define it, the Repairman Jack novels continue to be a pleasure to read.

    The Haunted Air is the sixth novel featuring Jack, a no-last-name sort of guy who exists on the fringes of society and is a last resort for folks who can't get justice through legal means. Jack will assist - for a price - and usually has clever ways of dealing with problems. As the Haunted Air begins, Jack has been dragged to a party by his lover Gia. A normally solitary type (outside of Gia and her daughter Vicky, he has few attachments), Jack hates being in social situations, especially if they include some "artists" whose airy pretenses conflict with Jack's more pragmatic views.

    During the party, Jack and Gia are dragged to the home of a pair of psychics to help retrieve a lost item. Jack sees through the psychics immediately (he's experienced with con games), but soon the pair - a couple of young men from the tough streets of Detroit - are coming to Jack for help. The two have been targeted by another so-called psychic who thinks they're invading her territory, and that's just the beginning of their problems: there's something nasty in the basement and its powers are getting stronger.

    While Jack deals with the rival psychic, he is also hired to spy on a man who may become violent during the new moon. Jack's task in this case is to keep an eye on the man during the evenings and prevent him from endangering others. As it turns out, the man is completely sane but has a far more sinister agenda than mere acts of violence. And as is often the case in Repairman Jack novels, two seemingly unrelated stories will eventually tie together.

    Beyond the tale itself, there are links to other stories in the series (as well as the early Wilson novel, The Keep), so a new reader is best off starting at the beginning. (I had originally started with Gateways (book seven), so I am finally caught up to where I should be.) And not everything will be resolved in the larger stories of Repairman Jack's life. Most notably, Jack and Gia are now expecting a baby, which puts Jack's lack of a legitimate identity in crisis.

    Wilson is a consistently good-to-great writer, and The Haunted Air is right at that quality level too. If you've enjoyed other works by him, this one will also please you; if you are new to Wilson, you should read this eventually but start with The Tomb first.
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  • RBradbury451
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great scary story
    Reviewed in the United States on 18 November 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book just before Halloween and it was perfect! A great story with several twist and turns. Two con men, one of them a born again Christian, from the hood, meet their match with the dark force of the universe. This airs out a lot of spiritual stuff and the polemics made for a fun tale. F. Paul Wilson's treatment of the Christian was nuanced and fair. An entertaining and thoughtful read.
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  • Brenda C. Gill
    5.0 out of 5 stars What marvelous things you can get for almost nothing at the Dollar Store.
    Reviewed in the United States on 13 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I read THE KEEP quite a few years ago now and didn't read any more books by F Paul Wilson until I picked up FATAL ERROR at the Dollar Store for 3 bucks. It's been the best 3 bucks I ever spent and I have no ideal how this book ended up at the Dollar Store but it was good for me as after reading the book I went on a book buying spree and spent lots of money getting all the books that feature Repairman Jack and the Secret Histories of the World and and Adversary cycle. I am now finishing up THE HAUNTED AIR and had to buy Midnight Mass to read next. I have enjoyed these books and the characters in all the books so far. I am not happy with Gia as I think her character is whiney and she doesn't seem to appreciate the man she has in Repairman Jack. She wants him to change his lifestyle so much that after he does he will not be the man she feel in love with. This is what I think. Maybe in the next couple of books she might find out just what is going on and how important Jack is to the World. I was glad to see that many others do not like her a lot either. One of my favorite characters is Abe and he understands Jack and he just might know in a small corner of his mind how important Jack is.
    This book doesn't slow down, the pace is eventful and it's a lot of fun watching Jack do his fix-its and seeing how they turn out. Jack is resourceful and the events in the book are not boring. Each book advances the story line and the reader knows the grand finale is going to be worth getting there. I would recommend this book and all the other Repairman Jack books to readers. After reading the THE SOURCE and THE KEEP which are not Repairman Jack books but good stories on their own especially the one that starts it all THE KEEP, I would say that any book by F Paul Wilson is worth reading and who knows you might get lucky and find a copy at the Dollar Store cheap. Then have the bad luck of wanting the other books and breaking your budget to get them. But what a lot of wonderful, enjoyable hours reading some remarkable books. Now, I'm going back to Repairman Jack and turn the page and see what happens.
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