The Tomb

The Tomb is a schlocky noir horror that feels like a forgotten 90s B movie the SciFi Channel would play during the daytime on summer break.

I started reading F. Paul Wilson with his excellent horror novel, The Keep. Unbeknownst to me, and to Wilson at the time, The Keep is the start of a semi-formal series called The Adversary Cycle. This "series" arose naturally as Wilson wrote, loosely tying a bunch of standalone books together in one alternate universe and overarching story.

The Tomb is the third installment of The Adversary Cycle and, confusingly, is the first book in a sub-series(?) about a character named Repairman Jack. It's still the same horror universe, but toss in an 80s/90s action hero in there, replete with one-liners, damsels in distress, a goofy sidekick of sorts, and a flamethrower.

Repairman Jack, wouldn't you know it, doesn't repair things. He repairs, ahem, situations. He's on the outs with his ex-girlfriend, Gia, and it does a number on them both, as Gia's daughter, Vicky, misses Jack.

When multiple, ahem, situations Jack is tasked with investigating start to overlap and supernatural elements creep in, Gia and Vicky are both threatened. And Repairman Jack will stop at nothing to save the women he loves!

I enjoyed it by the end, but it lacked some of the heart at the core of the first two books of the Cycle. Parts of those books nearly brought me to tears: a father does what he thinks is right to save his daughter (hint: it's not right; he's being duped!). Or, an orphan, rejected time and time again, finally finds a home.

The Tomb, on the other hand, has a cynicism to it that undercuts what heart it might've had. And it's in inconsequential things. Jack's father reserves a tennis court for a game or two, and when they roll up, the court is occupied.

The occupants pour chocolate milk on the court and whine about it? And that's it. No consequences for the story. Just another proof point that the world is a dark place, man. Like, everyone on the street is a jerk. Society sucks, man. Anyways, not a fan of that tone.

I'm not sure I'll continue with the Repairman Jack Series, but I'll continue with Wilson's other books to see where this Cycle leads.