I heard a funny discussion on a podcast recently that made me think of this author. It was a sports show and they were talking about players that seemed to operate with cheat code. That is something in a video game that makes you more powerful than you are supposed be. There are times that F.Paul Wilson feels like he is writing with a cheat code.
His Repairman Jack novels are so well-plotted and conceived that many people miss the effortless genius involved. The books are fun thrillers and bestsellers so many literary sobs and zealot seat of panters don’t get it. I do, and yes, I bias because I have made it my mission to learn from Paul in every way I can. There is a structure and feel to an F.Paul Wilson novel and for this reader it is like putting on a cozy sweater at the first chilly day in autumn
So, enter his latest thriller Double Threat which is a bit of a shake-up. I really like that FPW built this story on a narrative device that forced him out of his comfort zone. The other thing that is exciting is that this novel is sort of a spin on his space opera Healer from early in his career. The story has been reworked to fit into modern times and directly into his ongoing Secret History of the world timeline. It also shares some DNA with the Adversary Cycle novel The Touch.
Oh yeah did I mention that the majority of FPW’s forty years of novels are tied together in a single story/universe. It is as intense a timeline as anything a single author has done and unlike the Dark Tower series single books exist in more than one series and the author is keeping track of it.
Yes, Double Threat is in that universe. That is really only established on page 180 and it is a blink and you might miss it thing. The book also contains a Secret history timeline and establishes that this book takes place just a few months from the end of the world as seen in Nightworld which is the final book in both the Repairman Jack and Adversary Cycle series.
That being said if you are feeling daunted. Don’t. Double Threat stands alone just fine, but I am not sure about the sequel. Yes, be warned it ends on a cliffhanger.
So why is F.Paul Wilson out of his comfort zone? The idea was given to him by screenwriter Chris Morgan who suggested to him he wanted to adapt Healer. The novel mostly takes place in the main character's mind, while he communicates with the symbiont named Pard that gives him healing powers. According to the introduction, Wilson asked Morgan how he would adapt it and he said he would make Pard a person only he could see.
The idea stuck with Wilson and this novel forced him to flex new muscles by having an invisible character who was created mentally by the main character. That point of view is Daley a Twenty-six-year-old woman who is given this power and curse during a rock-climbing accident in the desert. She returns to the desert attempting to use her new skills.
The plot involves Daley opening up a healing business off the radar in the small desert town, UFO cults, and earthquakes. Keep in mind the end of the world is coming and Wilson is playing with the cheat code. I am not entirely sure we know yet how this connects. It had me considering that maybe I needed to re-read The Touch from the Adversary Cycle.
This is a very southern California novel, and by So Cal I mean south and east of LA. Imperial County and touches of San Diego. As a 619 resident I enjoyed this aspect. The novel uses the Salton sea and the setting to establish something very believable for the area. A UFO cult. I know but it has happened here before.
The most interesting elements of the novel of course are the relationship between Daley and Pard. If there is any weakness Daley doesn’t feel to me like a young person, but I work daily with people that age so your mileage may vary. That said, she is an interesting character, and the dynamic with Pard, who grows in her mind and thus is a part of her is interesting. In this sense, it is a retelling of an earlier novel, and there is nothing wrong with that. Stephen King has recycled plots many times (Dark half/ Secret window or The Shining/Christine) but FPW is upfront here and I think it is an awesome Experiment.
I admit I read Healer decades ago and direct comparisons are just not something I can do at this point.
The narrative is built on the same structure Wilson tends to use. The main chapters are based on days and dates. There are sub-chapters that switch between Daley and the UFO cult POV. Even though the connections to the Secret History are minor, having feelings for Wilson’s work will help here.
I can’t say how this book will read for a general audience without a basis in the whole thing. As someone who reads everything, Wilson does I can’t divorce myself.
My favorite thing in the novel was a character who feeds Daley information by a series of notes. This was a really cool scene and an interesting character.
You don’t know me.
He’s slipping me notes?
(Well, he’s honest, at least)
Pard’s commentary is all written with ( ) instead of quotations. I was worried that this would be distracting but I got used to it quickly.
Double Threat is a must-read for Wilson or Secret History fans. If you are new to FPW, I don’t think you should start here. Start at the beginning, don’t commit to reading them all because that is daunting, but after you finish one or two you’ll be hooked.
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