• Fear City

  • Repairman Jack: Early Years Trilogy, Book 3
  • By: F. Paul Wilson
  • Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
  • Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (402 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Fear City  By  cover art

Fear City

By: F. Paul Wilson
Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Rage, terror, and redemption: These are the stones upon which F. Paul Wilson builds the concluding chapter of Repairman Jack: The Early Years, the prequel trilogy focusing on the formative years of Wilson's globally popular supernatural troubleshooter.

The strands of Jack's life, established in the first two books, Cold City and Dark City, are now woven into a complete pattern.

Centered around an obscure group of malcontents intent on creating a terrible explosion in New York City in 1993, Fear City shows the final stages of young Jack becoming Repairman Jack. It is a dark and terrible story, full of plots and needless mayhem, with secret agents, a freelance torturer, a secret society as old as human history, love, death, and a very bleak triumph. Jack threads his way through this intricate maze, as people he loves are stripped away from him in a way that presages the later epic series of novels.

©2014 F. Paul Wilson (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Fear City

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    270
  • 4 Stars
    102
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    263
  • 4 Stars
    71
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    239
  • 4 Stars
    83
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everybody gets to die

Wow he certainly wasn't worrying about sparing the characters lives in this one, which made it even more awesome. I REALLY enjoyed this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

So discouraging when authors make 3 books out of 2

It ticks me off when authors leave cliff hangers (as in Book 1 of the Early Years trifecta, just to squeeze 3 books out of what should have been just 2. Wilsons obvious greed here was disgusting.

Good stories..all 3 books have continuing characters and would have been better served NOT being a trilogy..but I guess Wilson needed the bucks?

I almost was upset enough to have missed the entire series from being in a snit about the first book in the series. That would have been a shame, though, because as this second listening to the entire series, starting with The Early Years, I would have missed a great protagonist and writer..and a variety of good and poor narrators.

You have to listen to all 3 of these books in order to have the story conclude with any sense. And, listening to them before starting the actual series is great for giving some information about RM Jacks past..well..the early years.

Get these if you enjoy the series and listen to them first if you like Wilsons work or 'Man solves crimes and helps people" genre.

Worth the credit? not really..but you have no choice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dynamite reader - don't want this book to end!

What does Alexander Cendese bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This reader is incredible. Every character comes to life! I normally would not have picked this kind of story, but I just don't want it to end. I know there are more books in this series, but I notice that the reader is different. Don't know if I will continue as I don't know who could match this performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cheer for the what I perceive to be the good guys!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Five Stars Because I Just Couldn't Stop Listening

I don't normally think of books in this genre of book as 5-star books; usually 3 or 4 at most. But I couldn't stop listening. I read the first book, then immediately had to get the next one. Then the third one. If that doesn't deserve my 5 stars, I don't know what does.

The author uses current events of the time and very cleverly inserts his characters as key players in those events. I don't always like this plot device, but it worked well here. These are prequels to the Repairman Jack series. I had not previously read any Repairman Jack books, but I will certainly start reading the series (after a short break to catch up on other new purchases).

Jack is a paladin, a righter of wrongs. He has come to New York after avenging his mother's murder. He is barely more than a teenager, but his natural tendencies cause him to become involved in many people's problems. His solutions are, let's say, less than legal. He meets many memorable characters, some of whom he helps, some of whom help him. By the end, he has grown into his eventual role as Repairman Jack.

Be warned: these books are very violent and there is a high, and gruesome, body count. And some very like-able characters die.

I think what distinguishes this book from others of its genre is its characters. They are richly drawn, even though many are stereotypes. You care about them, even when you can't possibly care for them.

The narrator was perfect! His Jack voice sounded just like I would expect Jack to sound, but he managed a large cast of other voices as well, very believably!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hits a Grand Slam

How could one go wrong, F.P.W. I am always amazed at the width and breath of your novels! When I read a bad review I ask myself ‘What planet are you from?’ I’m not saying there all five stars, because there not. When it comes from RMJ… you are hands down one of the top three writers of the 20th century! I know that the RMJ
series has run it’s course, it’s been great ride. This is the second time I’ve read or should I say listened to them.
I’ve read 1000s of books! The first time I read a book was in fourth grade. I remember it like yesterday, the plot and the large print. Too many kids have their faces glued to the tv or computer.
I’m 74 years old that’s my main hobby! Swendsen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Early Years

outstanding prequel book series!
I hope he writes more of Jack's first years as Repairman.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This narrator is freaking awesome!

Would you listen to Fear City again? Why?

Maybe, it has several twists and turns, but it an incredible story. If I were to listen again, I would start from the beginning of the series and re-listen to all of them.

What does Alexander Cendese bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Definitely! what an amazing narrator! I will be seeking out more of his books. The only issue is that one of the accents changed from the second to the third book, but not to badly, and he mispronounced Qatar in this book, but not the other. odd. Either way, his performance is up there with RC Bray and Luke Daniels in my opinion.

Any additional comments?

Listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome series

I've only made it through these first 3 books but so far it's a great series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

I really enjoyed this book and its two predecessors. Great way for me to get introduced to the Repairman Jack series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Finale and beginning both.

Excellent. Fast paced. Good story. Held interest. Recommend this series but do read them in order as that matters w this group. Good data on how Repairman Jack came to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!