Lee's Blog

There are times when I really, sincerely, despise Repairman Jack and wonder why I even read the books. Case in point: “By the Sword”.

At the beginning of this book, Jack is “fund-raising” by enticing muggers in Central Park to try to rob him, then incapacitating them and taking their ill-gotten gains, which he will donate to the Little League. As he leaves the park, he sees a thug about to attack an old man, and he decides to intervene because there are certain things that “I will not abide in my sight”, such as beating up a defenseless old man. The old man in question is Glaeken (the Sentinel who’s been defending the Earth and humanity for 15,000 years), so he handily dispatches the thug by himself, but we’re supposed to think that Jack is an honorable person.

Fast forward to a later scene. The sole surviving member of a murderous cult has just invoked the “Black Wind”, which was demonstrated earlier as capable of killing absolutely every living thing within a very wide distance. The earlier usage was in an uninhabited area and only five people died. This time it is in New York City. Jack and Glaeken are watching from the roof of the next building.

Glaeken describes the action of the cloud, says “more than three thousand will die tonight …. Imagine the terror. Imagine the Adversary’s joy. You’ve got to stop that [person].” Jack whines that he can’t just shoot the guy because it’s too far. “Then you’ll have to go over there.” “Swell.” Jack is unenthusiastic because “Jack didn’t feature entering that place and fighting his way to the roof for nothing.”

Well, you know, Glaeken is 15,000 years old. He’s seen quite a lot in that time. He has senses that perhaps the rest of us lack. He says the guy has to be killed to save thousands of lives. Perhaps Jack should listen to him. But no, Jack continues to whine and ask for explanations as the Black Wind grows. Finally Glaeken points out that the Black Wind may last “long enough for the winds to reach Sutton Square and beyond.” Sutton Square is where Jack’s girlfriend lives.

Jack responds, “”You’re a bastard, you know that.”

No, Jack, Glaeken is perfectly justified in calling you names, but not vice-versa. Jack can’t “abide in his sight” an old man being beat up, but he’s perfectly cool with standing by and watching thousands murdered — thousands of defenseless old men and women, helpless children, the pregnant teenage girl that he believes to be in the basement of the building currently being engulfed by the Black Wind. And he calls Glaeken names? If I used that sort of language, I’d call him a lot worse.

In fact, my only criticism of Glaeken is that, if I’d been writing the book, he would have said, “I’m an old man and I’ve fought the Adversary for fifteen thousand long years. I doubt I can stop this Black Wind but I cannot and will not run from it. I will take the sword and try to stop it. You run away, little Heir, and prepare yourself to be the Sentinel after my death, but run far and run fast, because the Adversary will know I’m dead, and he will be looking for you and yours.”

Why should Glaeken even argue with this utterly selfish, utterly useless “Heir” in an attempt to get him to recognize the need to risk — not necessarily lose but merely risk — his own life to save tens or even hundreds of thousands of innocents. Maybe shaming him would do some good, though I doubt it. He’s too selfish to even worry about losing the favor of the most ancient living being in the world. He’s too selfish to think that he should “give back” a bit to a man who has suffered and sacrificed for him and his loved ones for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, I already know the end of Nightworld. Jack survives.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 9:23 pm and is filed under Books and Movies, Repairman Jack. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.