Atlas Magazine

Watching over Repairman Jack’s shoulder as he performs his extra-legal services righting wrongs is always a delight. His efforts at fulfilling the wishes of his clients while adhering to his strict standard of conduct make him a figure rare in modern literature: one who not only believes in freedom and justice, but one who practices those virtues ruthlessly and consistently. Jack’s travails in his latest adventure, By the Sword, continue that worthy tradition.
        As the title of this review suggests, in this novel, Jack both literally and figuratively finds himself dealing with a double-edged sword. The actual blade in question is a Japanese katana sought by three (or four, depending upon one’s point of view) different groups. As should come as no surprise to those familiar with the universe of the Adversary, this ancient weapon has eerie connections to the Otherness. Its supernaturally sharp edge and sturdy blade not only survived a nuclear blast, those who hold this marvel of craftsmanship discover that surrendering it is no easy task.
        The mystical allure of the sword is such that even Jack is tested in his ability to let it go. Perhaps such a situation is natural. After all, Jack is, in his own way, a two-edged sword. Standing at the nexus between the Ally and the Adversary, between the natural world and the Otherness, between peaceful interaction and explosive violence, Jack is permeated by “oDNA,” the “Taint” that contaminates his relationships with both society and Gia, the woman he loves above all else. While the exact nature of the katana’s connection to the Otherness is not explicated in this story, its significance in the ultimate conflict looming close over this fictional horizon seems clear and unequivocal.
        Another link Jack shares with this unprepossessing prize is the fact that both he and the blade have the potential to be wielded either for good or for evil. While Jack’s customers do, in a sense, view him as a tool to achieve their ends, his is the choice whether or not to accept their tasks. And just as Jack must constantly struggle to prevent his inner rage from escaping its hidden bonds, so, too, he realizes, the katana can, despite its ties to the Otherness, become an implement for positive ends or a means to senseless destruction. The nature of those results lies not so much with the instrument itself but rather with who decides to take it in hand and when and how and against whom the blade is directed.
        Hints of where Jack’s future is headed are woven throughout By the Sword. He gains new insights into the coming Armageddon from an old man — Glenn Veilleur — who has an ancient connection with this saga. He also becomes acquainted — or more precisely, reacquainted — with a woman who likes to walk her dog and share cryptic tidbits with the Repairman. Even writer P. Frank Winslow and his kick-ass character Jake Fixx provide Jack information on the dangers he faces.
        Other, familiar actors in this dark drama are affected in one way or another by the missing sword. Pregnant Dawn Pickering is as much a target for acquisition as is the blade. Her “super-tainted baby” shares the dual nature exhibited by the katana and by Jack. Some folks such as Hank Thompson —leader of the Kicker cult — view Dawn’s future offspring as key to a glorious future. Others such as “Mr. Osala” believe the baby will possess no special powers, that Dawn’s grandfather’s belief that the newborn would provide a locus for creating his vision of the world was nothing more than a delusion; that all his conniving and plotting were meaningless attempts at self-aggrandizement. Or maybe not...