Reprisal (The Adversary Cycle #5) (1991)

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 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2024


by F. Paul Wilson



The evil figure that was spawned in Reborn, the previous novel of the Adversary Cycle, has come of age, spouting a philosophy of life worthy of Ayn Rand and taking an impressionable math professor under his wing. 



A mysterious handyman whose identity shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out for readers of the previous book is also on hand.

 


This book is a mixed bag, like so much of F. Paul Wilson’s work.

 

F. Paul Wilson

He can craft a compelling plot, but his skill at characterization sometimes falls short of the effect he reaches for.

 


For example, a major plot thread concerns the moral corruption of the math professor under the influence of her wicked boyfriend.

 


However, rather than illustrating the seductiveness of evil, it becomes the frustrating story of a weak-willed woman who is too easily seduced by a man that she (like the reader) should be able to see through in a second.

 

"Vendetta" (Italian)

On the other hand, this novel also features a truly horrifying plot thread: flashbacks to the backstory of the handyman and his history with a cursed little boy.


"Attack" (German)

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