OTHER SANDBOXES

A Collection of Pastiches

Coming October – Pre-Order HERE

“I love collections like this, or at least I do when the writer behind the stories is someone as good as F. Paul Wilson. Someone immersed not only in tradition, but in the modern story telling vein as well. There aren’t many writers that good.”

————————————-Joe R. Lansdale from his introduction

The official definition of pastiche is “an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.” A pastiche can be respectful or can descend to parody

In other words, a kind of fanfic.

In my case, that’s exactly what this is. Because I’m a fan of all the authors I’ve referenced here. I approach the characters and worlds they created with the greatest respect. So, in that sense, my pastiches are also homages. I like to think of it as playing in another writer’s sandbox.

They include H. P. Lovecraft, Mary W. Shelley, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sax Rohmer, Dashiell Hammett, Arthur Conan Doyle and others. Plus “Fix” and “Infernal Night” – two previously uncollected Repairman Jack stories.

Wraparound dust jacket by Gerhard

SIGNALZ

A Prelude to Nightworld!

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Twilight has come. Night will follow. It will begin in the heavens and end in the Earth. But before that…the rules will be broken.

The Change is coming and the world as we know it is ending. Sixteen-year-old Ellie has changed. She looks the same but her mother detects someone else looking out through her blue eyes. Ellie builds a “shelter” in her room with an entrance that leads…elsewhere.

And what of the convoy of tractor trailers Hari Tate watches drive up a mountain road and return without the trailers…leaving nothing on the mountain. What are they shipping?

And the writer who finds a hole in the floor of his NYC apartment and tumbles through into… elsewhere.

They will all find each other and find their answers in the electromagnetic pulses piercing the Earth from Out There, pulses that no one should hear, but some do. But they are not simply pulses. They are SIGNALZ.

THREE FILMS AND A PLAY

Ebook and Paperback – Order HERE

Besides scripting for videogames and the Sci-Fi Channel during the 90s, Matt Costello and I also wrote spec film scripts and even a stage play. Here’s an omnibus edition with the transcendent title Three Films and a Play

SCAR-LIP REDUX

REPAIRMAN JACK GRAPHIC NOVEL!

Press release and sample pages HERE



Pre-order unsigned HERE

Pre-order SIGNED copies HERE

Originally I agreed just to write new stories for the Repairman Jack graphic novels and have someone else script them, but anal me couldn’t give up the reins. So I’m doing the whole deal, story and script. Jack’s fans can expect to see a lot of familiar faces, while new readers will come away with a damn good idea of who this urban mercenary is, what he does, and how he gets it done. I’ve scripted comics off and on since Creepy and Eerie back in the 70’s and I love to put the visual aspect of the medium to work. With the Jack GNs, I’ll allow myself to indulge in stories that are a little more bizarre and off-center than I’d attempt in print. Jack is part of my Secret History of the World which has a definite timeline. I’ll let the GNs fall where they will and leave it up to the readers to figure out where they fit in the Secret History.

THE LAST CHRISTMAS

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

APPLE

KOBO

AUDIO

FOR COLLECTORS: The lettered state of the limited edition is sold out and the 500-copy numbered version is just about gone.

*Starred* Review from Publisher’s Weekly!

“Last seen in 2014’s Fear City, Repairman Jack makes a triumphant return in Wilson’s 20th outing for the Manhattan freelance fixer, which falls chronologically between Ground Zero and Fatal Error. In late December, a year after Jack’s father’s death and his brother’s disappearance, a despondent Jack is pointed by old friend Edward Burkes toward doctors Hess and Monaco, who need him to hunt down and retrieve an escaped hybrid creature, H3, that’s half-ape, half-wolf. No surprise, the docs aren’t on the level, and H3 turns out to be far from the expected. Meanwhile, the mysterious Madame de Medici hires him to protect the Bagaq, an ancient object with supposed healing powers. As Jack seeks H3, hired investigator Tier Hill pursues Jack and the Bagaq while wrestling with strange signals he fears only he can hear. Jack is at the mercy of events involving the secret history of the world, touched on in earlier adventures. Wilson’s storytelling is as crisp, sharp, and entertaining as always. Fans of this fantasy thriller series will hope Jack is back for good.”

NEW REPAIRMAN JACK!

The Last Christmas – Jack is back.

Wilson never said he was through with Repairman Jack. He said he was through turning in a new novel every year. He also said when a story came along that was right for Jack, he’d write it.

The Last Christmas is that story.



It’s late December between Ground Zero and Fatal Error, a winter of discontent for Jack who’s perhaps spending too much time hanging at Julio’s. An old contact, Edward Burkes, convinces him to take on a missing-person fix. As usual, nothing is as it seems and the missing person isn’t exactly a person. In fact, it’s like nothing anyone has ever seen.

And in the middle of all this, the mysterious Madame de Medici hires him to safeguard a valuable object. Simple, right?

Not even close.

Yep, Jack is back and, as usual, weird trouble is on his heels.

DUE IN SEPTEMBER: SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDITION is available now from Gauntlet Press.

The wild finale of the ICE Trilogy is here!

The Void Protocol – Immediately after WWII, an underground lab was built to house the ultra-secret Lange-Tür project. The goal of the German technology was to open a passage to anywhere on Earth, near or far. In 1957, after a decade of failures, they managed to open a portal for a fraction of a second. And in that eyeblink something came through… something not of Earth… something from Out There. Its passage from Wherever permanently closed the portal.

It’s been well over half a century now and no one has a clue as to what it is. Maybe it’s alive, maybe not. Whatever, some of the country’s best minds have had no success communicating with it and still no way to send it back. They’re afraid to set it free – who knows what havoc it might wreak? – so they close down Project Lange-Tür and leave a skeleton crew to keep watch.

And there it has stayed to this day, deep underground, slowly changing the world.

The Void Protocol ties up the ICE Trilogy featuring Rick Hayden and Laura Fanning as they confront a source of the uncanny events of Panacea and The God Gene, and become unwilling participants in the Secret History of the World.

READ an excerpt here

LISTEN to an excerpt here

I’m not touring this year, so get your SIGNED COPIES at:

The Poisoned Pen

VJ Books

FOR COLLECTORS: a SIGNED LIMITED EDITION from Gauntlet Press

Regular copies available:

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eBooks.com

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iBooks

AVAILABLE NOW

Wardenclyffe – A new novella from the Secret History of the World

Accepted history tells us that Nikola Tesla last powered up his 190-foot tower in Wardenclyffe on the night of July 15, 1903. After that, he ran out of funding when J. P. Morgan reneged on their financing agreement. Failing to raise money elsewhere, he abandoned the tower in 1906 and returned to Manhattan where he suffered a nervous breakdown.

So say the history books.

But according to the Secret History, testing of the tower continued on foggy days when the discharges would not be noticed. The final test took place on April 18, 1906, and proved beyond a doubt that worldwide wireless power was possible. Why then, at the moment of his greatest vindication, did Nikola Tesla abandon his project? What could possibly have transpired at Wardenclyffe that day to so rattle him that he would deny the world his transformative technology? We were never meant to know.

Until now…

Available:

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But if you buy the trade paperback from the publisher, you get the ebook edition free: Journalstone

NOW IN PAPERBACK!

“Tight writing keeps this science adventure tale churning with the pace of James Rollins toward a conclusion worthy of Michael Crichton.” Publisher’s Weekly

“During a couple of long flights last week, I wound up so engrossed in “The God Gene” I would have welcomed a flight delay. Considering the slog of air travel, is there any higher praise?” Star Ledger review

“The polished prose and blistering pace make Wilson’s latest every bit the equal of Michael Crichton at his best.” Jon Land in the Providence Journal

The Novel:

Rick Hayden and Laura Fanning of Panacea return to encounter another mindbending scientific scenario in, The God Gene, the new thriller by F. Paul Wilson.

Rick’s brother, Keith, a prominent zoologist at NYU, walks out of his office one day and disappears. The only clues they have are in his brother’s book, which mentions “the God Gene.”

A million or so years ago, a gene designated hsa-mir-3998 appeared as if by magic from the junk DNA of the hominids who eventually evolved into Homo sapiens. It became a key player in brain development—specifically creativity—and laymen started calling it “the God Gene.” Keith had been tracking this gene through the evolutionary tree, and was excited by an odd blue-eyed primate he brought back from East Africa. But immediately after running the creature’s genetic code, he destroyed all the results and vanished.

Rick and Laura’s search takes them to an uncharted island in the Mozambique Channel, home of the dapis—blue-eyed primates whose DNA hides a world-shattering secret. In a globe-spanning mixture of science, mystery and adventure reminiscent of Michael Crichton, The God Gene takes you to the edge of evolutionary theory and beyond…way beyond.

“Looming over the twisting plot is the enigma of ICE, the “intrusive cosmic entities” that may connect this series with Wilson’s Repairman Jack books.” Publisher’s Weekly

Read an excerpt:

Opening Chapter

A Later Section

The God Gene interviews:

with Derek Gunn for The Big Thrill

with Heather Graham: At the Crossroads of Crichton and Lovecraft

I’m not touring for The God Gene, but signed copies can be had at:

The Poisoned Pen

VJ Books

Available everywhere:

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Local Independent Bookstore

Audio

Revised again! EPHEMERATA V4.0: The Odds and Ends of a Writing Life (revised and expanded)

I sold my first story in 1970 and I’ve been writing ever since. Along the way, in addition to my fifty-plus volumes of fiction, I’ve published introductions, forewords, afterwords, reviews, obituaries, rants, guest blogs, and pieces that defy categorization. I lump it all under the term Ephemerata.

Here I’ve collected nearly 150,000 words of my ephemerata. Some of it trenchant, some of it moving, some of it infuriating, some of it autobiographical, and some of it just plain idiotic. No one will like all of it, but most will like some. The 100+ pieces here clock in at an average of a thousand words or so.

What did I say (or not say) in my introduction to the first volume of Neil Gaiman’s collected The Sandman that caused it to be replaced? What was my reaction to reading ‘Salem’s Lot? What was I paid for my contribution to Books to Die For? What do I think of the JFK assassination? And what the hell was JanFanEx’97? The logical response is, “Who cares?” But if you enjoy my fiction, you might enjoy the answers to all these burning questions and more in Ephemerata.

At this point I’m going to publish Ephemerata exclusively in ebook form. That’s because it’s a work in progress. As time goes by I’ll update it (as I did in 2018, 2019, and 2020) adding orphaned pieces that surface from the past or newer ones that have passed their term of exclusivity. That’s the nice thing about ebooks: Readers simply reload the book into their reader and the new material appears. Magic.

Available for $3.99 only on: Amazon

NOW IN PAPERBACK!

“An intelligent, intriguing, fast-moving blend of science fiction and thriller. Wilson’s complex, entertaining, smart story…flies at jet speed. The dialogue is seamless, natural, and ratchets up the tension.” Kirkus Reviews

“TOP PICK! ****1/2 – The world of secret societies and miracle cures… grabs readers and holds on tight till the very end.” RT Book Reviews

“A suspenseful paranormal thriller…an entertaining tale, underlined by a clear battle between good and evil.” Publisher’s Weekly

The Novel: Medical examiner Laura Fanning has two charred corpses and no answers. Both bear a mysterious tattoo but exhibit no known cause of death. Their only connection is a string of puzzling miracle cures. Her preliminary investigation points to a cult that possesses the fabled panacea–the substance that can cure all ills–but everyone knows that’s impossible.

Or is it?

Laura finds herself enmeshed in an ancient conflict between the secretive keepers of the panacea and the equally secretive and far more deadly group known only as 536, a brotherhood that fervently believes God intended for humanity to suffer, not be cured. Laura doesn’t believe in the panacea, but that doesn’t prevent the agents of 536 from trying to kill her.

A reclusive, terminally ill billionaire hires Laura to research the possibility that such a cure exists. The billionaire’s own body guard, Rick Hayden, a mercenary who isn’t who he pretends to be, has to keep her alive as they race from continent to continent to find the legendary panacea before the agents of 536 can destroy it.

“Panacea races through its suspenseful tale with never a wasted word. It’s a lean swift thriller with a core of cosmic speculation, and its pace and suspense may steal your breath. I defy anyone to read the opening and not plunge into the book.” – Ramsey Campbell

“Sophisticated and razor sharp, this cataclysmic story of action, history, and secrets is as imaginative as it is compelling. F. Paul Wilson shows once again why he is a grand master of the genre. So take a deep breath, hang on, and enjoy the ride.” – Steve Berry

“For as long as civilization has existed, mankind has sought the ultimate cure—a stunning tale of a terrifying miracle.” — Scott Sigler

Available everywhere:

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Audio

Synopsis: Henry Kuttner’s unique tales of the strangest family you’ve never met. All five stories collected together for the first time—edited by Pierce Watters and Yours Truly.

Wait . . . did you just say “Who’s Henry Kuttner?” Good question. This gifted writer has been largely forgotten.

Maybe because he died young (at age 42). Maybe because he published under too many pseudonyms (seventeen). Or maybe because novels weren’t his thing. His strength was in the short form and those tend to be ephemeral. Then again, maybe he’s off the radar because he didn’t stick to one genre.

He wrote horror (“The Graveyard Rats”), sword and sorcery (the Elak of Atlantis series), science fiction (“The Twonky”), whimsical fantasy (“A Gnome There Was”), and unclassifiables such as the mutant hillbilly tales collected here.

I love these stories. That’s why I helped hunt them all down to gather between a single set of covers. Now you can love them too. We even have cool illustrations by Cortney Skinner. What’s not to like?

Only $2.99 for the Kindle Ebook

Synopsis: A novella-length Repairman Jack mashup with Codename Chandler

Her codename is Chandler. She’s a spy for a secret government agency. Trained to be the best of the best, no man is her equal.

That is, until she meets Repairman Jack.

Travelling to the Big Apple, Chandler isn’t told what her mission is. Only that it’s a big one. Forced to scavenge for weapons, she meets up with New York’s #1 vigilante, and sparks fly.

But Jack and Chandler have more to deal with than each other. When a blackmail scheme turns into a terrorist plot, it will take their combined efforts to save the city.

Or die trying.

$2.99 Amazon

Synopsis: A Pellucidar novelette written with the approval of the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. A plague is spewing forth from the Dead World, the stationary moon that hovers over the Land of Awful Shadow in the land within the Earth. David Innes, Emperor of Pellucidar, and the eccentric inventor, Abner Perry, rig a balloon to carry them to the Dead World. But Pellucidar’s mysterious moon is not what it seems, and far more bizarre than they ever dreamed. It holds the answer as to how Pellucidar was formed – and how it will be destroyed. Can they stop the plague before it wipes out all life in the Inner World?

Amazon

Synopsis: LIFE CAME OUT OF AFRICA… But now it’s death’s turn… It spreads like a plague but it’s not a disease. Medical science is helpless against the deadly autoimmune reaction caused by the bite of the swarming African flies. Billions are dead, more are dying.

A very few seem immune. They call themselves mungus and preach acceptance of the plague, encouraging people to allow themselves to be bitten by “the flies of the Lord” so that they may join Him in the afterlife.

A Necessary End is about apocalypse, about love, about the fragile bonds that hold marriages and civilizations together. But mostly it’s about truth – how we find it, how we embrace or reject it, and how we must face the truths within ourselves.

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