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Repo Men Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

An unpayable debt has one man running for his life in this cyberpunk thriller by the author of Matchstick Men and Anonymous Rex.

In a brave new world, you’ll never have to die . . . as long as you keep up with the payments.

Thanks to the technological miracle of artiforgs, now you can live virtually forever. Nearly indestructible artificial organs, these wonders of metal and plastic are far more reliable and efficient than the cancer-prone lungs and fallible kidneys you were born with—and the Credit Union will be delighted to work out an equitable payment plan. But, of course, if you fall delinquent, one of their dedicated professionals will be dispatched to track you down and take their product back.

This is the story of the making—and unmaking—of one of the best Repo Men in the extraction business, who finds his soul when he loses his heart . . . and then he has to run.

Originally published as The Repossession Mambo

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Garcia, it seems, is one of those writers who can do pretty much whatever he puts his mind to. A novel about a con man with OCD? Sure, no problem: Matchstick Men. A spoof of chick lit? Piece of cake: Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys. A series about a dinosaur private eye? Child's play: Anonymous Rex and its sequels. A near-future story about guys who repossess artificial organs for a living? No trouble there, either. The Repossession Mambo, originally published in 2009 as a mass-market paperback, now has been reissued as Repo Men, to tie-in with the movie version, also written by Garcia. The novel is gritty and imaginative (and, consider yourself warned, occasionally the imagery is rather, um, visceral). Garcia tells a simple story: a repo man, unable to keep up the payments on his own artificial organ, goes on the run from his former colleagues. But the story is told with such gusto, such a keen sense of time and place—Garcia really makes you feel like you're part of this near-future world—that you're captivated by the sheer power of the narrative. Another excellent, offbeat, and unique novel from this very talented writer. --David Pitt

About the Author

Eric Garcia is the author of several novels, including Matchstick Men, which was made into a feature film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Nicolas Cage, and the Anonymous Rex series. A native of Miami, Florida, he now lives in Southern California with his wife, two daughters, and a dog.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00395ZZ44
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books; Original edition (February 20, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 20, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1537 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 333 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

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Eric Garcia
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
103 global ratings

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Customers find the book interesting and entertaining. They appreciate the relatable protagonist and the story's sense of purpose. The writing quality is well-received as well-written by a new author.

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12 customers mention "Value for money"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and enjoyable. They say it's a satisfying read with a good ending.

"...It's a good ending, too. A very worthwhile read. When the movie comes out, I hope it doesn't lose anything...." Read more

"...The book was very interesting, it jumps around more between the main characters life now, and his past then the movie did but all and all it is..." Read more

"...Highly recommended novel." Read more

"...well worth it." Read more

10 customers mention "Story quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the story engaging with relatable characters and a well-crafted narrative that mirrors the movie. They describe it as a fast read that provides additional details and makes you think about the future. The linear storytelling performs fluidly, making the original ending awesome.

"...It's a good ending, too. A very worthwhile read. When the movie comes out, I hope it doesn't lose anything...." Read more

"...narrator in the story and he plays his part well, i find it to be very descriptive, a tad dark, and filled with irony...." Read more

"...The characters were all alive in my mind, the story was developed in a manner that easily allowed me to suspend my disbelief about such a broken..." Read more

"Great Concept for the book, but I was underwhelmed by the Character development." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's writing quality. They say it's well-written and one of the best works by a new writer.

"...life now, and his past then the movie did but all and all it is written well...." Read more

"This book was very pleasing and very well written...." Read more

"One of a great new writer's best..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2009
    What if artificial organs could be repossessed after someone falls behind on their payments, leaving the people dead on the floor? This book is the stream of consciousness story of a bio-repo man who rose to the top of the bio-repossession business, only to fall victim to the same business.

    It outlines his time in the military, his marriages, various repossession jobs, the works! The first half of the book is almost entirely back story, and it's so random. One section our main character is talking about his second ex-wife; the next paragraph jumps back in time to his years in the military. The entire book reads this way; random jumps back and forth in time. Complete stream of consciousness. I'll admit the first half of the book is a little hard to get through because the sheer amount of back story is overwhelming and I kinda wanted something to *happen*. It was easy to put down when the main character was just rambling on about his past, but soon enough, something did happen, and with a little front story to balance the back story, the book picked up the pace.

    I love the nonchalant way he views cutting people up, taking their liver, spleen, lungs or heart and leaving them dead...with a yellow repossession receipt on the body. I especially like the passage when he describes a time when he repossessed an organ, only to find out that the guy actually did make the payment; a screwup with the paperwork resulted in a false repossession. It's so ordinary to this guy that it's funny. Eric Garcia has this sense of humor, and it's so appropriate for a story like this. The last half of the book kept me turning the pages; I had to know how the hell this situation could possibility wrap up. It's a good ending, too. A very worthwhile read.

    When the movie comes out, I hope it doesn't lose anything. Garcia's Anonymous Rex series is absolutely wonderful, but when it was turned into a low-budget sci-fi original movie it lost everything. Hopefully this one will stay true to the story...instead of rewriting it for budget constraints.

    Doesn't matter; even if it gets ruined by hollywood the book is still great.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2010
    I bought this book after i had seen the movie with my boyfriend, I liked the movie and typically books are always better so i knew it was a must read. The book was very interesting, it jumps around more between the main characters life now, and his past then the movie did but all and all it is written well. The main character is the narrator in the story and he plays his part well, i find it to be very descriptive, a tad dark, and filled with irony. If you liked the movie and are a reader then i would definatley check this book out.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2011
    I have no trouble saying, despite my fondness for dinosaurs, this is my absolute favorite Garcia novel so far. The plot is unfolded for you in an extremely jarring and jumpy fashion, and I definitely found that a little difficult to digest at first, but I quickly realized that the details I was meant to remember were repeated for me enough and I didn't need to work for it. I quickly adapted and found myself being unable to stop.

    The characters were all alive in my mind, the story was developed in a manner that easily allowed me to suspend my disbelief about such a broken capitalist system being permissible in the future, and the references to futuristic technology were subtle enough to welcome me into the narrative Garcia developed without beating me over the head with details. Of course, the all-important artificial organs themselves developed by fancy corporations were often well described, but other aspects like military-grade 3D projection maps and laser pens were dropped in as if they were items of everyday speech, fully enveloping me in this world as if I were a part of it long before I read this novel.

    I have not yet had a chance to reread this novel, as I would usually prefer to do before I fully judge it, but I think my second read will be just as enjoyable, if not more so, than the first. Though the story does feature a Garcia-typical turn of events, I do not believe knowing this information will degrade the story for me.

    I heard the movie flopped, but I can't wait to see how Garcia and his co-writer (whose name I'm too lazy to look up) have developed this for the screen. Highly recommended novel.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2015
    Great Concept for the book, but I was underwhelmed by the Character development.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2024
    This us a fast read and pretty close to the movie with more details. well worth it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
    It's an older movie that I found it by accident on TV one night. Liked it so much I wanted to see it again so I bought the DVD. Lastly I read the book. I prefer the book ending because it allows for a sequel which would have been awesome. Still, it was very entertaining. Makes you think about the future. Would this even be possible? Hum...
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2010
    This book was very pleasing and very well written. I had seen the film first and was a bit disappointed with it as it was very out there and went off track with the story. The book however has a completely different ending and events which were much much better. At the end of the book the author describes how he had tried to get the book sold as a film for 10 years and he re wrote the story so it would fit into what hollywood and in my opinion he actually ruined his own story as the film is poor so give this book a chance you wont be disappointed!
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018
    This book is quite a bit better than the movie and far less political. The story actually makes more sense and the original ending is simply awesome. This is a very satisfying and absorbing read full of sly intellectualism and a very relatable, if hatable, protagonist. Read it.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Jorge Ortiz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro!
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 15, 2022
    La historia es excelente, lo recomiendo ampliamente.
  • Peanut
    5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably self-ironic and remarkably bloody - The novel for the film "Repo Men"
    Reviewed in Germany on July 14, 2021
    "The Repossession Mambo" by Eric Garcia is the basis for the movie "Repo Men" (2010) starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, dealing with the effects and excesses of privatized, for-profit transplant medicine.
    The book is a lot better than the movie (which is really no great feat given the grisly subject matter). Because of Garcia’s writing style, I liked the protagonist right away despite his gruesome profession, as he has a healthy dose of self-irony, and his basic motivation of wanting to survive makes him a hero you sympathize with despite or precisely because of his past.
    Most of the novel takes place in the former "Repo Man's" hideout from his former colleagues who now try to track him down while he is writing his memoirs on a mechanical typewriter, a process which does not follow a straight line. The protagonist's description of his current situation alternates with seemingly random recollections, most of which are "coincidental" and only form an overall picture as the novel progresses, making it somewhat difficult to provide a plot summary in the conventional sense. For the most part, the protagonist's reminiscences have an ironic undercurrent, demonstrating a sense of wit on the part of the author which is kept up consistently over the course of the novel and does not wear thin.
    For people whose first language isn’t English, I’d say the book is probably not easy to read due to many colloquialisms, but it’s worth making the effort, as both the subject and the writing style have something very authentic about it which will not leave you unaffected. The book is outstandingly funny and gut-wrenchingly shocking at the same time. And - spoiler alert - the book has an unambiguously positive ending, which is quite in contrast to what you usually might expect from this kind of stories.
  • egyptian_lynx
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story!
    Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2015
    Such a great read, so much better than the movie. Especially since the ending is totally different. I very much enjoyed it, I just wish I could read it again for the first time! :)
  • Orlei Ribeiro de Araujo
    3.0 out of 5 stars BOM
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 20, 2015
    História cruel, narrador cínico, bem humorado. Um tanto quanto prolixo, mas garante boas horas de diversão. Se quer boa FC, leia Philip K. Dick.
  • Gloutchov
    5.0 out of 5 stars Notevole, davvero notevole!
    Reviewed in Italy on December 2, 2014
    E' la prima volta che mi capita. E' stato interessante leggere la postfazione dell'autore, seguire la nascita di questo romanzo, e il suo sviluppo tanto singolare. Ci son voluti anni affinché esso divenisse romanzo... E film. Già, perché Repossession Mambo (n.d.r. titolo originale) è nato come racconto, è piaciuto come plot, ed è stato riscritto come romanzo e sceneggiatura in parallelo. Due storie scritte sulla stessa idea, con linee guida analoghe ma svolgimenti anche divergenti. E aver visto il film, e letto il romanzo, son state due esperienze simili, ma anche differenti, perché ognuno dei testi è stato pensato - e non adattato - alle necessità del supporto che le avrebbe offerte al pubblico, e ciò le ha rese davvero ben fatte entrambe.

    Non andrò nel dettaglio, anche perché ho parlato del film ormai molto tempo fa e qui voglio parlarvi del libro (letto in inglese, ma recentemente apparso anche tradotto in italiano), non del film. Però mi pare giusto far notare ciò che differenzia maggiormente i due prodotti. Il film è incentrato sugli eventi presenti 'presenti', sulla presentazione del personaggio, e la fuga disperata, fino a un finale che stupisce. Azione, violenza, crudezza sono gli elementi essenziali della pellicola. Il libro è invece una biografia del personaggio principale (n.d.r. vuoto di memoria: non mi viene il nome al momento della scrittura di questa recensione... colpa della vecchiaia!), biografia scritta dal personaggio stesso, nei suoi momenti di pausa, dalla fuga. E' di conseguenza un viaggio introspettivo, con simbolismi e una crescita interiore che porta a spiegare certe scelte, e certe situazioni che si vanno a verificare durante lo svolgimento della storia. Soprattutto, il finale è molto diverso, ed estremamente profondo. Azione, violenza, e crudezza ci sono, ma in secondo piano.

    E ora passiamo alla recensione vera e propria di Repo Men - il libro.

    Storia avvincente, la biografia ci mostra il Repo Men sin dalla gioventù. La sua entrata nell'esercito per le guerre d'Africa, il suo primo amore, la sua prima moglie, i suoi migliori amici, molti di essi morti al fronte. Vicende molto personali inframmezzate con la quotidianità di un lavoro rispettato, temuto, odiato. E così si passa di anno in anno, di fegato in fegato, di moglie in moglie, fino alla notte dell'incidente. C'è del poetico in tutto ciò, soprattutto l'analisi psicologica di questo uomo freddo e calcolatore, il suo rapporto con i figli, e con le ex mogli, nonché con gli stessi 'clienti', è davvero importante. Ci sono pagine e pagine che fanno riflettere. Non è un romanzo di puro intrattenimento, anche se poi è una storia di puro intrattenimento. C'è di più. E per certi versi la versione complementare cinematografica non va a intaccare l'esperienza di lettura. E' come se i due plot fossero storie differenti ispirare al medesimo evento. Non conoscevo Eric Garcia. Poi leggendo la sua biografia ho scoperto che qualcosa di suo mi era già passato tra le mani, molto tempo fa. Niente di speciale, eh, niente di memorabile. Ma questo Repo Men è davvero un bel libro, e allo stesso tempo un bel film, da leggere e vedere.

    Lo consiglio.

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