The Reed Stephens Novels

Post by **kastenessen** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 12:05 pm

To the avid readers of SRD and those familiar with the Reed Stephens books.
The new editions of those seems to be longer than the originals and are also published under his own name. I just baught The Man Who Killed His Brother and it's 272p.The original is 192 p. I guess the others will follow, also slighlty altered and lenghtened.

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 7:19 pm

Do you happen to know what is added? I bought the three first in an omnibus version, but I do not think that they are increased in size.

Post by **kastenessen** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 8:45 pm

I have an omnibus published by Orion and they're the almost the same as the originals ( in the introduction which is really good SRD says that they are "slightly revised since their original publication") but I haven't been able to tell them apart from the originals published by Ballantine. I baught the omnibus 'cause I could never get my hands on The Man Who Tried to get away so I can not say anything about that one. But no, I don't yet know what is added but it is 80 p added so I guess it's easier to find out.

He did it with "What makes us human" and "The Djinn who Watches over the Accursed" as well "slightly revised" that is. Haven't checked. Great story "The Djinn..." though.

Post by **Ryzel** » Thu Apr 10, 2003 5:03 pm

"The Djinn..." is a great example of making an advantage out of a disadvantage. My only problem with it is kind of metaphysical in that I do not like that that kind of ultimate options is easily available to people. What happened to the guy who cursed him, what price did he pay to inflict this kind of curse on someone?

Post by **kastenessen** » Tue May 06, 2003 10:11 pm

Took me some time to get back here...anyway... The Djinn-"...but he knew how to curse." is enough explanation to me. Selmet, the old usurer, might have had some knowledge of dark arts and already paid a price or something or maybe he didn't know what he was doing while cursing. I am myself of the opinion that a price don't necessarily has to be paid by Selmet in this case. It would also have changed the story altogether following this thread. The story is only 15p. and Selmet is a minor character. I guess it's also a matter of point of view since the whole story is told by the Djinn who watches over Fetim.

By the way, I was mistaken. The new edition of "The Man Who Killed His Brother" is not rewritten only "slightly revised". It's more pages but less word on the pages. I was really fooled but I bought it at amazon so I couldn't check it beforehand. Sorry if i tricked anyone bying it.

Post by **Ryzel** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 3:41 pm

I was in the local bookshop saturday and saw that they were re-releasing "The Man Who Risked His Partner" but this time with the author given as S. R. D.

What pissed me off though, was that there were no mention of the first book in the series. Fortunately for those who buy it this is not a major issue, but it might be if they do the same to The Man Who Tried to Get Away.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:07 am

I caught some slight changes in phrases in the revised version of THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER. Just the kinds of things one would do when tinkering with a basically satisfying work from twenty years before. I didn't go through the whole book looking for changes -- I wanted to enjoy the read.

Nice bit of characterization:
"This time when she saw me Ginny smiled. It lit up her whole face.
"I sat down in one of the chairs against the wall, and for a minute or two we didn't say anything. We just smiled at each other.
"I didn't want to do anything else. But after a while I started to feel like I was in danger of making a fool of myself. 'All right,' I said..."

One of the things I especially like about their relationship is the way, when one was upset, the other provided the emotional stabilizing.

Joy

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:22 am

They are kind of opposites. Axbrewder is the archtypical SRD hero person, intuitive with strong emotions. Ginny strikes me as a more rational kind of person, although she obviously has a strong sense of responsibility.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:26 pm

Ginny falls apart sometimes, too.

They are opposites in those ways, I agree. Compensating for each other worked well for them in most ways.

But Brew needed to learn to depend on himself, which he couldn't with Ginny there to lean on. He too had a sense of responsibility, in two ways: his feelings of guilt, and his reflex to protect people who needed protecting. Trusting himself, as he is learning to do, is giving him more.

FOUGHT spoiler

Spoiler

When Brew depended on Ginny at the end of FOUGHT, he did it because he needed teamwork, not because he didn't trust himself. That was a big step up.

I tend to wax lyrical about Brew. I enjoy the martial arts angle in FOUGHT, too.

Joy

Post by **Landwaster** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:34 pm

I am yet to notice the Reed Stevens books in stores here, but am definitely interested. SRD is almost the only author I just like, no matter what he writes. Apart from Tolkien and Strieber, I don't think there's any other stuff I like to read at all!

But at the moment my wife and I are saving like blazes to afford this trip to the States coming up in November, so book purchases are off the agenda for the present time.

Soon, though. Soon.

Oh, soon.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 5:16 pm

Landwaster, I just visited the Angus & Robertson website. They have three of the four SRD mysteries, all but THE MAN WHO TRIED TO GET AWAY. So you wouldn't have to pay for overseas shipping.

I bought the three-in-one volume so I could have GET AWAY.

Joy

Post by **Landwaster** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 5:21 pm

Fantastic! As I said, soon!

Post by **Ryzel** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 5:17 am

I like the martial arts angle in The Man who Fought Alone too. I assume that SRD has used his knowledge of martial arts in writing the book.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 2:30 pm

He used more than the *knowledge* of martial arts:

...He stepped toward me.

The room whirled, and I found myself on my hands and knees. The hardwood in front of my face had a long grain like flowing veins. It seemed full of remembered sunlight, too warm for ordinary wood. The lines between the boards looked deep enough to reach the center of the world, the center of reality. Shock paralyzed my solar plexus. That's how I knew he'd hit me. I certainly hadn't picked up any other clues.

While the room went off in all directions like hurled water, something in my head found its center. A place where no wind blew. An imponderable stillness cupped the dojo, humbling me when I didn't know how to humble myself.

Joy

Post by **Ylva Kresh** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 12:04 am

I have one confession to make. I have not read any Reed Stephens novels. I generally avoid mystery and detective stories since they often scare me in an unpleasent way and lac deeper meaning. If anyone can tell me this is not the case of Reed Stephens I will be delighted to reed them. Since this is SRD we are talking about, I strongly suspect there is no lac of deeper meanings... But this can of course also be used as a way of really scare people (like me, who fright easily)... Can one trace anything of the Land, or Land-like, in the Reed Stephens stories?

Post by **Dragonlily** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 2:52 am

There is no lack of deeper meaning! But if you get scared easily, you might be cringing enough so you miss it in the first three books, unless you have already read THE MAN WHO FOUGHT ALONE.

I know this is not the proper way, but SRD has portrayed alcoholism so realistically, so searingly, that some reader might never touch another drop. The hero's guilt, the reason he drinks, is soul-deep. That's why I think it's a good idea to convince yourself there's a light at the end of the tunnel, by reading FOUGHT before the other three.

They are far, FAR too good to miss.

Joy

Post by **Dragonlily** » Wed Nov 12, 2003 4:46 am

Thought I'd report that the hardback re-release of THE MAN WHO RISKED HIS PARTNER, with SRD's name finally on it, is now on sale. I already have two copies of it, don't know if I can justify buying a third, even with the revisions.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 7:19 pm

Syl wrote:

currently reading the Axbrewder mysteries by Donaldson

Which book are you reading and how far along are you in it?

Post by **[Syl]** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 12:21 am

Couple chapters into the second one. Saw it on the new release shelf at the library, decided to get it as well as the first. So far, I'd say the books have the potential to be ranked right behind the Chrons, imo.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 12:32 am

Glad you like them, Syl. I like them so much I'm almost proprietary about them. When you get to THE MAN WHO FOUGHT ALONE, the one I have read most often, we can start trading quotes. Marvelous stuff.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

The Reed Stephens Novels

The Reed Stephens Novels

THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER