The Reed Stephens Novels

Post by **Ryzel** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 12:59 am

I cannot say that anything in the Axbrewder novels struck me as particularly "Land-like", but seeing as how the protagonist spends the last two books in constant physical and emotional agony I would say that there are some similarities to other SRD works.

Post by **[Syl]** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 4:31 pm

I just finished The Man Who Fought Alone. Strangely, there's almost no ill consequence of skipping the third book (the library didn't have it, I'd already returned The Man Who Risked His Partner, the only book that lists all the books in order, so figured...).

I love these books, but I have to wonder how much your average mystery reader enjoys them (then again, how much does the average fantasy reader enjoy The Chronicles?). The whole whodunnit bit is way too easy, imo.

I have one question about Fought Alone, though... Whatever happened to the picks? All three were caught, right? Did nobody think of questioning them?

Another thing I don't get...

Spoiler

How the hell did Anson break Hong's neck in his sleep? I know the dude was kind of old, and Anson's an 8th level dan and all that, but still. I find it a wee bit implausible that Sifu Hong could sleep through somebody throwing a grappling hook, crawling through his window, and getting close enough to break his neck. Unless Anson himself studied Ninjitsu?

Post by **Dragonlily** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 6:11 pm

I'm sure that's exactly what he did, Syl. Those ninja were sneaky fellas, you bet. <channeling The Shipping News>

If someone questioned the picks, they only person they would know to split on is Turf. Would you want to make Turf mad?

I agree with you, THE MAN WHO TRIED TO GET AWAY is a short interlude, and SRD acquaints FOUGHT readers with whatever they need to know to make it a stand-alone novel. Too easy? Why care? There are still plenty of surprises and suspense. I think he's a great villain.

Knowing who it is just makes the challenge that much more suspenseful.

Post by **[Syl]** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 3:11 am

Well, here's what I was thinking about the picks...

You get three people, all hired by or with Turf. Somebody gets killed, presumably by one of the guys you're working with. They're facing accessory to murder charges unless they supply some info. Personally, I'd be talking faster than you could say "stool pigeon."

What you could learn from these guys...

1) where they met Turf, how they knew him, how to contact him, where to find him, etc. I'm thinking the fight club might have came up.
2) who the spot was. I'm guessing it was You Know Who, but even if it wasn't, you think Brew wouldn't have wanted to leave a loose end like that hanging.

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:17 pm

I do not remember much from the book right now, but might it not have been that there was no time or opportunity for Brew to question those picks?

The book has a very short time frame in which things happen, and if I were faced with serious charges I would certainly like to get a lawyer before I started talking. Just to make sure I could cut a deal that would stick. I assume those guys were experienced in these things too.

Post by **danlo** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 5:17 pm

I noticed a very well produced hardbound The Man Who Risked His Partner at Barnes & Noble the other day--since it was authored by SRD (not RS) I gather it's part of the new reissue of the 1st 3 books-with the same photo as ...Fought Alone.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 2:49 am

That's the one, Danlo. And I saw the SRD-credited THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER in paperback last time I was at the bookstore. They do look impressive, IMO too.

Post by **danlo** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 2:11 pm

Sorry Joy--I sorta reiterated ur previous post--did not read it...

And tho I've read a number of reviews on these book I've never read them. Are they, truly, worth a go?

Post by **Dragonlily** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:33 pm

God, yes. They were written before their time, but noir is popular now. They are very hard-hitting and personal, and of course extremely well-written. Characterization is key in this series, and neither SRD nor the hero pulls any punches. As you see from the review of FOUGHT, it covers the hero's arc into the depths and back. I love them.

Overslept, must get to work -

Post by **kastenessen** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:58 pm

Strangely they are all three already published in GB. They came in the revised form 01 in one omnibus version with a 4pgs introduction by SRD.The publishing industry is a strange one isn't it? But the hardbacks will look great on the bookshelf...

kast

Post by **Dragonlily** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 8:51 pm

How am I going to get hold of this 4-page introduction?

Post by **kastenessen** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 10:21 pm

I make copies and send them to you...no probs

Post by **Dragonlily** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:01 pm

Super! PM me for whatever info you need.

Post by **kastenessen** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:03 pm

Done:)

Post by **Ryzel** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:46 pm

kastenessen wrote:Strangely they are all three already published in GB. They came in the revised form 01 in one omnibus version with a 4pgs introduction by SRD.The publishing industry is a strange one isn't it? But the hardbacks will look great on the bookshelf...

kast

I wonder if this is the same introduction that I have in my omnibus version of the three first books.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:14 pm

I believe we're talking about the same book...published by Orion...aren't we?

Post by **kastenessen** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:15 pm

Uh, oh...That was me above...

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 4:57 pm

Well, my book is a Trade Paperback edition and unfortunately I do not have it here so I cannot check. I think you are right though.

Post by **W.B.** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 4:53 am

Introduction? Do tell.

I've read all four of them--found found the first and fourth in the library and then had to buy ...Risked His Partner and ...Tried to Get Away used. (I'm in the U.S.) Getting back to an earlier question/comment about similarity to the Chrons, I thought there were several similarities. Not totally similar, but I wonder if I would have pegged the books as Donaldson if I hadn't known who wrote them. Actually, I started marking pages with little bits of paper for bookmarks when I read a passage that screamed to me "Donaldson!" or "Chronicles!" so here's my two cents...

Brew's guilt issues, especially in ...Tried to Get Away--reminded me of Covenant's insistance on things being his responsibility in the Second Chrons. The dynamic is somewhat different, but there's still a lot of focus on guilt in The Man Who series, which for me makes it a lot like the Chronicles. Also, Brew also sometimes falls back on the idea that he's helpless because he's an alcoholic, and Covenant has a somewhat similar reaction in the beginning of the First Chrons, in that he says can't help the Land because he's a lepper. Brew says "I'm an alcoholic" in the same way Covenant says "I'm a lepper."

Brew spends most of his time injured, drugged as a result of the gunshot wound, and generally not really in the best mental state, which reminded me of Covenant's experience in TPTP.

Just the writing was similar. Not sentence structure or anything, but in metaphor and simile. A comment of Ginny's might hit Brew like a jackhammer (lots of power tool imagery) and so on. It's modern writing but the metaphoric language is analagous to some stuff Chrons, and sometimes very similar when deploying adjectives in unusual ways ("the self-contained extravagance in her eyes").

There tends to be references to heart-breaking. "If she kept saying my name like that, she was going to break my heart." Covenant had some broken heart stuff going on in the Second Chrons, I think, or I seem to recall lines about broken hearts. Also just "broken" people in general, mainly Brew but Ginny somewhat too, are a focus of Donaldson's (hurt a man who's lost everything by giving him back something broken). Not that Covenant and Brew take the same personal journey, but there's points of comparison.

Anyway, that was just my thoughts, from having read the books probably about nine or ten months ago.

Post by **Dragonlily** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 5:17 am

Good observations, W.B. I especially liked

W.B. wrote:Brew says "I'm an alcoholic" in the same way Covenant says "I'm a lepper."

I agree. The style is modern rather than renaissance like TCTC, but you can sense the mind behind it is the same. And not just because some of the major issues are the same.

W.B. wrote:deploying adjectives in unusual ways ("the self-contained extravagance in her eyes").

I love it when he does that. <purring>

...articulating each word as precisely as a piece of glass...

W.B., would you like to do a chapter? We're ready to sign someone up to do Chapter 3 of KILLED.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

The Reed Stephens Novels