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The Man Who Fought Alone (The Man Who #4)
In a sprawling new novel, Stephen R. Donaldson tells a tale of a hero's dark night of the soul.
Mick Axbrewder has enough problems to kill any ten lesser men. He's a recovering alcoholic. He's also healing-painfully and slowly-from a gunshot wound that nearly killed him. His old partner, Ginny, seems to want as little to do with him as possible.
Years ago, he and Ginny worke...more
Mick Axbrewder has enough problems to kill any ten lesser men. He's a recovering alcoholic. He's also healing-painfully and slowly-from a gunshot wound that nearly killed him. His old partner, Ginny, seems to want as little to do with him as possible.
Years ago, he and Ginny worke...more
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
November 26th 2001
by Forge Books
(first published 2001)
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It took me a few pages to get really involved. Stephen R. Donaldson's protagonists are often filled with such self-loathing that it's hard to get to like them. But in the case of Mick Axbrewder, it doesn't last long enough to be disheartening.
Axbrewder is recovering from his previous life, which involved abusing alcohol, getting shot in the stomach, breaking with his lover, and shooting his younger brother dead by accident. Sounds like a bad country song. He finds himself holed up in a cheap apa...more
Axbrewder is recovering from his previous life, which involved abusing alcohol, getting shot in the stomach, breaking with his lover, and shooting his younger brother dead by accident. Sounds like a bad country song. He finds himself holed up in a cheap apa...more
It seems that I either love Donaldson ("Mordant's Need" duology) or hate him (Thomas Covenant books). This book broke that pattern. I finished it, but wasn't all that impressed.
The main character is a private investigator trying to pull his life and career back together after being gut-shot by an enemy and then having his romantic and professional partner (a woman with one hand) break up with him in both relationships. I found him intriguing, but wished he had been given a better story.
This one...more
The main character is a private investigator trying to pull his life and career back together after being gut-shot by an enemy and then having his romantic and professional partner (a woman with one hand) break up with him in both relationships. I found him intriguing, but wished he had been given a better story.
This one...more
This is my least favorite of the series. Partly because a large part of the book involve various martial arts schools and I'm terribly interested by that, and partly, because Ginny wasn't a large part of this book. I'm also disappointed that there's not a fifth book because clearly Ginny and Brew's story isn't wrapped up. But these books came out in the 90s and didn't do all that well, so I'm sure that killed the series. A pity. I would read more if were more to read.
I found this book interesting, and I like the character. It seems to me it could use a nice tight edit. This is Donaldson, but it's not Thomas Covenant. This also extended into a four book series. I read this one but not the others. Not yet.
I haven't read many mystery novels, but this one (the fourth in the "Man Who" mystery series starring Mick Axebrewder) is by far my favorite. I wish Donaldson would do a fifth one in this series.
My first by Donaldson. Solid, but mundane
I don't like detective stories. And I didn't care for "The Man Who Killed His Brother". But, this one I liked. Perhaps it was the scraping into the martial arts. Or perhaps it was because the book was long enough for me to get a deeper feel for the characters. Donaldson is always oblique and his characters are multi-dimensional, which require lots of text to cover well.
Donaldson's mystery series does not rate with his fantasy or sci fi writings (in my opinion), but the fourth (and final?) volume of "The Man Who" series kept me interested - the more I read the better I liked it. Still, pales compared to "Thomas Covenant"....
Interesting book that explores a side of martial arts that maybe not everyone sees. He still manages to make it seem almost too unreal though. But he has a voice I love to hear and a gift for storytelling that is always worth the read.
Jan 08, 2008
Karl
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of tough p.i. mysteries
Shelves:
mystery
An interesting mystery featuring the all-to-common lost soul detective. Worth reading.
May 08, 2013
Brad
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Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist. He earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in New Mexico.
Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled i...more
More about Stephen R. Donaldson...
Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled i...more
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