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Fight Card
Fight Card: Against the Ropes
The year is 1925 and pugilistic prowess is discussed anywhere and everywhere. On the tough streets of New York City, boxer Terry Quinn is on the rise. The heavyweight title is within his grasp but the gangsters pulling the strings in the fight racket have other ideas and will do whatever it takes to get Quinn in line.
Now the above plot is certainly nothing new in fight pulps but what Terrence McCauley does with it most certainly is. Quinn is no knight in shining armor but he does have personal dignity and watching his journey through the ever deepening mire of corruption, intimidation, murder and rackets makes for compelling reading. He may not be a saint but you do root for him as he struggles with choices that will affect not only the rest of his life but the safety of the people he cares about.
The pace is quick, the action intense and Quinn's fate is pulled off with feeling. Hard answers to hard questions drive a story that isn't going where you think it is and make for one heck of a ride you don't want to miss.
Set up as a prequel to his novel, Prohibition, it's easy to think that Against the Ropes is more a marketing ploy than a solid stand alone work. Jaded readers will expect a cliff-hanger ending as a means to 'force' you to buy the novel from Airship 27.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, the two works deal with the same lead character but Against the Ropes tells its own complete story and I did not feel slighted in the least having not read the follow-up novel. You don't have to read the next story after finishing Against the Ropes, it satisfies on its own, but you'll want to. Terry Quinn is that engaging a character and I suspect the reverse is also true. If you came to the work through Prohibition, you'll want to pick up this Fight Card yarn to see where it all began.
The bottom line is that Against the Ropes is one of the strongest Fight Card offerings and that's saying a lot as all of the installments I've read have been dynamite. Don't miss it.
Now the above plot is certainly nothing new in fight pulps but what Terrence McCauley does with it most certainly is. Quinn is no knight in shining armor but he does have personal dignity and watching his journey through the ever deepening mire of corruption, intimidation, murder and rackets makes for compelling reading. He may not be a saint but you do root for him as he struggles with choices that will affect not only the rest of his life but the safety of the people he cares about.
The pace is quick, the action intense and Quinn's fate is pulled off with feeling. Hard answers to hard questions drive a story that isn't going where you think it is and make for one heck of a ride you don't want to miss.
Set up as a prequel to his novel, Prohibition, it's easy to think that Against the Ropes is more a marketing ploy than a solid stand alone work. Jaded readers will expect a cliff-hanger ending as a means to 'force' you to buy the novel from Airship 27.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, the two works deal with the same lead character but Against the Ropes tells its own complete story and I did not feel slighted in the least having not read the follow-up novel. You don't have to read the next story after finishing Against the Ropes, it satisfies on its own, but you'll want to. Terry Quinn is that engaging a character and I suspect the reverse is also true. If you came to the work through Prohibition, you'll want to pick up this Fight Card yarn to see where it all began.
The bottom line is that Against the Ropes is one of the strongest Fight Card offerings and that's saying a lot as all of the installments I've read have been dynamite. Don't miss it.
- GenresCollections
124 pages, Ebook
First published February 11, 2013
13 people want to read
About the author
Jack Tunney
43 books15 followersJack Tunney is the unifying pen name for authors of the FIGHT CARD series - created by Mel Odom and Paul Bishop. Up-and-coming new authors, such as Eric Beetner, David Foster, Kevin Michaels, and Heath Lowrance have all penned entries in the series alongside more established names in the field such as Wayne D. Dundee, Bishop, and Odom.
The books in the Fight Card series are 25,000 word novelettes, designed to be read in one or two sittings, and are inspired by the fight pulps of the '30s and '40s - such as Fight Stories Magazine - and Robert E. Howard's two-fisted boxing tales featuring Sailor Steve Costigan.
Each of the novellas is short, sharp and packs a punch.
FOR MORE VISIT www.fightcardbooks.com
The books in the Fight Card series are 25,000 word novelettes, designed to be read in one or two sittings, and are inspired by the fight pulps of the '30s and '40s - such as Fight Stories Magazine - and Robert E. Howard's two-fisted boxing tales featuring Sailor Steve Costigan.
Each of the novellas is short, sharp and packs a punch.
FOR MORE VISIT www.fightcardbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2013
Terry Quinn is a boxer with a huge heart and a mean punch. This Fight Card entry takes place in 1925. It was a time of speakeasies, tough guys, and bootlegging in New York City. Terry Quinn is fighting his way up to win the heavyweight championship of the world. All he has to do is win one more fight and then he has the chance to fight Jack Dempsey. The only problem is this last boxer is one of Archie Doyle's guys. Archie Doyle owns everything in town from the speakeasies to the police. Now, he wants Quinn to take a dive. Terry Quinn does not like anyone trying to keep him down.
I loved how clean and neat Terrence McCauley wrote this story. It was sharp and to the point, but you still felt Quinn's emotions and the contact of the boxing glove with his opponent's jaw. I was so happy to see that Terry Quinn's story will continue in McCauley's novel, PROHIBITION. I enjoyed this whole book and it left me with a smile on my face.
I loved how clean and neat Terrence McCauley wrote this story. It was sharp and to the point, but you still felt Quinn's emotions and the contact of the boxing glove with his opponent's jaw. I was so happy to see that Terry Quinn's story will continue in McCauley's novel, PROHIBITION. I enjoyed this whole book and it left me with a smile on my face.
June 15, 2013
Though I'd read several "Fight Card" entries already, that's not how I came to "Against the Ropes." I first encountered Terry Quinn, Terrence McCauley's very interesting tough-guy hero, in the "Thuglit 1" collection. I was impressed. So it came as a pleasant surprise to find that Quinn was the star of a "Fight Card" outing. It delivers on all counts: great atmosphere (here we have Roaring Twenties New York City), character (Quinn's blend of physicality and smarts is just right), and action (the ring scenes are done as well as you could want for a series devoted to boxing). The other big treat I got was to find that there's another Quinn adventure. If you liked this, you'll surely like "Prohibition" -- I dived into that one straight away.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews