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The Man Who Fought Alone
Stephen R. Donaldson Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Man Who Fought Alone
"
Stephen Donaldson
Forge, Nov 2001, 27.95, 463 pp.
ISBN: 0765302020

    Life stinks if you ask former private detective Mick “Brew” Axbrewder. The accidental killing of his brother years ago will always haunt Brew, a recovering alcoholic. Brew's former partner his beloved Ginny Fistoulari has barely been civil to him since he killed his sibling. He understands why Ginny loathes him, but all Brew wants is another chance to redeem what is left of his life even if Ginny is never at his side again.

    While Ginny finds work with another sleuth, an apprehensive Brew accepts a security job at martial arts tournament. Surprisingly, at least to Brew, is how deep two rival schools hate each other as both claim ownership of antique Chinese print blocks containing martial art poses. When someone is killed, Brew believes the murder is associated with the valuable blocks, but struggles to uncover whom committed murder.

    In the fourth “The Man Who” series, Stephen Donaldson provides quite an antihero battling his own problems in a seemingly futile attempt to salvage his scarred soul. The who-done-It of THE MAN WHO FOUGHT ALONE engages the audience though the culprit seems obvious relatively early into the plot. Still, readers will relish this tale because Brew's quest for redemption makes his efforts to solve the murder quite appealing to readers in this terse private investigator thriller.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Man Who Fought Alone
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Man Who Fought Alone
Underkill by Leonard Chang
The Red Scream by Mary Willis Walker
The Man Who Killed His Brother by Stephen R. Donaldson
Dead Midnight by Marcia Muller
Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton


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