The Man Who Fought Alone

The Man Who #4

by Stephen R. Donaldson

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 worked side by side. That was before he accidentally shot and killed a cop. While drunk. A cop who happened to be his brother.

Now Axbrewder-"Brew" to his friends-is trying to make his way back to self-respect. It isn't easy. It doesn't help that Ginny has moved them to the sprawling, heartless Sunbelt city of Carner, where he can't get the "feel" of the streets. At least he has work, handling security in the booming martial-arts industry centered in Carner. A world of modern commercial competition and ancient resentments. A world with hidden stakes, over which someone is evidently willing to kill.

But Brew's real job isn't the one for which he's been hired. His real job is regaining his own self-respect.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Detective, Science Fiction, Crime, Science Fiction Fantasy

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist; in the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R"). He has also written non-fiction under the pen name Reed Stephens.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:

Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled in making or fitting prosthetic devices). Donaldson spent the years between the ages of 3 and 16 living in India, where his father was working as an orthopaedic surgeon. Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University.

INSPIRATIONS:

Donaldson's work is heavily influenced by other fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and William Faulkner. The writers he most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.

It is believed that a speech his father made on leprosy (whilst working with lepers in India) led to Donaldson's creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). The first book in that series, Lord Foul's Bane, received 47 rejections before a publisher agreed to publish it.

PROMINENT WORK:
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.

PERSONAL LIFE:
He currently resides in New Mexico.

THE GRADUAL INTERVIEW

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Donaldson has a genius for words, a ruthless and all-encompassing empathy, and a world class left hook to the reader’s solar plexus. That expressed, the fan begins to exercise self-control. Here we go.

In THE MAN WHO FOUGHT ALONE, “Brew” Axbrewder is recovering from a serious wound and the end of a destructive relationship. Unemployed in an unfamiliar city, he takes a job as extra security, during a display of valuable antiques at a martial arts tournament. Brew is accustomed to win his fights with a combination of skill, bulk, and determination, so at first he looks on the contestants as toy fighters. Gradually he learns to respect them, and, believing that the murder of the Chief of Security is related to the antiques he guards, Brew accepts a position as security consultant for the martial arts center. Murder escalates to deadly riot, with Brew in the middle. Donaldson gives us the essential clue two thirds of the way through the book, but how the hell is Brew going to bring this killer down? Don’t worry, there is plenty of suspense to come.

It has been days since I read FOUGHT, but the characters are still keeping me close company. Discerning, empathic character development is one of Donaldson’s strongest points. Brew Axbrewder has been on a long journey about learning to trust himself, and as always with Brew, the author has caught his tone so perfectly you would think he had been there. Among the other people who insinuate themselves from FOUGHT into our own awareness is Brew’s former partner Ginny, also recovering from a maiming that has cost her self-confidence. Ginny’s boss, Marshall Viviter, charming but Brew’s natural rival, is very helpful to Brew, and Brew can’t figure out why. We meet Brew’s new boss, a developer who appears to have over-reached himself, and a curvaceous, intelligent insurance executive whose friendliness to Brew is completely unexpected. The head of the combined martial arts association is the dangerous Anson Sternway, a fighter so accomplished he awes most of his associates. Sternway’s divorce problems may be damaging his effectiveness. Each of the martial arts masters and several of their students are presented as unique individuals, though at first I almost had to take notes to keep their names and schools straight.

There is a good deal of introductory description of various schools of martial arts. The author has presented sufficient information to give a psychological basis for some of his suspects and troublemakers, but even that much is enough to make the pacing fail, in a lull between events. Some martial artists might take exception to the behavior of certain members of this fictional martial arts community. In his note Donaldson makes a special point of his disclaimer – the “not based on anyone I know” section – and he holds a black belt himself.

The previous three books of this series were very noir indeed. Brew Axbrewder is so well developed and true that we knew that but for the grace of God that could be us. There is an obvious spiritual change in the eleven years since the last Man Who book, and it most likely has to do with the author taking up the study of the Shotokan martial art form. His focus used to be on heroism: the despairing heroism of his Thomas Covenant series, the unconscious heroism of the Man Who series, and the awe-inspiring heroism of The Gap. Now he is reaching beyond, to redemption, and the heroism that is willing not to be alone. THE MAN WHO FOUGHT ALONE is a spiritual journey that is effective partly because it happens so naturally.

With his writing Donaldson can hit like a hammer any time he chooses, because he has made the situations so real, the people so deep, and the words so right. In FOUGHT, his hammer blows have become delicate touches with the potency of a nerve block. They stem from the special talent he has always had for metaphors and single words that lay a situation bare. There is one writing flaw in this series: he overuses the word “murmured.” So the diamond is genuine.

Stephen R. Donaldson is a major name in the science fiction world, best seller and winner of multiple awards including the John W. Campbell Award for the first book in his beautifully written, heart-wrenching Thomas Covenant fantasy series. His hard science fiction series The Gap throws deeply complex characters into a five book long adrenaline ride, with plot twists that can leave a reader frozen in shock. Those eleven books would total genius even if you didn’t take into account his non-series writings.

Probably because of the connection of his name with science fiction, Donaldson’s publishers went to some lengths in the 1980s to hide the authorship of the first three books of this mystery series: THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER, THE MAN WHO RISKED HIS PARTNER, and THE MAN WHO TRIED TO GET AWAY. There was even a misleading author bio at the backs of the books. It has only recently been publicly acknowledged who was behind the obscure pen name of Reed Stephens and a series that received very little public attention. Finally in the 2000's with the disguise revealed and the increased popularity of noir mystery, they were republished under the author’s own name.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man Who Fought Alone is the fourth in The Man Who series and also the longest book of the four. This is a great story that capitalizes on Donaldson’s knowledge of and involvement in the martial arts. Ginny plays a very small part in this one, so we get to see Mick - sorry! Brew - working to find out who he is without Ginny, battling his personal demons and recovering from his previous gunshot wound and former alcoholism. All while in over his head on a case that involves competing schools of martial arts (think The Karate Kid for adults), historic artifacts, cultural differences, murder, theft, mayhem and just possibly a chance at redemption.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author is still my favorite author but this series was beyond awful.

I can't believe I paid for these books. I also can't believe he supposedly went back and did revisions on them. They still suck.

The first and third books were ok, just ok. but this last one, was like slow torture.

There was not one likable character , the theme was geared only to those who have a deep love of martial arts and like shallow and stereotypical characters.

The main character "Brew" was flat flat flat and unlikeable. His "partner" Ginny was awful and well.. trust me, pass on this one.

[Lifely Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a quick read for how many pages it had.
I didn't figure out who the killer was until the very last chapters which was a cool experience.
The protagonist 'Brew' isn't the most likable protagonist but that's exactly why I enjoyed him so much.
It's obvious in his style of writing that Donaldson is usually a fantasy author, but this was still a great read.

[Ms K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Donaldson’s genre

I am notoriously poor at figuring out mysteries, but this was obvious. Character study excellent of main characters and the mechanisms of alcohol dependence and codependency are well drawn.

[Anthony McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masochism

Getting angry at the lead character but then reading more, then getting mad again, I must be a masochist to keep doing this to myself, but I love this series, even if Brew needs his head rattling!

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang, I did not figure who the bad guy was until the protagonist did.

[Bingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axbrewder will take you higher!

[Bob Stenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a landscape that I do not know well. That being martial arts but it was a well written book .

[Joe Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1980 to 1990, author Stephen R. Donaldson veered away from his usual sci-fi and fantasy genres to pen a loose trilogy of detective novels under the pseudonym Reed Stephens (reportedly the publisher's decision, not his). In 2001 he returned to the series with this title under his own name, followed by a reprinting of the earlier three. I don't know if Donaldson consciously framed this book so that readers wouldn't have to be familiar with the previous volumes, but it was the first one I ever read back in high school, and I still think it stands pretty well on its own.

As a writer, Donaldson is rather preoccupied with the theme of redemption, and while that can sometimes feel myopic -- in that he tends to focus on how a sin hurts the soul of the sinner over the impact on any actual victims -- it's a good fit for the damaged hero of a noir investigation like this, doggedly pursuing justice as a means of atoning for his own past. Here, that's a recovering alcoholic tasked with handling security at a martial arts tournament, where traditional rivalries add hidden tensions to the already difficult personal and professional challenges.

A few elements are clunkier than I remember, and the overall narrative is probably heavier on certain Asian / Asian-American stereotypes than it could have been. (It's become an unintended time capsule of early cell phones and GPS-free navigation now too, which further adds to the distancing.) But it still offers a gripping plot and eventual whodunnit despite all that, and Donaldson's own black-belt experience adds great realism to the background of the different fighting schools. As with his speculative fiction, however, it's the flawed characters striving to be better who really bring the story to life.

Nearly twenty years on, this is still the latest The Man Who case, and it's a generally satisfying send-off to the venture. I wouldn't completely rule out another return at some point, but if this is where we leave Mick Axbrewder for good, it's definitely in a healthier state than usual.

[Content warning for racism including slurs.]

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[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 apartment in a new city (which I thought of as an unflattering portrayal of Dallas) while he heals from his wounds and looking for work.

His search takes him into the honor-and-rage-riddled world of Martial Arts, swimming among trained warriors who could kill him without thinking. When the curmudgeonly Hotel Security director that hired him is found murdered in the men's room, Axbrewder makes the case personal and sets himself on a road that will take him deep into the dangerous worlds of Asian fighting styles and those who study them. On the way, he'll find some redemption.

Stephen Donaldson is such a talented storyteller that I suspect even his grocery list crackles with dramatic tension. I have actively tried to read everything he's ever written. After I got past the initial burst of self-loathing, this story caught me in its can't-put-it-down energy. Axbrewder finds himself in the middle of four martial arts schools that hate and mistrust each other with rules of honor that he just doesn't comprehend. The wrong move could result in a crushed larynx or a broken neck. The sense of threat is palpable and the pages gasp with tension.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book because I'd very much enjoyed the other three Axbrewder novels. Donaldson has a knack for this genre, something I hadn't known at all about until this past August when I purchased a signed copy of The Man Who Killed His Brother, signed by author "Reed Stephens, aka Stephen R. Donaldson". Being a fan of Donaldson's Gap series of Science Fiction, and the characters he brings alive, I read it immediately. Damn glad I did. That, and the two other books that followed it in quick succession made me search out the 4th book, written sometime later, in 2001, long after becoming much better known for his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series.
However, about this book: it is perhaps the final Axbrewder book? Because, while Axbrewder's story is not concluded, it is certainly a great follow-through on the preceding books. Axbrewder continues to develop, even perhaps to transcend himself, the crime mysteries are just as hard to solve, and you care about the people in this novel, perhaps even more than before. The story picks up momentum immediately, and hauls you halfway through a 492-page paperback before you can stop to rest. From there, it does take a while to recover that pace, but a little patience is worth the effort. Donaldson researches his subject matter thoroughly, and sometimes his penchant for exposition takes over, but it all makes sense in the end, and you understand why he had to go into such depth of subject matter for a work of fiction.
Donaldson, writing about crime and detectives, is at least on a par with Dashiell Hammett, John D. MacDonald, and the best of this genre, if not a cut above. The depth of his characters and insights into their personal tragedies is amazing. Put simply, the man writes literature worth reading.

[Tufty McTavish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this 4th chapter in the series, probably my favourite out of the set in actual fact. The first book is about a drunk; the second about protection, and danger; the third a horrible mystery event weekend, and the fourth about martial arts. Now, I have absolutely zero interest in such a topic but the way the main man of the series is unleashed in this entry makes it more interesting than I expected. Plus apparently he's a complete stud. Who knew?

Must admit I struggled a bit with noting which side everybody was on, not being familiar with Chinese, Japanese and Korean politics or issues (and one name sounds like any other I have to confess, which made it harder to keep track of who was who). Also one spoken line about 2/3 of the way through the book got repeated when it happened and the whole mystery became completely obvious from that point on. Our hero struggled with a few misdirections but he caught up with the reader in the end.

After really disliking book 3 in the series I put off starting this title. Glad I got to it while the previous events were still fresh. Perhaps that helped me enjoy it more.

[JHM · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 was set at a martial arts tournmanet, and Donaldson spent far too much time commenting on the protagonist's lack of respect for the martial arts in general and the passionate and (in the hero's opinion) eccentric attitudes of the martial arts themselves. There were great, gritty, surprising scenes, like a visit to an illegal fight club, but these were few and far between. This character belonged in a far more streamlined story.

If Donaldson takes this character for another outing I'll pick it up in paperback, but I wouldn't recommend this book on its own merits.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favorite of the series. Partly because a large part of the book involve various martial arts schools and I'm not 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.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely down on his luck p.i. protects martial arts artifacts that some are willing to kill for.

I thought the mystery part was a great example of noir written in a contemporary voice. The martial arts parts I was not fond of. Either the protagonist is completely dismissive of martial arts or he is completely awestruck by the mystical masters.

[Johann · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

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"....

[Joe Noir · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mystery featuring the all-to-common lost soul detective. Worth reading.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first by Donaldson. Solid, but mundane

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile to get into. Not a bad read, but not an amazing awesome read either.

[David Blaylock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last book in the series?