Customer Reviews

Doorway of Darkness: A Superhero Novel [Axiom-man Saga Book 2]

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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Arch-nemesis, Redsaw, has dire plans for Winnipeg and the rest of the world, but his protagonist, Axiom-man, stands ready to defend. A.P. Fuchs ushers the reader on a nonstop thrill-ride, where the forces of light and darkness collide in epic proportions. This time round, Axiom-man will face his greatest foe, but will his greatest foe be too much to handle? Only one way to find out.

First Night Out: A Superhero Novel [Axiom-man Saga Episode No. 0]
Axiom-man: A Superhero Novel [Axiom-man Saga, Book 1]
The Dead Land: A Superhero/Zombie Novel [Axiom-man Saga, Episode No. 1]
Black Water: A Cthulhu Story [Axiom-man Saga] (Digital Monsters)

In his second novel-length adventure, Axiom Man is forced to confront a villian who gets stronger with every person he kills--making this a much darker (and at times, serious) read than the first installment. "Redsaw" is an antagonist to die for (pun inteded), and really gives our hero much to fight for (physicallty, mentally, and spiritually).

Besides having to deal with Redsaw, someone has discovered Axiom Man's secret identity and is threatening to expose him if he fails to do as he's told (one request to rescue a little girl from an abusive father freaks Axiom Man out as she's from the same school he attended as a child).

To further complicate matters, Axiom Man's powers become unsteady and begin to affect everything in his life (including his relationship with love interest Valerie). A nice part of the novel features AM's struggle trying to find out if his declined powers have something to do with his own faith (or lack thereof).

Despite a standard "comic book" ending that screams for a sequel (which I wouldn't mind), DOORWAY OF DARKNESS lives up to its title by being a very dark episode in the life of Gabriel Gerrison--I MEAN--Axiom Man. And don't let the comic book-looking cover fool you: There's some haunting and violent images here that go beyond standard superhero fare (one scene inside an arena as Axiom and Redsaw battle is quite gruesome, with bodies lying all over the place and others trying to escape the maniacal villain).

At 374 pages, this is a lengthy (but fun and thought-provoking) time that dwarfs the first novel by a long shot. I can't wait to see how Axiom Man deals with the undead in the upcoming novella, AXIOM MAN EPISODE 1: THE DEAD LAND (which will be of interest to zombie completists).

I listened to Mr. Fuchs first Axiom Man book through his podcasts. I probably wouldn't have bought this book based on his reading of the book, but I'm a sucker for comic heroes. In this story the criminal and Axiom man continue their fight as well as the growth of the characters. The love interest for Axiom man is also throughout the book, personally I can't stand her. The book is an easy read and if it did not have multiple murders and details about what was going on would be a good youth centered book. I did enjoy the book, but not enough that I think I'll search out any of Mr. Fuch's other Axiom Man stories.