Daredevil: The Cutting Edge

Rating:
Summary: Neutral Rating, disappointed by format
Review: Caveat Emptor -- this is a novel, not a graphic novel. The book is only graphically enhanced on the chapter separator pages. I was optimistic and disappointed, since I hate the idea of novel adaptations of comic or other kinds of sci-fi/movie/superhero characters. I hope I save some people the hassle of having to return a book they didn't want. Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Neutral Rating, disappointed by format
Review: Caveat Emptor -- this is a novel, not a graphic novel. The book is only graphically enhanced on the chapter separator pages. I was optimistic and disappointed, since I hate the idea of novel adaptations of comic or other kinds of sci-fi/movie/superhero characters. I hope I save some people the hassle of having to return a book they didn't want. Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Robins succeeds at capturing the essense of the characters
Review: Daredevil: The Cutting Edge was good, entertaining reading. Madeleine Robins' greatest success was capturing the essense of Daredevil and his supporting cast. Daredevil, Karen Page and all the others "felt" like they do in the Daredevil comic book. I was just as interested in reading Daredevil's exploits as "blind" lawyer, Matt Murdock or those of his compatriots, Karen, Foggy Nelson and Ben Urich, as I was Daredevil himself.

Robins plays with current events a bit, concerning the extents to which genetic engineering can go awry and be abused by renegade corporations. She also did enough homework on legal practices to make Murdock's lawyerly scenes believable. Matt, Foggy and Rosalind Sharpe all behave in a way that made me believe they were lawyers. (Better than you can say for the cast of Ally McBeal, anyway!)

The villains are a tad on the "evil for evil's sake" side, but Robins tries to convey that primary villainess, Belinda Quayle, is wicked due to her cold, blue-blooded upbringing. As for "The Cutter," there isn't much in the way of explanation for his wickedness. Just one of those cardboard cut-ups that heroes need to beat some sense into.

Daredevil is such a great street-level super hero character, that you almost don't have to mention the other goings-on in the Marvel Universe. And I sort of wish Robins didn't. Dr. Doom and a few other Marvel ne'er do wells are mentioned from time to time and it sort of throws the story off a bit. It almost would have been better if they weren't mentioned at all and that for the sake of the story, Daredevil inhabited his own universe. However, it's probably not Robins' fault. I suspect it's a Marvel edict that some mention of the other players in the Marvel Universe get mentioned. It's a fairly minor nit, but this does detract a bit from the story.

The overall mystery of the story doesn't quite hold water at times. There are tons of clues and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed Daredevil didn't figure it out sooner. All the pieces were there, but Robins doesn't quite allow him to be as smart as he should be given what we know about the character from the comics.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. It has well-choreographed action scenes peppered throughout the story and great character interaction. When Daredevil or the supporting characters in the story encountered problems or were hurt, I felt sympathetic toward them. Robins successfully gives her characters life and makes you root for them.

If you're looking for a fun read featuring your favorite red-clad guardian of Hell's Kitchen and you'd like to see him in another medium besides comics, I highly recommend Daredevil: The Cutting Edge.

Rating:
Summary: Robins succeeds at capturing the essense of the characters
Review: Daredevil: The Cutting Edge was good, entertaining reading. Madeleine Robins' greatest success was capturing the essense of Daredevil and his supporting cast. Daredevil, Karen Page and all the others "felt" like they do in the Daredevil comic book. I was just as interested in reading Daredevil's exploits as "blind" lawyer, Matt Murdock or those of his compatriots, Karen, Foggy Nelson and Ben Urich, as I was Daredevil himself.

Robins plays with current events a bit, concerning the extents to which genetic engineering can go awry and be abused by renegade corporations. She also did enough homework on legal practices to make Murdock's lawyerly scenes believable. Matt, Foggy and Rosalind Sharpe all behave in a way that made me believe they were lawyers. (Better than you can say for the cast of Ally McBeal, anyway!)

The villains are a tad on the "evil for evil's sake" side, but Robins tries to convey that primary villainess, Belinda Quayle, is wicked due to her cold, blue-blooded upbringing. As for "The Cutter," there isn't much in the way of explanation for his wickedness. Just one of those cardboard cut-ups that heroes need to beat some sense into.

Daredevil is such a great street-level super hero character, that you almost don't have to mention the other goings-on in the Marvel Universe. And I sort of wish Robins didn't. Dr. Doom and a few other Marvel ne'er do wells are mentioned from time to time and it sort of throws the story off a bit. It almost would have been better if they weren't mentioned at all and that for the sake of the story, Daredevil inhabited his own universe. However, it's probably not Robins' fault. I suspect it's a Marvel edict that some mention of the other players in the Marvel Universe get mentioned. It's a fairly minor nit, but this does detract a bit from the story.

The overall mystery of the story doesn't quite hold water at times. There are tons of clues and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed Daredevil didn't figure it out sooner. All the pieces were there, but Robins doesn't quite allow him to be as smart as he should be given what we know about the character from the comics.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. It has well-choreographed action scenes peppered throughout the story and great character interaction. When Daredevil or the supporting characters in the story encountered problems or were hurt, I felt sympathetic toward them. Robins successfully gives her characters life and makes you root for them.

If you're looking for a fun read featuring your favorite red-clad guardian of Hell's Kitchen and you'd like to see him in another medium besides comics, I highly recommend Daredevil: The Cutting Edge.

Rating:
Summary: Now this is more like it.
Review: Having been very unhappy with the Kevin Smith Daredevil stories, I was pleasently surprised that Daredevil; The Cutting Edge by Madelline E. Robbins was as good a read as it was. Mostly because she writes it as a good detective story. I was very pleased with this book. Maybe I will ignore Marvel Comics in the future and pay more attention to the Marvel Novels as they are written by good writers.

Rating:
Summary: Now this is more like it.
Review: Having been very unhappy with the Kevin Smith Daredevil stories, I was pleasently surprised that Daredevil; The Cutting Edge by Madelline E. Robbins was as good a read as it was. Mostly because she writes it as a good detective story. I was very pleased with this book. Maybe I will ignore Marvel Comics in the future and pay more attention to the Marvel Novels as they are written by good writers.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment - ordinary story and a weak author
Review: I bought this book only because of the positive response from the former reviewers. I must say that I was disappointed.

Madeleine Robins is clearly a weak author. She tries very hard not to use words that a twelve year old wouldn't understand and succeeds - by a margin. The story is the same as in an ordinary comicbook, but this time it lacks the pictures and graphics. Robins descriptions doesn't make up for that lacking.

This one is purely for the fans. The rest of us should go back to comicbooks and skip this failure of trying to convert a good tale to the wrong media.

Rating:
Summary: Extreme entertainment
Review: i may only have given 3 stars but that is only because i cant give it 3 and a half. I started reading this book on my summer road trip and i usually have all day to quitely read in the back seat and let me tell you this book is a page turner from front to back. dont beleive some of the reveiws on the book because there is not a whole lot of action and when there is it is extremely good. the book focuses more on the story of louis bastuto who with the help of attorney matt murdock will clear his name from the charges placed on him by renantech. The climactic fight scene is ok. the murder is very predictable. this book is very good for entertainment and i will probably read it again but if your looking for something action packed dont get the book if your into the whole side story of laws and boring conversations. the author did a great job non the less, good character development and good description. looking forward to the next daredevil book.

Rating:
Summary: Extreme entertainment
Review: i may only have given 3 stars but that is only because i cant give it 3 and a half. I started reading this book on my summer road trip and i usually have all day to quitely read in the back seat and let me tell you this book is a page turner from front to back. dont beleive some of the reveiws on the book because there is not a whole lot of action and when there is it is extremely good. the book focuses more on the story of louis bastuto who with the help of attorney matt murdock will clear his name from the charges placed on him by renantech. The climactic fight scene is ok. the murder is very predictable. this book is very good for entertainment and i will probably read it again but if your looking for something action packed dont get the book if your into the whole side story of laws and boring conversations. the author did a great job non the less, good character development and good description. looking forward to the next daredevil book.

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: It's a frightening thought that Daredevil faces off aginst a villian who is invisable to his rader senses, but that's what happens in this well wriiten novel by Madeleine E. Robbins. This is a thrilling story which gives Matt Murdock and his supporting cast of friends (Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Ben Urich) important roles to play in the course of the story. All in all, a great Daredevil novel, which should be enjoyed by all DD fans.