Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

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ghetto kitty
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

okay rob - you win. mine's not here yet from amazon.

:)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

ghetto kitty wrote:okay rob - you win. mine's not here yet from amazon.

:)

...doh... :|

Sorry, B; hopefully, like a fine wine (rather than cooking vino) it improves in the post!!
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

its okay andrez, still got half a massive novel to go before i get impatient hehehe
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Half a massive novel would take me about 2 months... I'm such a slow reader!! :shock:
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Expert Knob Twiddler »

got my copy as well as 4 book marks.....sweet as. About 30 pages in and lovin it.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Expert Knob Twiddler wrote:got my copy as well as 4 book marks.....sweet as. About 30 pages in and lovin it.

Zounds!! Cheers, EKT. Brilliant to get this kind of feedback (about the bookmarks as much as the content!). :smt003
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by quiet roar »

Hey Andrez, just thought I would let you know that I sold my first "tobacco-stained mountain goat" today. And not to a melbourne beats punter, either! Cover and blurb doing their job.
The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Oh, brilliant!! (not about it being a non-Melbourne Beats persona, but that you sold one anyway!).
We also just got a sweet review here:
http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2011/04/tob ... -book.html
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Apparently this is now available in Readings stores in Melbourne as well.

And don't forget Brunswick Bound:
http://www.brunswickbound.com.au/ ;)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Got a sweet review of the novel over at the Geek Girls site:
http://geekxgirls.com/article.php?ID=88

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WOW. Absolutely blown away that people are "getting" some of my wayward headspace! ;)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

halfway through and LOVING it andrez!

srsly should be made into a movie. i can see it!
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

ghetto kitty wrote:halfway through and LOVING it andrez!

srsly should be made into a movie. i can see it!

...oh, whoa...!! Cheers muchly, and then times than by about a thousand, B - bloody brilliant feedback!!! ;)

Hopefully the second half holds up. And, man, how darned cool would a movie be...?? x
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

yeah its really good. although i must admit, the romantic in me was pretty gutted when laurel got taken too!

loving the movie references too, lol at hylax plastics - soilent green. i think the same thing quite often, and we havent even hit the apocalypse yet!

will kill the last half on the weekend and give you more of my thoughts.

:)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by spazz »

For some reason I never read this thread until just now and find that I am behind the eight-ball in the knowing of something cool.

I will be buying this book, after having flicked through the pdf free copy. It kind of reminds me of China Melville a bit in the style.

Manic noir kinda story. But belated congrats on the publication dude, that shit is cool. Would love to write a book one day.

Also anything that is partly inspired by Blade Runner has got to be allllllight, almost my favourite film of all time.

In short, nice one.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

ghetto kitty wrote:yeah its really good. although i must admit, the romantic in me was pretty gutted when laurel got taken too!

loving the movie references too, lol at hylax plastics - soilent green. i think the same thing quite often, and we havent even hit the apocalypse yet!

will kill the last half on the weekend and give you more of my thoughts.

:)
Thanks again, B - and hang in there; there is a romantic bone somewhere in my body that still surfaces!! ;)
And chuffed you like the Hylax innuendo... xx
Can't wait to hear final verdict (fingers well and truly crossed).

spazz wrote:For some reason I never read this thread until just now and find that I am behind the eight-ball in the knowing of something cool.

I will be buying this book, after having flicked through the pdf free copy. It kind of reminds me of China Melville a bit in the style.

Manic noir kinda story. But belated congrats on the publication dude, that shit is cool. Would love to write a book one day.

Also anything that is partly inspired by Blade Runner has got to be allllllight, almost my favourite film of all time.

In short, nice one.
Spazz, you also rock - ta, mate!!! Thanks for being so into it, and the comparison with China is a nice back-slap I wasn't expecting. :)
My advice? Just bite the bullet and start writing. It's addictive once the flow happens - though you need a LOT of time to devote on these evil babies!! And... heh-heh... I love the old Blade Runner too. Obviously!!

Cheers, mates!
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

Andrez wrote: and hang in there; there is a romantic bone somewhere in my body that still surfaces!! ;)
phew! i love a good romance among the ruins of the end of the world type thing, one needs to have some sort of hope! hahah

tbh its reminding me a little bit of snow crash, which is only my favorite book of all time. i love cyber future fiction!

;)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Precisely, re: romance in a whacked out apocalyptic setting! :stirthepot:

Haven't actually read Snow Crash yet (but heard grand things!), so ta for the comparison!! Have to get it sooner rather than later now, methinks. Oh yeah, and the novel got reviewed in Melbourne Uni newspaper Farrago this week... rather sweetly indeed!! Chuffed I am...
http://union.unimelb.edu.au/farrago/far ... ntain-goat

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Counting my lucky stars that people actually like the bugger!!
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

finished it last night - cracker of a read andrez!

tbh my main criticism is that i was dissappointed it ended so soon, could have read another 600 pages!

srsly, major congrats on pulling off a melb based apocalyptic crime story that definately had the feel and dialogue of a nior film.

im lending it to my old house stu next - major noir film buff!

BIGUPS.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

^ B, thank YOU. Simple as that, matey. Absolutely chuffed (a) you read it, and (b) you actually liked the bugger. The feedback is bloody brilliant, too. Ta!!

Ha Ha Ha... another 500 pages? I think my hair would've turned grey by the time I finished it, but nice to know you would've gone with it if I'd been resilient enough to do so! ;)

Hope your mate Stu digs it too.

Zounds!! x
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by ghetto kitty »

hehe i bet, but i think it reminded me a bit of 'the passage' which is just read too and that was a hunk of a book.
i get sad when the good stories end!

love the premise of another sky too, they are good people!
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Another Sky are great, B - I love 'em (and their concept) to death. :joy:

Isn't it tough when good stories close up shop? You feel like you've lost a mate.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Got another cool review today - @ American Y.A. website Me, My Shelf & I:

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http://www.memyshelfandi.com/2011/05/bo ... ntain.html

Digging the nice feedback; not looking forward, tho', to a bad one! :smt003
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

New review. Nice words about Melbourne as well. ;)

Guy Salvidge, Speculative Fiction Reader, Writer & Reviewer
http://guysalvidge.wordpress.com/2011/0 ... ez-bergen/

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Andrez Bergen’s novel, Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, was released by Another Sky Press a month or two ago. Billed as “Blade Runner with a touch of Sam Spade”, the novel fuses the tropes of the science fiction and detective genres (hardly a new idea in itself) and ends up being something genuinely different from either. And that’s always a good thing. Partly this is because of the post-apocalyptic Melbourne setting, where it never seems to stop raining, but mostly it is due to Bergen’s extensive (and I mean extensive) film references in the novel.

Our P.I.’s name is Floyd and he’s an unhappy sort. He has a sick wife named Veronica who is hospitalised and may soon die. He has a job seeking out deviants, and for this he has ‘The Guide to Deviant Apprehension & Containment’, with its mantra of ‘Seek, Locate, Apprehend, Contain, Terminate [if necessary].’ Basically he’s a bounty hunter, and he’s none too happy about it, hence the copious amounts of alcohol that spill from Floyd’s pores and from these pages. Sometimes he is forced to undergo ‘The Test’, a virtual reality plane where he is subjected to various questions and challenges set by his nefarious employers. Floyd hates his job but he has to continue doing it to pay for Veronica’s ‘Hospitalization.’

This setup seems pretty standard. What is less standard about Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat are those copious film references I mentioned earlier. To give you an example of what I mean, these are the films referenced in the first chapter: The Third Man, Spellbound and The Illustrated Man. Add to this the references to Caberet Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle and you have a post-modern melange that is the most intriguing of novels.

Into this heady mix is thrown a generous dose of the Japanese culture that Bergen himself must know so much about, given that he has lived in Japan for many years. So we have a fossil of an old lady wearing a kimono appearing during ‘The Test’, discussion of the meaning of Japanese words, and more film references, such as to Seven Samurai. This works well in combination with the run-down detective situation, of course recalling the aforementioned Blade Runner. Bergen writes assertively about Japanese culture and it works well enough on a gaijin like me.

Early on we are introduced to the seductive Laurel, who ends up taking the place of the sickly Veronica in Floyd’s life, but not his heart. Floyd’s apartment, apartment 1001, is about as shambolic as the contents of his mind. The only alcohol remaining untouched is a bottle of Siamese vodka, and the only companionship emanates from the actors in films like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon that constantly play on the TV. Like Chandler’s Marlowe, Floyd is very much alone in the world.

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is a novel that manages to be hardboiled and playful at the same time. What might otherwise be unremittingly bleak fare is lightened significantly by Floyd’s filmic imagination and his wisecracking wordplay. With little to sustain him (his diet seems to consist mainly of vodka, salt and vinegar chips, chocolate almonds and cigarettes), Floyd must struggle against both inner and outer demons. Alcohol seems to be the root of his problems, and he seems to get sozzled and beaten, not necessarily in that order, all too frequently. It’s an enjoyable read and one that I can heartily recommend to lovers of Melbourne, the detective genre, old movies, Japanese culture, or preferably all of the above. Rather impressively, the novel even contains an ‘Encyclopedia Tobacciana’, explaining many of the cultural references dotting these pages. There’s even a Glossary and a list of recommended films.

A word on this novel’s publisher, Another Sky Press. Based in Portland, Oregon, Another Sky has adopted a fairly radical publishing platform. Not only can you download their books for free, but if you want a physical copy you only pay how much you think the book deserves, plus a (miniscule) base price which would barely cover the cost of printing. You can read up on Another Sky’s philosophy here. I wholeheartedly approve of these policies and so should you. We need to support small companies such as this one to ensure that off-the-wall titles like Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat reach the audience they deserve.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Interview now up on crime author Allan Guthrie's Criminal-E site...

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Can you tell us a little about our publisher? They have a particularly interesting approach to sales.

I ended up going with my publishers at Another Sky Press in the U.S. mostly because of their philosophy and a superb ‘punk’ ethic I love. I’ll ‘fess up here, I was a post-punk in the late ‘80s with a hack orange mohawk, and even though I’ve always been wary of particular fixed ideals—a lot of punk and hippy concepts drive me batty—I do love the DIY/indie/quid pro quo dream.

Another Sky Press sells the paperback at cost price in order to keep it as cheap as possible for readers—who in turn can set the final price in the purchase by choosing what you’d like to contribute (if anything) to the creative team behind the book. They call this pro-artist, pro-audience system neo-patronage, and it’s along the same lines as Radiohead did.

I really, really dig this system, and I’m glad I chose Another Sky for other reasons as well—they’ve turned out be incredibly supportive, and were the perfect people to embark with in the editing process.


How much difference does an editor make?

In my case—with this novel—a world of difference.

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat was put together over the course of 20 years, tucked neatly away in the rusted-up coin locker that passes itself off as my headspace, and read by no one until Another Sky Press took it on board in 2007. Then I worked in a stop-start manner with Kristopher Young and Bob Young, polishing up the bugger and ironing-out some serious issues. I say ‘stop-start’ because all of us were involved in other projects at the same time, but even so we did divert a helluva lot of attention into fine-tuning the novel.

Also, with Kristopher being an established writer himself—he’s the author of Click, a novel that, luckily, I really dig—I was able to see the book through another writer’s eyes, and you cannot overestimate how much he contributed to the final version. Seriously, without him and the constant support and input of Bob, there would be a significantly different version of TSMG.

I loved working with them. We had our disputes, but always with the greater good in mind.

Funnily enough I didn’t have a clue about the nature of this kind of intimate editor-writer relationship until we began that mad journey!


How long did it take you to write?


Crazily enough, Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat has taken about half my lifetime to finish.

MORE HERE (if you're vaguely interested!):
http://criminal-e.blogspot.com/2011/06/ ... ained.html


Oh yeah, and watch this space for info about the Melbourne book launch of the novel in August. :angel4:

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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Just did this somewhat offbeat (and über-fun) interview with Freya Tomren @ Lip Magazine in Sydney; it might not give you all that much insight into the novel itself, but it does brush up against my unconscious motives, p'raps...

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http://lipmag.com/culture/lip-lit-inter ... tain-goat/

Which brings me to the Melbourne launch: Wednesday 10th August @ For Walls gallery, Miss Libertine. More info soon. ;)
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

ghetto kitty wrote::joy:

YEEWW!!
Ta, B!! Really looking forward to the launch - and getting my arse back to Melbs after almost 2 years away. I need a good dose of flake and chips and a cherry ripe. ;)

BTW, this is my diatribe on kanji and its "symbolism" in Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (I use the word symbolism lightly here; probably self-indulgence is a better tag!). Big thanks to Forces Of Geek:

“In case you don’t know, kanji is the stuff you see on scrolls and painted in big black letters on banners – logographic Chinese characters used in the modern Japanese writing system. Sometimes in movies you see people dabbing big brushes in ink and artily doing strokes across washi paper…

In [Akira] Kurosawa films there’s occasionally kanji that dominates the screen all by itself – accompanied by a sparse, minimal score by a composer like Fumio Hayasaka or Toru Takemitsu – and it’s powerful stuff even if you can’t understand what the devil it says.

So in Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat I decided to do a Kurosawa and throw in meaningful kanji, some of which isn’t even explained in the text – meaning that anyone who scoots through this piece will have a wee bit more insight than anyone having read the book...”

Wayward stuff, right? :smt003

IF YOU'RE STILL SOMEHOW INTERESTED, YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT KANJI & ITS PLACE IN TSMG @ FORCES OF GEEK HERE:
http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2011/06/kanji-can-can.html

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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

TOBACCO-STAINED BOOK LAUNCH SOIREE:
MELBOURNE, WED. AUGUST 10TH

@FOR WALLS, MISS LIBERTINE


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7PM - 10PM.

HACK MAZAK . KITSCH SNACKS. SIGNINGS . Q&A . BOOK SALES . POSTCARDS . A BIG FAT BLACK TEXTA .

MORE INFO HERE:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152173894856521
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Lizkins »

woohoo nice one Andrez :D
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Lizkins wrote:woohoo nice one Andrez :D
Ta, Lizkins!! (and B). :smt003

Really, really looking forward to it - along with some Melbourne-made fish & chips. Yum!! Been 2 years since I was last back.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

This is now also the July Book-Of-The-Month at the Chuck Palahniuk website The Cult. Chuffed.
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by quick »

would read if you missed Parmas the most from melbs... stuff fish n chips :P
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Quick, you mean this place? http://www.mrsparmas.com.au/?

I haven't checked this out, but it looks precisely my cuppa tea... er... beer. Being away from Melbourne for 10 years has meant that I've missed a lot of the essentials that've kicked in over the ensuing decade.

But I pine for good suburban fish & chips, with flake instead of fish. Yum.

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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

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Quite blown away by this: 'Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat' is the Book-Of-The-Month for July @ the Chuck Palahniuk ('Fight Club') website (ta, mates!):
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/forum/1000029 ... ub-july-11

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Plus there're an extensive couple of interviews now up on the SOLARCIDE website with me and my editor Kristopher Young, about the book, the writing experience, and my cool cat publishers Another Sky Press. The chat with Kristopher is cool; mine is more ramble. ;)

http://solarcide.com/special-guest-cont ... ky-part-1/
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

BTW...

...you can now grab the digital version of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat for FREE (for iPad or Kindle)... to road-test it, if you will.

While personally I prefer the paperback - it gives you something to hang onto! - we want people to read our books, even if they read 'em for no charge. That's why we provide digital versions of our releases for an optional contribution. You can contribute up front, or read the entire book before coming back to contribute or buy a bound copy.

Or you can just pay nothing. Up to you. ;)

Check out the freebie download options here:
http://anothersky.org/asp/in-print/toba ... ez-bergen/

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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by deviant »

you just wrecked quiet roar's business :-/
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Actually, naaaah - we figure that giving the chance for people to take a look at the novel (in digital form), let's them see if it's their cuppa tea, and then *maybe* - 'cos we've given them that service - they might be inspired to go buy the paperback itself.

I hope that's the way it works, anyway. Go figure. I'm an idealist. Ha Ha Ha...

:angel9:
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Re: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (novel) out in 2011

Post by Andrez »

Just scored a great book review @ SF Book Reviews (see below) - and the Melbourne launch of the bugger is all set for 3 weeks from tomorrow (Wed. 10th August) at For Walls @ Miss Libertine: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152173894856521

Personally, I can't wait to get back - though swapping humid, 36°C Tokyo weather for Melbourne winter will be a wee bit shocking! ;)

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Melbourne, Australia - a metropolis that at one time was the biggest and wealthiest city in the world, ranked as one of the top three world's most liveable cities and a mecca for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. It also happens to be the only city in the world left standing after a worldwide apocalypse wipes everything else off the planet.

Your narrator for the evening is Floyd Maquina, a likable chap with one hell of a story to share. There is a Deviant menace sweeping the city, a plague that our boy finds himself in the thick of. Cue guns, intrigue, kidnappings, conspiracy and all sorts of general mayhem that make for cracking good headlines. Does Floyd stop the bad guys? Does he get the girl? Does he make Humphrey Bogart proud? Grab some popcorn and read on.

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is quite something else, narrated in the first person by the protagonist, the book has a roguish, affable dialog that makes the reader feel like a close friend is imparting a true story. It also makes heavy references to some of the classic black and white film noir such as The Third Man (paraphrased at the beginning of the novel) and the Maltese Falcon (liberally littered with quotes). This manages to set the scene quite nicely and before long we are led into a post apocalyptic Melbourne, the last city in the world.

The author clearly has a highly developed grasp of the english language, defying conventional story telling methods and creating a unique voice to the narrative that almost feels non-linear. The fact that he manages to succeed here really does speak volumes, the last time I read such defiant wordplay was when I last visited China Miéville's work - although the comparison does stop there - both are vastly different in style and content. In places the author does push these boundaries a little too much, there are a few occasions when it took me a minute to realise the story had shifted from past to present or one dialogue to another but these are really few and far between.

The dialog is quick witted and very offbeat, occasionally sliding into the surreal and this helps to keeps the narrative really fresh, encouraging the reader to pay attention. This isn't one of those novels that you can just switch off half your brain while reading it asks for your undivided right from the start. In style it has a strong noir feel, very much like the hard-boiled detectives such as Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe - but set in a rich post-apocalyptic near future world which has been influenced by the likes of Ridley Scott and Raymond Chandler in equal measure. There also a wonderful infusion of the authors multicultural background, blending Australia with Japan then mixing it up with classic cinematography, creating something very different.

Read more here:
http://sfbook.com/tobacco-stained-mountain-goat.htm
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