Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat book launch party 10/8

[Andrez]

TOBACCO-STAINED BOOK LAUNCH SOIREE:

MELBOURNE, WED. AUGUST 10TH

@FOR WALLS, MISS LIBERTINE

This'll be the Australian launch party for this post-apocalyptic noir novel based in Melbourne - my old hometown. Hope you can trundle along, since I'll be down from Tokyo for the week (I desperately need my fix of friends, family, and Melbourne-made fish & chips).

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

FEEDBACK FOR THE NOVEL

“Flows effortlessly; smart, mesmerizingly dark and difficult to put down.” [VICE MAGAZINE]

“A Third Man/Matrix/Blade Runner/Dashiell Hammett melange that is engrossing, intriguing and surprising.” [THE AGE]

"An engrossing and visual read—some really gorgeous, subtle moments." [LIP MAGAZINE]

"A great read; a well-rounded book from a well-rounded individual." [FARRAGO]

“Original and intriguing.” [FILMINK]

“Quite the offbeat P.I. novel.” [SONS OF SPADE]

“A jam-packed roller coaster that’s as affecting as it is exciting and gripping.” [IMPACT MAGAZINE]

"A post-modern melange that is the most intriguing of novels... Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is a novel that manages to be hardboiled and playful at the same time." [GUY SALVIDGE]

"It's a cigar-puffing, whiskey-sipping, piano playing bar lout, and the book will stir up a whole bunch of memories of black-and-white imagery." [SOLARCIDE]

"Does a fabulous job of highlighting the complexities and dangers of current world social, economic and political climates."

[THE FUTURE FIRE]

[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/tobacco-stained-mountain-goat-andrez-bergen/

[Cupe]

dope

I'll get the paperback when I have some spare coin

[Andrez]

Ta, Cupe!

Just scored a great book review today @ 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!

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