- Paperback: 234 pages
- Publisher: Another Sky Press (April 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0984559701
- ISBN-13: 978-0984559701
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,191,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat
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Product Description
Product Description
Cut to Melbourne, Australia--the most glamorous city in the world. It also happens to be the only one left standing, but nevermind that, we're there now and I'd like you to meet your narrator, a certain Floyd Maquina, a likable chap with one hell of a story to share. See, the powers that be are knuckling down on the Deviant menace that plagues the city, and our boy Floyd's unknowingly got himself in the thick of it. 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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An equal part love-letter to noir film and post-apocalyptic sci-fi, shaken not stirred.,
This review is from: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (Paperback)
"Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat" starts out paraphrasing the opening soliloquy from the Graham Greene-scripted "The Third Man", and ends rather bravely reinventing dialog from Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon". Whether it's snatched from the book or the closely-related 1941 film by John Huston doesn't matter, since the underlying ideal of this novel is to sever the definition (and underlying prejudices) that often exist between the written word and its cinematic offshoot.In fact the writer, Andrez Bergen, more often places pride-of-place upon the film versions via his protagonist Floyd Maquina, who idolizes Bogie -- shades of Jean-Paul Belmondo's Michel in "Breathless" -- and Bogart's fellow actor George Sanders. A self-confessed film-buff who sees the world around him in tones of monochrome and color, Maquina has a fondness for the bottle reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade or Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe -- but perhaps more in-keeping with Hammett's Nick Charles from "The Thin Man". Maquina does a dirty job yet has a conscience that weighs heavier than the Titanic, and is hell bent on a journey of self-destruction through a post-apocalyptic world on its knees, inside a city that's as insidious as it is delusional. Bergen has a penchant for quick, witty dialog moments that border on the surreal, while the characters around Maquina are both painted with absolute care and pushed to offbeat edges. Hidden amidst these are about a million and one TV and movie references, some crystal clear and others obscure. The reverential homage to 1940s and '50s detective noir sits pretty alongside nods to the classic Hollywood musical like "Top Hat". The influences of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" and Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" are all too clear, along with Japanese anime and '70s Asian cinema, compressed into a knowing understanding of Australian culture and slang. Then there are the little red herrings between the lines -- off-the-cuff references to things like "Star Trek", "Winnie-the-Pooh", "The 300 Spartans" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade", which were some of the ones I recognized; others I'm sure are there yet still to be found. Personally speaking, I found some of the movie allusions overpowering, especially the ones I haven't seen, but it did stoke my interest in heading out to the local DVD store to check these out. What does work here is the developing relationship between Maquina and his principle "femme fatale", Laurel Canyon, which is intriguing and moving, while the bad guys steal the show with some of their bizarre dialog and interaction. If anything, this makes me want to re-watch The Maltese Falcon", "The Third Man" and "The Big Sleep" all over again. And I think we really can now add Maquina into any future hard-boiled/noir list that might include Spade, Marlowe, Mike Hammer, Lee Blanchard, V.I. Warshawski and Karl Craven.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A mad carzy world!,
By McDroll "F. Johnson" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (Kindle Edition)
Have you ever read a book that you've been really looking forward to but after you're a few pages in you just know that it isn't for you? Read on, I've got more to say!Andrez Bergen's Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is amazing, outstanding, clever, entertaining, (oh heck! how I wish I could write like this...) and the book that I almost gave up on. We've all experienced one of those guys in the pub who is a total film buff or music geek and once he's got you in his gaze doesn't stop telling you about rare 1972 picture disc imports by Pink Floyd until you have literally collapsed in a heap under the table. You know how painful that is, right? I had that feeling of dread when I started reading this amazing (yes it is wonderful) book. How wrong was I? Yes, it is littered with references to so many aspects of 20th century culture that if you were to pile them all up and take them to the recycling depot you would need an articulated lorry, but as the story starts to kick in and you begin to get a handle on what's going on in this post-apocalypse world inside some huge plastic dome in Melbourne (trust me, it works) you will get totally hooked on this Orwellian Brave New World where the rich are protected from every hardship and the rest struggle to get by amid acid rain and polluted food supplies. Once I had connected to the Dr Who / Star Trek part of my brain, everything fell into place. Floyd, the protagonist, could easily be David Tennant trying to evade the Cybermen as he tries to find out why society has become so corrupt and ultimately saves the planet yet again mashed up with trials on the holodeck on the Starship Enterprise. Floyd, it has to be said, is a very reluctant hero and would rather nurse a bottle of cheap vodka and prescription meds lying on his sofa than avenging his wife's death. But this damaged man who seemingly has had his freedom of choice and liberty taken away somehow manages to make you believe that he can make a difference in this horrible, deluded and damaged world. I love how multi-layered Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is, not like a huge sandwich filled with peperami, cheese, tomato, lettuce, chicken and bacon but more like a huge bowl of broth full of every kind of vegetable, bean, rice and barley that you've every known in your life. Every spoonful brings a different flavour and texture and the aroma is just divine So I am ashamed to say that I was totally and utterly wrong because this is a fabulous work that shows off the huge potential of Andrez Bergen's talent. Please don't be stupid like me and go read it!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When is a goat not a goat?,
By Terry Rance "Terry Rance" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (Paperback)
The book may be called Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, the front cover artwork may include a dapper goat in a smoking jacket, wielding a martini, and the back may be graced by a svelte goat in a cocktail dress and gloves - but don't let all this fool your senses. The goat seems to be a play on symbolism that runs through the story and yet it's a minor part of it. More vital is the stab at a "regular guy" stuck in a realm of madness, along the lines of Yossarian in Catch-22 or Paul Hackett in After Hours, with all the humour (and horror) that entails. On top this is a solid and creative homage to the hardboiled detective genre. All up, it's a gripping ride with a sense of humour and a heart.
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