Most of the rest of the world is gone and Melbourne is often referred to as ‘the last city’. The rich and famous live comfortably opulent lives inside the Dome, which covers what used to be the Melbourne CBD. The poor and unwanted are forced to live in the harsh world outside the Dome, where crime is rife, the pollutants in the sky block 99% of the sun’s light, and acid rain is almost always falling. It is essentially a totalitarian state, where the Brazil-like government utilizes Blade Runner style Seekers to hunt down ‘Deviants’.

Like all good totalitarian governments, the definition of a Deviant is broad and can change at a moments notice to include anyone they want to target at the time. There is a touch of mystery involved, and to be honest it isn’t all that hard to figure out — but that doesn’t matter, because the journey we take with Floyd as he figures it out is so much fun.

READ MORE HERE @ NERD CULTURE PODCAST.

Of course, that was only the initial impact, the promise of a dystopian tale with noir influences were the elements that presented the case of Andrez Bergen’s “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat” with more power when it came to reasoning the reading of the novel. Post-apocalyptic fiction can be seen as a genre on itself. With the news feeds presenting our world as in brink of collapse it is a popular trend too, but not often the settings of these stories are diverse. However, “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat” takes place in Melbourne, the only city in the wide world surviving an apocalyptic event. Why the world as we know it came to an end is a question that remains unanswered, as it is left the one of why Melbourne is the only standing metropolis following this catastrophe. But looking over the story of the novel these questions can be rendered easily rather personal curiosity and they held no importance for the development of the plot.

These are only events that led to the present lived in “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat” and together with assembling pieces create the setting of the story. An interesting setting, a society that did not die completely with the apocalyptic event, but continued its existence in an adapted form, keeping however plenty of its original features. The economic and political system and the social stratification adopt the characteristics of the new reality and not for the better. The society doesn’t seem to be willing to recover from the events that led it to the present situation, but on the contrary it appears to be nihilistic to the point of seeking its own total destruction. Because Andrez Bergen takes this approach with the setting of his novel the reader has an accessible way to relate with a society that although futuristic keeps plenty of elements of the surrounding existence.

One of the surviving humans is Floyd Maquina, who haunts the land – to be read Melbourne – in search of deviants after his sick wife’s outrageous expensive medical bills has forced him to take a job as a Seeker. Not exactly a voluntary private investigator Floyd Maquina is obsessed with old movies and alcohol, both close to the point of addictiveness if that was not already passed. Possessed by his past, tormented by the present and with only the faintest shimmer of future in sight Floyd Maquina is not what can be called a hero. A hard-boiled detective that to a certain point encompasses the tropes built by the noir movies and novels he often quotes and mention, but with a unique voice and witty language and remarks. Sometimes all the references made can seem to be tiresome, but put on the obsessive nature of the character with old movies it can be passed easily. I believe that Floyd Maquina is a tribute brought by Andrez Bergen to his influences, but without making the character a mindless offering and losing its originality.

With the setting and character properly introduced the only thing left to be discovered is the plot. Which fails to happen for about two thirds of “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat”. I know, it sounds bad. But don’t let the appearances mislead you, it only sounds worse than it actually is. Plot elements are included into the story from early on, but only when the entire intrigue is revealed they make their presence felt. Threads appear to be loose, almost every one holding a little story on themselves, but only when weaved together in the final part of the novel revealing the entire design. It would seem that Andrez Bergen fails to put them together in a proper manner, but in fact he carefully arranges them, taking his time and letting the reader savor the built-up. Quirky dialogue, amusing lines and familiar references are mixed with an assured and mature use of language and canny slang to give the reader a measure of entertainment necessary for what would seem for a while a directionless plot. But when the story hits, it hits hard and in full swing. Action blooms unexpectedly and ends in the perfect manner leaving the reader fully satisfied. Read the novel twice and the experience is enhanced.

“Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat” might not have the action often seen in post-apocalyptic fiction or the adventures of the noir novels, but it is original and unforgettable. It has the needed quality to help it stand the passing of time. And in the style of the cult cinematography mentions encountered in its pages I see “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat” becoming a cult movie too if someday technology makes it possible for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall to play in a production directed by Ridley Scott. I am not sure if the future holds something like this but I am certain that Andrez Bergen has enough talent to offers us again some remarkable novels such as “Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat”.

By Mihai A. – check out his blog here.

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Read more HERE.

All pre-orders have already shipped, and it will also be available through all popular online retailers very soon (we’re just waiting for their systems to update).

About The Man Talking Project:
Triumphs and failures of life as a writer turn tangible in this four-sided fiction. A ten-year-old boy’s father lectures on the folly of taking a teacher’s praise to heart. A writer details the dreamlike landing of a two-novel deal, and the feeling of abandonment when his publisher is too governed by the bottom line to take risks on later novels. A successful writer counsels a beginner so anxious to write something worthwhile that she’s dying from lack of sleep. With honest, precise prose and indelible characters, these and other narratives within The Man Talking Project flesh out what inspires, torments, and sometimes kills the devoted artist.

Other people I know have originality broken down and streaming in their blood. Life’s unfair. Andrez (really, Andrew) Bergen belongs to the second category. He has the Originality Gene in his DNA. TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT might be quoting and referencing about a hundred pop culture products, but all put together, it adds up to something you’ve never read before. A twentieth century obsessed law enforcement worker in a secluded city, in a distant and totalitarian future. Yeah, exactly. It’s as crazy as the premise sounds. But beyond being crazy, it’s a bold, borderline reckless experimentation with storytelling.

It’s funny, because at first I thought Bergen was writing a story about nothing. I read and read and asked myself: “Where the hell is this going? Have I sped through the plot? Has Bergen sped through the plot?” But, no. Patience was rewarding as I started understanding Andrez Bergen’s master plan. It’s no coincidence if the chapters of TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT all have titles. They literally could all be torn off from the book and would work as a standalone short story. Put together in a novel though, they all feed into each other and create a deeper, more layered meaning. Now, pardon my french but this is bold as fuck. Bergen constantly gambles with his reader’s attention and relies on his patience and intelligence to persevere and see the bigger picture he’s creating. Takes balls to pull off such a stunt.

I don’t know how I felt about the whole reference thingie going on in TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT. Sure, it was quirky but it got tiring after a while. Good thing though, Bergen seems to have grown tired of it too and after maybe half of he novel, it zeroes in on Floyd’s obsession with Humphrey Bogart. While he stretched the idea for a little too long, he knew when to stop it. There is a second layer to his references though, which I thought was the most interesting. There are winks withing the story. The paranoid vibe, the vaguely named agencies, this is all very Philip K. Dick like. Throw in a 100% original narrator who himself sees the world through the eyes of hardboiled characters and you got yourself an intoxicating mix. The detail-oriented craftsmanship of Andrez Bergen won me over and made me appreciate the complex nature of what he was really doing.

“There’s an age old Japanese saying: ‘Nana korobi ya oki’, which means ‘falls seven times, rise eight times’-which is an encouragement to persevere.”
“You persevered?”
“Not intentionally. But I survived.”

Innovators usually suffer a bleak fate. The sheer volume of new ideas Andrez Bergen proposes in TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT will turn off some people as much as it will suck some in. On a long enough time frame, it is destined to be a cult classic, I think. It feels a little loose as the plot elements are scattered through and Floyd is a tiny bit too broadly painted to carry the weight of the novel by himself, but I applause Andrez Bergen’s bravado for putting out so many new ideas into the same narrative. Floyd Maquina might not be remembered for his wild adventures, but he’s a stone in the legacy Bergen has started building for himself. It’s refreshing to see an author not necessarily aiming for New York Times Best Seller list and just being happy to share his vision of literature through his work.

Reading TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT makes it hard not to like Andrez Bergen as a person and a writer.

BENOIT LELIEVRE, 27 July 2012

Never in my experience of our literature have I heard a more powerful, awful, funny, and dreadful parental voice discouraging the son from thinking he has a grain of talent—and that’s only the first part of this disturbingly, brilliantly thoughtful deconstruction of how we live now; yet also in its four-part, excruciatingly frank package, how one might make a book and a writer’s effort to sell it.  Mike Heppner’s accomplishment goes beyond his first two Knopf novels into the new and challenged no-man’s and everyone’s land of American publishing.  A brave achievement.

Mike Heppner’s collection of short fiction, The Man Talking Project, will be available on August 1st, 2012.

Check it out!

Post-apocalyptic Melbourne again. Not my favourite place at all, although in TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT we don’t seem to be too far in the future, and we don’t seem to be that far from current day Melbourne, particularly in the way the city is divided into the have’s and the have nots. The division is by way of the Dome – uptown paradise where rampant consumerism and mindless bullshit rules (doesn’t sound all that far-fetched does it?). Outside the Dome we’re talking dangerous, run down, mean streets, bars, fast food, and nasty goings on (another tick in the not that difficult to believe column).

Populate the place with Deviants and Seekers who keep them in line, add a central hero that’s a chain-smoking, loud mouthed smart arse with a drinking habit and a surprisingly touching reason for doing the job, and frankly, I was in lunacy heaven.

What really works in TOBACCO-STAINED MOUNTAIN GOAT is the characterisations, as well as some very funny and mad storytelling. I suspect you’re going to get even more than I did from this book if you’re in any way a follower of popular culture on TV and in films.

Ask me before reading this book and I’d have told you I’m really not into post-apocalyptic scenarios. I’m also not a follower of popular culture and certainly not science fiction, yet somehow even I managed to notice the Blade Runner references in this book…

But honestly, didn’t care I had no idea what was going on. Didn’t care it’s not the sort of book I’d normally read. Don’t even care that I’m not even sure if it was crime fiction. It’s definitely a thriller, and it’s somewhere in the Science Fiction realm… probably. I’d guess. Honestly – no idea. Did I mention I loved it, did I mention I’ve got no idea what the hell was going on…

KAREN CHISHOLM