Bacon Fried Bastard

by David W. Barbee

He was just another man with a drinking problem. Only, alcohol transformed this man into a beastly hulk named Piggly Swiggly. And since he's always drunk, big and brutal Piggly has drowned his human half in a sea of booze. 
After yet another rampaging bender, Piggly Swiggly awakes in a sprawling metropolis full of crocodile zeppelins, greasy bacon addicts, and prohibition. Trapped in this strange tee-totaled town, he must keep his buzz going or else revert to his weak and vulnerable human form. But even then, Piggly Swiggly's depraved existence may prove his undoing, especially when gangsters are plotting to cut off his snout, a pig-loving princess is looking to steal his heart, and he must face the worst torture of all...sobriety. 
Like a shit-faced Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Bacon Fried Bastard is a brutal bizarro thriller of gangland violence, junkie romance, and alcoholic pork.

Genres: Bizarro Fiction

146 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2016

About the author

David W Barbee, human about town. Check out my blog-thing: http://www.davidwbarbee.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

To quote the great Cosmo Kramer, "Oh God! It's a pig man!" I honestly am not sure what the hell I just read. A pig man hybrid battling renegade cyborgs in a dystopian future where prohibition and bootlegging are commonplace, while bacon is now a narcotic?!?! No, I didn't make any of that up. That's really what is contained in this book. Just wowza...my brain is as fried as a crispy slice of bacon. Oh, and our main character's name is Piggly Wiggly. How could I forget to mention that earlier? So this was a bizarrro type of story if I ever read one, but it didn't just take the normal route and have a ridiculous amount of sex, violence, and vulgarities, as most others do. A surprising amount of action and depth to its characters in such a strange world made this story shine bright. It is a very unique experience and made the most of its short runtime. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll even get a bit hungry, too. But, most importantly, you'll enjoy this crazy, memorable adventure. David Barbee, you crazy bastard. You did it!

[Rodney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piggly​ ​Swiggly​ ​wakes​ ​up​ ​hungover​ ​in​ ​Salembruise​ ​with​ ​no​ ​idea​ ​how​ ​he​ ​got​ ​there.​ ​He​ ​needs​ ​a drink​ ​badly,​ ​but​ ​it ​is​ ​a​ ​dry​ ​city​ ​protected​ ​by​ ​massive​ ​walls.​ To appease his habit, he gets involved in brewing illegal product ​for the Calamari brothers. Bacon​ ​addicts​ ​abound trying​ ​to​ ​get​ ​their​ ​fix.​ ​Much​ ​more​ ​addictive​ ​than​ ​alcohol,​ ​bacon​ ​is​ ​a despised and addictive high.​ A​ ​pair​ ​of​ ​Lawborg​ ​(robot cops)​ ​from​ ​the​ ​city​ ​of​ ​Glockspine​ ​have​ ​gone​ ​rogue​ ​and​ ​are​ ​determined​ ​to​ ​destroy​ ​Piggly. He​ ​crosses​ ​paths​ ​with​ ​Ofelia,​ ​a​ ​hardcore​ ​bacon​ ​addict. Ironically, she may be his perfect​ ​compliment​.
Bacon​ ​Fried​ ​Bastard​ ​is​ ​anthropomorphic bizarro done right: violent,​ ​entertaining,​ ​and​ ​uncommonly​ ​imaginative. The​ ​characters​ ​are exciting and​ ​the world​ ​building​ ​is ​solid​.​ ​A​ ​blast​ ​from​ ​cover​ ​to​ ​cover.​

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to David Barbees work, one thing I talk about a lot is his world building. I've read all of his books and whether it's his novellas, like the four in Nights Neon Fangs or a book the size of BFB, Barbee creates some of the most imaginative and full worlds I've ever read. He gets better with each new book. With BFB it's like he took his imagination and cranked it up to 11. This book is entertaining, well-written, twisted,  and fun. Part of the way through it I kept comparing it to Breaking Bad but with alcohol. Anyone who likes bizarro will definitely enjoy this book, though Barbee is such a top notch author that I'd recommend it to anyone that just enjoys a good fantastical read.

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've grown a bit weary of describing books as the lovechild of this offbeat drama and that black comedy, but this book felt like Breaking Bad if it was unfolding in a Final Fantasy game. It's about a talking pig with an alcohol problem who falls in with a dystopian mafia and finds himself responsible for a hyperdepressive girl with an addiction to bacon. Good thing he has superhealing abilities!

Some Bizarro books tend to go heavy on the typos and grammatical errors. I'm glad to say I didn't spot one error. At least not that I can recall.

Many Bizarro books lean on talking animals as a crutch. There are bad examples of anthropomorphic Bizarro (Guitar Wolf), so so examples (Bigfoot Cop, Jimmy Plush) and incredible examples that elevate the trope and make more of it (Space Walrus). Bacon Fried Bastard is in good company with the third classification.

I got a real thrill out of Swiggly's constant foul ups and trainwrecks in his personal life. He doesn't even really care for the well being of other pigs as long as he gets his booze, which he's hired to brew by the anti-prohibition assembly secretly working in congress with politicians.

Also, since this is set in the future, transportation is different. Instead of cars, monorails, trains or buses, the preferred means of travel in this desolate world involve crocodirigibles, that is, living hot air balloons with crocodile body parts and organs.

[Matthew Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute of this one. Bacon Fried Bastard is full on from the start and never lets up. The world is captivating and the characters are varied and believable (although insane). I loved the way Piggly was trying to remain drunk throughout, and the same for the bacon addicts--it made for a very interesting story. I've heard David has a new book coming out soon, so I'll be looking to pick that up as soon as possible!

[S.T. Cartledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a Barbee fan ever since I picked up A Town Called Suckhole. He's fantastic at writing compelling action-packed genre blending stories, and Bacon Fried Bastard is no exception.
I'd call this book a biopunk ultraviolent thriller (I think Barbee may have floated the term "Junglepunk" out there, and I love that description), and it definitely delivers on that weird hybrid fantasy world-building. The setting is very vivid and the fantastical technologies which drive the cities are fascinating.
And then you start to pick your way into the plot and the characters. Piggly Swiggly is the alcoholic force which drives this story forward with gusto, a pig-man fuelled by greed and violence, and it's wonderful to see Barbee paying a lot of attention to the subtleties of such a wild and dominant character, and injecting a well-rounded mix of characters into the story to provide lots of conflict to drive it forward in unpredictably fun and clever ways.
Bacon Fried Bastard is like Breaking Bad/Tarantino in a Junglepunk setting, but really, you just need to dive into the book and see for yourself.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David W. Barbee’s Bacon Fried Bastard isn’t your typical bizarro novella. Sure it’s brimming with outlandish characters and plot points, but it also succeeds as a truly great work of fantasy fiction.

I’m not talking conventional fantasy either. In a matter of pages, Barbee sketches a world so vivid, complete with its own social and political climate that it brought to mind the works of China Mieville, with the added crassness and comedy of Crumb’s Fritz the Cat.

Bacon Fried Bastard tells the story of Piggly Swiggly, a man transformed into a swine creature through excessive consumption of alcohol. He wakes up after a bender to find himself in the walled city of Salembruise, which is in the middle of a prohibition. His first order of business: to find some booze. This inevitably leads him down a dangerous path, with the entire city conspiring to either kill him or turn him into bacon.

Barbee writes in clear, uncolored prose that propels the story along at just the right pace. I read it in one sitting, breezing through the short chapters, which often concluded with a hook daring you to read on.

The story also serves up a very intriguing anti-hero in the form of Piggly Swiggly. At first it’s difficult to like to guy. He’s violent, base and angry, but as the story progresses Barbee invites the reader to reluctantly sympathize with his creation in a way that doesn’t feel cheap or, uh well, ham-fisted. Without giving much away, Barbee achieves this level of sympathy by dealing with the idea of addiction in a sincere, respectful fashion. At its core, Bacon Fried Bastard is a story about addiction in its many forms and the lengths people will go to satisfy it.

I also want to mention the lawborgs, rogue cybernetic law enforcers on the trail of Piggly Swiggly. Every time they showed up, Barbee delivered incredibly entertaining action sequences that were nearly cinematic in their clarity and execution.

There’s also a dysfunctional love story thrown into the mix, one that can be summarized in the following words Piggly says to his lover “You’re insane. We’re perfect for each other.” This relationship adds a lot of humanity to the story.

Barbee basically hit a home run with Bacon Fried Bastard. At times, the story was a tad predicable, but the uniqueness of the world and interesting characters easily make up for it. It’s a sincere, albeit strange exploration of alcoholism and comes highly recommended to any fans of bizarro or fantasy fiction in general. I know I’ll definitely be checking out more of Barbee’s work soon.

[Ben Arzate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review

Bacon Fried Bastard is the kind of book that shows what the Bizarro genre is capable of. The book is strange, fun to read, and gives an insightful look at the nature of dependency. While the editing leaves something to be desired, I still highly recommend this novel.

[Andrew Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star review...

Bacon Fried Bastard is a wild, fast-paced story full of action from beginning to end. It's an incredibly fun book full of booze, bacon junkies, ultra violence, sex, prohibition, and lawborgs (cyborg police officers, who, in this particular case, have gone rouge to chase Piggly Swiggly, the novel's protagonist).

But more than that, this book gives us some brutally honest insights into the lives of junkies and addicts. It shows us the beauty and utter destruction of addiction. It shows us the power alcohol has to create and destroy (this line is stolen from Alan M. Clark's blurb from the back cover of the book).

In addition to all of that, the plot is absolutely insane. Initially, readers are left wondering what the hell is going on and how the hell is everything connected. But as the story grows, all (or at least most) of these questions are answered in totally unexpected and brilliant ways.

This book is recommended for anyone who enjoys bizarro, booze, bacon, or FUN! If you haven't read Mr. Barbee yet (and you most definitely should), this book is the perfect place to start!

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better bizarro books I've read in awhile. What is not to like when you have alcoholics that turn into pigs, druggies addicted to bacon and squid-like henchmen. In this world we follow Piggly Swiggly. You couldn't find a more revolting, disgusting specimen of a man... umm.... pig. Piggly survives on a diet of mostly alcohol but when he wakes up in a world where it is outlawed, what will he do?

[Josh Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy balls was this book a trip. Amazing character and scenery depth. Just the right mixture of weird and relatable that everyone can enjoy. Very good introduction to the Bizarro scene if you're not familiar with the genre. Way to go David. I can't wait for your next novel.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix a psychotic booze-fueled pig-man, gangsters, corrupted law-robots, a bacon-huffing girl called Ofelia and addiction? You get David Barbee's Bacon Fried Bastard.
I had an absolute ball reading this. Barbee crafts a well worked story with plenty of thought and love. It's an ode to booze (addiction in general, but booze first and foremost) and you can tell by his loving writing that Barbee too has his deamons. But instead of lambasting them, here he makes sweet, sweet love to them.
I loved the setting too. Salembruise reminded me of China Mieville's New Crobuzon (Perdido Street Station). I loved its skyscrapers and crocodirigibles.
The anti-hero is pitch-perfect and the setting is great.
I highly recommend picking up a copy and giving it a go.