Final adventures of the Pisco Kid?

Perhaps your last chance to get a copy of The Adventures of the Pisco Kid - the book I reviewed several weeks ago with high praise.

Sadly the distributor is in difficulty and soon (perhaps today) will be the last chance to buy the book (at least in its current incarnation). I'll leave you with the words of Michael himself:

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to have no shame. No, that’s not true. The main one was to be as honest as possible. That said, I don’t enjoy self-promotion, but circumstances dictate drastic measures. My publisher informed me a couple of days ago that Biblio, the distributor, is close to dropping them from the roster. This means they’ll also try to get the publisher to fit the bill for the unsold stock of my novel, The Adventures of the Pisco Kid. And that, likely, will be the final suffocating nail to seal the lid on Arriviste Press and force it into bankruptcy. I’ve also just found out that the remaining 1,350 copies of the book are likely bound for the shredder. We’ll know by Friday.

The latest news comes just a week after Publishers Weekly put their review of Pisco back up for their highlights of the best web reviews of books that fell through the cracks in 2007. Here's that review:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6515492.html?industryid=47159

Other than the PW review, we’ve had a review in GUD and another one on a weblog. No print coverage and we still managed to sell around 150 copies. Who these crazy people are, I often wonder.

So what am I asking? Basically I’m asking you to just take a look and see if Pisco is of interest to you. We also have a few review copies left over I believe, so if you’re interested in one of these, message me and I’ll see what I can do about getting one to you. One stipulation: We’re not giving out “free copies” so you have to give your gentleperson’s word that you’ll review it somewhere. This does not hold you to a good review either. It is the Year of Being Honest, you know. It is also the Year of the Rat (as of February 7) and there are plenty of rats in Pisco to satisfy all so vermin enthused.

So help us jolt Biblio into hanging onto the book for at least a little while longer. There isn’t much more time. The shredder blades are being sharpened and the gears are being greased.

The Intro …

"In the not so distant future a hero will come—some say a messiah—to save us from ourselves. To save us from the destruction, hopelessness, death, tribulation and the haywire weather; to save us from the cabal that has taken over the shining city on the hill, and from the powerful forces of evil that seek to control the world; to save us from ourselves. Could Pisco be that hero? Find out as he discovers his purpose driven life, finds love and adventure, and how eventually, he finds his albedo. At once a surrealistic love story, an adventure story, a satire The Adventures of the Pisco Kid is really just the simple story of a rodent exterminator tapped for greater things.

What others are saying about The Adventures of the Pisco Kid:

The Adventures of the Pisco Kid does something that many books featuring inexplicably expanding fat chicks don’t: it makes you think... and not in a dorky math way either. Pisco Kid will have you reexamining your life -- your goals, your relationships, your job -- and it reafirms that life is much better when it contains meat. — A.J. Daulerio, “Cultural Oddsmaker” for Deadspin.com

A delightfully damaged mash-up of toxic punk fury, inbred bluegrass madness, and a thousand other forgotten and priceless rhythms. Michael Standaert will take you on a journey of fear and loathing on the trail of rats, hypocrisy, and redemption. — Mark Swartz, author of H20

From Greatest Common Denominator: http://www.gudmagazine.com/review/archive/2007/6/18/the-adventures-of-the-pisco-kid-by-michael-standaert/

The thing about Pisco is, he can't catch a break. The kid is winless. But he keeps moving, keeps reaching despite the waves of destruction that follow him. Surfing his wake is worth the risk, though. Michael Standaert takes the reader on one hell of a trip in The Adventures of the Pisco Kid.

From Jon's Travel Adventures: http://jonstraveladventures.blogspot.com/2007/11/adventures-of-pisco-kid-review.html

If Kafka were to have gone to Las Vegas on a drugs bender, or Hunter S Thompson had tried to rework The Trial, they may have come up with something along the lines of The Adventures of the Pisco Kid. Surreal, satirical, moody, funny, chaotic and extremely eloquent, it's rather difficult to write a review about this book and not look like I'm simply writing a good review for a friend. However, I promise this isn't the case!

From Jason DeBoer at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1350968.The_Adventures_of_the_Pisco_Kid

Standaert revives a now sadly neglected genre: the picaresque novel. Full of savage humor a la Burroughs and Celine, there are few subjects that Standaert's acid does not rain upon. If you're sick of wimpy contemporary satires, you'll be delighted with the downright dangerous Adventures of the Pisco Kid.

From an Amazon.com reader: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Pisco-Kid-Michael-Standaert/dp/0974627038

Mr. Standaert has created a whole new writing style with his effort, The Adventures of the Pisco Kid. Clearly a disciple of Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, with maybe a hint of Robert Hunter mixed in, Standaert's first novel is a good one. When I grow up I know for sure.....the rodent business is not for me. Long live Pisco!!!!


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