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Southbound
A short story collection about Basement Man ; moody drunk, sometime rock climber, absurdist philosopher, raconteur of the ridiculous, rogue, and not-so-merry prankster from the North End of Yonkers (aka Junkies Paradise). An every-man for nobodies, he is ever adrift between the carrot of sobriety and the reality of carpe diem. Bowing only to the laws of Murphy, he can never decide whether the lucky ones are the survivors or those who died years ago.
93 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2015
About the author
Joseph Ferguson
14 books160 followers Joseph Ferguson is an author, poet, and journalist appearing in a variety of small press, regional, and national publications. He wrote
propaganda for a living for a variety of entities for some 25 years.
His recent collection of short fiction, Southbound, follows the exploits of one character, Basement Man.
He is a former editor and critic for Hudson Valley , ran the Fiction Workshop for the Poughkeepsie Library District, and regularly reviews books and videos for Climbing, The American Book Review, Kirkus Indie, and a number of other publications.
He also sells rock climbing t-shirts through his website: http://www.bumluckhome.com/
propaganda for a living for a variety of entities for some 25 years.
His recent collection of short fiction, Southbound, follows the exploits of one character, Basement Man.
He is a former editor and critic for Hudson Valley , ran the Fiction Workshop for the Poughkeepsie Library District, and regularly reviews books and videos for Climbing, The American Book Review, Kirkus Indie, and a number of other publications.
He also sells rock climbing t-shirts through his website: http://www.bumluckhome.com/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 2, 2016
Southbound by Joseph Ferguson is not a run-of-the-mill fiction, although it maybe about everyman, the Basement Man. In its profound treatment of the character, the Basement Man reminds me of garbage collectors in the third world, the bag lady who lives down the street. The sleepless and the homeless and the discards of our society getting drunk on pints of beer picked up from rubbish to forget the harsh realities. It is both mundane and subliminal at the same time, when the ghost of Jack Keruac enters the scene - an ultimate guiding light on the road to give some directions.
Poignantly enough the road loops back for Basement Man and does nothing much in the way of relief. He is quite lost in the mire of his own mind as Ferguson invents these nonsensical very long words to allude to the absurdity of Basement Man's dire predicament.
Poignantly enough the road loops back for Basement Man and does nothing much in the way of relief. He is quite lost in the mire of his own mind as Ferguson invents these nonsensical very long words to allude to the absurdity of Basement Man's dire predicament.
November 10, 2016
I was looking forward to this satirical look at the process of writing resumes and cover letters after having spent many late nights helping people with theirs. This how-to guide starts out with self-discovery instructions and goes (downhill) from there, explaining how to show up (or not) for an interview, how to write a cover letter, embellish a resume, and act horrible at an office party. The humor is pretty dark and the language pretty colorful. Each page got a good laugh out of me. I recommend it for anyone who could use a good chuckle at corporate life and is curious to see what the American dream looks like in reverse.
January 12, 2016
Holy crap! The writing was phenomenal!
From page one, this compilation of tales, intrigued me. The main protagonist, Basement man, is a rather odd but familiar character. The secondary characters came off just as seedy as Basement man and I absolutely loved them. From the drinking, to the excursions they went on, this was a very refreshing and different read and am looking forward to reading more from this author.
From page one, this compilation of tales, intrigued me. The main protagonist, Basement man, is a rather odd but familiar character. The secondary characters came off just as seedy as Basement man and I absolutely loved them. From the drinking, to the excursions they went on, this was a very refreshing and different read and am looking forward to reading more from this author.
September 23, 2016
After reading the complete collection of short stories in Joseph Ferguson’s Southbound, I decided to begin with the negative, since, to be honest, there is so little of it, and we need to get it out of the way.
So here’s the bad news. After the Crux, our introduction to the character of Basement Man, is something I would delete from this collection. Ferguson employs a first-person, ‘drunk kinda vernacular that’s enough ta drive ya ta drink” which I found so irritating that it destroyed any hope of enjoyment. After the first few pages of “nothin,” “outa,” “fuckin” etc., for me, the vernacular turned into a self-conscious gimmick which worked against the narrative. We have a narrator who has no special perspective or any real gift for articulating anything. The narrative voice is of a persona waiting to happen, a character trapped by his limitations, that is, drunkenness and, to be honest, stupidity. The narrator cannot fight his way out of this no matter how much he talks. As a result, this tale, for me, lacks substance and potency.
That said, we now get to the good stuff. In the tale, Southbound, Ferguson’s facility with rhythm, image, and metaphor are powerfully evident. We begin to see a kind of warped magic in this drunken world of fringe dwellers. Gone is the overwhelming vernacular in the narrative voice, which now only shows up in conversation, as it would. We get inside the mad head of Basement Man and are rewarded, for example, with a fabulous fantasy about New York’s bridges coming alive and destroying the populace crossing the river.
“What if one day, some of the pylons floated north while the others floated south? He could see the bridge stretching like a rubber band, girders groaning with that blackboard scraping sound of metal on metal. Cars still racing frantically across. Commuters, trying to miss the inevitable delay… rushing to good jobs, good homes, good wives. The tension mounts. The groaning voice breathes life into the iron and stone and … Snap! The two sides of the bridge rear back, two creatures born from the splitting of one; a textbook example of asexual reproduction. The severed ends of the roads are lashing tongues. The metal beasts spit cars at each other, weaving and swaying with the great slow movements of clouds, howling their heavy metal shrieks. They are calling to others of their kind to join in the revolt. Up and down the river, bridges snap and rear, spewing their human wreckage onto the icy river. Survivors huddle on either side, pacing and looking at their watches.”
The tale flows, well-nigh faultlessly, from inside Basement Man’s head, to his view of his drunk, stoned, friends, to their view of him, in a warped cycle where the prose and rhythm replicate their drunken reality, and offer up something more; an existential expression of life breathing, albeit through the figures of three near mental cases. Then, the unexpected happens; taut drama explodes into the scene, and drives to a gritty-poetic end. The story that begins with such promise does not fail to deliver. It makes a space in you and fills it with itself, and you are better for having experienced it. That is the true mark of authenticity and originality; the story has earned its right to be, it has altered your world in some way.
Every subsequent tale in Southbound is more than memorable. Each is a tour-de-force of lunatic metaphors that make absolute sense, of images and eccentric insights woven through Basement Man’s mundane exploits, his failures, the beauty and nullity of his life. Whether he is falling in lust with an enigmatic sex-bomb waitress from nowhere, in a highway restaurant under siege by endless rain, or on an odyssey with a bunch of drunk friends to find a new car battery from the junk yard, not a word is wasted.
Ferguson gives us strangely poignant moments, struck through with the arsenic of futility:
“Hose tossed his empty beer on the ground and Basement Man started bustin his balls about how he should have some respect for the beauty of his surroundings, and it was pretty funny for a while, but he kept it up and kept it up, until everyone got sick of it. And then he kept it up some more. It was like he was tryin too hard to be Basement Man. Like he was outta practice bein himself.”
In Invitation to the Blues – a tale confined to a highway eatery and parking lot in the middle of nowhere – Ferguson really shines. Whether it’s depicting the waitress’ voluptuousness, BM’s crazy perspective on life, his Hollywood movie lingo and imagery as he fantasizes a love drama around Rosalind, the waitress, Ferguson seldom sets a foot wrong, no matter how crazy the scenario. He can describe individuals and lunatic drunken reveries with the same brilliance, language and metaphor perfectly fitting the subject. He describes the waitress in unforgettable similes like “she was tough as crucifixion nails,” and describes an interloper thus:
“this clown's one a them string-bean dudes - 10 feet tall and a half-inch wide. All knuckles and knees and pencil-thin blue-jeans ... looks like an anorexic Gumby or some shit ... with a straw cowboy hat kinda goes up and down all over his head that he's always makin sure is on straight. And if he ain't chewin on a frickin weed, he oughta be. And fuck if I didn't know he was gonna sit down in a backward facin chair and lean them gangly arms over the back. Then he kinda gives the joint the once over with that half-badass, half - "I don't mean no harm" good ole boy shit-eatin grin makes ya wanna push his teeth down his throat for him.”
Joseph Ferguson acknowledges a love for Kerouac and Tom Waits. Thankfully, however, we are not subject to pale imitation here. I would say that Ferguson has more in common with Bukowski, in that his stories exude poignant dread and sadness, carried by and overcome by the narrative voice and plots. But Ferguson does not imitate either of the three. Even while playing with similar kinds of down-and-outer narratives, and the ornate craziness one enjoys in these other masters, Ferguson has an original voice, with its own compelling style and momentum. His tales explode the mundane, the trivial, the downright hopeless and stupid into a poignant carnival of woe and hope. Ferguson has done all the graft necessary to become an authentic, original writer. That he leaves you soaked in the unique atmosphere and strange drama of Basement Man is a sign that he is someone to pay attention to. His Basement Man tales, like all good work in any genre, give you something beyond the tale itself. Impressive stuff.
So here’s the bad news. After the Crux, our introduction to the character of Basement Man, is something I would delete from this collection. Ferguson employs a first-person, ‘drunk kinda vernacular that’s enough ta drive ya ta drink” which I found so irritating that it destroyed any hope of enjoyment. After the first few pages of “nothin,” “outa,” “fuckin” etc., for me, the vernacular turned into a self-conscious gimmick which worked against the narrative. We have a narrator who has no special perspective or any real gift for articulating anything. The narrative voice is of a persona waiting to happen, a character trapped by his limitations, that is, drunkenness and, to be honest, stupidity. The narrator cannot fight his way out of this no matter how much he talks. As a result, this tale, for me, lacks substance and potency.
That said, we now get to the good stuff. In the tale, Southbound, Ferguson’s facility with rhythm, image, and metaphor are powerfully evident. We begin to see a kind of warped magic in this drunken world of fringe dwellers. Gone is the overwhelming vernacular in the narrative voice, which now only shows up in conversation, as it would. We get inside the mad head of Basement Man and are rewarded, for example, with a fabulous fantasy about New York’s bridges coming alive and destroying the populace crossing the river.
“What if one day, some of the pylons floated north while the others floated south? He could see the bridge stretching like a rubber band, girders groaning with that blackboard scraping sound of metal on metal. Cars still racing frantically across. Commuters, trying to miss the inevitable delay… rushing to good jobs, good homes, good wives. The tension mounts. The groaning voice breathes life into the iron and stone and … Snap! The two sides of the bridge rear back, two creatures born from the splitting of one; a textbook example of asexual reproduction. The severed ends of the roads are lashing tongues. The metal beasts spit cars at each other, weaving and swaying with the great slow movements of clouds, howling their heavy metal shrieks. They are calling to others of their kind to join in the revolt. Up and down the river, bridges snap and rear, spewing their human wreckage onto the icy river. Survivors huddle on either side, pacing and looking at their watches.”
The tale flows, well-nigh faultlessly, from inside Basement Man’s head, to his view of his drunk, stoned, friends, to their view of him, in a warped cycle where the prose and rhythm replicate their drunken reality, and offer up something more; an existential expression of life breathing, albeit through the figures of three near mental cases. Then, the unexpected happens; taut drama explodes into the scene, and drives to a gritty-poetic end. The story that begins with such promise does not fail to deliver. It makes a space in you and fills it with itself, and you are better for having experienced it. That is the true mark of authenticity and originality; the story has earned its right to be, it has altered your world in some way.
Every subsequent tale in Southbound is more than memorable. Each is a tour-de-force of lunatic metaphors that make absolute sense, of images and eccentric insights woven through Basement Man’s mundane exploits, his failures, the beauty and nullity of his life. Whether he is falling in lust with an enigmatic sex-bomb waitress from nowhere, in a highway restaurant under siege by endless rain, or on an odyssey with a bunch of drunk friends to find a new car battery from the junk yard, not a word is wasted.
Ferguson gives us strangely poignant moments, struck through with the arsenic of futility:
“Hose tossed his empty beer on the ground and Basement Man started bustin his balls about how he should have some respect for the beauty of his surroundings, and it was pretty funny for a while, but he kept it up and kept it up, until everyone got sick of it. And then he kept it up some more. It was like he was tryin too hard to be Basement Man. Like he was outta practice bein himself.”
In Invitation to the Blues – a tale confined to a highway eatery and parking lot in the middle of nowhere – Ferguson really shines. Whether it’s depicting the waitress’ voluptuousness, BM’s crazy perspective on life, his Hollywood movie lingo and imagery as he fantasizes a love drama around Rosalind, the waitress, Ferguson seldom sets a foot wrong, no matter how crazy the scenario. He can describe individuals and lunatic drunken reveries with the same brilliance, language and metaphor perfectly fitting the subject. He describes the waitress in unforgettable similes like “she was tough as crucifixion nails,” and describes an interloper thus:
“this clown's one a them string-bean dudes - 10 feet tall and a half-inch wide. All knuckles and knees and pencil-thin blue-jeans ... looks like an anorexic Gumby or some shit ... with a straw cowboy hat kinda goes up and down all over his head that he's always makin sure is on straight. And if he ain't chewin on a frickin weed, he oughta be. And fuck if I didn't know he was gonna sit down in a backward facin chair and lean them gangly arms over the back. Then he kinda gives the joint the once over with that half-badass, half - "I don't mean no harm" good ole boy shit-eatin grin makes ya wanna push his teeth down his throat for him.”
Joseph Ferguson acknowledges a love for Kerouac and Tom Waits. Thankfully, however, we are not subject to pale imitation here. I would say that Ferguson has more in common with Bukowski, in that his stories exude poignant dread and sadness, carried by and overcome by the narrative voice and plots. But Ferguson does not imitate either of the three. Even while playing with similar kinds of down-and-outer narratives, and the ornate craziness one enjoys in these other masters, Ferguson has an original voice, with its own compelling style and momentum. His tales explode the mundane, the trivial, the downright hopeless and stupid into a poignant carnival of woe and hope. Ferguson has done all the graft necessary to become an authentic, original writer. That he leaves you soaked in the unique atmosphere and strange drama of Basement Man is a sign that he is someone to pay attention to. His Basement Man tales, like all good work in any genre, give you something beyond the tale itself. Impressive stuff.
April 17, 2016
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Joseph Ferguson’s “Southbound” is brilliant – plain and simple. Ferguson explores the nature of humanity by following an endearing, yet deeply troubled alcoholic, Basement Man. In this collection of short stories we see into Basement Man’s struggle with addiction, his inner desire to be loved, and his innate tendency towards self-destruction.
Ferguson’s deeply rich language is laugh-out-loud hilarious at times and philosophical at others, which is reflective of the main character throughout the stories. For example, upon entering a diner, Basaement Man sees his waitress and describes her as someone in a, “…white uniform all spillin lips and lashes, and boobs and bottoms, with rusted brillo curls all oozing out her head like soapsuds.” In another story, as Basement Man sits back on a beach while stoned out of his mind and drinking beer, he recalls a scene from Dylan Thomas’ Adventures in Skin Trade, and imagines himself in a situation, “being swept along this beach to a maelstrom of escapades with digit lodged firmly in bottle…”
The short stories themselves, while focusing on Basement Man, are written from different perspectives. Sometimes we see the world through Basement Man’s eyes, sometimes from a secondary character, and sometimes from a third person. This shift in point of view keeps each story fresh and provides the reader with a new way to see the situations surrounding the main character. Other reviewers have said that as you read, you start to think to yourself, ‘this is my favorite’ then as you read the next story, ‘no, this is my favorite’ and so on. And that’s completely true. Each story seems better than the last until you get to the end and decide that the collection, as a whole, is an utterly impressive work that cannot be dismissed.
Writers should read this work because it is a clinic on diction and characterization. Readers should read this work because it is from first sentence to last an enthralling ride that will leave you wanting more. To you, Mr. Ferguson, I thank you for sharing this impressive work and showing me what fresh writing is.
Joseph Ferguson’s “Southbound” is brilliant – plain and simple. Ferguson explores the nature of humanity by following an endearing, yet deeply troubled alcoholic, Basement Man. In this collection of short stories we see into Basement Man’s struggle with addiction, his inner desire to be loved, and his innate tendency towards self-destruction.
Ferguson’s deeply rich language is laugh-out-loud hilarious at times and philosophical at others, which is reflective of the main character throughout the stories. For example, upon entering a diner, Basaement Man sees his waitress and describes her as someone in a, “…white uniform all spillin lips and lashes, and boobs and bottoms, with rusted brillo curls all oozing out her head like soapsuds.” In another story, as Basement Man sits back on a beach while stoned out of his mind and drinking beer, he recalls a scene from Dylan Thomas’ Adventures in Skin Trade, and imagines himself in a situation, “being swept along this beach to a maelstrom of escapades with digit lodged firmly in bottle…”
The short stories themselves, while focusing on Basement Man, are written from different perspectives. Sometimes we see the world through Basement Man’s eyes, sometimes from a secondary character, and sometimes from a third person. This shift in point of view keeps each story fresh and provides the reader with a new way to see the situations surrounding the main character. Other reviewers have said that as you read, you start to think to yourself, ‘this is my favorite’ then as you read the next story, ‘no, this is my favorite’ and so on. And that’s completely true. Each story seems better than the last until you get to the end and decide that the collection, as a whole, is an utterly impressive work that cannot be dismissed.
Writers should read this work because it is a clinic on diction and characterization. Readers should read this work because it is from first sentence to last an enthralling ride that will leave you wanting more. To you, Mr. Ferguson, I thank you for sharing this impressive work and showing me what fresh writing is.
January 17, 2016
Joy and Strife Amidst the Mud, the Blood and the Doobies
Lord-gawd-a'mitey... I thought I was back in the fifties and just as bemused as the first time. This book of long stories (OK, relatively long short stories) was recommended to me by a friend, and I will ever be grateful to her for that. I began my read of a winter evening, prepared for nostalgic short stories of my youth. I warn you now... don't do that. This is an excellent book, written from the points of view of several characters, including Basement Man (a name never truly explained) himself. However, when you begin your read, prepare for some heavy lifting. This is not the stuff of flower children or even Kerouac. This is bolder stuff, made up of stream of consciousness writing with many a mannered turn of phrase and many a gut punch when you expect salvation, almost Joycean in its direction and presentation.
Life for Basement Man seems to have been fifty years of living packed into thirty mortal years, at which point he receives the worst news a beer drunk can hear... almost a death sentence... but he survives it by simple force of will. The final story tells the not-final days of his boisterous life. Basement Man (aka Brendan) has an ever changing retinue of like-minded but lesser persons who travel with him, dropping off the ride and being replaced at random. There is mention of a family, and of a period of normalcy, but we never see it. But throughout there is the raw power of uncompromising, driving, driven prose stripped of any mitigating word or phrase.
Prepare for heavy lifting, but prepare to be entertained in a way you never have been, [author: Joe Ferguson
Lord-gawd-a'mitey... I thought I was back in the fifties and just as bemused as the first time. This book of long stories (OK, relatively long short stories) was recommended to me by a friend, and I will ever be grateful to her for that. I began my read of a winter evening, prepared for nostalgic short stories of my youth. I warn you now... don't do that. This is an excellent book, written from the points of view of several characters, including Basement Man (a name never truly explained) himself. However, when you begin your read, prepare for some heavy lifting. This is not the stuff of flower children or even Kerouac. This is bolder stuff, made up of stream of consciousness writing with many a mannered turn of phrase and many a gut punch when you expect salvation, almost Joycean in its direction and presentation.
Life for Basement Man seems to have been fifty years of living packed into thirty mortal years, at which point he receives the worst news a beer drunk can hear... almost a death sentence... but he survives it by simple force of will. The final story tells the not-final days of his boisterous life. Basement Man (aka Brendan) has an ever changing retinue of like-minded but lesser persons who travel with him, dropping off the ride and being replaced at random. There is mention of a family, and of a period of normalcy, but we never see it. But throughout there is the raw power of uncompromising, driving, driven prose stripped of any mitigating word or phrase.
Prepare for heavy lifting, but prepare to be entertained in a way you never have been, [author: Joe Ferguson
March 20, 2016
Everyone knows a "Basement Man". You know that guy who always seems to be doing something crazy and unpredictable, be it being day drunk in the local bar to waxing on the state of philosophy. Sometimes we avoid him, sometimes we embrace him.
In Joseph Ferguson's short story collection "Southbound", one such "Basement Man" is written about. His zany situations are documented with precision and panache, clear signs that the author is adept at the written word. Ferguson ensures that he does not create one-dimensional characters or wooden dialogue. Instead, each short story comprising "Southbound" is almost like an insight into one person's plot in life and their colorful approach to life without subscribing to any prevalent formulas encompassing modern literature today.
"Southbound" is edgy and unsettling at times, but it's also quite riveting. The reader is along for the ride of life that belongs to one "Basement Man", whether he likes or not. We are not judging him, and he is surely not judging us because he's just trying to get by.
Like this review? Read more like it at www.readingotherpeople.com.
In Joseph Ferguson's short story collection "Southbound", one such "Basement Man" is written about. His zany situations are documented with precision and panache, clear signs that the author is adept at the written word. Ferguson ensures that he does not create one-dimensional characters or wooden dialogue. Instead, each short story comprising "Southbound" is almost like an insight into one person's plot in life and their colorful approach to life without subscribing to any prevalent formulas encompassing modern literature today.
"Southbound" is edgy and unsettling at times, but it's also quite riveting. The reader is along for the ride of life that belongs to one "Basement Man", whether he likes or not. We are not judging him, and he is surely not judging us because he's just trying to get by.
Like this review? Read more like it at www.readingotherpeople.com.
July 20, 2016
I have never in my entire life of reading have laughed so hard. Southbound is a very different read like no other and quite honestly the blurb is what peaked my interest:
A short story collection about Basement Man; moody drunk, sometime rock climber, absurdist philosopher, raconteur of the ridiculous, rogue, and not-so-merry prankster from the North End of Yonkers (aka Junkies Paradise). An every-man for nobodies, he is ever adrift between the carrot of sobriety and the reality of carpe diem. Bowing only to the laws of Murphy, he can never decide whether the lucky ones are the survivors or those who died years ago.
The blurb was so bizarre and fresh that I had to read the book to find out how the author was going to write this type of subject matter. Well, he blew me away.
This book is amazing and Joe Ferguson is brilliant. Do yourself one HUGE favor and pick this up and read it! It's a short story collection, and is easy to read, but very rough-hewn and authentic! Joe Ferguson is a true storyteller that made me feel like I was hanging out with Basement man. I give this 5 thumbs up if that's possible?!?!?
A short story collection about Basement Man; moody drunk, sometime rock climber, absurdist philosopher, raconteur of the ridiculous, rogue, and not-so-merry prankster from the North End of Yonkers (aka Junkies Paradise). An every-man for nobodies, he is ever adrift between the carrot of sobriety and the reality of carpe diem. Bowing only to the laws of Murphy, he can never decide whether the lucky ones are the survivors or those who died years ago.
The blurb was so bizarre and fresh that I had to read the book to find out how the author was going to write this type of subject matter. Well, he blew me away.
This book is amazing and Joe Ferguson is brilliant. Do yourself one HUGE favor and pick this up and read it! It's a short story collection, and is easy to read, but very rough-hewn and authentic! Joe Ferguson is a true storyteller that made me feel like I was hanging out with Basement man. I give this 5 thumbs up if that's possible?!?!?
December 6, 2015
As I read this collection of stories, I decided each was my favorite. Then, I read them again, and again and decided it’s not possible to choose a favorite because they are all remarkably well-written and insightful. Few times, in the fifty-four years that I’ve been an avid reader, or the almost as many years that I have been writing and studying great writers to learn from them, have I run across a writer who impresses me as much as Joseph Ferguson does. Basement Man crawled into my heart and will remain there forever. The action and dialogue are so real that I felt as though I was right there in these stories. And, each word was masterfully chosen to make the timing perfect and the intent known. At times, I felt guilty for enjoying stories that I know, under the surface or down the road, most likely become painful realities for these characters but it was impossible not to enjoy the characters and the great writing, no matter what I thought might happen later. Hope to see more from this author.
September 16, 2016
Hilarious! Boy has Joe got talent. Wittingly worded to suit the speech of a pissed at the world drunk.
At first, I thought it was a whole whack of spelling errors then quickly caught on that the writing is purely intentional…genius. The main protagonist, Basement man, is the ultimate drunk, know-it-all, cussing left right and center at what life throws him... or what he throws himself at life.
If you don’t like cursed jargon, I wouldn’t recommend this, but if you like comical reads, it's definitely 500% worth it and it will leave you feeling great about yourself...that hey your life ain't so bad..and we can't take it so seriously! You will not stop laughing and the stories are endless. I wouldn’t be surprised if Basement Man is based off a real person. An accurate representation, with some heavy underlying themes. 5 CHEERS FOR BEER
At first, I thought it was a whole whack of spelling errors then quickly caught on that the writing is purely intentional…genius. The main protagonist, Basement man, is the ultimate drunk, know-it-all, cussing left right and center at what life throws him... or what he throws himself at life.
If you don’t like cursed jargon, I wouldn’t recommend this, but if you like comical reads, it's definitely 500% worth it and it will leave you feeling great about yourself...that hey your life ain't so bad..and we can't take it so seriously! You will not stop laughing and the stories are endless. I wouldn’t be surprised if Basement Man is based off a real person. An accurate representation, with some heavy underlying themes. 5 CHEERS FOR BEER
January 24, 2016
Great book!
This book is not your everyday Novel, in a good way! The chemistry between the characters brought the story to life making this book hard to set down. Loved the story!!
This book is not your everyday Novel, in a good way! The chemistry between the characters brought the story to life making this book hard to set down. Loved the story!!
October 10, 2020
With as many books as I've read over the years, and as a student of the written word, I'm seldom impressed anymore by new novelists. There are so few fresh ideas, or interesting angles on tried and true plots, that a rarely give out a five star review.
For Joe Ferguson's Southbound I'm compelled to dole out a five star rating as one of my favorite noir reads this year. Ferguson honors the feel of true noir with a character that is dark, tough, and at the end of his line, but manages to continue to plow through life with an utter "nothing left to lose" attitude. If you are a fan of Frank Miller's Sin City series, or movies, you'll feel the spirit of his work on almost every page. The plot's are completely different, of course, but the feel and imagery are the components that make Miller's work so fascinating.
While reading southbound you can smell the smoke in the room, taste the old wine in the back of your throat, hear the music playing on the car cassette, and touch the stubble on Basement Man's cheek. Ferguson mixes humor, drama, and sadness masterfully as can only be done within the wrapper of noir-fiction.
Although presented as a series of short stories, the chapters flow together seamlessly with a skill you rarely come across with self-published authors. Ferguson is extremely skilled in both technical and creative writing techniques and I applaud his work.
If you are new to Noir, I suggest you give this novel a shot.
For Joe Ferguson's Southbound I'm compelled to dole out a five star rating as one of my favorite noir reads this year. Ferguson honors the feel of true noir with a character that is dark, tough, and at the end of his line, but manages to continue to plow through life with an utter "nothing left to lose" attitude. If you are a fan of Frank Miller's Sin City series, or movies, you'll feel the spirit of his work on almost every page. The plot's are completely different, of course, but the feel and imagery are the components that make Miller's work so fascinating.
While reading southbound you can smell the smoke in the room, taste the old wine in the back of your throat, hear the music playing on the car cassette, and touch the stubble on Basement Man's cheek. Ferguson mixes humor, drama, and sadness masterfully as can only be done within the wrapper of noir-fiction.
Although presented as a series of short stories, the chapters flow together seamlessly with a skill you rarely come across with self-published authors. Ferguson is extremely skilled in both technical and creative writing techniques and I applaud his work.
If you are new to Noir, I suggest you give this novel a shot.
Read
April 18, 2016"Southbound" is a very emotionally charged novel. It is listed as a short story collection, but the writing resembles poetry more than anything. It is easy to read, but very raw and real.
In the acknowledgments section, Joseph Ferguson talks about how he borrowed the stories used in the book from people he knows, as well as basing "the basement man" on a man named Brain Weidner. Since he took the stories from real people, the book reads like a memoir of a less than perfect life.
The writing, at times, can be hard to read due to the poor language and grammar used, but the use of these techniques is intentional to portray the character in the story. Ferguson wanted to portray a rough type of person and accomplished this, but that is the only reason that I gave this book 4/5 stars.
Books that are written in a poetic style can bring on a new form of emotion, and you will find "Southbound" to be reminiscent of other poetry driven novels, such as the work of Ellen Hopkins.
"Southbound" is an easy, short read and will make you think about drug addicts and outcasts differently. Joseph Ferguson did a great job at giving a voice to the voiceless and I will gladly read this book again. The best books are those that represent different perspectives, and Ferguson has added a great novel to American literature. I would not be surprised if this book became a classic. It reads like something that would be assigned in high schools or universities, and it would be a great book to analyze deeper.
In the acknowledgments section, Joseph Ferguson talks about how he borrowed the stories used in the book from people he knows, as well as basing "the basement man" on a man named Brain Weidner. Since he took the stories from real people, the book reads like a memoir of a less than perfect life.
The writing, at times, can be hard to read due to the poor language and grammar used, but the use of these techniques is intentional to portray the character in the story. Ferguson wanted to portray a rough type of person and accomplished this, but that is the only reason that I gave this book 4/5 stars.
Books that are written in a poetic style can bring on a new form of emotion, and you will find "Southbound" to be reminiscent of other poetry driven novels, such as the work of Ellen Hopkins.
"Southbound" is an easy, short read and will make you think about drug addicts and outcasts differently. Joseph Ferguson did a great job at giving a voice to the voiceless and I will gladly read this book again. The best books are those that represent different perspectives, and Ferguson has added a great novel to American literature. I would not be surprised if this book became a classic. It reads like something that would be assigned in high schools or universities, and it would be a great book to analyze deeper.
December 15, 2015
Review from beyond Goodreads:
I read Southbound and found it to be an excellent read. Having moved away from The End, in more of less the same period that most of the book is written, for me brought back a special time in my life. I would have been happy if you had just mentioned some of our old stomping grounds and used a few names that I have not heard in decades. I am a sap for all things North End and I will never stop living there in my head. You created seedy characters that I recognized instinctively from my youth. Really well done I would like to tell you. There are many moments in the book that I associated with the times we grew up in and at the place we did our growing. Some of it made me nervous, some of it made me laugh and some of almost made me cry. I think the way you put the stories together and the time span used was perfect. I hope that this is just the being of many more stories from you. I know The North End had many personalities that should be an inspiration for more from you and I look forward to reading your work. Good Luck and you've done The End proud!
Ed Murphy, Norway.
I read Southbound and found it to be an excellent read. Having moved away from The End, in more of less the same period that most of the book is written, for me brought back a special time in my life. I would have been happy if you had just mentioned some of our old stomping grounds and used a few names that I have not heard in decades. I am a sap for all things North End and I will never stop living there in my head. You created seedy characters that I recognized instinctively from my youth. Really well done I would like to tell you. There are many moments in the book that I associated with the times we grew up in and at the place we did our growing. Some of it made me nervous, some of it made me laugh and some of almost made me cry. I think the way you put the stories together and the time span used was perfect. I hope that this is just the being of many more stories from you. I know The North End had many personalities that should be an inspiration for more from you and I look forward to reading your work. Good Luck and you've done The End proud!
Ed Murphy, Norway.
July 27, 2016
It was magnificent, great story with extraordinary writing style.
Reading this book was like taking part in a series of stories. Basement man's stories, his friends, the way they can't stop drinking. Felt like I was there and saw the whole thing in our narrator's eyes. And maybe lived some momets with them too.
The writing is so strong and so rich that it's hard to take your mind off of it. First glow of the sunshine would never be the same for me, or the conversation I have in your brain when I'm intoxicated.
I believe I should thank Mr. Ferguson for sharing his work with me. Mind shifting piece of work.
Reading this book was like taking part in a series of stories. Basement man's stories, his friends, the way they can't stop drinking. Felt like I was there and saw the whole thing in our narrator's eyes. And maybe lived some momets with them too.
The writing is so strong and so rich that it's hard to take your mind off of it. First glow of the sunshine would never be the same for me, or the conversation I have in your brain when I'm intoxicated.
I believe I should thank Mr. Ferguson for sharing his work with me. Mind shifting piece of work.
November 10, 2016
Need a good laugh? Joe was possessed by the spirit of Dave Doolittle to bring you this hilarious look at writing for the corporate world. I'd like to say that this, like Joe's other work is breath-taking in scope... but it's not. It's just down-right hilarious.
Sit back, buckle-in, and enjoy the ride.
Sit back, buckle-in, and enjoy the ride.
December 4, 2019
Southbound is my favorite novel since One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Kerouac’s On the Road. I can’t make up my mind if Brendan, aka Basement Man, is the second coming of Neal Cassady or Randle McMurphy, the only thing missing in the novel is nurse Ratched. The book is a collection of stories about the adventures of Basement Man and his adoring buds, a fun loving bunch of alcohol and weed users who refuse to succumb to either urban or suburban lifestyles, instead choosing to live as if they were meant to reside on the side of a crumbling cliff, living as if life is but one moment of soaring over the edge and sailing into oblivion. They reject the morality of everyman’s day to day, work, eat and sleep and then do it again routine for one of adventure fueled by the use of anything you can drink, smoke, snort or inject that will free you from being normalized. There’s an element of Clockwork Orange in their dedication to objecting to what is normal and any attempt to regulate their lifestyle. Basement man is their Buddha, their enlightened one, who leads the group through a life of adventure and defiance and who they worship as their god Vishnu, who protects the principles of their ultimate reality. And what is their ultimate reality? It’s that life really has no meaning beyond that which you create for yourself. That’s what Basement Man both learns and teaches. He tries a life of sobriety, but always returns to his wine, beer, weed, whatever it takes to further his belief in the futility living by the rules. Like Kerouac, Cassady and McMurphy before him, Basement man comes to realize that life’s too short to make long range plans and he finishes his journey with one last journey chasing the unknown. Anyone who grew up in the sixties and seventies will recognize the terms and phrases that fill this prose. The book reads more like a long poem than a novel and the dialect is authentic, but sometimes a little difficult to absorb, you have to go back and read it a second time. But that’s not a problem, it’s a bonus, you find there’s something you may have missed. Anyone who believes they have the great American novel in their head owes it to themselves to read Joseph Ferguson’s Southbound before grinding out their first words onto a page.
March 13, 2018
"Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members" wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self Reliance.
The protagonist of Southbound has assuredly never read Emerson but he knows whereof Emerson speaks. Cruising the literary highway of counterculture anti-heroes, Basement Man, transplant from Alabama, pulls up to a bar in New Jersey and we hitch a ride for this episodic portrait of his lifelong, booze-fueled rebellion.
From the tragicomic death of his friend on the docks of Hoboken to beaches a little less respectable for his presence ("Avast ye scurvy lubbers!") to a retirement home, Basement Man is aware but not resigned (to paraphrase Edna Millay). I've heard it said that 'your integrity to yourself is more important than your immediate life,' and that's a sentiment Basement Man would drink to: "Better a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy, spider!"
Southbound by Joseph Ferguson makes us look around and perceive the poetry in life. And that is a very good thing.
The protagonist of Southbound has assuredly never read Emerson but he knows whereof Emerson speaks. Cruising the literary highway of counterculture anti-heroes, Basement Man, transplant from Alabama, pulls up to a bar in New Jersey and we hitch a ride for this episodic portrait of his lifelong, booze-fueled rebellion.
From the tragicomic death of his friend on the docks of Hoboken to beaches a little less respectable for his presence ("Avast ye scurvy lubbers!") to a retirement home, Basement Man is aware but not resigned (to paraphrase Edna Millay). I've heard it said that 'your integrity to yourself is more important than your immediate life,' and that's a sentiment Basement Man would drink to: "Better a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy, spider!"
Southbound by Joseph Ferguson makes us look around and perceive the poetry in life. And that is a very good thing.
April 30, 2019
Interestingly Weird
It took me a little bit to get into the story, it wasn't slow, just different enough to take me a little to get into, then I couldn't put it down. An enjoyable read.
It took me a little bit to get into the story, it wasn't slow, just different enough to take me a little to get into, then I couldn't put it down. An enjoyable read.
April 18, 2017
Southbound by Joseph Ferguson is the story of Brendan the “Basement Man.” Basement Man was a colorful character who had a way of drinking and philosophizing his way through the hardships of life. He was always the epicenter of every party, and he was never one to back down from a fight.
But, underneath that gritty exterior, Basement Man harbored a somber, mysterious side to him that no one could figure out.
Basement Man's story is told in a mixture of personal narratives and eyewitness accounts from his friends. Each tale is gritty, lewd, and to the point; and we see a different side of Basement Man with each new anecdote.
Now, I will admit that this book was hard for me to get into at first, but the more you read, the more you want to know about Basement Man. The entire book is written as a narrative, and the slang that peppered every sentence really gave you the feeling that someone was talking to you. The settings were visual, and the actions and emotions seemed to fit the characters well.
Sadly, I do have one major complaint with the format. The stories jump from person to person with no warning, and it's hard to tell which stories are coming from Basement Man, and which are about Basement Man. That made the book somewhat confusing to read since you had to spend time figuring out who was telling the story.
Because of that, I give Southbound a 4 out of 5. Basement Man is a force to be reckoned with, the settings are varied, and the characters are entertaining. But, if there's one thing you should take away from this story, it's that you never how many lives you touch just by being you.
But, underneath that gritty exterior, Basement Man harbored a somber, mysterious side to him that no one could figure out.
Basement Man's story is told in a mixture of personal narratives and eyewitness accounts from his friends. Each tale is gritty, lewd, and to the point; and we see a different side of Basement Man with each new anecdote.
Now, I will admit that this book was hard for me to get into at first, but the more you read, the more you want to know about Basement Man. The entire book is written as a narrative, and the slang that peppered every sentence really gave you the feeling that someone was talking to you. The settings were visual, and the actions and emotions seemed to fit the characters well.
Sadly, I do have one major complaint with the format. The stories jump from person to person with no warning, and it's hard to tell which stories are coming from Basement Man, and which are about Basement Man. That made the book somewhat confusing to read since you had to spend time figuring out who was telling the story.
Because of that, I give Southbound a 4 out of 5. Basement Man is a force to be reckoned with, the settings are varied, and the characters are entertaining. But, if there's one thing you should take away from this story, it's that you never how many lives you touch just by being you.
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