Swarmer

by Todd Noy

First they called him nino
But quickly learned his name
most came to know him as
SWARMER
This is the story of he
Jesus Del Paz

From Todd Noy ('Drago', 'The Alabaster Wars') comes his visceral account of his time in Mexico, its underground prizefight scene, and its most fiercest warrior. Swarmer is a brutal, poetic reflection on violence, death and triumph.

80 pages, Unknown Binding

About the author

Todd Noy was a prizewinning sports journalist from Perth, Western Australia. He has written for VFL Weekly, The Guardian, and K.O. Magazine. His novels include Ocre Dyke (1976), March of the Knoxmen (1977), House of Fuego (1980), The Alabaster Wars (1981), and Drago: On Mountains we Stand (1989). His short works include Limey and Me, Letters to Dante, and Gout.

Noy disappeared in January 1992 after a long battle with drug and alcohol addictions. Presumed dead, a memorial service was held in his honour in Perth in December 1995. He is survived by his two sons Marlon and Quince, and his beautiful long-term partner, English cellist, Elizabeth Harrington.

Through the tireless efforts of Marlon Noy and Robert Wallace, the Noy Estate has painstakingly restored and continues to release limited editions of Todd's classic works, including Noy's semi-autobiographical, previously unreleased volume SWARMER.

Reviews

[Robert Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to Todd Noy's work was the book 'Drago: On Mountains We Stand' (D:OMWS) and having enjoyed that book so much, I was eager to sample some more of his work. I'd casually passed on my copy of (D:OMWS) without realising how rare it was and how difficult it would be to obtain a further copy and/or any of his other work.

I'd spent years looking around book shops and libraries and was mostly met with blank stares and blank search results. There were many times where I thought that I must have imagined having had a copy of (D:OMWS) in my hands but every so often I'd bump into some other lost soul who was also searching for an elusive copy of one of Noy's novels and this spurred me on to not give up on my search.

...and then it happened! I had just enjoyed a frothy ale and a Piccadilly Pie at the Queen's Head, so was in a daze of hazy satisfaction and fullness when I made my way onto a crowded carriage at Piccadilly Circus on the London Underground. My contented state was dramatically altered when out of the corner of my eye, I made out the letters 'armer' and 'oy' on a partially obscured book that one of the other travellers was reading. My heart began to race as I shuffled my way through the packed mass of commuters until I was able to arch my neck just enough to read the full title - 'Swarmer' by 'Todd Noy'.

I couldn't get any closer but adrenaline was pumping through my blood as I realised that this was a rare opportunity to find out more about Noy and maybe get my hands on one of his classics. We arrived at Green Park, where I saw paint-stained hands place the book into a battered old red leather satchel before the waves of tourists and early commuters pushed us both out onto the platform, enticingly close to each other but also agonisingly far away. I struggled to keep up with the owner of the book, a red-haired girl/woman in her early-30s with the look and demeanour of a working artist. I was conscious that I had become a bit 'stalky' and my innate British politeness was making me worry about how I could possibly approach her and begin a conversation without first being introduced; but a deeper compulsion spurred me on as I managed to just keep her in my sights as we emerged into the coldness of the dwindling afternoon sun and were met with a few specks of the drizzle that hung in the February air.

She scurried across the road and I saw her disappear into a coffee shop. I relaxed a little now that I knew her destination and made my way over. By the time I arrived, she had already settled into a seat and was enjoying her flat white. I walked over and stood before her, wondering how to begin but before I could say anything, she looked up at me and assessed my dishevelled state instantly. She gave me a knowing look and asked and answered all my questions in one simple word.

"Noy?"

I joined her for a coffee and she told me her own story of Noy, which I will not indulge in here needless to say it mirrored many of the others that I've heard in its intensity, uniqueness and eloquence. She was angry with herself for giving in to the temptation to read the book in such a public setting, knowing that she'd probably solicit at least one curious encounter. I pleaded with her to lend me her copy but she refused. Her one concession was that she would let me read it but only if I agreed to do so whereby the book was never out of her sight. She'd already lost a copy of (D:OMWS) many years before and was not willing to risk anything similar happening with this cherished copy of Swarmer. She wouldn't go into too much detail about how she'd obtained this copy other than that she'd 'borrowed' it from an overbearing former client.

We met every Tuesday evening for the next four weeks at Westminster Reference Library, a peculiar public service that seems more of a resting place for vagrants and lost souls rather than an institution of learning. The reading room had a strange sense of tranquillity (and distinct smell) about it but none of the 'clientele' seemed phased by the rarity of the tome we were perusing. For the hour each week that she was able to give me, I was propelled back into the world of Noy via the medium of Swarmer.

The book is truly a transformational experience that elevates your mind to a transcendental domain. Swarmer's story is one that emanates a raw emotional charge through the interwoven beauty of a style reminiscent of an epic poem. The bleakness of Noy's emotional state as he succumbs to addiction and the treachery faced by the characters brings a new understanding of the human experience and through this fiction, I was able to develop a better understanding of how to engage with fact. Noy is able to pull you into the cognitive dissonance confronted by each of the characters so that you are aware simultaneously of how they are perceiving the world and how that differs from how their world really is. This is the true skill of his work as a single story is unfolding but you are experiencing it a multitude of ways and in real time through the respective perspectives of the protagonists, each one an honest depiction of how most humans are an amalgamation of flaws bundled together as flesh.

I don't want to give any spoilers and so there's not much I can say about the development of the plot, however what I can say without giving too much away is that there is a fight...and a fight in which you feel both the weight of the punches inflicted on the loser and the surging excitement and brutal joy of delivering those punches by the victor. There's also a card game held at the ominously named 'Dead Man's Table' in which you live the lives of all the players through the paradigm of the tournament. It epitomises the thrill, stamina and ultimate futility experienced by the average gambler who stoically takes a seat with the weight of the odds stacked against him; but still harbours hopes of cheating the laws of probability to overturn the house advantage and walk away having broken the bank.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy then read it, cherish it and then read it all over again...but most of all, share it so as many people as possible can elevate themselves through exposure to it. I've come to the conclusion that you can't retain a Noy for long; it has it's own impulse to be shared and somehow manifests reality around itself to that end so don't hang on too tight...but while it is in your possession, read it as often as you can.

After I'd finished reading I suggested to the girl that we continue to meet to discuss Noy and to maybe work together on finding new works but she wasn't interested. She seemed to have entered a world of paranoia whereby she felt sinister forces were pursuing her in order to get their hands on 'her' beloved copy of Swarmer. She'd even begun to distrust the poor homeless souls who took shelter around us, accusing them of staring excessively or appearing randomly at other places that she frequented. I'm just glad that I was able to finish the book before she thrust herself away from my orbit.

It was only years later and by accident that I learned about the tragic events of her life. I'd been keen to see a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of new artists and while browsing through the paintings, her name jumped out at me from one of the works. The subject in the painting wasn't identified but it is my firm belief that this was her interpretation of Noy with rough winds in his hair and the Bay of Guinea at his back; the froth of each breaking wave littered with surreal allusion to Noy's conflicts of the stone. The inscription detailed how shortly after submitting her work to this exhibition, she'd tragically died in strange circumstances that had widely been interpreted as a 'concept-art-gone-wrong' incident whereby she somehow entangled herself in a sack full of rocks on Lambeth Bridge before falling into the Thames.

I sometimes go back to Westminster Reference Library, ostensibly to leaf through the latest articles on quantum mechanics, pastry making or farming techniques but as I skim that turgid prose, my eyes glaze over rapidly as my memory takes me back to the world of Swarmer and my imagination drifts down the myriad paths that could exist between those enigmatic pages of the Alabaster Wars.

[Smokey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were to describe SWARMER to someone who had never read it, it would be this: Hunter S. Thompson and William S. Burroughs mixed with a dash of Tolkien. The cover conveys a panicked, frenzied feeling that lasts from back to front. A striking book that will keep you hooked from the first sentence, it is a masterpiece in semi-autobiographical literature. The story drives at your senses until you truly feel like Todd Noy, lying battered and broken in a hot Mexican clinic swarming with flies.

[Jed Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read one passage from SWARMER, and it's easy to see why Noy is heralded as one of the greatest unseen poets of our age. I feel such pride as Australian, with the knowledge that a bard as gifted THE NOY, once roamed and wrote his hallowed texts on the very land on which I was raised.

As for the novel itself- this acts as such as great companion piece to DRAGO, and an even better predecessor to his grand opus: THE ALABASTER WARS (which I hope very much that the Noy Estate is one day able to recover and release to the public). In this, we can see the birth of the 'Swarmer', an archetype that seemingly perpetuates through all of Noy's oeuvre: a domineering male presence, that occasionally may possess magical abilities, or is hinted as coming from spiritual origins, who doubts their masculinity; only to overcome their trepidations by the narrative's conclusion. This is obviously best seen in Noy's most popular piece, DRAGO-ON MOUNTAINS WE STAND, and I would feel confident in saying that the archetype is born here, as El Nino.

It was fascinating to see Noy as a character within his work. Ever the Talesman, his input is minimal, simply depicting the story with fluid captivating sentences, and emotive linguistic structure.

One day, I hope to read all of Noy's work, and can only hope that more people are able to encounter his glorious word, before the conclusion of their journeys.

[Matt Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found my copy of Swarmer while cleaning out my childhood bedroom and rediscovered its greatness. It was given to me when I was 14, between schools and working as a drovers apprentice in the Northern Territory.

On the nights we were running cattle, the drover would read a chapter of Swarmer to the other stockmen before bed. When many the farms we worked went under during the drought in ‘07 I parted ways with the drover and he gave me his copy of Swarmer as a gift.

I’d never read it myself until this week. I had only the memories of the story being read to me many years ago and in hindsight assumed it had been elevated by boyish wonder. It had not!

I couldn’t put it down. Every memory of Noy’s encounters with El Niño in Juarez came flooding back and I was overcome once again in wonder. Noy has a way of writing that brings you into his story as his surrogate; and so every friend, enemy, punch, illness, trauma, tremendous highs and depressing lows are vicariously experienced.

I’m not sure if it means anything but my copy of SWARMER is signed by Noy leading me to wonder where the drover had gotten it or if he’d known Noy at some stage.

The text compliments my time in that desolate place and both were very important in forming who I am: then as a boy, and now as a man.

[Scott Copper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our world is full of fiction.

It finds its way into the hearts of those we put our faith in, and makes children wary of what lies within dark corners. But in the end, it is fantasy. I assure this is not the case with this book. The SWARM is real. I will warn anyone who dares pick up this book, it will sink its teeth into your soul. The SWARM consumes with no prejudice. I felt The SWARM for myself, and I challenge you to do the same. To describe my experience engaging with this piece of literature, I must give a bit of context first.
My job keeps me on the move, and this wasn't any different back in 2005. I was spending most of my time bouncing from one hotel to the next. I hardly saw my wife and our two kids but truthfully I didn't care. I would've told you at the time that I did, but they weren’t much more than an afterthought. The love I should’ve given them was instead funneled into my work and I became increasingly distant. My hunger for success was ravenous, with a fear of mediocrity keeping my appetite high. It was about 1:30AM and I was in Seattle. I had attended a conference earlier in the day and was driving back to my hotel. I spent most of that night chatting up some potential investors, trying to make some connections that could turn into future partnerships. I was interested in moving to Seattle. I was at the top of my field, and was keenly aware of the immense amount of potential that perpetually drenched city held. I was almost back to the hotel, and in a moment of self doubt I looked down at my phone. I wanted to see if I had gotten any texts. No luck. My reckoning came, in the form of a large tree. When I woke I thought I was blind. The massive bruising on my face was so severe that it kept my eyes welded shut. Both my legs were broken, as were my arms, and the majority of the bones in the lower half my body . Despite this, it hadn’t occurred to me what this meant. That took 5 days. After some tests, a doctor came in and told me I'd be bedridden for at least 10 months. Most likely longer. I also would have trouble ever walking on my own again. I couldn’t believe it. I wallowed in self-pity for several weeks. The misery was comfortable, a vile friend. One afternoon, I had my first visitor. A local preacher who had felt THE SWARM. He sat by my bed and listened to me wail on and on about how my life was ruined. After finally exhausting myself with all my griping, he thanked me for allowing him to visit and said he would return tomorrow.

Bringing THE SWARM.

Everyday for the next two months he read me Todd Noy’s potent steel sermon, SWARMER. The novel chronicles Todd Noy’s duel with the angel of death and the aftermath of what follows, set against the backdrop of Ciudad Juárez. An intoxicating piece of literature, that was impossible to not finish in what setting. I became guilt-ridden the more and more I felt The SWARM. Noy’s brutal composition tears down all masks and compels you to witness what they were hiding. I was not happy with the man I discerned I was.

But SWARMER is not a book of despair, but instead hope. Who we choose to become after we are broken. I let THE SWARM consume me, not my fear. I walked out of that hospital on my own two legs, despite what the doctors told me. I rekindled my relationship with my lovely wife. We now have four incredible children who I love more than anything. That copy of SWARMER now rests above my mantle, to remind myself of who I am now, and what to not go back to.

So my friends, I implore you to feel The SWARM yourselves. Contact The Noy Estate, and receive your own copy. You won’t regret it.

[Shaun Whorton]

Moving house; often an experience riddled with excitement and dread in equal measure. Not one you would associate with serendipity and a chance meet. However, this is how I happened to experience Swarmer.

I remember the evening well; I had just loaded the last box of 18th century Chinese cutlery from the moving van, incredulous with their sheer beauty, I couldn't bring myself to simply place them with the rest of my crockery, even in a new abode. I decided to take them to an unused, unvisited-as-of-yet room within my new abode.

The room was not empty

Instead, a single book lay in the top left corner, adjacent to the window overlooking the vineyard. The sky was, what I can I only describe as being, a naughty regal purple in colour. I picked up the book, shaking, drawn by its mesmerising cover, wandering why the previous owner - a retired undertaker - had left it behind. Was it by choice? Was it an accident? These questions would not be answered until years later.

Swarmer took my breath away from the very first chapter. It's quintessential Noy, akin to the eloquent prose of Drago: On Mountains We Stand. Noy really has mastered the art in storytelling, painting each scene with masterful brush strokes of excitement, intrigue and, more importantly, questions that remain unanswered. After completing the book the first time round - I can say I've found enlightenment from this book on the 10th11th read - I simply forgot where I was, where I was, even who I was, to some extent.

Noy has a knack of making you look inwards with his story telling. He makes you reflect on your life choices, he makes you consider the bigger picture, quite simply, he adds value to your soul. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to experience nirvana of the mind, body and soul.

[Ian Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a usual book reader, however I found time on my hands on my recent holiday. So I decided to read this book which had been randomly posted through my letter box over a year ago.

Now here's the strange thing; the reason I don't usually read books is due to my short attention span, but strangely this book gripped me from the first page! It takes you there, you see each individual character in your mind - feel like you're watching the scenes play out like a fly on the wall. They become your own characters! I believe each reader would have a slightly different interpretation of each character as the writer fuels your imagination with his writing style. I didn't want to put this book down but equally didn't want it to end. A few hours later and the book was done - or so I thought, but the next few days I found myself running the scenes through my head over and over again, imaging it as a film and who would play each delightfully crafted character. Asking questions to myself, was it real was it fiction? I was going to put it in the swap box at the resort but selfishly I couldn't bring myself to part with this book. I will without doubt read this book again.

This is a must read. So much depth, character and story telling in a mere 80 pages, gripping from start to finish. The only negative would be that there's no sequel or similar reads in Todd's small library!!!!

[Wayne Laker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friends are all big into Noy and talk about his books a lot. After so many recommendations, and also to see what the fuss was about, I eventually decided it was time to check out his work, and SWARMER was the first Todd Noy book I read.

I cannot think of another book that is anything like SWARMER - It is so captivating and exciting and the writing style is so unique. It is almost like a classic poem. The pulse of the book and the very stylistic writing pulls you right in to the dangerous back waters of Mexico, and even though the book is short it feels so powerful and weighty.

I have thought about the story a lot since. It is gruesome, violent, darkly funny and sometimes even moving.

Will probably be a film one day and in the meantime I will read it again and listen to the audio book.

[Will S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of pain, addiction, and triumph, Swarmer is a gut-wrenching account of author Todd Noy's time in Juárez, Mexico. Every chapter had me on the edge of my seat. Fans of Drago: On Mountains We Stand may be taken aback by the slow-paced, poetic style that Noy has taken in writing. It is different and it works like no other story I have ever read. Swarmer makes you feel that pain that Noy experienced in the most visceral way I have ever experienced, at only 67 pages, it is a quick read but deserves attention to every detail.

[Tyson Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The semi-autobiographical Swarmer not only encapsulates the immense writing talent of the late Todd Noy, but also highlights the incredible, complicated and almost mythical life he led.
Visceral, honest, candid yet open to show the world, Swarmer is a rare glimpse into the darker years and grimy underbelly of Noy. More than just a cookie cutter, tourted artist, Noy weaves his words together to bring to life the characters he met along the way.
What is equally fascinating is that even if you strip back all the mythology, rumours, and what we do know about the author; this is a genuinely great book.

[Dale Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fever dream that is Swarmer is a masterpiece of literature. You sit there through the semi autobiographical ramblings of Todd Noy in his state of despair, suffering and pain and your brain just will not be able to comprehend if it is real or not. However Just like Anything by Hunter S Thompson or Chuck Palahnuik when you really sit and think about what you just experienced you come to realise that there’s truth all throughout no matter how surreal the story has been. You will experience the swarm and come out of it a new and better person.

[Alex Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but fun little read. The characters in this story always seemed to be in some kind of situation with varying degrees of chaos, yet it's framed in a surprisingly poetic way. It reminded me quite a bit of the works of Hunter S. Thompson which I don't find to necessarily be a bad thing but just be aware of that if you're not a huge fan of that type of story.

I knew absolutely nothing about the author going into this book and from what I gathered from some research afterward is that Noy is primarily known for novels where boxing or just fighting in general is a huge aspect of the narrative, including this one. Despite this I found myself more engaged in the scenes that didn't involve the fighting matches, not to say they were badly written just not as interesting to me personally and I found myself wanting more of the "less action packed" sequences than what was given.

Overall though, I had a good time with this one and I'd recommend it if you have a little bit of time to kill.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

To have felt the SWARM is a privilege few share.

My sincerest thanks to the Noy Estate for restoring this semi-autobiographical masterpiece. His masterful writing stands the test of time in a way that few authors will. Noy transports you mind, body and soul to stand along side him for but a brief yet life altering moment. You return changed by the SWARM.

A must read for all fans of Noy's work.

[Alasdair Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly life changing, a source of inspiration for my remaining years.

[Brett Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fluid fever dream, more disjointed poem than coherent prose, some fairly authentic pulp dime novel vibes, but not quite as immersive as Noy's other legendary works.

[Mfaiella2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Headed for a two star because it was so ridiculous, but I admit that I got invested in the story.

[Caleb Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noy's sweeping verse captures an entire world, unknown to his readership, with such energy and specificity. The way he is able to wrangle whole mythologies and cement them as legends is undeniable.

[Kristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not gonna bother with a long fake review this time. It's another boxing novella, this time wholly original. It's fine for what it's trying to be. Quick and breezy.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read in the style of an epic poem. Read this just to keep the fun of the podcast "Finding Drago" going a bit longer.

[Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again a Disciple of Noy has found me, delivering another tome to me in my own home, in my own kitchen… within my very own SNACKLEBOX™️…

[Shaun Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swarmer is another of the seminal works of the master Todd Noy. It is part memoir, part poem and it is better than it has any right to be. Like all of his known works it is a short book that is a blisteringly fast read. The prose is unlike anything I've read before but filled with great lines.

"First they called him nino
But quickly learned his name
most came to know him as
SWARMER
This is the story of he
Jesus Del Paz"

The story bounces between Noy in his sickbed and the goings on in the cantina Cesar in the Juarez Valley. It follows the goings on in the local fighting ring and the corrupt local gangsters who run it and the search for the titular Swarmer, Jesus Del Paz, the ultimate fighting machine. Ultimately, if you're a Noy fan you'll love this and if not, well, why not!?

[JakeyJacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another clear reason why Todd Noy is a literary genius. After reading Drago: On Mountains We Stand, I yearned for more. I went searching, and I found SWARMER. I felt the SWARM.
This book has some of the most beautifully descriptive language that poked holes in every single emotional barrier I have.
My lifelong obsession may now be finding The Alabaster Wars.