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Champion of the World
A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year
In this stunning historical fiction debut set in the world of wrestling in the 1920s, a husband and wife are set adrift in a place where everyone has something to hide and not even the fights can be taken at face value.
Late summer, 1921: Disgraced former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean has spent the past two years on the carnival circuit performing the dangerous “hangman’s drop” and taking on all comers in nightly challenge bouts. But when he and his cardsharp wife, Moira, are marooned in the wilds of Oregon, Pepper accepts an offer to return to the world of wrestling as a trainer for Garfield Taft, a down-and-out African American heavyweight contender in search of a comeback and a shot at the world title.
At the training camp in rural Montana, Pepper and Moira soon realize that nothing is what it seems: not Taft, the upcoming match, or the training facility itself. With nowhere to go and no options left, Pepper and Moira must carefully navigate the world of gangsters, bootlegging, and fixed competitions, in the hope that they can carve out a viable future.
A story of second chances and a sport at the cusp of major change, Champion of the World is a wonderful historical debut from a new talent in fiction.
In this stunning historical fiction debut set in the world of wrestling in the 1920s, a husband and wife are set adrift in a place where everyone has something to hide and not even the fights can be taken at face value.
Late summer, 1921: Disgraced former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean has spent the past two years on the carnival circuit performing the dangerous “hangman’s drop” and taking on all comers in nightly challenge bouts. But when he and his cardsharp wife, Moira, are marooned in the wilds of Oregon, Pepper accepts an offer to return to the world of wrestling as a trainer for Garfield Taft, a down-and-out African American heavyweight contender in search of a comeback and a shot at the world title.
At the training camp in rural Montana, Pepper and Moira soon realize that nothing is what it seems: not Taft, the upcoming match, or the training facility itself. With nowhere to go and no options left, Pepper and Moira must carefully navigate the world of gangsters, bootlegging, and fixed competitions, in the hope that they can carve out a viable future.
A story of second chances and a sport at the cusp of major change, Champion of the World is a wonderful historical debut from a new talent in fiction.
497 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 6, 2017
Disgraced former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean has just parted ways with the carnival in a violent fashion when he's approached by Fritz Mundt, another former wrestler. Mundt's offer, training Garfield Taft for a shot at the world champion, Strangler Lesko, is too hard to pass up. Can Pepper claw his way back to the big time as Garfield Taft's trainer?
As I've said in other reviews, I've been a fan of pro wrestling off and on for most of my life. When a coworker recommended this, I eventually threw it on the pile. Hell, there aren't many novels about pro wrestling that I can think of other than Hoodtown.
Champion of the World takes place in the roarin' 20s, the golden age of pro wrestling. Frank Gotch has just retired and wrestling is on the down swing. Garfield Taft is fresh out of jail and has a big chance to win the title from Strangler Lesko. Pepper, his wife in tow, heads to Montana to train Taft. Things eventually go off the rails...
When the story starts, Pepper is working at a carnival for twenty five bucks a week, wrestling audience members and doing the hangman's drop, being hung by his neck ever night, saved only by his neck and back muscles. Crazy shit and that's just the beginning.
I'm not into historical novels or sports novels but I enjoyed Champion of the World quite a bit. While real wrestlers like Frank Gotch, Farmer Burns, the Zbyszkos, and others were mentioned, the characters are fictitious. Although I suspect Strangler Lesko was based on Strangler Lewis. And Fritz Mundt owes something to Toots Mondt. I could go on and on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love the way Dundas wove wrestling history into the tale.
Pepper's last shot at glory kept me interested in the book during the slow parts. As the truth behind Pepper's past, as well as Taft's, was revealed, the book became harder and harder to put down. The eventual respect between the grapplers was one of my favorite parts of the book.
The last 25% was pretty shocking. There was a swerve and things got a little crazy. I was a little disappointed by the ending but it was pretty much the only way it could go down.
For wrestling fans, particularly those of the golden age of wrestling, this one is not to be missed. Four out of five stars.
As I've said in other reviews, I've been a fan of pro wrestling off and on for most of my life. When a coworker recommended this, I eventually threw it on the pile. Hell, there aren't many novels about pro wrestling that I can think of other than Hoodtown.
Champion of the World takes place in the roarin' 20s, the golden age of pro wrestling. Frank Gotch has just retired and wrestling is on the down swing. Garfield Taft is fresh out of jail and has a big chance to win the title from Strangler Lesko. Pepper, his wife in tow, heads to Montana to train Taft. Things eventually go off the rails...
When the story starts, Pepper is working at a carnival for twenty five bucks a week, wrestling audience members and doing the hangman's drop, being hung by his neck ever night, saved only by his neck and back muscles. Crazy shit and that's just the beginning.
I'm not into historical novels or sports novels but I enjoyed Champion of the World quite a bit. While real wrestlers like Frank Gotch, Farmer Burns, the Zbyszkos, and others were mentioned, the characters are fictitious. Although I suspect Strangler Lesko was based on Strangler Lewis. And Fritz Mundt owes something to Toots Mondt. I could go on and on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love the way Dundas wove wrestling history into the tale.
Pepper's last shot at glory kept me interested in the book during the slow parts. As the truth behind Pepper's past, as well as Taft's, was revealed, the book became harder and harder to put down. The eventual respect between the grapplers was one of my favorite parts of the book.
The last 25% was pretty shocking. There was a swerve and things got a little crazy. I was a little disappointed by the ending but it was pretty much the only way it could go down.
For wrestling fans, particularly those of the golden age of wrestling, this one is not to be missed. Four out of five stars.
July 19, 2016
I see less and less novels these days written in the third person POV and in linear order; in fact, I now relish the contemporary books with original construction. However, Dundas’s debut novel is a classic testament to the omniscient point-of-view novel with a direct, successive storyline. It adds background and backstory with fluent ease, gathering suspense and character development along the way.
Taking place mostly in rural Montana in the early 1920s--the age of the Volsted Act-- the story follows Pepper Van Dean, a former lightweight wrestling champ of the world, and his efforts to train an African American heavyweight-class wrestler who desires to fight the current white champion, something unheard of in those times. The contender, Garfield Taft, like Van Dean, went from rags to riches to rags, but Taft’s mildly eccentric, immature, and arrogant temperament, antagonize Pepper’s scientific approach to wrestling. Moreover, Taft has a long-suffering white wife with dark secrets.
The intriguing opening line lured me in immediately: “The clowns came to get him when it was time for the hanging.” It eventually leads into Pepper Van Dean’s current status as a circus act, as “Master of the Hangman’s Drop,” and soon introduces us to his card-shark, loving wife, Moira. The events that led them to nomadic, second-class circus jobs are explained gradually, with a few choice facts revealed selectively, and serve to heighten the tension in the story. After Pepper makes an agreement to train Taft, he looks to the future, but the past is still on his heels.
Dundas has superb control over his characters and story, and, as I continued to read his confident, lean, succulent prose and his taut narrative, I knew I was in the hands of a solid storyteller whose writing skills combined a command of craft, artistic talent, and creative finesse. Even his setting and descriptions are vivid metaphors to the story. As Pepper approaches Butte Montana, “The town sat out there like a coiled snake sunning itself on a rock, a murky industrial haze scuffing up the sky.”
I was thoroughly gripped by the story of Pepper, Moira, Garfield Taft, and his wife. And I was installed in the era of end-stage, real-world wrestling and the oncoming age of fixed matches; bootleggers; gangsters; gamblers; circus acts; and poker players. “One of the best rules to know… Only play fair when you’ve got the best hand.”
Taking place mostly in rural Montana in the early 1920s--the age of the Volsted Act-- the story follows Pepper Van Dean, a former lightweight wrestling champ of the world, and his efforts to train an African American heavyweight-class wrestler who desires to fight the current white champion, something unheard of in those times. The contender, Garfield Taft, like Van Dean, went from rags to riches to rags, but Taft’s mildly eccentric, immature, and arrogant temperament, antagonize Pepper’s scientific approach to wrestling. Moreover, Taft has a long-suffering white wife with dark secrets.
The intriguing opening line lured me in immediately: “The clowns came to get him when it was time for the hanging.” It eventually leads into Pepper Van Dean’s current status as a circus act, as “Master of the Hangman’s Drop,” and soon introduces us to his card-shark, loving wife, Moira. The events that led them to nomadic, second-class circus jobs are explained gradually, with a few choice facts revealed selectively, and serve to heighten the tension in the story. After Pepper makes an agreement to train Taft, he looks to the future, but the past is still on his heels.
Dundas has superb control over his characters and story, and, as I continued to read his confident, lean, succulent prose and his taut narrative, I knew I was in the hands of a solid storyteller whose writing skills combined a command of craft, artistic talent, and creative finesse. Even his setting and descriptions are vivid metaphors to the story. As Pepper approaches Butte Montana, “The town sat out there like a coiled snake sunning itself on a rock, a murky industrial haze scuffing up the sky.”
I was thoroughly gripped by the story of Pepper, Moira, Garfield Taft, and his wife. And I was installed in the era of end-stage, real-world wrestling and the oncoming age of fixed matches; bootleggers; gangsters; gamblers; circus acts; and poker players. “One of the best rules to know… Only play fair when you’ve got the best hand.”
July 28, 2016
Champion of the World invites its readers to navigate the world of gangsters, bootlegging and fixed wresting competition in the 1920s. None of these topics particularly appeal.
Yet here I am, saying: Read it. Read it anyway. Read it because this is a page-turning narrative that is tragic, hopeful and authentic. Read it because the prose is confident, assured, and muscular. (The first line reads: “The clowns came to get him when it was time for the hanging.”) Most of all, read it because at its core, it is about the indomitable and irrepressible spirit of a spunky American who faced a rigged system and defined it on his own terms. Put another way, it’s a timely parable for today.
Pepper Van Dean – a wonderful creation – has renamed and recreated himself. After a spotted past – going along for a fix in his lightweight wrestling champion competition and performing the life-endangering “hangman’s drop” at a carnival circus – he has no choice but to accept a shady character’s offer to train Garfield Taft.
Garfield Taft is a talented heavyweight contender. He is Black with a white wife at a time when this was a hanging offense. He also doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do. But in the rural training camp in Montana, Pepper and Taft form an unlikely bond. And nothing is as it truly appears – not the camp, not Garfield’s background, not Pepper’s back story.
Chad Dundas – the real deal – doesn’t take the easy way out. The eventual wrestling match is not a Hollywood version and the crosses and double crosses keep this a lively read. This isn’t a “sports book”, which I feared. It’s a novel of dreaming big and second chances and it’s cinematic in the best of ways. Quite simply, it’s GOOD.
Yet here I am, saying: Read it. Read it anyway. Read it because this is a page-turning narrative that is tragic, hopeful and authentic. Read it because the prose is confident, assured, and muscular. (The first line reads: “The clowns came to get him when it was time for the hanging.”) Most of all, read it because at its core, it is about the indomitable and irrepressible spirit of a spunky American who faced a rigged system and defined it on his own terms. Put another way, it’s a timely parable for today.
Pepper Van Dean – a wonderful creation – has renamed and recreated himself. After a spotted past – going along for a fix in his lightweight wrestling champion competition and performing the life-endangering “hangman’s drop” at a carnival circus – he has no choice but to accept a shady character’s offer to train Garfield Taft.
Garfield Taft is a talented heavyweight contender. He is Black with a white wife at a time when this was a hanging offense. He also doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do. But in the rural training camp in Montana, Pepper and Taft form an unlikely bond. And nothing is as it truly appears – not the camp, not Garfield’s background, not Pepper’s back story.
Chad Dundas – the real deal – doesn’t take the easy way out. The eventual wrestling match is not a Hollywood version and the crosses and double crosses keep this a lively read. This isn’t a “sports book”, which I feared. It’s a novel of dreaming big and second chances and it’s cinematic in the best of ways. Quite simply, it’s GOOD.
August 3, 2016
A Good Story—just not for me
Imagine you're going to a movie (in the dark ages before multiplexes). The show you want is not on, so you try the one that has replaced it. Immediately, you know it is good—colorful, strong characters, well directed, lots of action. Clearly, it is a box-office hit. But it is not in a genre that you particularly enjoy, and you are not really invested in the story. So, thinking of the long drive home, so you cut out after forty minutes or so.
It is the same with this book, which feels cinematic from the start. I'll admit I was doubtful at first; the fight world in the 1920s holds little interest for me, and it would be hard to imagine a less attractive cover than the publisher put on the ARC. But read the first page, and the story crackles to life: a has-been wrestler, Pepper van Dean, touring with a circus to perform the death-defying Hangman's Drop and take on all comers afterwards. And the second chapter too: the wrestler's wife Moira, a card-player since her riverboat days with her father, controlling the punters in the gaming tent. A chapter or so later, a former associate of Pepper's offers him a job training a black wrestler just released from prison for a shot at the world title. An offer that proves useful, since things at the circus go spectacularly wrong and Pepper and Moira suddenly need new jobs.
And so it went. Each chapter, excitingly told in the manner of the action novels with which we grew up, delivers another surge of electricity—and yet, each time I put the book down, I found myself increasingly slow to pick it up again. I am sure Chad Dundas, a highly talented debut author, will continue to deliver, and I am sure I would enjoy other chapters too. But I realized I don't really care enough to find out what happens next. With no reason to read on, why bother? I am content to leave it at 150 pages and move on.
I do think, though, that readers looking for "the kind of story that they don't seem to write any more" would love this. This is literate but not literary fiction. There is no particular subtlety involved, and certainly no tricks. But Chad Dundas writes well and without pretension, and there are precious few nowadays who do so. For its scope, sports focus, racial subtext, and interest in the seedier sides of life, I thought a little of C. E. Morgan's The Sport of Kings, published earlier this year. Dundas attempts less, I think—but by the same token, he succeeds in what he attempts and is quite without the pretension that sometimes overcomes Morgan. And for readers who like this kind of story, that is a huge plus. It's just not for me.
[Review copy through Amazon Vine. Quality 4–5; personal enjoyment 2–3]
Imagine you're going to a movie (in the dark ages before multiplexes). The show you want is not on, so you try the one that has replaced it. Immediately, you know it is good—colorful, strong characters, well directed, lots of action. Clearly, it is a box-office hit. But it is not in a genre that you particularly enjoy, and you are not really invested in the story. So, thinking of the long drive home, so you cut out after forty minutes or so.
It is the same with this book, which feels cinematic from the start. I'll admit I was doubtful at first; the fight world in the 1920s holds little interest for me, and it would be hard to imagine a less attractive cover than the publisher put on the ARC. But read the first page, and the story crackles to life: a has-been wrestler, Pepper van Dean, touring with a circus to perform the death-defying Hangman's Drop and take on all comers afterwards. And the second chapter too: the wrestler's wife Moira, a card-player since her riverboat days with her father, controlling the punters in the gaming tent. A chapter or so later, a former associate of Pepper's offers him a job training a black wrestler just released from prison for a shot at the world title. An offer that proves useful, since things at the circus go spectacularly wrong and Pepper and Moira suddenly need new jobs.
And so it went. Each chapter, excitingly told in the manner of the action novels with which we grew up, delivers another surge of electricity—and yet, each time I put the book down, I found myself increasingly slow to pick it up again. I am sure Chad Dundas, a highly talented debut author, will continue to deliver, and I am sure I would enjoy other chapters too. But I realized I don't really care enough to find out what happens next. With no reason to read on, why bother? I am content to leave it at 150 pages and move on.
I do think, though, that readers looking for "the kind of story that they don't seem to write any more" would love this. This is literate but not literary fiction. There is no particular subtlety involved, and certainly no tricks. But Chad Dundas writes well and without pretension, and there are precious few nowadays who do so. For its scope, sports focus, racial subtext, and interest in the seedier sides of life, I thought a little of C. E. Morgan's The Sport of Kings, published earlier this year. Dundas attempts less, I think—but by the same token, he succeeds in what he attempts and is quite without the pretension that sometimes overcomes Morgan. And for readers who like this kind of story, that is a huge plus. It's just not for me.
[Review copy through Amazon Vine. Quality 4–5; personal enjoyment 2–3]
August 1, 2016
I really loved the entire book! I hadn't finished a book in a while and failed really getting through some other books. This one by Chad Dundas, mma journalist and podcast extraordinaire, is a great piece of sports fiction. Hit the right sport at exactly the right time. Thanks Dundas!
September 4, 2016
Those who know me know my penchant for wrestling. There's something I find absolutely fascinating about the manner in which combat is used as a pretext to tell a story of contrasting personalities clashing inside the squared circle. So when I read the plot description for CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, by journalist Chad Dundas, I was instantly hooked. And boooy, did this book ever deliver.
Set in the infancy days of professional wrestling as we know it today, this historical novel tells the gripping story of former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean, now a circus performer known for his death-defying Hangman's Drop, and his wife, Moira, who makes a living out of tricking people at card games. The former champ's wrestling glory days come back to haunt him, when he receives an offer to train African-American heavyweight wrestler Garfield Taft for a shot at being the eponymous Champion of the World. Which, of course, given the fact that the story takes place in the '20's, is controversial, to say the least. And let me tell you, this book is replete with controversy. From gangsters to blatant racism and some homosexuality, there's little in this book that is for the faint of heart. However, those who stick with it to the end will find a story that's super-confidently written for a debut novel(I had a hard time believing this to be the case on a couple of occasions). From the opening, the reader is engrossed into this story, and the characters are so complex and well-drawn that you'll care about all of them, from down-on-his luck yet never-say-die Pepper, to the ever-resourceful Moira and the superlatively confident Taft. A robust, authentic, gritty, heartfelt debut, written in pull-no-punches prose, CHAMPION OF THE WORLD is sure to entertain wrestling fans, historical fiction buffs and those who are simply looking for a great read. This, in my book, is the great American wrestling novel, and I'm looking forward to the further efforts of Chad Dundas! Ten outta five for a solid debut! The views herein are my own, though Mr. Dundas was gracious enough to provide me with a copy of his work.
Set in the infancy days of professional wrestling as we know it today, this historical novel tells the gripping story of former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean, now a circus performer known for his death-defying Hangman's Drop, and his wife, Moira, who makes a living out of tricking people at card games. The former champ's wrestling glory days come back to haunt him, when he receives an offer to train African-American heavyweight wrestler Garfield Taft for a shot at being the eponymous Champion of the World. Which, of course, given the fact that the story takes place in the '20's, is controversial, to say the least. And let me tell you, this book is replete with controversy. From gangsters to blatant racism and some homosexuality, there's little in this book that is for the faint of heart. However, those who stick with it to the end will find a story that's super-confidently written for a debut novel(I had a hard time believing this to be the case on a couple of occasions). From the opening, the reader is engrossed into this story, and the characters are so complex and well-drawn that you'll care about all of them, from down-on-his luck yet never-say-die Pepper, to the ever-resourceful Moira and the superlatively confident Taft. A robust, authentic, gritty, heartfelt debut, written in pull-no-punches prose, CHAMPION OF THE WORLD is sure to entertain wrestling fans, historical fiction buffs and those who are simply looking for a great read. This, in my book, is the great American wrestling novel, and I'm looking forward to the further efforts of Chad Dundas! Ten outta five for a solid debut! The views herein are my own, though Mr. Dundas was gracious enough to provide me with a copy of his work.
August 14, 2016
Near this book's end, one of its pivotal characters asks the question: "What's left for me anywhere, I wonder?"
Having read - I think - every piece of published fiction by Chad Dundas, that question is like the negative space in his work. The thing everything hinges on. The theme, I guess. All of his characters seem to grapple with it (pun unavoidable) to some degree.
But it's never boring, never repetitive. That's because Chad Dundas is a damn good writer who's got a firm grip on what makes real life...real. Whether he's writing about a deer trapped in a kitchen, or a wrestler with a gold tooth lodged in his finger, or a fictional, historical account of wrestling's evolution at the hands of pop culture, what's on display isn't any of those things - not really. It's characters navigating real life.
I loved this book!
Having read - I think - every piece of published fiction by Chad Dundas, that question is like the negative space in his work. The thing everything hinges on. The theme, I guess. All of his characters seem to grapple with it (pun unavoidable) to some degree.
But it's never boring, never repetitive. That's because Chad Dundas is a damn good writer who's got a firm grip on what makes real life...real. Whether he's writing about a deer trapped in a kitchen, or a wrestler with a gold tooth lodged in his finger, or a fictional, historical account of wrestling's evolution at the hands of pop culture, what's on display isn't any of those things - not really. It's characters navigating real life.
I loved this book!
October 8, 2016
I'm a sucker for a sports story, so when I saw this title on the shelf at the library, I grabbed it, checked it out, and opened it up without reading any book jacket blurbs, reviews, nothing. And what a surprise! A just-barely fictionalized story about the humble beginnings of what we now call professional wrestling. The twists and turns of the story and of the lead characters, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dean (he is a carnival wrestler/stage artist and she is a card dealer/gambler) works beautifully. Unfortunately, Chad Dundas throws in a side story about prohibition and for me he fails to pull the stories together successfully. So, five stars for this great, and enlightening, sports story but just three stars for the prohibition side-story, resulting in my four-star review. And so far this year, this is my favorite historical fiction novel.
October 10, 2016
The intense beauty and drama of boxing is immediate and visceral -- anyone can grasp the consequences of trading blows. Grappling is different. Its complexity and grind mean that it generally appeals only to practitioners and lifelong fans. Hence, the disparity between boxing's and grappling's artistic bodies.
With Champion of the World, Dundas starts to bridge the gap. A real page-turner, Champion of the World brings the reader into of the hustle of the old-school wrestler, wringing from it some moments of real beauty and exhileration. I particularly enjoyed how expansive its world was, using race, organized crime, circus acts, etc. as elements of its tightly wound plot.
It lags a bit in the middle and there a couple predictable writing devices, but I'm sorely tempted to give this five stars.
CME never die!
With Champion of the World, Dundas starts to bridge the gap. A real page-turner, Champion of the World brings the reader into of the hustle of the old-school wrestler, wringing from it some moments of real beauty and exhileration. I particularly enjoyed how expansive its world was, using race, organized crime, circus acts, etc. as elements of its tightly wound plot.
It lags a bit in the middle and there a couple predictable writing devices, but I'm sorely tempted to give this five stars.
CME never die!
October 14, 2016
In this corner, we have former lightweight champion of the world, Pepper Van Dean. After throwing a fight, he has fallen on hard times. He and his wife, Moirs, work for Markham, a ruthless man that exploits Van Dean's wrestling talent in a circus.
And in this corner, we have Garfield Taft. He is training to become the first African-American heavyweight wrestling champion. Van Dean moves to Montana to train Garfield, but is met with much resistance.
Dundas does well to build all of the characters in the book. Even minor characters are well drawn and have a life of their own on the page. Dundas writes about wrestling in the 1920's when it was on the cusp of becoming the choreographed dances we see today (he gives interesting historical notes in the back).
I picked this one up on a whim and I truly loved it.
And in this corner, we have Garfield Taft. He is training to become the first African-American heavyweight wrestling champion. Van Dean moves to Montana to train Garfield, but is met with much resistance.
Dundas does well to build all of the characters in the book. Even minor characters are well drawn and have a life of their own on the page. Dundas writes about wrestling in the 1920's when it was on the cusp of becoming the choreographed dances we see today (he gives interesting historical notes in the back).
I picked this one up on a whim and I truly loved it.
August 23, 2016
Chad Dundas is a great journalist and it is now clear his talents transfer very well to novel writing too. The great achievement of Champion of the world is to engage the reader emotionnaly on the fates of all the caracter in the books, from the main one to the lesser, from the good to the bad guys. Even wrestling as a sport and prohibition as an historical event are treated as caracters, making us wonder what will happen to them even tough history already told us. The story is riveting yet instructive, the tone is well managed in a tension buildup that ties the reader to his book intellectually and emotionally. Great work, Mr. Dundas, I can't wait to read your next novel !
July 18, 2016
It's rare for me to rate any book (or frankly anything else) 5 stars. This was an incredible book. Tightly written, with realistic characters and historical verisimilitude. No literary pyrotechnics here, just writing which takes you beyond the words and into a real world. You don't have to be a professional wrestling fan or someone who is fascinated by the early days of Prohibition to enjoy this book. Highly recommended.
July 22, 2016
Dundas’ book Champion of the World is honestly one of the best novels I have read in the past couple of years. The fact it is his first novel makes that all the more impressive. The characters are well flushed out, and their motivations and back stories unfold at just the right speed. A definite page turner that anyone (regardless of whether they are a sports fan or not) would enjoy. Highly, highly recommended.
January 23, 2021
Where I really liked The Blaze, I can only say that Champion was nothing short of brilliant. I have not enjoyed a novel this much in a long time.
A story set in world that comes alive through Dundas’ colorful but never cluttered prose, characters that pull you in even though they are complex and show the bagage of a hard-lived life, and plot choices that are reminiscent of GoT’s best moments; this has it all. Read this book!
A story set in world that comes alive through Dundas’ colorful but never cluttered prose, characters that pull you in even though they are complex and show the bagage of a hard-lived life, and plot choices that are reminiscent of GoT’s best moments; this has it all. Read this book!
August 17, 2016
Great debut novel filled with lovely odd period detail, and unforseen plot zags. Written by a guy that is not a ponderous gasbag. Features card sharps, scientific wrestling, bootleggers, carnies, VD, loggers, and pickles wrapped in ham. If you don't want to read a book with that stuff in it, then fuck you.
December 13, 2016
How one can write such a dry, slow, dull book with such an interesting premise remains a mystery.
September 27, 2016
Simply stated: One of the best books I have read in many years. So, so satisfied in every way.
May 5, 2020
Full review on my blog, http://dnruttan.com
The book follows the story of disgraced wrestler Pepper Van Dean through several different life sequences, all showing the decaying world of wrestling in the Prohibition Era from different lenses on various settings. In the opening of the book, we find out that Van Dean lost the lightweight championship in a fixed match, and ever since travels with a carnival performing the dangerous “hangman’s drop” act and five-cent wrestling bouts with all comers. His wife Moira, a card sharp who was raised around poker tables and smoky bars by her gambling father, travels with him. Van Dean, despite his flaws, is a champion of what is called the “scientific” form of wrestling, a dying art.
Stranded by the carnival in Oregon after an impromptu fight with a local man goes horribly wrong, Pepper and Moira are left with nowhere else to turn. So they link up with a shady promoter who wants Pepper to train Garfield Taft, an African-American wrestler with sights on the heavyweight championship — if someone would fight a black man in the ring.
But at the training camp in Montana, all is not what it seems, and a job taken out of desperation becomes a hornet’s nest of bootlegging, gangsters and other secrets.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about a book about circuses and wrestling, at first. I am not exactly a wrestling fan, and there was a time when circus books became altogether too trendy. I think I read too many of them and got burnt out. But I soon became immersed in this fascinating world. This was a time when wrestling was transitioning from its golden years when matches were always on the level and honest, to a darker time, in which fixed matches yielded big money and it became more of a performance, more of a circus act.
The book follows the story of disgraced wrestler Pepper Van Dean through several different life sequences, all showing the decaying world of wrestling in the Prohibition Era from different lenses on various settings. In the opening of the book, we find out that Van Dean lost the lightweight championship in a fixed match, and ever since travels with a carnival performing the dangerous “hangman’s drop” act and five-cent wrestling bouts with all comers. His wife Moira, a card sharp who was raised around poker tables and smoky bars by her gambling father, travels with him. Van Dean, despite his flaws, is a champion of what is called the “scientific” form of wrestling, a dying art.
Stranded by the carnival in Oregon after an impromptu fight with a local man goes horribly wrong, Pepper and Moira are left with nowhere else to turn. So they link up with a shady promoter who wants Pepper to train Garfield Taft, an African-American wrestler with sights on the heavyweight championship — if someone would fight a black man in the ring.
But at the training camp in Montana, all is not what it seems, and a job taken out of desperation becomes a hornet’s nest of bootlegging, gangsters and other secrets.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about a book about circuses and wrestling, at first. I am not exactly a wrestling fan, and there was a time when circus books became altogether too trendy. I think I read too many of them and got burnt out. But I soon became immersed in this fascinating world. This was a time when wrestling was transitioning from its golden years when matches were always on the level and honest, to a darker time, in which fixed matches yielded big money and it became more of a performance, more of a circus act.
December 15, 2023
I love being surprised! I would never expect a novel about wrestling and gangsters in the 1920s would interest me (I have zero interest in sports), but I loved it. The characters are great, the plot moves along without being either hasty or draggy, and the time period is deftly described. There are moral stakes, yet they don't distract from the plot.
The main character, Pepper, has a dilemma and is boxed in by the circumstances of his life: A former wrestling champion, he and his wife have fallen on hard times and have to take whatever work comes their way. Someone from their previous life shows up offering better work than Pepper could find anywhere else, so he takes it. Naturally, there's a catch: They are carried off to an isolated spot in rural Montana where Pepper is expected to train a Black wrestler named Garfield Taft who has his own need for a comeback in a showy match with a white champ. And naturally, there are plans to fix the bout, but Pepper doesn't want to humiliate Garfield or, later, himself. And since it is about wrestling in the 1920s, there's literal and figurative backstabbing that the ever-wary Pepper has to navigate.
Dundas is a superb, evocative writer. I could clearly picture every scene; every character was sharply drawn. He writes so well that I even read the move-by-move descriptions of wrestling bouts closely and with great interest, whereas usually I skim such stuff as quickly as I can. He doesn't hammer too hard on the moral stakes, yet it is clear what they are. Dundas is also straightforward with his plot. No cute tricks, just a compelling story told very, very well. I'd say it's one of the best books I've read this year.
The main character, Pepper, has a dilemma and is boxed in by the circumstances of his life: A former wrestling champion, he and his wife have fallen on hard times and have to take whatever work comes their way. Someone from their previous life shows up offering better work than Pepper could find anywhere else, so he takes it. Naturally, there's a catch: They are carried off to an isolated spot in rural Montana where Pepper is expected to train a Black wrestler named Garfield Taft who has his own need for a comeback in a showy match with a white champ. And naturally, there are plans to fix the bout, but Pepper doesn't want to humiliate Garfield or, later, himself. And since it is about wrestling in the 1920s, there's literal and figurative backstabbing that the ever-wary Pepper has to navigate.
Dundas is a superb, evocative writer. I could clearly picture every scene; every character was sharply drawn. He writes so well that I even read the move-by-move descriptions of wrestling bouts closely and with great interest, whereas usually I skim such stuff as quickly as I can. He doesn't hammer too hard on the moral stakes, yet it is clear what they are. Dundas is also straightforward with his plot. No cute tricks, just a compelling story told very, very well. I'd say it's one of the best books I've read this year.
December 9, 2024
DNF @ 53%.
I tried. I really did. I love reading books with few reviews because I never know what I'm going to get. Unfortunately, sometimes that backfires.
I had two main problems: so many characters and so much backstory. When they first arrive in Montana, there are two female characters (one main, one supporting) and at least SIX male characters, of which three are given in depth 10-page backstories. On top of that, there are people they talk about constantly that aren't present as well as the guy who Taft is training to fight. It's just a lot and I really couldn't keep anyone straight.
The other strange thing was that part one felt completely disconnected from part 2. Nothing at the carnival felt like it tied in once they were at the training camp, certainly not enough to justify the 100 pages of it I had to read. We learn Moira likes gambling but that could be introduced 1000 other ways, and also Pepper gets the invite to the training camp, but we could've just seen that scene and moved on.
The writing is fairly good, it's a nice easy read (or well, would be if there weren't so many characters). All of my issues are with the plot which feels like a tangled ball of yarn to read, and not in the fun way.
I tried. I really did. I love reading books with few reviews because I never know what I'm going to get. Unfortunately, sometimes that backfires.
I had two main problems: so many characters and so much backstory. When they first arrive in Montana, there are two female characters (one main, one supporting) and at least SIX male characters, of which three are given in depth 10-page backstories. On top of that, there are people they talk about constantly that aren't present as well as the guy who Taft is training to fight. It's just a lot and I really couldn't keep anyone straight.
The other strange thing was that part one felt completely disconnected from part 2. Nothing at the carnival felt like it tied in once they were at the training camp, certainly not enough to justify the 100 pages of it I had to read. We learn Moira likes gambling but that could be introduced 1000 other ways, and also Pepper gets the invite to the training camp, but we could've just seen that scene and moved on.
The writing is fairly good, it's a nice easy read (or well, would be if there weren't so many characters). All of my issues are with the plot which feels like a tangled ball of yarn to read, and not in the fun way.
June 5, 2017
Confession #1: I've been staring at this book for months, thinking I should read it, but not quite able to because I thought I wouldn't like it.
Confession #2: I finally started reading it, but told myself I'd only stay with it for 30 pages or so, maybe 50 if I was really feeling generous, before calling it quits and writing my review.
Confession #3: I actually kind of liked it. The story (from what I read...) was interesting. I read more than I intended to before I even realized it. However, it put me to sleep. I came back in the morning and read some more (up into the triple digits), but couldn't keep up with it. Several times, I found myself drifting off, or realizing that I didn't know what happened in the last few pages, even within the first chapter I read after doing something else. So, I still had to call it quits. I do want to know what happened with the story, and it was well written, but I don't think I'd get enough of the story to make it worth it. But, if you think it's something you'd like to read, I'd happily say go for it. Even having read only about a quarter of it, it's not one that I wish I didn't waste any time on at all.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Confession #2: I finally started reading it, but told myself I'd only stay with it for 30 pages or so, maybe 50 if I was really feeling generous, before calling it quits and writing my review.
Confession #3: I actually kind of liked it. The story (from what I read...) was interesting. I read more than I intended to before I even realized it. However, it put me to sleep. I came back in the morning and read some more (up into the triple digits), but couldn't keep up with it. Several times, I found myself drifting off, or realizing that I didn't know what happened in the last few pages, even within the first chapter I read after doing something else. So, I still had to call it quits. I do want to know what happened with the story, and it was well written, but I don't think I'd get enough of the story to make it worth it. But, if you think it's something you'd like to read, I'd happily say go for it. Even having read only about a quarter of it, it's not one that I wish I didn't waste any time on at all.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
April 27, 2020
4.5 stars
I agree with the review switterbug (Betsey) posted for the most part.
I found this book to be refreshingly different from other recent books I've read - the plot, the POV, the realistic dialogue, the tight writing. I'm not a fan of wrestling, so I didn't understand some of that terminology very well, but wrestling is more of a secondary plot line. Over the course of my reading, I found it hard to put down on more than one occasion.
There were a couple parts where I felt like the scene took a little longer than necessary, but for the most part, the writing was practically perfect. I'm not sure how I feel about the last chapter...I'm not sure if that has more to do with what I hoped for the MCs or not. Overall, though, as a debut book, Champion of the World was really good. I plan to read more from this author - I can't wait for his next book.
SN: while the cover is beautiful (practically like a movie poster), it doesn't seem like it really represents the story, if that makes sense. (The font totally does, but the image...not as much.)
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
I agree with the review switterbug (Betsey) posted for the most part.
I found this book to be refreshingly different from other recent books I've read - the plot, the POV, the realistic dialogue, the tight writing. I'm not a fan of wrestling, so I didn't understand some of that terminology very well, but wrestling is more of a secondary plot line. Over the course of my reading, I found it hard to put down on more than one occasion.
There were a couple parts where I felt like the scene took a little longer than necessary, but for the most part, the writing was practically perfect. I'm not sure how I feel about the last chapter...I'm not sure if that has more to do with what I hoped for the MCs or not. Overall, though, as a debut book, Champion of the World was really good. I plan to read more from this author - I can't wait for his next book.
SN: while the cover is beautiful (practically like a movie poster), it doesn't seem like it really represents the story, if that makes sense. (The font totally does, but the image...not as much.)
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
October 12, 2025
While I generally enjoy reading historical fiction, this venture into the world of professional wrestling of the 1920s was a new one for me. Set in an era of gangsters, bootleggers, and carnival hucksters, the book focuses on the efforts of Pepper Van Dean, a former disgraced wrestling champion, to train an African American contender for the heavyweight title. Working out of a training camp in the mountains of Montana, it seems that all of the diverse central characters have a rich and troubled backstory, which slowly comes out as the plot moves forward.
Despite enjoying the overall novel, my interest significantly picked up in the final third of the book…where there were more unexpected twists and turns than an out-of-control roller coaster at Coney Island. All in all, this is a novel that was almost impossible for me to put down until the final chapter.
Despite enjoying the overall novel, my interest significantly picked up in the final third of the book…where there were more unexpected twists and turns than an out-of-control roller coaster at Coney Island. All in all, this is a novel that was almost impossible for me to put down until the final chapter.
July 1, 2017
Moving, very well written novel is a heavy weight wrestler and his wife trying to pick up their lives again after tumbling from the top tier of wrestling to bouts in circus tents. They fall in line with some bootleggers in Montana who plan to smuggle liquor in from Canada and distribute it to large cities in the Midwest and East. Of particular fascination to the couple is a rival black wrestler and his white wife. He spent time in prison for trumped up charges the couple allege but he came back "different". The story unfolds as the couples train for the big fight and and the smuggling venture.
December 3, 2020
"Champion of the World" was a pretty good book. I thought all the characters were interesting and complex, and I appreciated how the story slowly unveiled the backstories. The wrestling action was solid and there was a good plot twist I did not see coming at about the 80% mark.
I do think the story dragged in parts where not much happens; this is one of those books where you could give a complete summary in about 1 paragraph. Definitely more of a character study than plot based, and as already stated the characters were good but I could have used a little more plot.
I do think the story dragged in parts where not much happens; this is one of those books where you could give a complete summary in about 1 paragraph. Definitely more of a character study than plot based, and as already stated the characters were good but I could have used a little more plot.
June 27, 2017
Such a fun book to read. It was a double crossing gangster wrestling/ bootlegger book with great character development and lots of surprising plot twists. I'm not a wrestling fan, but if you are you will love the history presented. It also had fascinating angle on bootlegging via Montana. I'm a Jack Johnson fan, and he was referenced as well, and the Taft story parallels some of Johnson's story. It needs to be a movie!
February 17, 2020
This was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read! 5 out of 5 stars!
Chad Dundas knocked it out of the park with this debut novel! He checked off all the boxes that make a book enjoyable for me, and then some. I am a big fan of fighting, so my opinion is a little biased, but I can’t recommend this book enough!
The main protagonist is as easy as any to root for, and the supporting characters are just as well written. The slight nod to actual sports history makes it all the better!
Chad Dundas knocked it out of the park with this debut novel! He checked off all the boxes that make a book enjoyable for me, and then some. I am a big fan of fighting, so my opinion is a little biased, but I can’t recommend this book enough!
The main protagonist is as easy as any to root for, and the supporting characters are just as well written. The slight nod to actual sports history makes it all the better!
April 27, 2020
Well, not quite sure what I was expecting, but I ended up not really connecting with anything in the story. Guess it was just not for me even though I love historical fiction. Was rather underwhelmed.
One thing that has made me confused which has lead me to believe there are two endings. There's lots of talk in other reviews about an ending on a plane, but what I read didn't feature a plane, but instead a home near a lake. Confused.
One thing that has made me confused which has lead me to believe there are two endings. There's lots of talk in other reviews about an ending on a plane, but what I read didn't feature a plane, but instead a home near a lake. Confused.
July 20, 2017
Great story with rich character development that really brings you into the novel. It truly encapsulates a time in history that is so fascinating, pre-industrial revolution when being a tough-guy was a means of survival, also touches on bootlegging and circus tours. Once I started reading I couldn't put this one down. Highly recommended.
September 6, 2017
Very interesting period piece that explored the history of boxing and other organized wresting/fighting through a historical fiction lens, providing a lot plot twists and excitement. This book ended up taking a turn away from typical historical fiction with some crime stories intertwined. A great read if you enjoy the time period or history of sports!
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