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Tiger, Tiger by Mel Keegan

TIGER, TIGER Mel Keegan
136pp, 6" x 9"
Cover by Jade
Published by DreamCraft,
printed & bound in the UK and EU.
Paperback via Amazon.com or Lulu.com;
Hardcover only via Lulu.com;
Ebooks from Kindle, Smashwords, DreamCraft; $13.50 (Lulu paperback)
$23.99 (Lulu hardcover)
$5.50 (eBook: many formats, see below)Paperback: $13.50


Ebook formats: Paperback: $13.50
PC, Mac, iLiad, Sony Reader, Pocket PC, Palm Pilot, Blackberry, iPhone, Mobipocket.

Read the first 10% of this novel online!

Any "content warning" to readers? Murder,'chiller' material, realistic violence, frank description of same-gender relationships. (See our Caveat.)

(Caveat: sample readings offered here encompass about the first 10% of the book, and are uncensored, unabridged. If you're disturbed by candid descriptions of same-gender romance, or by realistic violence, please don't download! Samples are not intended for younger readers. By clicking to open the PDF, you agree that you are of age in your local jurisdiction; you know what you are about to read; and the material won't disturb you: 'nuff said.)

Stay on this page for cover notes, reader reviews and one-click shopping!

Paperback: Only from Lulu.com at this time

Kindle (Mobi format):
For PC & Mac, Desktop/Laptop:
For Pocket PC, iLiad, Sony Reader, Palm:

For iPhone, Blackberry, Mobipocket Reader, Palm Pilot and more:

Order the Hardcover

COVER NOTES
In the world of 2073, the tiger is technically extinct in the wild, but as a species they’re flourishing ... they have been genetically redesigned. Their genes have been ‘tweaked’ to reduce their size to that of a large dog, and they’re popular ‘exotic pets.’

Few people care any longer that the wild tiger has vanished from the Earth. One of the only concerned individuals left is an eccentric, aged billionaire, Cass Vandermeer, who owns vast tracts of northwestern Tasmania ... and it’s here, in 'the Tarkine,' one of the last wildernesses in the world, that a handful of real, un-engineered tigers still live in the wild. The ‘park’ is managed by specialists who have spent their whole lives with these animals. So, when a ‘gene smuggling’ racket is uncovered a ‘can of worms’ with far-reaching consequences is opened, and the result is sudden violence and action, in the true Mel Keegan tradition!

Meet Sonny Moran and Alec Finch, two of MK's most delicious heroes. They're ranger and copter pilot, respectively, and that's Sonny on the cover, in the painting which inspired the story (see below!). And meet Poul Kolosimo and Andy Nardelli, the two VR-filmmakers whom almost everyone wants to strangle for one reason or another.

But who are the gene smugglers? How did they get into the Tarkine? And more importantly, how are Sonny and Alec going to keep the genetic materials of authentic, wild 'thoroughbred' tigers out of the hands of unscrupulous entrepreneurs, who are equally as vile as the drug lords of an earlier age. Exotic near-future SF, with a twist of technology, and a spicy gay romance.

MEL KEEGAN COMMENTS ON TIGER, TIGER
"This story was actually inspired by the painting, "The Jungle Book." How could you look at that picture and not catch a glimpse of the story behind it? TIGER, TIGER is the result, and the artist, Jade, is smiling ... the cover's already painted. Job done! ... However, there's an old saying. What goes around comes around. And in this case, the painting inspired the book, which inspired a PORTFOLIO which leaves one blinking. DreamCraft are making the collection of entirely original, digital paintings available as screensavers and calendars, and meanwhile I'll put a feather in my hat for being the inspiration!

The background research for TIGER, TIGER was both a pleasure and one heck of a job. The Tarkine is real place, and people are fighting every day to keep the loggers the hell out of there. Think about this: some element in the government wants to cut down the last pockets of primordial rainforest — for WOODCHIPS. Now, I understand the 'timber dollar.' I understand planks and boards, the masts of ships, and hand-crafted furniture made of the finest timbers. But what I can't get my head around is turning virgin forest into woodchips. That one's too weird for me.

Most of the research was done on the web; there are some good sites that are well worth a tour-around. In the weeks to come I'll list the best on the links page on-site here. The reality of Tasmania is a place like Middle Earth, regions with names like 'Styx' and 'Valhalla' and 'Cradle Mountain.' It's exotic even before you zip 70 years into the future and look at a world where global warming and overpopulation have changed the face of the planet. Then, when you add the new Tasman tigers to the picture, it gets interesting indeed. I enjoyed writing this one immensely, and I'm more than happy to acknowledge the source of the inspiration.

READERS' REVIEWS

TIGER, TIGER REVIEWED BY SAM

Hi. I never reviewed a book before but I have to add my nickel's worth about this one I guess cuz I love tigers so much and Keegan seemed to hit the nail 'right on' with this story. I liked how the tiger that was a major character in the story was not 'anthropomorphed' (can't spell that,but you know what I mean) but was let to be a real tiger, so you could really believe it. I'd like to see more stories about how it works out for these guys ... yeh, I liked the guys too! Also great plot. Can I get a printout of the cover art??? [You can get it on a card or a mousepad ... click on the 'MK at Zazzle' link on the menu bar to your left, or visit our Giftstore to see it! - ED]

REVIEWED BY Buckeroo Bonsai With each masterstroke, Mel Keegan paints a rich portrait of a near-future world which is alarmingly familiar. Picture, if you will, the last wilderness in the world. Humans have covered the globe like a virus, species everywhere are but a memory, cities have sprawled across the continents. You travel to the end of the world, literally, to find the last tract of wilderness: a place called the Tarkine.

And it's a real place, in the northwest of the island of Tasmania, just off the southern tip of Australia. In TIGER, TIGER, this part of the island is privately owed, which means it can't be logged, turned over to "pine plantations," mined, turned into a celebrity vacation resort, or another city. It's owned by a very old man who's still on a mission: preserve the last surviving fragment of the wilderness ... and preserve real, genuine live tigers. In this tiny patch of paradise live the park rangers who safeguard the Tarkine and the tigers.

Without delay, you meet Sonny and Alec. Warning: be prepared to fall in lust, if not in love! And into this snipped of paradise come the villains ... the gene smugglers, whose industry will make your blood run cold (if it doesn't there's something wrong, all your spark plugs are not sparking).

The text is quite brief (the book is 136pp, with gorgeous illustrations) but the story is amazingly complex, and so richly detailed, you might read it in an afternoon but you will be haunted by it for weeks. This reviewer could happily spend a whole novel's worth of reading time in this "Keegan future," and has read TIGER, TIGER several times. Heroes, villains, exotic locations, gay romance (and sex) ... and of course, tigers. What more could you wish for? As an artist, Mel Keegan has evolved in recent years. The "Master of Gay Thrillers" (Millivres) has become the Master Craftsman. Consider me subscribed.

Paperback: Only from Lulu.com at this time

Kindle (Mobi format):

For PC & Mac, Desktop/Laptop:
For Pocket PC, iLiad, Sony Reader, Palm:

For iPhone, Blackberry, Mobipocket Reader, Palm Pilot and more:

Order the Hardcover

KEYWORDS: gay book, gay bookstore, gay fiction, gay literature, gay writers, gay book reviews, m/m, manlove, gay romance