Author Biography

Chad Dundas earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and his short fiction has appeared in the Beloit Fiction Journal, Sycamore Review, Sou'Wester, and Thuglit. Since 2001, he's worked as a sportswriter for national outlets including ESPN, NBC Sports, Sporting News, Bleacher Report, and the Associated Press, as well as local and regional newspapers. A fourth-generation Montanan, he lives with his wife and children in Missoula.

Review

Praise for Champion of the World

"A riveting novel about hardheaded men, tough women, and even tougher times in Prohibition America. It's difficult to believe Chad Dundas's CHAMPION OF THE WORLD is a debut novel—so fluid is it's plot movement, so sure the narrative...slyly ambitious…one of the most wonderfully controlled displays of storytelling by a new author in recent memory. Besides the page-turning momentum and thrilling set pieces, Dundas's novel has an almost sweet melancholy. So many of the characters are searching for redemption… When the betrayals, failures, and mishaps come, they're surprising and at times brutal, as merciless in their own way as that greatest of culprits here, the slow slipping away of time."—O Magazine

"A well written, engaging tale that reads like a beautiful grappling match between experienced and will trained athletes. Dundas has worked a tale that is intricate and intense with the call and response feeling of watching an excellent athletic contest. With twists and turns that are unexpected yet flow naturally, Champion keeps the reader entranced and curious throughout."—Missoulian

"With crisp, muscular prose, this 470-page historical novel illuminates a time of rapid change in America."—Poets & Writers

"Champion of the World, a terrific debut novel from Chad Dundas, is about professional wrestling in the early 1920s, when the sport wasn't unabashedly fake the way it is today. But you don't have to be a wrestle-maniac to enjoy it. If you appreciate great storytelling and dynamic characters, this book is going to satisfy… [Dundas] writes exciting action sequences. But his real gift is in making 1920s America and the people who populate it come vibrantly alive. In his hands, Champion of the World is an extraordinary trip through time to a culture very different from our own — never does it feel like a dry history textbook."—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"At first glance, Champion of the World is a novel about wrestling in the 1920s. But what's that saying about the tip of the iceberg?"—Portland Oregonian

"Dundas puts the gritty, unpleasant realities of the opening decades of the twentieth century on display, offering something of an implicit critique of the prevailing attitudes of Americans, both then and now. Wrestling fans with a penchant for history will relish the details woven into Champion of the World….Through his compelling and artful construction of Champion of the World, Dundas effectively provides wrestling fans with our own equivalent of folk heroes like Paul Bunyan and John Henry….For its unique content, vivid storytelling, and noteworthy attention to detail, we award Champion of the World five out of five suplexes."—Pro Wrestling Illustrated

"Champion of the World is window into wrestling history… The story ties in bootleggers, con men and wrestling poised to make a fundamental change from the sport of presidents (at least in their younger days) and common men alike to what would eventually become the antics of WWE (formerly called the World Wrestling Federation)."—Great Falls Tribune

"You can count the truly great sports novels on two hands and have fingers to spare. Wrestling, the sport of kings, has never had one-until now. Bleacher Report's lead MMA writer Chad Dundas has done the impossible. He has written a book about professional wrestling that appeals not only to fans of the grappling arts, but to sophisticated readers who wouldn't know a wristlock from a wrist watch."— Bleacher Report

 "Longtime MMA journalist Chad Dundas has written one of the great debut novels of 2016 in Champion of the World. The novel is an engaging tale of carnivals, gangsters, bootlegging, race relations, decisions, deception, attempted redemption, tragedy and life. It's a spectacular piece of writing, which even before publication was seeing Dundas compared to American greats such as Cormac McCarthy and Jim Thompson – and justifiably so."— MMA Junkie

"Dundas puts together a tightly woven piece of storytelling punctuated by some intriguing close-ups of wrestling when it was taken seriously. . . . [The] last [twist is] a doozy with a demon ex machina even nastier than the mobsters. Centered on the sweet-tough relationship of Pepper and his card shark wife, Moira, and enriched by a wrestling history that contrasts sharply with today's circus, the novel has the feel of noir but is rounder and richer than a Jim Thompson outing. Dundas suggests writers known for loosely historical works, such as Doctorow and Chabon, but he features a pared-down, punchy style that goes well with his characters' basic raw ambitions and emotions."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A brilliant novel about life—and sport—at the cusp of the modern age, Champion of the World follows a down-and-out couple as they struggle to survive on their wits alone. Reminiscent of the best of early Cormac McCarthy, but with compelling female characters."—Philipp Meyer, New York Times-bestselling author of The Son and American Rust

"Champion of the World is a debut with the masterful breadth and insight of a veteran talent's work. The confluence of a sport and entertainment, gambling and gangsterism is illuminated on every page, as Chad Dundas burrows into the tangled roots of American wrestling. Tragic and by turns hopeful, Champion of the World is a showcase bout full of reversals, grit, and spirit."—Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek

"Here's one of the finest first novels in years, a gritty tale involving professional wrestling, bootlegging, and the byzantine strategies of cold-blooded conmen and desperate grifters. If the subject matter strikes you as too quirky, think again. My advice to anyone who loves brilliant storytelling is this: read Chad Dundas's Champion of the World."—Jeff Guinn, New York Times-bestselling author of The Last Gunfight

"Chad Dundas's novel Champion of the World sets us squarely down in 1921 and brings it vividly to life.  Moira and Pepper Van Dean feel like a real couple. The tense buildup to the wrestling matches is outstanding, and the pleasure of the matches themselves is that their outcome cannot be predicted.  A terrific debut."—David Fuller, author of Sundance 

"Smart and flinty, Chad Dundas's archetypal debut is a sprawling, brawling yarn populated by gangsters and carnies, bootleggers, hucksters and early-day wrestlers—characters who, in their irresistibility, fairly drag you along by the throat through page after compelling page.  A piercing and at times heart-rending examination of the universal quest to reach our own championship, be it the big pay-day, enduring love, or mere survival in a ruthless world."—Kim Zupan, author of The Ploughmen

"Champion of the World is professional wrestling of the 1920s in full roar. It bristles with heroes, schemes, bootleggers, shysters, twists, romance, and excitement. Dundas knows wrestling, scene-making and a good plot. The result is this vivid and cinematic portrait of a sport, and a culture, in flux."—Deirdre McNamer, author of One Sweet Quarrel and Red Rover 

Review Quote

Praise for Champion of the World "A riveting novel about hardheaded men, tough women, and even tougher times in Prohibition America. It''s difficult to believe Chad Dundas''s CHAMPION OF THE WORLD is a debut novel--so fluid is it''s plot movement, so sure the narrative...slyly ambitious...one of the most wonderfully controlled displays of storytelling by a new author in recent memory. Besides the page-turning momentum and thrilling set pieces, Dundas''s novel has an almost sweet melancholy. So many of the characters are searching for redemption... When the betrayals, failures, and mishaps come, they''re surprising and at times brutal, as merciless in their own way as that greatest of culprits here, the slow slipping away of time."-- O Magazine "A well written, engaging tale that reads like a beautiful grappling match between experienced and will trained athletes. Dundas has worked a tale that is intricate and intense with the call and response feeling of watching an excellent athletic contest. With twists and turns that are unexpected yet flow naturally, Champion keeps the reader entranced and curious throughout."-- Missoulian "With crisp, muscular prose, this 470-page historical novel illuminates a time of rapid change in America."-- Poets & Writers " Champion of the World , a terrific debut novel from Chad Dundas, is about professional wrestling in the early 1920s, when the sport wasn''t unabashedly fake the way it is today. But you don''t have to be a wrestle-maniac to enjoy it. If you appreciate great storytelling and dynamic characters, this book is going to satisfy... [Dundas] writes exciting action sequences. But his real gift is in making 1920s America and the people who populate it come vibrantly alive. In his hands, Champion of the World is an extraordinary trip through time to a culture very different from our own -- never does it feel like a dry history textbook."-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram "At first glance, Champion of the World is a novel about wrestling in the 1920s. But what''s that saying about the tip of the iceberg?"-- Portland Oregonian "Dundas puts the gritty, unpleasant realities of the opening decades of the twentieth century on display, offering something of an implicit critique of the prevailing attitudes of Americans, both then and now. Wrestling fans with a penchant for history will relish the details woven into Champion of the World ....Through his compelling and artful construction of Champion of the World, Dundas effectively provides wrestling fans with our own equivalent of folk heroes like Paul Bunyan and John Henry....For its unique content, vivid storytelling, and noteworthy attention to detail, we award Champion of the World five out of five suplexes." --Pro Wrestling Illustrated " Champion of the World is window into wrestling history... The story ties in bootleggers, con men and wrestling poised to make a fundamental change from the sport of presidents (at least in their younger days) and common men alike to what would eventually become the antics of WWE (formerly called the World Wrestling Federation)."-- Great Falls Tribune "You can count the truly great sports novels on two hands and have fingers to spare. Wrestling, the sport of kings, has never had one-until now. Bleacher Report''s lead MMA writer Chad Dundas has done the impossible. He has written a book about professional wrestling that appeals not only to fans of the grappling arts, but to sophisticated readers who wouldn''t know a wristlock from a wrist watch."-- Bleacher Report "Longtime MMA journalist Chad Dundas has written one of the great debut novels of 2016 in Champion of the World . The novel is an engaging tale of carnivals, gangsters, bootlegging, race relations, decisions, deception, attempted redemption, tragedy and life. It''s a spectacular piece of writing, which even before publication was seeing Dundas compared to American greats such as Cormac McCarthy and Jim Thompson - and justifiably so."-- MMA Junkie "Dundas puts together a tightly woven piece of storytelling punctuated by some intriguing close-ups of wrestling when it was taken seriously. . . . [The] last [twist is] a doozy with a demon ex machina even nastier than the mobsters. Centered on the sweet-tough relationship of Pepper and his card shark wife, Moira, and enriched by a wrestling history that contrasts sharply with today''s circus, the novel has the feel of noir but is rounder and richer than a Jim Thompson outing. Dundas suggests writers known for loosely historical works, such as Doctorow and Chabon, but he features a pared-down, punchy style that goes well with his characters'' basic raw ambitions and emotions."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A brilliant novel about life--and sport--at the cusp of the modern age, Champion of the World follows a down-and-out couple as they struggle to survive on their wits alone. Reminiscent of the best of early Cormac McCarthy, but with compelling female characters."--Philipp Meyer, New York Times -bestselling author of The Son and American Rust " Champion of the World is a debut with the masterful breadth and insight of a veteran talent''s work. The confluence of a sport and entertainment, gambling and gangsterism is illuminated on every page, as Chad Dundas burrows into the tangled roots of American wrestling. Tragic and by turns hopeful, Champion of the World is a showcase bout full of reversals, grit, and spirit."--Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek "Here''s one of the finest first novels in years, a gritty tale involving professional wrestling, bootlegging, and the byzantine strategies of cold-blooded conmen and desperate grifters. If the subject matter strikes you as too quirky, think again. My advice to anyone who loves brilliant storytelling is this: read Chad Dundas''s Champion of the World." --Jeff Guinn , New York Times- bestselling author of The Last Gunfight "Chad Dundas''s novel Champion of the World sets us squarely down in 1921 and brings it vividly to life. Moira and Pepper Van Dean feel like a real couple. The tense buildup to the wrestling matches is outstanding, and the pleasure of the matches themselves is that their outcome cannot be predicted. A terrific debut."--David Fuller, author of Sundance "Smart and flinty, Chad Dundas''s archetypal debut is a sprawling, brawling yarn populated by gangsters and carnies, bootleggers, hucksters and early-day wrestlers--characters who, in their irresistibility, fairly drag you along by the throat through page after compelling page. A piercing and at times heart-rending examination of the universal quest to reach our own championship, be it the big pay-day, enduring love, or mere survival in a ruthless world."--Kim Zupan, author of The Ploughmen "Champion of the World is professional wrestling of the 1920s in full roar. It bristles with heroes, schemes, bootleggers, shysters, twists, romance, and excitement. Dundas knows wrestling, scene-making and a good plot. The result is this vivid and cinematic portrait of a sport, and a culture, in flux."--Deirdre McNamer, author of One Sweet Quarrel and Red Rover From the Hardcover edition.

Excerpt from Book

One The clowns came to get him when it was time for the hanging. He met them outside his trailer; a half dozen of them all dressed like cops, looking soiled and road-weary in their baggy blue uniforms, soda siphons hanging from their belts instead of guns and cuffs. No one spoke as they walked him down to the gallows, moving through the narrow alleys between the powerhouse trucks, costume tents and animal cages, heading for the spot on the infield grass where the white tops of the carnival''s seven performance pavilions lifted like billowing clouds. With ten minutes left before intermission a few of the candy butchers had already returned their covered pushcarts to the backyard area. They stood leaning against them, smoking cigarettes in orange and white coveralls, bored expressions on their faces. At the backdoor of the big tent he stopped to bounce a minute on his toes, a light dappling of rain blowing in off the bay, pricking up goose pimples on his bare arms and legs. One of the clowns made a sour face. "You all right?" His lipstick smile almost touching the corners of his eyes. "You''re looking a little chunky." He ignored it but the truth was, he was overweight. The night before, the ache in his bad leg had kept him up, and after the two-and-a-half-hour jump from Monterey to San Francisco, he snuck down to the pie car and ate three pickles wrapped in ham. The pickles tasted good but didn''t fill him up, so he''d had a square of apple cobbler for dessert. He shouldn''t have done that, and in the morning forced himself to vomit before spending an hour jogging around the backyard area in a heavy overcoat. Now, as he stood there surrounded by the clowns, his belly was empty, and cold fear gripped his heart. He hoped he wasn''t about to go out there and break his goddamn neck. Through a slit in the curtain he could see the horse opera was almost over. For nearly ninety minutes the sparse crowd in the infield bleachers had cheered the evening performance of the Markham & Markham Overland Carnival. They''d seen clowns and contortionists, trapeze artists and tight ropers, a hypnotist, a strongman, and a guy in a top hat who built a pyramid out of dogs. Now, as the Fabulous Texas Trick Riders of the Loose Deuce Ranch urged their mounts over a series of jumps for the big finale, people squirmed in their seats. Handkerchiefs were pressed to brows, a low murmur of bored chitchat meandering through the stands as fathers pulled out their watches and younger guys passed bottles on the sly. The carnival''s horn players trumpeted the trick riders'' closing number and the horses blew past him in a dusty stampede of sequins, silk and fringed buckskin. He closed his eyes against the grit, letting the breeze ripple his cape, savoring the smell of the rain and the clean, lush scent of ball field grass. Pepper Van Dean had no great love for stick and ball games. During his time as lightweight wrestling champion of the world he''d met his share of ballplayers and found most of them to be soft, shiftless men. Now as he stood there waiting to go out to be hanged, he suddenly felt a stab of envy, knowing some of those guys made five thousand dollars a year playing a child''s game. What a life it must be, he thought, to spend your afternoons chasing a ball around the lawn, consenting to play only if the weather suited you. For years his brand of chewing tobacco had featured a picture of Honus Wagner under the cap. He wondered how much a guy got paid for something like that. Moira would probably know. "I should''ve been a ballplayer," he said quietly, his eyes still closed, his toes wiggling inside his soft black boots. "Shit," the clown spat. "You and me both, asshole." When he finally looked, the stadium had gone quiet and a pair of stagehands in black executioner''s hoods were wheeling the towering gallows frame to the center of the tent. Once it was in place, Boyd Markham himself strolled out and posed in the hot island of a spotlight. Markham was a heavy man with a rolling wave of silver hair, and he wore his signature blood-red carnation pinned to the lapel of a slippery tuxedo. Underneath, the silver of his silk brocade vest exactly matched his immaculate bowtie. He pressed his mouth close to a freestanding microphone, filling the tent with a hushed reverence, the audience leaning forward to hear his words over the distant hum of the powerhouse trucks. "Those of you familiar with physical culture may think you know this next act," he said. "Those of you who are mere neophytes have no doubt still heard rumors of it, as its reputation precedes it throughout the civilized world. Indeed, a version of this daring deed has been attempted by a number of other performers with other, lesser traveling shows, sometimes with disastrous consequences." A nervous titter moved through the crowd, but the ringmaster silenced it by bringing his voice up a notch. "Martin Burns!" he said, and the name drew some scattered applause. "Rabbit Farnum! You may even recall headlines announcing the tragic death of the strongman Enoch Hughes, who lost his life attempting a similar gambit some years ago. Indeed, this courageous feat of athletic prowess has been tried by other men in other towns. Unfortunately it is my duty to inform you that most of these men are no more than charlatans, and their various renditions of the performance required little more than simple sleight of hand. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, you will see no gimmicks, no tricks, no illusionist''s hoax. Simply put, what you are about to observe here this evening inside this humble cathedral of athletic performance will be the most amazing display of raw strength and boundless endurance that you will see in all your lives. Why? Because we believe you deserve nothing less than the best right here," a pause, "in the great city of San Francisco!" He basked for a moment in the cheers, the patient politician waiting out the adoring masses, smiling and nodding while the crowd revved itself up. "As your humble chaperone this evening it is my duty to inform you that what comes next is not for the weak of stomach or faint of heart. Those who are easily disturbed or have small children in attendance may want to excuse yourselves to the midway, or to our splendid gaming and merchandise pavilions. Those of you who choose to remain will no doubt stand witness to something that will stay with you throughout all your years. I assure you, it has had a similar effect on me." He shielded his eyes from the spot and peered into the crowd, where no one was making for the exits. "Very well," he said, nodding to someone in the wings. Another spotlight faded up at stage left, revealing the quartet of horn players standing beneath a banner that read, "Master of the Hangman''s Drop!" in three-foot purple script. "Enough preamble," the ringmaster said. "Please join me in welcoming the indestructible, unkillable man himself! The former lightweight wrestling champion of the world! Ladies and gentlemen, clap your hands for the master of the hangman''s drop! The immortal Pepper Van Dean!" The horn players blasted out a Ta-da! as the clowns pulled back the curtain. They all walked out together, blinded for a moment by the heat and light. The polite applause turned to cheers as Pepper suddenly burst free of the clowns, sending them toppling in a heap, and jogged around the ring, raising a hand to wave at everyone and no one. As he came to the front he whipped off his cape and gave them all a good look at him in just his boots and wrestling tights. He was a small man, all bone and gristle, his legs a little too short, his arms a little too long. His neck was so thick and powerful that it seemed to swallow up his shoulders. Cords of muscles rippled in it as he turned his head one way, then the other. Without warning, he spun and bent backward, balancing like a crab on the crown of his head, rolling and stretching his neck from side to side before kipping-up to his feet. One of the stagehands came forward with a pair of handcuffs, holding them up for all to see, drawing the appropriate oohs and ahhs as he jerked Pepper''s arms behind his back and led him around to the gallows. Once they''d climbed the steps to the platform, Boyd Markham strolled over, silver hair and dark suit shining, microphone now cupped in his hand. "Mr. Van Dean," he said. "Any final words?" "Well," Pepper said, voice cracking so badly he had to clear his throat and begin again. "Well, I''d just like to say," taking some time to think it over, "God Bless America. I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July and, if I don''t see you, have a good Thanksgiving, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, too." Some chuckles from the crowd. "Is that all ?" Markham asked, a tease in his voice. Pepper swallowed hard. "Anybody got a drink?" It was the summer of 1921, and prohibition jokes killed. One of the stagehands produced a third black hood from his pocket and tugged it over Pepper''s head--his world suddenly flushed into darkness--before dragging him back a few steps to the middle of the platform. His feet stumbling and scraping across the wood. Inside the hood, it smelled like mildew

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