The Miners Strike Back

by Kevin Dicks

Wales' mining heritage clashes with the modern world in this character-driven working class tragicomedy with an underlying theme of of an industry, of a way of life, and of a life partner. The protagonist is an anti-hero - Johnny ‘the Cutter’ Morgan, a widowed ex-miner who discovers coal under his allotment shed and, with good intentions of providing work for antisocial local teenagers, opens a clandestine coal mine. The venture becomes a rollercoaster ride as Johnny battles to keep his tiny colliery secret from prying allotment tenants, the authorities, retired never-off-duty police officers, a mad coal merchant, and a band of militant climate activists. Can Johnny hold it all together and resurrect his unfashionable mining past, in microcosm, in an increasingly hostile green world? Published in advance of the 40th anniversary of the UK's 1984-85 Miners’ Strike.

320 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2023

Reviews

[Gillian]

This is such a good book I had to review it! I was laughing out loud throughout. It needs to be a film.

[Jase]

A quirky book and a good debut novel. It’s plain that the author has plenty of passion for the coal mining industry. Set close to my home, it was good to read local placenames. Some of the humour may have been missed, sense of humours being very individual.

[Tom M]

Enjoyed, read the whole thing, probably not going to appeal to many.