Lionhearts: Northern Ashes

by Dan Howarth

This Is England meets Taxi Driver in this violent, propulsive novel written for these dark times.When Henry Oswald loses everything in a gas explosion in his hometown, he stumbles from disaster to disaster before being picked up by a local community group full of good intentions. Yet beneath their veneer of benevolence lies hatred and division. Half-in and half-out of the group, Henry must make a choice between redemption and darkness, knowing that violence will come with either...

Lionhearts is a violent trip into the backwaters of Northern England, exploring the rage and isolation of the population and delivering a timely message for this broken country of ours.


Sneering, contemptuous, and visceral; Lionhearts is a searing indictment of the real England. Howarth brings us a modern day Taxi Driver with a nasty and hateful main character who is completely twisted by grief.When you're lost and you hold out your hand, be careful who takes you in.

Adam Hulse. Author of Below Economic Thresholds .

An unnerving and worryingly timely gut punch of a novel.

Andrew David Barker. Author of Dead Leaves and The Electric .


Lionhearts is a searing state-of-the-nation novel that feels dangerously relevant in today’s polarised society. With characters you care about, this is a gritty, realistic story about the slippery road to radicalisation. This Is England meets The Red Riding Quartet.

Wayne Kelly. Author of Safe Hands and The Call Back .

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2025

Reviews

[Thomas Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

An explosive, unflinching narrative about the infectious hatred that is only a few bad decisions from tearing our society apart, and those that would take advantage of it to further their own agendas. Howarth takes inspiration from a very real tragedy to begin this thrilling novel before following his tragic protagonist, Henry. Henry goes through hell, losing everything and hitting rock bottom where he is overlooked by an ineffective government and the only assistance comes in the form of a local group of seemingly good samaritans. But, the more time he spends with them, and the deeper he becomes involved, the more he learns about their true natures. Henry isn't entirely innocent, and his actions throughout the book will challenge our sympathy. Nor does he fully redeem himself by the end, but the complete narrative makes for a gripping and quick read. I got through it in two days, thanks to Howarth's storytelling expertise, his ability to weave great character exploration and introspection with a terrifyingly real story of compromised and corrupt humanity. I'll be thinking about this book for days and weeks to come.