What do you think?
Rate this book
London Country
A punk with a sampler, a nurse on a mission, a skinhead with a thirst � these three big-hearted locals just want to be left alone to live their lives to the scorching sounds of the Herbert Hi-Fi, but events are clouding their moods. When two friends look sure to clash in deadly fashion, a monster steps out of the shadows and romance looms in the shape of someone who may or may not have been abducted by aliens, some tough decisions are needed. And these decisions will have consequences.
While the Establishment obsesses over Brexit and Trump, the realities are very different for those on the boundaries of London Town. In these freedom-loving lands, where past and future merge in a never-ending present, honesty remains the best policy. Wrongs must be righted. A lost soul saved. With its eclectic cast of characters � none perfect, one possibly in spirit � London Country is an upbeat tale from the margins. Out here, different rules apply. Anything is possible.
While the Establishment obsesses over Brexit and Trump, the realities are very different for those on the boundaries of London Town. In these freedom-loving lands, where past and future merge in a never-ending present, honesty remains the best policy. Wrongs must be righted. A lost soul saved. With its eclectic cast of characters � none perfect, one possibly in spirit � London Country is an upbeat tale from the margins. Out here, different rules apply. Anything is possible.
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2023
20 people want to read
About the author
John King
631Ìýbooks148ÌýfollowersJohn King is the author of eight novels â€� The Football Factory, Headhunters, England Away, Human Punk, White Trash, The Prison House, Skinheads and The Liberal Politics Of Adolf Hitler. The Football Factory was turned into a high-profile film. A new novel â€� Slaughterhouse Prayer â€� was published on 8 November 2018.
King has written short stories and non-fiction for a number of publications, with articles appearing in the likes of The New Statesman, Le Monde and La Repubblica. His books have been widely translated abroad. He edits the fiction fanzine Verbal and lives in London.
King has written short stories and non-fiction for a number of publications, with articles appearing in the likes of The New Statesman, Le Monde and La Repubblica. His books have been widely translated abroad. He edits the fiction fanzine Verbal and lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 29, 2023
Sorry, this was just utter dribble from start to finish. John King has written some marvellous books - unfortunately this isn't one. It reads like a pastiche of his earlier books.
August 3, 2023
London Country is written in the great John King tradition: an absorbing take on real life, yet with mystical and spiritual strands that move it into another realm.
It helps that King comes from the place that he's writing about, and knows it well. He does a great job of conveying the atmosphere of those strange areas on the periphery of London, with their semi-industrial estates, slightly isolated pubs and vestiges of paganism kept at bay.
But there's also an excellent narrative, with plenty of strands that make you want to read on, including hints of murder and spiritualist mystery, as well as intriguing links back to other King books, including White Trash and Skinheads.
It helps that King comes from the place that he's writing about, and knows it well. He does a great job of conveying the atmosphere of those strange areas on the periphery of London, with their semi-industrial estates, slightly isolated pubs and vestiges of paganism kept at bay.
But there's also an excellent narrative, with plenty of strands that make you want to read on, including hints of murder and spiritualist mystery, as well as intriguing links back to other King books, including White Trash and Skinheads.
June 4, 2023
As its title implies, John King’s tenth novel blends ostensibly incompatible elements, not just the urban and the rural, but also the lyrical and the brutal, the serious and the humorous, the dreamlike and the realist. In the process, he’s created an emotional and empathetic yet witty and irreverent portrait of a world that’s despised by our cultural leaders � the world of white working-class suburban London.
July 1, 2024
I have read all of John King‘s work. His novels are becoming increasingly variable. This one is pretty incoherent. About halfway through it changes direction which left me somewhat confused. It was at this point that I just flicked through the rest of it as I couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thing. It’s a shame because there are some quite good scenes but overall, this one just didn’t work for me
June 4, 2023
It was ok but at the end of the book I asked myself what was the point and what actually happened. Not a lot. Can’t help thinking that the author peaked with his first book the Football Factory and that it’s been downhill ever since.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.