Prequel to the best-selling phenomenon Trainspotting, this exhilarating and moving novel shows how Welsh’s colorful miscreants first went wrong.
Marked by Irvine Welsh’s scabrous humor and raw Scottish vernacular, Skagboys transports us to 1980s Edinburgh, where the Trainspotting crew is just getting started. Mark Renton has it all: the first in his family to attend university, he has a pretty girlfriend and a great social life. But when economic uncertainties and family problems intervene, Rent succumbs to the defeatism—not to mention the drug use—that has taken hold in Edinburgh’s tougher quarters. His friends are responding according to personality. Laid off, Spud Murphy is paralyzed in the face of long-term unemployment. Sick Boy, supreme manipulator of the opposite sex, is scamming and hustling for money and drugs. And meanwhile, psycho Franco Begbie is scaring the hell out of everyone. Darkly humorous, Skagboys gives a gritty and gripping portrait of a time, not unlike ours, when money was scarce, unemployment was high, and drugs seemed the answer.
Skagboys
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"One of the most significant writers in Britain. He writes with style, imagination, wit and force."
"--Times Literary Supplement"
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"The voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent."
"--The Times"
"--Times Literary Supplement"
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"The voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent."
"--The Times"
About the Author
Irvine Welsh is the author of Trainspotting, Ecstacy, Filth (soon to be a major motion picture), Glue, Porno, and Crime, among other works. Welsh is also producing movies and writing screenplays. A native of Edinburgh, he lives in Chicago and Miami.
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More About the Author
Irvine Welsh is the author of Trainspotting, Ecstasy, Glue, Porno, Filth, Marabou Stork Nightmares, The Acid House, If You Liked School, You'll Love Work, The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs and Reheated Cabbage. He divides his time between Florida, Ireland, and Scotland.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By tones4317
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a long time Welsh fan, I suppose I could be considered a little biased - but really, in all honesty, this is one of the cult Scottish author's finest efforts to date.
Skagboys revisits the sunny port of Leith and adjoining Edinburgh, and the eclectic cast of characters that made up Welsh's debut effort - the drugged-out classic Trainspotting. All your skeevy old pals are here... ever-acerbic Mark Renton, sweet natured Spud, scheming Sickboy and, naturally, the delightfully psychotic pugilist, Begbie. Only this time, we meet Leith's finest schemies in their early twenties - just as they're developing that nasty little heroin habit which was the focal point of Trainspotting.
So yes, it's a prequel to Trainspotting, featuring characters that should be familiar to fans of the earlier book or its cinematic adaptation. But, as always, Welsh is not afraid to delve a little deeper. While on the surface a simple story of a hopeless descent into addiction, the novel also chronicles the sad devolution of the working class in dystopian mid-eighties Scotland.
It's quite interesting, but also quite depressing, to bear witness to the slow ravaging of blue collar Scottish society, whose denizens turn to drugs and violence to numb the economic and social hardships incurred by the rise of Maggie's Farm. The novel also deals with the rampant incursion of AIDS into Edinburgh - once Europe's AIDS capital - which spreads all too rapidly through shared needle use and illicit sex.
If you're a fan of Trainspotting, or it's excellent sequel Porno (which revisits our anti-heroes in their mid thirties) then I simply can't recommend this read enough.... Read more ›
Skagboys revisits the sunny port of Leith and adjoining Edinburgh, and the eclectic cast of characters that made up Welsh's debut effort - the drugged-out classic Trainspotting. All your skeevy old pals are here... ever-acerbic Mark Renton, sweet natured Spud, scheming Sickboy and, naturally, the delightfully psychotic pugilist, Begbie. Only this time, we meet Leith's finest schemies in their early twenties - just as they're developing that nasty little heroin habit which was the focal point of Trainspotting.
So yes, it's a prequel to Trainspotting, featuring characters that should be familiar to fans of the earlier book or its cinematic adaptation. But, as always, Welsh is not afraid to delve a little deeper. While on the surface a simple story of a hopeless descent into addiction, the novel also chronicles the sad devolution of the working class in dystopian mid-eighties Scotland.
It's quite interesting, but also quite depressing, to bear witness to the slow ravaging of blue collar Scottish society, whose denizens turn to drugs and violence to numb the economic and social hardships incurred by the rise of Maggie's Farm. The novel also deals with the rampant incursion of AIDS into Edinburgh - once Europe's AIDS capital - which spreads all too rapidly through shared needle use and illicit sex.
If you're a fan of Trainspotting, or it's excellent sequel Porno (which revisits our anti-heroes in their mid thirties) then I simply can't recommend this read enough.... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Ctwilliams
Format:Kindle Edition
Skagboys is a worthy prequel in the 'Trainspotting' trilogy and a five star read. In the novel the exploits of its now famous four characters (Rents, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie) come of age in the Thatcherite dystopia of early 1980s working class Edinburgh. Welsh's characters face a world of tough choices, unemployment, drugs and generational poverty with a headlong rage that is the authors trademark. The hardback books hefty 548 pages highlights the family friends and developing `love interests' of the principal characters as they move, mate and scheme from the Port of Leith and into the wider world. Skagboys is vintage Welsh, with some of the best characterisation to date of his anti heroes at work rest and play. The novel is at times sad, bad, hilarious and profound with imagery and dialogue that's pure catnip to the converted/perverted Welsh reader.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Bretskii
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Classic Welsh and such a joy again to get inside the minds of my favourite literary characters. Up there with all the lieth sagas he has done. If you love Welsh, you must read this!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By SimondB
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Some might say that Irvine Welsh is milking the herion thing. Personally I enjoyed it immensly. The characters in his books are people you have got to know over the years. This is just another insight into their lives. And having lived through the Thatcher years at the same age as these boys I relate to what Irvine has to say. Just one other comment: Mr Welsh really has a thing about anal sex. Is there one book he has written that does not contain episodes of man/woman anal sex? Just saying likesay.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Troy Smoldon
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really hate this book, and all Irvine Welsh books. Why? Because they always have to end. Welsh in my opinion is a very under rated writer. He sucks you into the story, brings the characters to life to a point of prodding the reader to search for the characters while out in the public living life.This is a must read for any Welsh fan.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By stxbuck
Format:Hardcover
It is very rare when a book or movie completely lives up to every expectation you might have for it, but Skagboys hits the mark. As the prequel to Trainspotting, Welsh introduces all his familier characters in full stride-Renton,Spud,Sick Boy,Begbie with his characteristic humor,aplomb,cynicism and full on outrageousness. I do not wish to interject any spoilers, but I can say that many scense are written almost screen-play ready,and one can see the hilarity playing out in your mind's eye with ease. Unlike Trainspotting, Skagboys deals with the psychology of addiction much more directly-the entire crew winds up in a rehab together-and family backgrounds of Sick Boy and Renton. If you have been anticipating this release as much as I have, you will not be disappointed-this is Welsh delivering his fans a home run.
By Alice Antos
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
My husband read it, he said not one of his best, but he did enjoy it I haven't read it and most likely won't, as we enjoy different books..
By BossStatus
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a huge Irvine Welsh fan. I've read nearly everything that he has written. I didn't want to finish this book because we may not hear about Renton and Sick Boy again. The book didn't disappoint. There were your humorous stories but there were some very sad moments for these characters.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scotland's Dickens
One of the best books this author has written, it is remarkable in scope, humor, depth of character, the ability to emit the most genuinely skin-crawlyingly disturbing scenes,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Charles Hargreaves
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ok...
I own all of Irvine Welsh's novels, and this one has been my least favorite so far. It felt long and drawn out. Usually, I can't put a Welsh novel down...
Published 3 months ago by EK
5.0 out of 5 stars
A proper trilogy
A remarkable book, Skagboys brings completion to Welsh's Lothian universe. Set against the fraying social fabric of Thatcherite Britain, a slightly younger Trainspotting crowd... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dan Rudy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Prequel!
Longtime fan of Irvine's work here...I just finished Skagboys today and it was a harrowing ride. I really feel like I know the characters like my own friends at this point after... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shathadute
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harrowing...
Yet completely readable. You learn to care about Renton, SICK Boy and Spud as they spiral downwards into certain oblivion.
Published 4 months ago by sikkinikkigirl
5.0 out of 5 stars
WELSH DOES IT AGAIN
Welsh has done the seemingly impossible, revisiting the boys from Leith again and making the journey seem fresh. Read more
Published 4 months ago by James Yoakum
4.0 out of 5 stars
Skag-spotting!!
Another fun read from Mr. Welsh. I gave it four stars cause it rocks. The author def knows his material - one of the quotes on heroin use sums it up ("... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Lamberson
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Irvine Welsh brilliance
In my opinion, Irvine Welsh does not disappoint; this book is no exception. Not quite as strong a book as Porno, but an excellent prequel to Trainspotting nevertheless. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Eric Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good companion piece
Not as deep, immersive and over the map as Trainspotting, but any additional stories from these characters is always much appreciated. Excellent. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mark Hyatt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Irvine Welsh at his best!
This book definitely deserves 5 stars! It is Irvine Welsh at his best. This book is absolutely on par with Trainspotting - the language, the amazing characters, the humour. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Magdalena Sieradzka
