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Raveheart

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Raveheart

By: Graeme Armstrong
Narrated by: Graeme Armstrong, Olivia Caw, Scott Reid, Mitchell Robertson, John Scougall
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‘An absolute riot of a read' THE SCOTSMAN ‘A gleeful state-of-the-nation dystopia' DAILY MAIL

A high NRG, whip-smart look at the state of modern Britain through the eyes of a disparate band of rave rebels, from the author of the acclaimed, bestselling debut The Young Team and one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.

William Patterson – better known as DJ Turbo – is living a dystopian nightmare after his glory days as resident spinner at a local Coatbridge ice rink, The Time Capsule, have been snatched from him. As an ultranationalist regime sweeps to power, ‘The New Greatest Britishest Party’ cracks down on youth culture, drugs and – the final straw – electronica. Incensed by a blanket ban of their beloved tunes, Turbo and his comrades launch a rave revolt – resurrecting the illegal warehouse parties of the past in this new darker, monolithic Greatest Britain, as a powerful act of resistance.

But, as the political situation escalates and secret police surveil every corner of society, Turbo and his troops fly ever closer to the sun in the dangerous world of the anti-rave abolition paramilitary. Mixing euphoric anthems, psychotropic chemicals and peaceful insurrection, they will fight the war of the rave. Deciding who to trust – and who may betray the cause – is everything. The future of the whole nation is on the line … can Turbo be the hero not just of rave, but of Scotland?

Hilarious, tragic and incredibly clever all at once, this narcotic trip of a novel is a meta, mayhem-filled, cultural coup d'état and cult classic in the making, from one of the most electrifying young writers in Britain today.

‘Verbal ingenuity… Armstrong’s passion for the subculture is infectious, even to the uninitiated’ GUARDIAN

‘A celebration of liberated dancefloors, revolution and rebellion, and all the best bits of dance music culture – a big f**k you to the draconian rulebook’ MIXMAG

©2026 Graeme Armstrong (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers
Dystopian Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Political Satire Science Fiction Urban Funny Witty
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Critic reviews

‘A hilarious tale of underground resistance…full of verbal ingenuity…Armstrong’s passion for the subculture is infectious, even to the uninitiated. Beyond the glow sticks and the beats lies the compelling and universal question of what it means to be fully alive’ THE GUARDIAN
‘A gleeful state-of-the-nation dystopia …The high-stakes political urgency of his fragmentary vernacular narrative is a clever way to explore his feelings about coming late to a scene whose most controversial days took place well before he was born in 1991’ DAILY MAIL
‘A celebration of liberated dancefloors, revolution and rebellion, and all the best bits of dance music culture – a big f**k you to the draconian rulebook’ MIXMAG
‘Raveheart is a novel that is an unashamedly full-hearted and full-throated celebration of working-class culture and language that feels necessary, new and just damned good fun’ THE SCOTSMAN
'Resonant commentary on class, power, consumerism and masculinity … an absolute riot of a read' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY
'Raveheart hits you full in the kisser like a gleeful mash-up of Alasdair Gray. Irvine Welsh, Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding … an intensely original piece of work' THE HERALD
PRAISE FOR THE YOUNG TEAM:
'Read this. For Graeme Armstrong is the real deal' DOUGLAS STUART, author of SHUGGIE BAIN
'One of the most admired young voices in British fiction' THE TIMES
'Raw and lyrical. Written in a voice that recalls Irvine Welsh and Alan Warner – dialect that fizzes off the page' OBSERVER
'The Young Team is a book full of guts, power, humour and humanity. This is a community not often seen in literature, depicted by a talented writer who intimately knows that world and the truth of this is seared in every sentence' KERRY HUDSON, author of LOWBORN
'Graeme Armstrong’s debut novel is an instant Scottish classic' THE SKINNY
'Vivid, dynamic and sharp as a whip' JANICE GALLOWAY, author of THE TRICK IS TO KEEP BREATHING
All stars
Most relevant
don't know what I was expecting but this is so much better. not many books out there you'll hear someone getting called a hymen pirate. didn't think you could have done better that the young team but I stand corrected

absolute banger

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Loved it! So close to the bone regarding the politics. Anyone fancy compiling a playlist of all the tunes mentioned? *I am now currently doing this but reckon it might of been easier with the printed page...

LONG LIVE THE RAVE

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This audio version of Graeme Armstrong’s Raveheart was completely addictive, I finished it in two days. Having absolutely loved The Young Team I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this dystopian fantasy about the destruction of rave culture but it was absolutely brilliant, completely bonkers but brilliant. I loved how the author references amazing tunes throughout the story and this had me playing some absolute crackers on my way to Tesco. A definite bonus for me is Graeme Armstrong narrating his own work, it just gives the story another dimension. Fabulous!

Bonkers! And I loved it.

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Fun filled hijinks, on the nose satire but mostly full of banter with a dash of Scottish pride ya bass.

Great banter

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This book has definitely been worth the wait, it’s a great listen and I really enjoyed it. Absolutely class ma man, the matching playlist is up there anaw

Absolutely class ma man

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