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Skagboys

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 1,180 ratings · 178 reviews

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 univers...more

Hardcover, U.S., 532 pages

Published September 17th 2012 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published April 1st 2012)

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Feb 25, 2013 Nigeyb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Since reading 'Trainspotting' around the time it came out I have read and, to one degree or another, enjoyed every one of Irvine Welsh's books.

Before writing this review I had a look round at some of the other reviews and notice that this book does seem to polarise opinion, generally though most of the readers who have enjoyed previous Irvine Welsh books have enjoyed this one - though certainly not all. One reviewer likened "Skagboys" to the extras that turn on up on some DVDs, specifically tha...more Since reading 'Trainspotting' around the time it came out I have read and, to one degree or another, enjoyed every one of Irvine Welsh's books.

Before writing this review I had a look round at some of the other reviews and notice that this book does seem to polarise opinion, generally though most of the readers who have enjoyed previous Irvine Welsh books have enjoyed this one - though certainly not all. One reviewer likened "Skagboys" to the extras that turn on up on some DVDs, specifically that "Skagboys" is the extras for "Trainspotting" - a more in depth look at the main characters on their path to drug addiction, prison etc. I feel that does this book a slight disservice. I think the book stands up on its own merits. Whilst probably mainly appealing to people who read and enjoyed "Trainspotting" and "Porno".

Irvine Welsh says that "Skagboys" was written as part of Trainspotting, and at the same time, which makes sense. It's like a Scottish literary version of the superb US TV series The Wire. The book directly or indirectly touches on all aspects of the world of heroin during the Thatcher years, with the focus being on the core of working class lads from Leith. During the course of the book some of the characters move from Edinburgh; to London; briefly to Amsterdam and a stint working on a Sealink ferry; to a rehab centre near Fife; and even the Battle of Orgreave during the Miners Strike.

Irvine Welsh weaves in plenty of real life incidents into his narrative. I just mentioned the infamous Battle Of Orgreave, I was visiting Amsterdam in the mid 1980s when West Ham United and Manchester United hooligans caused chaos on the ferry to Holland and in the city. Those events appear in "Skagboys" too. Talk about art imitating life.

As with the other books about these characters the stories are told by different characters and from their different perspectives. This is a real strength and gives the reader insights into each of the main characters, and many of the more minor ones too. I think the "Trainspotting" crew inspire Irvine Welsh's best writing. "Skagboys" is another visceral page turner. It's such a shame that he is no longer flavour of the month, as this book is absolutely superb. If you loved "Trainspotting" and "Porno", then you'll probably revel in this prequel. By turns hilarious, appalling, and frequently both at the same time. It's also quietly profound too - Irvine Welsh gives Renton numerous opportunities to take a route out of addiction, but each time he reasons that heroin addiction is a rational response to the futility of the alternatives on offer in Thatcher's Britain, and given his own personal history. The addict as the ultimate free spirited, non-conformist. That perhaps makes the book sound quite serious. It certainly has moments of profundity but is as much about Irvine Welsh's trademark hilarious, appalling, dark, witty, insightful set pieces, scams, and stories. (less)

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Apr 28, 2012 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I should prefix this short review with a disclaimer that I'm a huge Welsh fan-boy and am probably incapable of writing anything totally subjective about this book.

Since Trainspotting, I have read everything he has ever done and have bought the books the minute they have come out. I suppose he's the literary equivalent to my favoutite band and like with my favourite band even when the high standards slip (If you liked school, you'll love work) I always believe it's only a temporary glitch and gre...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Ingrid Michaels rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Irvine Welsh is one of my favorite authors. I love how he can consistently describe our society's nihilistic tendencies. Do I believe that real life is as Welsh describes it; that we are all medicated degenerates, addicted to something, if not necessarily to drugs, alienated from each other, searching for love? Absolutely! We're all psychically broken and morally bankrupt, some of us more than others.

So why should we bother reading about ourselves, caught at our weakest moments, then? Because it...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Filip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah dinnae really expect ah'm gaunny git intae a 500 page book that wis written in this dialect, likesay ken? Ah'm nae Scottish gadge masel.

But it really did wonders to the book, the language, and the culture that Irvine Welsh depicted in this prequel.

TL;DR - if you liked Trainspotting, you'll definitely like Skagboys too.

Note that this was my first venture into the world of Trainspotting, the crown jewel of this story - I deliberately decided to follow Renton & co. from the start, sticking...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Jishnu Bhattacharya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say I was really looking forward to this book after spotting it in the Delhi book fair. However, it was a let down. Maybe it was asking for too much.
The characters are back. Renton is superb - brutally honest and cynical as always. Alison plays a big part. Football too. However, for a major part of the book, it seemed like Welsh didn't have much of a story to tell. I wanted to give up - thankfully didn't, since the rehab diaries of Renton are the best parts of the book.
For most of the...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book would be 3 1/2 stars. I loved trainspotting and even enjoyed Porno...but this book , which is a prequel, was a bit of a tedious read. You get to follow the same characters from the other books as they discover heroin and start the decent into junkiedom. It is fun to see them before they became junkies but they quickly fall into that world and you see how far Mark Renton really fell...and why he is the one who always pulls out of the situations. He is the smart one.

It was a fun read onc...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Maximilian Klein rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For ardent fans of Welsh Skagboys delivers backstory treats and grants some inner smirking. For those who weren't anticipating this book a year in advance, I'd imagine they were left with metallic displeasure that Mark Renton first starts confiding in the reader. Welsh's tricks of graphic sexual depravity, situational betrayal, and grim philosophies on Scotch identity are well executed, but starting to feel tired in their third incarnation. Slug through it if you've read trainspotting and porno,...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the purposes of this review I decided to read Skagboys, Trainspotting and Porno one after another to get a true feel for the quality of each. I'd read prior to embarking on this epic trek through the 'trilogy' that Skagboys is simply too long-winded and meandering compared to the pithy set-pieces of Trainspotting. However, as a massive fan of Irvine Welsh I found Skagboys to be utterly enthralling and potentially even better than Trainspotting. This is a complicated judgement though because...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Ian Mapp rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Trainspotting was the book and film of our times. The characters are like old friends and begbie is almost shorthand for that certain kind of casual hooligan. It was a pleasure to spend more time with this group in this prequel, which shows the gangs history from late teenage years to the start of the nineties, when trainspotting was set.

Like all Irvine books, the main story is a series of excellent set pieces, usually hilarious and always real. Sex, robbery, work, concerts, violence, drinking,...more

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May 30, 2012 Loren Niva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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,...more

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May 20, 2012 Anthony rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having visited Irvine Welsh's website I couldn’t help but smugly chortle at the irony of the unfortunate placement of his two most recent titles, "Reheated Cabbage" and "Skagboys"(his *third return to Renton & co.), side by side.

So what makes this outing any different?

In short absolutely nothing. Coming in at close to 550 pages the book is a very laborious rehash of "boy meets drugs". In fact the only reason I actually finished the book was so I wouldn't concede ground to a hipster defence o...more Having visited Irvine Welsh's website I couldn’t help but smugly chortle at the irony of the unfortunate placement of his two most recent titles, "Reheated Cabbage" and "Skagboys"(his *third return to Renton & co.), side by side.

So what makes this outing any different?

In short absolutely nothing. Coming in at close to 550 pages the book is a very laborious rehash of "boy meets drugs". In fact the only reason I actually finished the book was so I wouldn't concede ground to a hipster defence of, "it really picked up" or "you never gave it a chance". Skagboys is by far Welsh’s most tired, leggy and phoned in effort to date with tiresome shock tactics regularly inserted to keep a paint by numbers narrative ticking over. Where’s Trainspotting was a compact succinct collection of vignettes packed with humour and interesting characters and anecdotes, Skagboys reads like a taxi man’s parody filled with long winded tales, soapbox social commentary and caricature larger than life personas.
Character development is non-existent with Renton reduced to nothing more than a whiny continuous loop of his “choose life” rant, Sick Boy a grating scumbag-with-a-heart-buried-beneath-the-Skag enigma the reader is patronised into feeling empathy for, Spud is eh likesay eh Spud and Alison a watered down Renton with a fanny. In fact the entire ensemble are really only there to serve as plot devices and points of interaction for Renton.

Of course being an Irvine Welsh book Skagboys is still full of clever patter and some nice turn of phrase which show he is still more than capable. However, on this occasion it’s hard to argue Welsh has not succumbed to his own famous George Best analogy of, “had it, lost it”. I’ve no doubt Skagboys will still be lauded by diehards as a masterpiece with any criticism considered to be nothing more than “Guardian leftism”. However, if you’re really honest with yourself and look beyond the reminisce-package clap trap you’ll see that Skagboys isn’t so much revisiting the golden years of Tenerife with the lads as heading to Blackpool with your Auntie.
(less)

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May 18, 2013 Laura Ruetz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really excited to see this book on the library shelf. Although I have not had the chance to read several of this author's latest books, I am a fan of his writing and when I looked at the cover and saw that this was a prequel to trainspotting and its sequel, porno, I was thrilled. In this book you get to see all of the characters develop and grow into the people that we met in trainspotting and then years down the line in porno.

I was not disappointed. Irvine Welsh has a very distinctive wr...more

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May 28, 2013 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Welsh is generally as his best when those tried and tested characters from Trainspotting - Begbie, Rents, Sick Boy, Spud etc. - feature in a novel so the original remains his best book while the sequel Porno and this prequel are not far behind in quality.

So it's rip roaringly good at times - especially linguistically. I love the way Welsh assumes that the reader will know who 'Jukebox' is (ex-Hibernian striker Gordon Durie), his use of dialect and rhyming slang - it was all I could do to avoid...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Ross Cumming rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a prequel of sorts to Welsh's most famous novel, Trainspotting and tells the story of Rents, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie prior to that novel. The story is funny, sad, tragic, shocking and beautiful in turns as Welsh describes the lives of the four main characters plus some others and it is basically a social commentary on life in Edinburgh (and Scotland and the UK) in the early eighties. All the main ingredients are present, such as the unions, the miner's strike, unemployment, family life...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Micah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was, as usual for Welsh, a pretty excellent read. He always does well with making his books lighthearted while also addressing deeper lying societal problems. This book also has some quick little pieces that show the reader how Scotland got to the point of epidemic in the 80's. I'm also very familiar with these characters by now (Renton, Begbie, ScikBoy and so on) as Welsh uses them a lot and they are all loveable and very real as well. Nicely written book that I would recommend. However, h...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Filippo Bossolino rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3,5/5. Opera mastodontica di Welsh, più di 600 pagine, a ripercorrere le gesta di Renton, Spud, Sickboy, Tammy, Begbie già conosciuti in Trainspotting (di cui Skagboys è un "prequel"), più Alison, Leslie, Hazel, Fiona, Kezbo, Matty, Seeker e un'altra decina di personaggi...

Narrato in prima persona dai protagonisti; c'è l'avvicinarsi all'eroina da parte di Renton e poi da parte di un po' di tutti... E poi la disintossicazione, l'astinenza, la ricaduta.

Con l'immagine cinematografica di alcuni dei...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Tuck added it

Shelves: europa, noir

i think
epigram "there is no such thing as society" margaret thatcher

a saga of leith on skag in the early '80's. the insidious beast heroin bites ahold of most all who try it and they either die, kick it completely, or somehow accommodate their addiction with some sort of "normal" life of no job no hope in the slums, and what was, the working class neighborhoods of Edinburgh. so this is a prequel to "trainspotting" and many others that welsh has written over the years. one funny thing is on page...more

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May 12, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Irvine Welsh once again proves home is where the heart is with another great depiction of Leith lowlife in this Trainspotting prequel. The characters of Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud remain his finest creations - the four horsemen of the Skagopalyspe, outdrugging, fighting and drinking all comers. Wisely, Welsh stays away from many of the 80s nostalgia cliches and Thatcher-bashing it would have been easy to slip into (the opening scene at Orgreave apart). Instead, he makes the star of the bo...more

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Mar 09, 2013 P.Sannie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know a book has gotten to you when you start dreaming about it. Granted, my dreams stemming from reading Skagboys were anything from pleasant, but it at least signaled that the book had gotten under my skin.

After reading Trainspotting and Porno in that order, reading the prequel to everything gave more insight to who the characters are. There are some aspects of each character that has always been evident: Sick Boy is the ladies' man, Renton is the intellectual, Spud is loveable and innocent...more You know a book has gotten to you when you start dreaming about it. Granted, my dreams stemming from reading Skagboys were anything from pleasant, but it at least signaled that the book had gotten under my skin.

After reading Trainspotting and Porno in that order, reading the prequel to everything gave more insight to who the characters are. There are some aspects of each character that has always been evident: Sick Boy is the ladies' man, Renton is the intellectual, Spud is loveable and innocent, Tommy is comparably straight-edge, and Begbie is a psycho. However, seeing the development from recreational drug users to full-on junkies was interesting because I knew how everything wound up from the previous two novels.

One thing I particular love about Welsh's writing is that each character has a distinct voice. Every chapter is from someone else's point of view; mostly it is told from Renton's point of view, as well as Sick Boy's and Spud's, but we also get to see things through the eyes of minor characters like Alison and Nicksy. Welsh makes each character's voice so unique that you can tell who's speaking within the first two paragraphs of each chapter, even if nobody directly says the narrator's name. Additionally, there are a few chapters where Welsh writes as an omniscient narrator (in plain English, rather than Scottish English). Sick Boy's POV has less Scottish in it than Renton, who still uses Scottish English less than either Spud or Begbie. I also loved that Welsh added Renton's journal entries from rehab and his struggle to use English English or Scottish English, crossing out "football" and then writing FITBA FITBA FITBA!

You've already grown to love the characters and Skagboys is brilliant because of it. We get to see the relationships develop and see from where they've come. One quote that made me laugh and rings true for all three books: "...Rents and Sick Boy together are often a devastatingly cruel combination. While professing to get on each other's nerves, they constantly egg each other on like malevolent twins fixated on the woe of others" (p.308). Even though the characters are sometimes incredibly stupid, cruel, despicable, or outrageous, you can't help but love them.

I absolutely love the ending with Renton and Sick Boy declaring themselves finished with skag and the phone ringing. What a great ending when you've read the other two books! And if you haven't read the next two books, you think to yourself, "What's going to happen now?!"

I should probably give Trainspotting another read and see if it's gotten any easier with the Scottish English. I should mention that if anyone is sensitive to the word "c*nt," don't read these books.(less)

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Sep 25, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a predecessor to Trainspotting, set in mid-80s Edinburgh and other points of interest. The boys are in their early 20s, experiencing heroin, Margaret Thatcher’s regime of unemployment and poverty, and bad attitudes overall.

My take on each character:

Mark Renton: pretty misunderstood, but at the same time cops a nihilistic attitude that keeps him from experiencing true happiness as a regular guy.

Francis Begbie: seemed to have some redeeming qualities that were absent in Trainspottin...more

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May 07, 2013 Darren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Trainspotting when I was 19, and was blown away by its twisted brilliance, its darkness, and the writing style - despite being a book preoccupied with illness and death, the book is so alive.

Skagboys has everything going for it that Trainspotting does, except the shock of the new. My memory is too dim to know if I can compare this prequel with the original in terms of content, but being in the company of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie again felt oddly familiar and, weirdly, welcome. Th...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Anita Patel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Best known for the novel (made into a movie) Trainspotting, SKAGBOYS is Irvine Welsh’s newest work. SKAGBOYS is also a PREQUEL to Trainspotting, so if you were a fan, this is definitely for you. This includes many of the same characters (including my favorite, Begbie, and a considerable political and satirical content. Lots of back-story and snarky dialogue. Funny and tragic and grim, it still depicts another hopeless descent into addiction. Many other readers haven’t liked this book, because it...more

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May 31, 2013 Andrew Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 17, 2012 Joseph Stark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Love the notion of revisiting old friends mentioned in our peoples reviews. Like the idea of this book also being an alternative to Trainspotting. Like many a re-boot happening in the film world this book is good, but it isn't Trainspotting... Still i had a great couple of weeks travelling with this book and the characters that seem relevant still.

How can I criticises Irvine Welsh by comparing this to his Magnum Opus? I cannot. In my humble opinion Welsh has done us all a great favour by giving...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Laura Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Do we need another book about Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie? Maybe not. Did Welsh break into any new territory? No. I guess it's just the same old sex and drugs and sex and drugs and violence and drugs but I have to admit I loved it. It it Trainspotting good? No, but Trainspotting was an original and we'll never have the same rush again as that first hit of Welsh. I found this prequel much more engaging than Porno, the sequel to Trainspotting. After reading all three books I can only wonder...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Casey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I was a conflicted coming into Skagboys so I checked back in with Trainspotting, which I had last read in highschool and have recommended to others since. It was as fresh, fun, and lively as I remembered. The characters lived in sharply drawn snippets that later translated perfectly into movie scenes.

But I still wondered...did I care about these characters enough to follow them back in time? Didn't all the good stuff happen to them during Trainspotting? I had bought a copy of the sequel, Porno,...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Ali rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

In this lengthy prequel to Trainspotting we learn about how the boys from Leith began getting mixed up in heroin and how quickly their lives spun out of control. It's amazing how much they go through with their addictions in this novel (a large portion is set in rehab) and then you realize that Trainspotting STILL has to happen. It takes away from this novel knowing that every attempt at kicking is futile, every promise empty, and every second chance blown.

The main problem I had with Skagboys is...more

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May 04, 2012 Franko rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scottish-book

PERFECT I WANT MORE

So happy to be reunited with these characters.
Love these guys more than words can describe.

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Mar 21, 2013 McKinley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge

This is one of the best fucking books I've ever read. 20 years ago I said the same thing about Trainspotting. I've come full circle following the Irvine train since then, and I'll always be a Welshian. I may write a full review once I've regained the ability to form sentences. Or rather the sense that I've any right or need to form them after this man puts the final dot on the page. There is much to be said about this book, but I don't know that I am the one to say any of it, or if I even want t...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Tina Cavanough rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a huge book - 548 pages - and takes a while to get into - with the Scottish brogue and all - but well worth it. I loved the characters - Renton and Sick Boy and Spud. Even though they do some terrible things, they have redeeming qualities that some of Irvine Welsh's characters do not. I had stopped reading Welsh novels for a while because I found them just too crass, but Skagboys reminded me why I love him.
It's a long and meandering book - often you think it's going nowhere - but the detail...more

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About Irvine Welsh

Probably most famous for his gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Trainspotting, Welsh focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use. All of his novels are set in his native Scotland and filled with anti-heroes, small time crooks and hooligans. Welsh manages, however to imbue these characters with a sad humanity that makes them likable despite their obvious scumbaggerry...more

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“Now, for the first time, he's seeing that there really is a way out of this, and it's all so simple. You don't have to run away. You just meet somebody special and step sideways into a parallel universe.” — 11 people liked it

“With the gift of faith, we move on.” — 2 people liked it

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