‘This pitch-black comedy is bolstered by genuine poignancy as Williams explores South Wales in a moment of change, aided by some moving relationships between key characters and excellent dialogue.’
‘Richard Williams’ debut is a taut crime thriller which cuts a meditative account of Welsh farming life with the madcap energy of crime capers like Trainspotting or JJ Connolly’s Layer Cake. Rooted in a resonant sense of time and place – early 90s Pembrokeshire – and with a rich cast of kooky characters, it proves a pacey read… a trip worth taking.’
‘Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave is an unusual novel, cinematic and fast-paced, packed with vibrant characters from farmers to surfers to drug dealers and loan sharks, and full of love for the unique and fascinating landscape of Pembrokeshire’
‘Richard Williams perfectly captures the brooding landscapes and complex characters of Pembrokeshire. A treat from cover to cover.’
‘This gripping story connects, improbably but with a reporter’s eye and ear, the worlds of farming and youth culture in rural West Wales. It’s a Welsh cross between Star Wars and the Archers but better than both.’
‘A terrific debut, warm and emotive without being sentimental. This is a gripping tale of darkness and light with flashes of hilarious dialogue throughout.’
Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave
The pair secretly mobilise the locals of the village pub to help put on the greatest money-spinning event in the history of Little Emlyn: Lewistock. But things do not go to plan. Moneylenders, drug dealers, the county council and the bank all set a collision course with Mostyn and Jethro. As the clock ticks down to the August bank holiday rave and the young revellers begin to pour in from all corners of the county, the tension ramps up. It’s not clear who exactly will get out alive.
Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave pits a struggling Welsh farming community steeped in centuries of religion and tradition against the unstoppable rave movement of the early 1990s, with often poignant and riotous consequences.