Many ex-coalminers will find in this novel a powerful reminder of their
own life 'down the pit' as it skilfully recreates a typical day in the
life of Luke, a British coalface worker in the 1970's. Although the main
action takes place over a single day and just one shift, the author
delves back into Luke's trainee days in the 1950's. But it's not just
old miners who will benefit from this story as the author carefully
explains the various operations involved in bringing coal out from deep
in the ground up to the surface and all the various specialists forming
this tremendous team effort, from the shotfirers and rippers to the
deputies, belt-end attendants and lamp-room men, electricians and
mechanics, the tackle runners and the haulage men, the grease monkeys
and the workers at the coal face itself, struggling to maintain
productivity in the face of never-ending management demands.