The Ossians by Doug Johnstone #TheOssians @writerdougj @orendabooks #20YearsofDougJohnstone #RocknRollFiction #Scotland

 

A last-chance winter road trip for a Scottish band spirals into wild chaos – seagull massacres, bomb tests, and darkly funny rock 'n' roll madness on the edge. A raw, darkly funny novel by one of Scotland's finest authors – newly reissued!

Connor is twenty-four, brilliant, broken, and out of control. He's the swaggering frontman of The Ossians, a Scottish indie band on the brink of signing a major record deal.

Desperate to make their mark, they head off on a two-week winter tour across the cities and hinterlands of Scotland – a last-ditch attempt to find fame, purpose, and themselves.

But the tour soon spirals into a surreal, chaotic odyssey. From seedy bars and snowbound towns to a final, defining Glasgow gig, the band hurtles through a whirlwind of seagull massacres, botched drug deals, a mysterious stalker, radioactive beaches, bomb-testing ranges, epileptic fits, riotous Russian submariners, deadly storms, epiphanies, regular beatings and random shootings.

Raw, darkly funny and wild with energy, The Ossians is a gloriously anarchic story of rock'n'roll obsession, national identity and self-destruction, and what it means to belong – in a band, in a country, in a life unravelling at speed.

The Ossians by Doug Johnstone was published by Orenda Books on 9 April 2026. It was originally published by Viking in 2008 and is part of the celebration of #20YearsofDougJohnstone. The forward is written by Val McDermid. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

I am thrilled that Orenda decided to re-publish Doug's early books. I am a huge fan of his novels published by Orenda, and it has been a treat to read his early works. I was a little anxious at first, wondering if the voice would be the same. I really had no need to worry, both Tombstoning and The Ossians have been a pleasure to read. 

I would have known this book was written by Doug Johnstone, even if I didn't know ... does that make sense?? 

Generally known for his crime fiction, The Ossians is more of a coming of age, road trip, hallucinatory novel, and whilst yet, crimes are committed, it is not a crime story.  I turned over corners of pages that contained phrases that I wanted to quote, however, I turned over so many that I would have almost quoted the entire book! 

The Ossians are a Scottish band made up of Connor, his best mate Danny, his girlfriend Hannah and his sister Kate. They are about to embark on a winter tour of Scotland - winter, Scotland - yes, that's just the start of some of the mystifying decisions that Connor takes, and actually, it's not by any means the worse. 

Connor is told in the book that it sounds like he doesn't like Scotland, due to his lyrics and his regular rants. This novel does really feel like a love letter to Scotland, written by a person who doesn't like Scotland!  However,  I know that Doug doesn't hate Scotland at all, but what he excels at is showing the country in it's real light. Stripping it of it's tartan covered shortbread biscuit tins and the bagpipes and describing the issues and reality that face the ordinary people - behind the tourist attractions. It is done so so well, and Scotland really is a massive character in itself. 

The story is gritty, and dark, with touches of poignancy and a lot swearing. Connor is a total fuck-up, his various addictions lead him into shit loads of trouble and he finds himself in the role of drug mule whilst touring, He has to pay his debts somehow.  Whilst he is totally and utterly flawed and would drive anyone crazy, the reader cannot help but back him for some reason. He's so well created, along with all of the band members, and the supporting cast. Another Johnstone skill; the creation of realistic character who you often hate but always want to know what happens to them. 

A gritty, drug-fuelled rock ’n’ roll journey through modern Scotland, blending seedy nightlife with clear and precise reflections on identity, myth, and culture. Dark yet compelling, it captures the nation with atmospheric beauty, raw energy, and an oddly joyful sense of chaos.

Highly recommended. 

Doug Johnstone is the author of nineteen novels, many of which have been bestsellers.

The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while six of his

But Grundleger has been working on something even more radical books have been shortlisted or longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year or the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. 

Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with ten albums released, and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.

He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.