Crystal Spirit is the story of David Hicks, arrogant and petulant son of a Welsh collier, set to escape the pit through education, but trapped into marriage and a shopkeeping job he hates. Denied his freedom he grows to maturity through the Labour movement and his experiences as a volunteer in the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War.

This is a gripping and affecting story, persuasive and realistic, sympathetic in its portrayal of life in the Depression and full of remarkable scenes from the Spanish Civil War. Closely researched, Crystal Spirit brings to life a period which has almost slipped from memory. It is a moving testament to those who suffered in Wales and Spain, yet remained undefeated by the horrors of poverty and a brutal war.

Roger Granelli is the author of Dark Edge, the first novel to emerge from the 1984 miners' strike; Out of Nowhere, a tale of murder and jazz in the USA; Status Zero, a bleak account of crime and deprivation; and Resolution, a subtle and compelling examination of human passion.