King Coal : a novel

A restless idealist from a privileged background decides to abandon his comfortable life and slip into the depths of a Rocky Mountain coal mine, adopting a false name to see the workers’ world firsthand. His arrival is met with suspicion; the miners think he is a hired agitator, and he endures harsh treatment before finally earning a place among them.

Inside the dark shafts, he witnesses the brutal exploitation of a diverse, multilingual workforce, each laborer reduced to a cog in the company’s relentless drive for profit. Amid the grime and danger, he befriends a resilient young Irish girl, Red Mary, whose quiet strength and caring nature shine like a beacon in the oppressive gloom.

Through his eyes, listeners are drawn into the stark contrast between the miners’ desperate daily grind and the indifferent power of the company, setting the stage for a clash that could reshape their fragile community.