WHEELS OF CHANCE [Paperback]

H. G. Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Publisher: Macmillan Publication date: 1896 Subjects: Fiction / Classics Fiction / Fantasy / General Fiction / Literary Fiction / Science Fiction / General Juvenile Fiction / Transportation / General Sports

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born Herbert George Wells in Kent in 1866, H. G. Wells was an outspoken socialist and pacifist, whose works caused some controversy. He is more widely known as a science fiction writer for the novels that he published between 1895 and 1901: The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, When the Sleeper Wakes and The First Men in the Moon. All, except for When the Sleeper Wakes, have been made into films. Along with Jules Verne, H. G. Wells is also known as 'the Father of Science Fiction'. His later novels were more realistic and he wrote many genres, including contemporary novels, history and social commentary. H. G. Wells died in 1946. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish.com (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140433937X
• ISBN-13: 978-1404339378
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,165,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than a Science Fiction Writer, December 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll (Breakaway Books Series) (Paperback)

Posterity has not been kind to H.G. Wells. It's true that his name is still one of the most easily recognizable in the literary world, but since his death in 1946 his contributions to mainstream writing, feminism, and politics (he wrote the United Nations charter) have been all but forgotten--instead he has simply become known as a "science fiction writer," a reputation based on a handful of novels written early in his career. Books like "The Time Machine" and "The War of the Worlds" are indeed marvelous, and are the key texts in the development of modern science fiction; but to limit Wells's accomplishment to these books borders on calumny. Wells was one of the major writers of the past hundred years, with an oeuvre so vast and varied a reader could spend a lifetime working through it all. There is truly something for everyone in the work of H.G. Wells.

"The Wheels of Chance" is a classic example. This pitch-perfect tale of a Mr. Hoopdriver, who undertakes a bicycling tour of the English countryside, has to be one of the most charming light novels ever written. Mr. Hoopdriver's holiday from his job as a draper's assistant (a job Wells himself held in his youth) becomes a kind of lighthearted spiritual quest, as he meets and falls in love with the rebellious Jessie Milton ("the Lady in Grey"), an early "New Woman"--a proto-feminist, one might say--whose daring elopement with a much older man has gone disastrously awry. Can Mr. Hoopdriver save her? Can Jessie salvage her reputation? These questions are answered in a tale which combines glorious descriptions of the pastoral England of a century ago with uproarious scenes of early bicycling and bicyclists. And yet this "Bicycling Idyll," as it is subtitled, also carries with it a genuine poignancy--we are always aware that the characters' journey must eventually end, just as, with the coming of the automobile, the world Wells described here ended.

"The Wheels of Chance" is brief, easy-to-read, and highly memorable. Indeed, it is surprising that this fast-moving, picaresque novel has never been filmed--a company like Merchant-Ivory could do a glorious job with it. In addition to being extraordinarily entertaining, "The Wheels of Chance" can also serve as an ideal introduction to the "other" novels of the man so many of us think of simply as a "science fiction writer." And the best fact of all is that, if the reader enjoys "The Wheels of Chance," there is a huge wealth of Wells fiction available for further enjoyment.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant tale of 19th Century British society, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll (Breakaway Books Series) (Paperback)

This early H.G. Wells' tale is about a 20-something year old man who has a job as a draper's assistant, a job which he is probably too old for. Loaded with poor self esteem and a second class status, poor Mr. Hoopdriver takes a ten day holiday. On this holiday he falls for a young socialite named Jessie who is rebelling against her stepmother and society. The tale has many interesting insights into the "proper" behavior of a British socialite. For example, late in the story one of Wells' characters says you must live fearlessly and honestly, but only as long as you do what everyone else expects of you and avoid doing extravagent things. The tale is also funny at times as it describes early bike riders trying to ride poorly designed bicycles. Though generally easy enough to read and follow, there are times when some words will baffel the reader.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story for cyclists - ancient and modern, April 12, 2007

By 

Roy Sinclair (New Zealand, Christchurch) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll (Breakaway Books Series) (Paperback)

H.G.Wells was himself a cyclist. This comes through well in his Wheels of Chance, his first novel published in 1896. The plot has appeal, but the greater appeal of this book is its social history of cycling in Britain.

In 2006, as a cyclist and author, I rode from Lands End to John o'Groats - the length of Britain. I frequently thought what a wonderful country Britain would have been pre all those dreadful M roads. H.G. Wells tells, superbly, what it was like.

This is a much quoted book amongst 21st-century cyclists. For me it was great to read all the familiar quotes within their intended context. Wheels of Chance is a book for every cyclists' book shelf. Thankfully cyclists are typically prolific readers.