The Wheel and other stories

hardback, ISBN : 978-0-9955827-1-2 , c2020 UK copyright Service no. 5f50de78-BSCW-16b-317881-0001 The Wheel and other stories by Geoffrey Kirkness, available from August 2023, is an adult collection of a novella and short stories for 17 years and above. It is hardback, 3MM library buckram, with end pages, thick paper, largish, easy-to-read print, an attached silk ribbon bookmark and an illustrated jacket. It has been proofed by Hot Desk, of Waterbeach in the Fens; printed by Lings, of Dorchester; and typeset by Servis Film Setting, of Greater Manchester. Reviews can be seen on Waterstones and Amazon sites 'The wheel' itself is the novella. Set in a major university town, it centres on a young undergraduate, Brian, from a countryside comprehensive school, who forms a relationship with a public school girl Danni who is already in a relationship with a lecturer. The university fans out like the spokes of a wheel, where everybody seems to connect, somehow, with everyone else. There is anguish and also humour as Brian struggles with both the course he has chosen and the sort of class pressures that exist in the social and sporting arena; both he and the lecturer have to come to terms with Danni's wild but clear sighted independence. The work is particularly relevant to a student facing university for the first time and leaving the familiar home world behind. 'Letters from the Men' which opens the collection is a roman-des-lettres sequence based on a fiction that down the centuries men have, in secret, witten letters expressing their exasperation in the battle of the sexes. Men, least likely to express themselves, have hidden or passed on letters in a sequence from the early middle ages to the future space age. Somewhere between researched historical record and fantasy, The letters come from The Castle Owner, The Viking, The monk, Casanova, and the Lost Spaceship. The other seven other stories, discrete from the above, follow on in the 'tales of the unexpected' mode. Complete in themselves, they are tongue in cheek, ironic, and sometimes supernatural and erotic. The collection finishes with 'Beyond Dorchester' a freeform, nostalgic, and humorous recollection of the deep countryside from the war till now. with a centre in the fifties. It is not linear like the other stories but rocks back and forth like the landscape and memory itself. Nighthawk 5.0 out of 5 stars An experience to be valued Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2020 Verified Purchase In ‘The Wheel and other stories’ Geoffrey Kirkness has provided us with some fascinating reading. In the opening story, entitled ‘Letters from the men’, he sets out his basic ideas with regard to man’s place in and part of, though distinct from, Nature. From this he progresses to an atypical presentation of life in Cambridge, before bringing the work to its conclusion in a series of brilliant stories in which he gives full rein to his vision and ability. The work is thought-provoking and original, and while he retains some belief in the ongoing survival of humanity, he is never bombastic or trite. This is a work that will keep the reader enthralled, which will bring him back again and again into its changing kaleidoscope that, while it maintains its essential purpose, which is to entertain, also has something important to say. This can be found in the story ‘The photograph’, which is surely a testament to the transformative power of love or fantasy, and offers a counterbalance to the darker moments found earlier in the section of ‘The Wheel’ entitled ‘The Party’ and the short story ‘The Present Tense’. This is a distinguished work, and is not only to be enjoyed but also treasured. Geoffrey Kirkness has given us a work that may be truly called an ‘experience’, and is without a doubt also a 5-starred experience, one about which my grandmother, who was a headmistress way back in a former time, might have said to an earlier writer: “Go to the top of the class!” One person found this helpful Helpful Report CR 5.0 out of 5 stars In short, I liked it, and I think others would do too. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 January 2021 From Amazon .co.uk Verified Purchase This book was a bit of a discovery. It is the first book I read from this author and I didn't really know what to expect. What I found is a very clever collection of interlinked (make sure you read them in order!!!) stories that paint little windows onto a vast canvas of events. Even the stories that do not HAVE to be interlinked seem to follow a quite deliberate thematic trail, not so strong to feel imposed but not so light as to allow the reader to put down the book. it feels rather more like a novel than a collection of stories, and I like that. The author shows versatility and sensitivity and manages to portray 'naturally' a rather large amount of characters and voices, moving freely between the most disparate backgrounds. I don't think it is a book with a moral. It is a book that opens windows and pigeonholes in the reader's mind, a book that makes you curious and inquisitive, a book that can very well rekindle your love of reading and storytelling. In short, I liked it, and I think others would do too. 2 people found this helpful Helpful Report J Ayers 5.0 out of 5 stars A varied, highly entertaining and erotic collection of magical fiction. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 February 2021 Verified Purchase This is a great mixed expanse of beautiful, captivating writing that you can dip in and out of and re read at your pleasure; it's rich and meaty, then whimsical and delicate, sometimes fantastical and sharply surprising, and then often downright erotic! A book for life to be treasured and read over and over... Helpful Report peter perry 5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2021 Verified Purchase i,bought this book for a long railway journey ,really enjoyed it ,gave it to my girlfriend an she was enfralled with thisi eclectic bunch of stories from cambridge, highly recommended. 4.0 out of 5 stars Review from Coventry Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2021 Verified Purchase An unusual collection of stories, the first five linked very loosely in history. ‘I found The Lost Spaceship’ a particularly good science fiction idea. The Cambridge Novella stories however, included a more depressing element of student life with the characters engaging in somewhat futile engagements with others ,told against the backdrop of the comings and goings at Cambridge College. ’The Photograph ‘which was my favourite was cleverly thought out with ghostly elements and was an intriguing story with creepy overtones and shades of the book ‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde. From Waterstones “The Wheel an other stories” Excited to read this work by a local author... Great stuff1 Hardback edition CALA HOLMES 18th January 2022 Comment (0) Report Helpful? Upvote 1 “The Wheel and other stories by Geoffrey Kirkness” A nicely produced book containing an earthy look back at a seemingly La Ronde vista of 1970s student Cambridge Hardback edition PETER ROOTHAM-SMITH 8th June 2022 Comment (0) Report Helpful? Upvote 0 “This is a brilliant writer. Sturdy book, just right for a present - especially for someone who is intrigued by Cambridge.” Surprising, deeply original stories with just a hint of the supernatural and the unforeseen. I liked the sturdy hardback design with the bookmark, just right for a present, especially for someone who is intrigued by... More Hardback edition ELIZABETH MONAM