The Great Wheel
by Ian R. MacLeod
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"A serious, thoughtful work of futuristic fiction, this haunting novel is a bridge between Huxley's Brave New World and Frank Herbert's Dune " (Publishers Weekly). Father John Alston has lost his faith but his heart remains strong. Having left behind a computerized, climate-controlled, and disease-free Europe, he administers aid to the destitute of a Borderer town in the Endless City. In the squalor of what was once North Africa, he provides spiritual comfort and basic health care, while show more preaching a message that he no longer believes. But the recent explosion of a deadly virus has John profoundly troubled and desperately searching for answers. Suspecting a native plant commonly used as an intoxicant, John decides to investigate further with the help of a brilliant but mysterious Borderer woman. His pursuit of the mystery will set him on a collision course with powerful political realities designed to maintain the status quo of the Third World. On a harrowing journey through a radioactive valley of death--and through his own painful history--he will confront devastating truths that will either revive his damaged soul or destroy it completely. The Great Wheel received the Locus Award for Best First Novel, and marked the "thoughtful, sometimes wrenching, noteworthy debut" of Ian R. MacLeod, author of The Light Ages and winner of two Sidewise Awards, two World Fantasy Awards, and the John W. Campbell Award (Kirkus Reviews). show lessTags
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Member Reviews
According to my handy dandy Kindle listening app I gave up on that at the 28% complete mark. It was disappointing because I've had a hardcover of this book for ages and kept trying to get to it. I was super excited to see it on audio in the free amazon-prime-bundle-thingy. The world building was very nice, it just needed characters and some plot. I'm sure there was a plot coming eventually (I hope) but if it's not there by 28% and if at that point I don't really care about the characters either it's time to move on.
Didn't work for me but if you're into talking about diseases a lot and enjoy alternate history, missionaries in foreign lands working with "savages" and have the patience/time to wait for the plot then go for it.
Didn't work for me but if you're into talking about diseases a lot and enjoy alternate history, missionaries in foreign lands working with "savages" and have the patience/time to wait for the plot then go for it.
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Author Information
76+ Works 2,003 Members
Ian R. MacLeod was born on 6 August 1956 in Solihull, in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom, and has spent most of his life there. He took a Law degree, mainly because he liked all the leather-bound books of law reports, drifted into a job in the English Civil Service, and worked there until his thirties, whilst always planning and hoping to show more be a writer. MacLeod's work has been nominated for the Nebula and Hugo awards, and has won the World Fantasy Award, Locus Award, Sidewise Award, and Asimov's Reader's Poll, and been widely anthologized and translated show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
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Has as a commentary on the text
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Great Wheel
- Original publication date
- 1997
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 68
- Popularity
- 457,668
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.54)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 2
