The Grand Wheel
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 First edition | |
| Author | Barrington J. Bayley |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Don Maitz |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
Publication date | August 1977 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 176 |
| ISBN | Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). |
The Grand Wheel is the eighth science fiction novel by Barrington J. Bayley. The novel follows Cheyne Scarne, a professor of "randomatics", as he is selected by the eponymous organization (which holds a galactic monopoly on games of chance) to represent humanity in a card game with infinitely varying rules. The name of the main character appears to be a reference to John Scarne.
Literary significance and reception
[edit | edit source]Rhys Hughes, in his survey of Bayley's work, described The Grand Wheel as an "entertaining gambling novel" with a "seedy and elegant" atmosphere.[1] Colin Greenland, writing in Foundation 18, received the novel negatively, saying that it had been produced for the market and "would have been old in 1957".[2]