Books - Review

Mr Hoopdriver, a draper, sets off on a holiday adventure on his new second-hand bicycle, aiming to cycle from his home in Surbiton to the South Coast. Dreaming of adventures, he finds himself caught up in a real-life adventure when he intervenes to prevent an innocent young girl, Jessie, being eloped with against her will by an unpleasant married man. Jessie and the man are also on bicycles of course. Jessie's stepmother, aided by several male friends sets out in pursuit, by train at first, but they also take to bicycles, tandems and dogcarts for a grand showdown on the hills of the South Downs.

Very funny, especially at the start, where Hoopdriver is learning to ride his new machine, and first encounters the beautiful Lady in Grey by falling off dramatically. Features lots of places I have cycled through myself of course, Guildford, Petworth, Butser, Chichester and Portsmouth.

Wells predicts atomic energy, in particular nuclear wars, and the world suffers one of these. Then, however, mankind mostly sees sense and the rest of the book describes the transition to a new world order led by one altruistic government and aided by the infinite power from the atom.

Quite interesting, I read this because it was referenced in the previous book about the history of nuclear physics.