Elite: The Dark Wheel

Elite: Dangerous #1

by Robert Holdstock

The Dark Wheel is the original Elite novella which was first published as part of the Acornsoft Elite package in 1984. Written by well-known fantasy author Robert Holdstock it describes the quest of Alex Ryder, a newly-qualified pilot, to exact revenge for his father's death at the hands of a paid assassin. Along the way he is assisted by the enigmatic Rafe Zetter who links him up with a fugitive pilot who also wishes to eliminate the killer of Alex's father, but for her own reasons.
All in all, a good story which, though spoiled by a few irritating character traits and a number of typographical errors, sets up the Elite universe in a cohesive manner.
It also covers the combat and trading sides of Elite and the general nature of trading between different systems, buying what's cheap on one world and selling it wherever the demand is sufficient to keep the price high.
Interestingly, the back of the BBC novella states that a sequel was planned for publication in 1985, but as far as I know this never came to fruition. Later editions of The Dark Wheel, included in the Sinclair Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions amongst others, sported new artwork

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space

44 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Robert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author who is best known for his works of fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction.

Holdstock's writing was first published in 1968. His science fiction and fantasy works explore philosophical, psychological, anthropological, spiritual, and woodland themes. He has received three BSFA awards and won the World Fantasy Award in the category of Best Novel in 1985.

Pseudonyms are Chris Carlsen, Robert Faulcon,Robert Black, Steven Eisler and Richard Kirk.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Elite Dangerous players I assume they're all as happy as I am with getting to read more about the Elite Universe.
I mean Alex thought he was looking at 2 Thargoids!! That tells me so much about Thargoids alone before he's corrected where more information is given. Added to that mentions of both The Dark Wheel and Raxxla left me pretty much salivating at the prospect and what's still to be discovered in the Elite Universe.

[Fabian Scherschel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've now finally read Elite: The Dark Wheel, the novella that was originally included with the first Elite game. I never owned a copy because I only started playing Elite sometime in the '90s and my battered, hand-me-down DOS copy didn't come with the novella. If, like me, you never had a chance to read the story that first fleshed out that particular game universe, you can do so now at Ian Bell's website for free.

It isn't a very long read and it's pretty dated in many places. I supposed it's a neat enough story and if you're playing Elite: Dangerous you might want to have a look at it out of nostalgia or to see what has changed or what ground E:D might cover in the future (like Thargoids). It's not brilliantly written, but still… reading it in small bursts when jumping through hyperspace (or witchspace as they used to call it) and while relaxing at port in a Coriolis station works pretty well.

[Stefano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short simple novel set in the world of the Elite (aka Frontier) videogame. Please do not judge the book for being just "about a game", at least for two reasons: Elite (nowdays Elite Dangerous) is not an ordinary videogame, but it's a space simulator when players can fly in a 1 to 1 reproduction of the Milky Way, in a universe created according to actual Nasa measurements (where possible). Moreover, this book is not just about the game, but it's a very nice story, well written: in my opinion much better than majoirity of science-fiction stories you can fetch out there. Therefore - if you like science-fiction - you should enjoy the novel even if you don't know Elite, and even if you don't like videogames.

Given this... if you instead know the game, and if you played Elite Dangerous, then you will definitely love it. In this book you'll find the first references to the Dark Wheel, to Raxxla, and to the beloved old worlds. And many subtle details about the weird creatures living in our galaxy.

[FirstGenX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple short story set in the game universe of Elite Dangerous. Well written and a good pace. With only 50 pages the author was limited in how much world building and backstory could be provided however, it will remind players of their early days in the game and will provide the first mentions/teasers of Raxxla and the Dark Wheel.. two still unresolved mysteries in the game to this day….For a non player, I would still say it is a decent sci-fi short story.

[Steven Pickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I'm getting back into playing Elite:Dangerous, decided to check out some of the lore and books. This one was awfully short, and not particularly well written, but explains a bit about some of the rumors and legends one hears from other Commanders. Worth the short read if you're a fan of the game.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novella that was included with the video game Elite (Firebird, 1984).

[Daniel Cloutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aus Homdstocks pulpigen Ecke, tut aber was es soll: Worldbuilding für ein reduziertes Spiel aufbauen, das Worldbuilding machen möchte.

[Astroretro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I played the original Elite game on the Commodore 64 back in the 80's. It was a transformative experience for me as a pre-teen and few games since then have managed to recapture the magic that it had for me then. I recently bought the new version of Elite on the PC, Elite: Dangerous. It has once again awakened for me the love of all things space and sci-fi and got me wanting to know more about the fictional universe it simulates.

This book is basically the original piece of literature written about the Elite universe and as such is the best starting point on a journey to learn more about it's people, places, technologies, history and politics. It's a short story about a young hero and his copilot trading, fighting and exploring their way across the galaxy in search of credits, revenge and answers to ancient mysteries. It provides an imaginative glimpse into the workings of the Elite universe, but more importantly, it provides inspiration for the motivations of one's own character in the Elite games where you must choose your own path for your own reasons.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short (a bit too short), sweet and straightforward. As a piece of standalone sci-fi it's not earth-shattering, but it matches up well with how I've always pictured the Elite universe in my head.

I couldn't help but smile at all the in-game references e.g. a plucky young pilot with a Cobra and 100 credits to his name, hauling cargo from one system to another for a small profit, trying not to die in a docking accident :)

Recommended for anyone with fond memories of the Elite games. Not recommended for anyone else :)

[Marko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the novella that was published with the original Elite game in 1984 and it was written by one of the better known sci-fi authors. Unfortunately, the story feels a bit rushed, even for a novella, and the writing is somewhat uneven. I can remember liking the story very much in my teens, but it hasn't aged very well. Still, it is a decent read for an Elite fan.

[Patric · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I am currently playing Elite: Dangerous, this was a fitting read. This novella was published in 1984 as a companion to the original Elite game. The story is well written, but foreseeable and mostly a vehicle to explain some of the background lore and rules to the players of the original Elite. But I had fun reading it!

[AndrewP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella book came with the video game 'Elite', available on most computer systems in the 1980's. Of note is that the games trading rules were almost a straight copy of the trading tables from the SF Role Playing Game 'Traveller'.

I never finished the game but I did the book :)

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an okay read. Honestly I would have only given this 3 stars but for the fact that it's an Elite story which really helps with immersing oneself in not only the world of the Elite videogames, but the games help to immerse you in this story.

[Andrew Doran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great memories of reading this as a child when I was an avid Elite player on my Acorn Electron and later my BBC Micro. The story is better than I remembered.

[Scott James Remnant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ends just as it's about to get going

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As some have said before its not that long, but its a fantastic little story that has the feel of the universe it is portraying. worth a read if your into sci-fi or have a couple of hours to waist.

[Acedev Play · Rating 5 out of 5]

;-; no words...

[Fortunato · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and sweet, though confusing at times with the descriptions of space crafts and interstellar dog fights, but enjoyable all the same

[Matjaž Mirt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad it isn't longer.

[Tomas Ekeli]

Too short

[Łukasz Mańkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novella. Must read for any Elite Dangerous player/fan.