The Maintenance of Headway

Headway

Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...

is a novel by English author Magnus Mills

Magnus Mills

- Background :Magnus Mills was born in Birmingham and brought up in Bristol. After graduating with an economics degree from Wolverhampton Polytechnic, he started a masters degree at the University of Warwick but dropped out before completion....

 published in 2009 by Bloomsbury.

Plot introduction

The book concerns bus-driving, Magnus Mills himself was once a bus-driver in London. The title refers to the concept (upheld by the inspectors) that "a fixed interval between buses on a regular service can be attained and adhered to". The novel concerns the tension between the officious inspectors and the drivers themselves who aim to arrive early.

Reception

• The review form The Independent
  The Independent
  The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
  
  concluded with "There is no plot to speak of. (it) lacks the creepiness and intimations of apocalypse that haunt his previous work. But Mills's whimsy is always engaging, there are some brilliant jokes, and it is just the right length for a traffic-afflicted bus journey."
• The New Statesman
  New Statesman
  New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
  
  said "Although the dialogue, which is littered with moments of sublimely deadpan humour, is the most impressive thing about the book, the plot is perfectly serviceable and engaging"

External links

• The Complete Review with links to several reviews.