Alistair Maclean Novels

Since i am self proclaimed big fan of Maclean's i though a thread with his best novels and a rating of all of them would be good so that those who haven't had the pleasure of reading the master thriller writer, can straightaway select the best.

Why I like Maclean?
1) The novels are always in superb settings. 2) The hero is a tough guy with good brains but is still a human 3) they are damn good thrillers and damn good adventure novels 4) and lastly there is no cheap sex involved to spice up the sales


About Maclean



Ok lets start with the novels toplist.
(ok i will list top 3 and then just ratings for the rest)

1) Where eagle's dare

The first Maclean i read years back and it still is the best. Cult following for this one and rightly so. The setting in Austria, the castle and the top class description of the landscape, coupled with a storyline that twists and turns throughout makes this a classic. The movie adaptation was as good as you could have made. Take my word for it, read the novel first and watch the movie later and you will enjoy both to do the same activity all over again after a year
Unofficial website of "where eagles dare"
Movie Info
Rating: 10/10



2) The Guns of Navarone
Setting on an island with a mission to blow off the main artillery guns. A super setting plot and very good action in the end Again a very successful movie based on the novel and another movie that lived upto the novel.

Rating: 10/10


3) Bear Island
Well too tough to decide which should be third. I enjoyed ice station zebra equally well for its thriller aspect, night without end again was a great novel with arctic desolate settings, but i love islands and island mystery it is for me. I have forgotten most of the plot now but i enjoyed it when i read it and i made up my mind that this is the third best Maclean i had read

Rating 9/10



^^ The rest, hmmm
(Unrated means i haven't read it or have forgotten about it to rate it.)

• HMS Ulysses, in the USA H.M.S. Ulysses - (6/10) - when i began reading this, i actually put it down after 40 pages, could hardly understand what was going on Some days later picked it up, disliked it again, still went ahead and started to love it. Its that kind of novel. Not mind you like other Maclean novels, there isn't much of a thriller aspect but old warship novel. Bit of a senti end but very likable.
• The Guns of Navarone - (10/10)
• South by Java Head - (7/10) Only bad thing about this was a weak plot. The regular attacks on the TNT laden ship got a bit too many for my liking with none geting the wizer.
• The Last Frontier, in the USA The Secret Ways (7/10)
• Night Without End (9/10) - Classic Maclean thriller in the cold arctic. Brilliant setting and a very good end.
• Fear is the Key - (7/10) Fortune hunting Novel
• The Dark Crusader, in the USA The Black Shrike (7/10) Brain vs brain. Good thriller.
• The Golden Rendezvous (7/10) Hunt abroad a ship riddled with danger. Enjoyable and exciting.
• The Satan Bug (6/10) - Chase to recover a Biological warfare
• Ice Station Zebra (9/10) - One of the best. Inside a submarine, the setting, the plot, everything is superb.
• When Eight Bells Toll - (7/10)
• Where Eagles Dare - (10/10)
• Force 10 From Navarone (6/10) A big disappointment. Its not anywhere near as good as the guns of Navarone. Right from the start, you can't help feel, why Maclean decided to continue over from the last. Avoidable or read it before Navarone.
• Puppet on a Chain - (6/10) - Set in Netherlands. Narcotic Investigation novel.
• Caravan to Vaccarès
• Bear Island (9/10)
• The Way to Dusty Death (3/10) Complete disaster Macleasn at his worst. Avoidable.
• Breakheart Pass
• Circus
• The Golden Gate (7/10) - Setting is to blow off the golden gate bridge. Superb in patches.
• Seawitch
• Goodbye California
• Athabasca
• River of Death
• Partisans (5/10) - Total Dampner. The plot is horrible. And there is no suspense at all.
• Floodgate
• San Andreas
• Santorini

I picked up McLean before all the Ludlum, Archer, Grisham stuff. Most of his novels are completely amazing They do, however, have a usual set of characters - Strong, silent hero, usually with some secret; and a couple of side kicks, who are extremely loyal, utterly trusthworthy ( and big and strong).
Only exception I found was "Night without end". The hero is actually a normal person, not attached to any military or espionage organisation, and is probably the worst detective ever He keeps suspecting all the wrong people, and almost doesn't guess who the real bad guy is till its too late. I really liked this book.
Aww...you didn't like Way to Dusty Death? I loved it! Finally McLean moves out from the world wars and the cold wars. Total timepass.

HMS Ulysses, his first novel, is very serious, and very tragic as well. I wouldn't want to read it a second time.

Goodie...looked around and he sounds like the baap of Forsyth. Will surely try. Thx.

hmm.... need to get hold of his books then

Maclean novels are good.
Have read Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Ice Station Zebra, Athabasca and San Andreas.

Pretty interesting work I must say. And good work none the less

Xto the work is not good, its top class


McLean cannot be compared. There hasn't been anyone who writes like him.

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Safin's Signature:

Have Fun, Take part in debates, Read jokes, Ogle at Celebs; Just follow the Rules!

“There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.”

Come to think abt it, I guess this is why Safin supports that loser-spying team in F1.

He was influenced a lot b MacLean when he was a small boy playing with cars in his shorts and he was reading a lot of MacLean books.

He grows up and realises "Hey, there is an F1 team named after my favourite author. But damn them !! they got the spelling wrong" !!

pwnage

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medpal's Signature:

pretty stupid reasoning you know
kinda expected from ferrari fans

Now keep the bookworm section off from f1 talk

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Safin's Signature:

Have Fun, Take part in debates, Read jokes, Ogle at Celebs; Just follow the Rules!

“There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.”

The usual case of self defense after getting pwnzed. Its clear man...stop making it worse for urself.

BTW, I prefer Tolkein to Maclean