Alister MacLean's: Thrillers from one of 20th century's finest

Alister MacLean was a Scotsman, and one of Britain's foremost 20th century authors. He has written countless bestsellers; espionage, war, heists and tales of revenge set in every nook and cranny of this vast world. English was his second language as a child growing up, but he became one of the finest writers with crystal clear phrases and sentences that can be quoted and stuck to your wallpaper. 

At age 19, he was called up for war, where he joined the Royal Navy; he was to serve at various stations, ships. His experience with the sea means his sea thrillers are the best of all.

H.M.S Ulysses


After the war, MacLean studied English at the University of Glassgow, and after a series of odd jobs, worked as a teacher.

MacLean used to write short stories as a university student for extra income, and even won a short story competition. This victory brought him to the notice of a publisher, who commissioned him to write a book about the war at sea. MacLean produced in response  'HMS ULYSSES' , his best book in the opinion of most of his readers. If you read no other book, read the HMS Ulysses. It will change your perspective towards life.

Fair warning; if you are young 15-25 something person reading him, you might wrinkle your nose at some of the underlying bias in some place. Please forgive him, he lived in a different world.

The Golden Rendezvous


MacLean was one of the FEW authors who didn't overtly love their work. He treated his work as work; not like some idealists working their hearts out to get the words right. MacLean openly told everyone that he was a worker, and writing was his work. In his own words, "I'm not a literary person. If someone offered me £100,000 tax free I'd never write another word." ; "I'm not a novelist", he once said. "That's too pretentious a claim. I'm a storyteller, that's all. I'm a professional and a craftsman. I will make that claim for myself."

Many of MacLean's thrillers had adaptations, and some were major hits during their time. One of the books, Where Eagles Dare, was actually a screenplay before being a book. 

All in all, MacLean was a master writer, who did writing to pay his bills.  His first book, HMS Ulysses, is the best. If nothing else, read that. My next favourite is Golden Rendezvous, which is so thrilling that I read it in a six hour session on the same day. The Golden Gate and San Andreas are great as well, as is Santorini. 

I cannot speak about all, because I've only read 30.  I still have to read the other books of the Navarone series. 


HMS Ulysses                                             : Download ePub

South by Java Head                             : Download ePub

The Last Frontier ( The Secret Ways(US))     : Download ePub

Night Without End                                     : Download ePub

Fear Is the Key                                     : Download ePub

The Dark Crusader (The Black Shrike in the US)

            (as Ian Stuart)                                     : Download ePub

The Golden Rendezvous                                    : Download ePub

The Satan Bug as Ian Stuart                     : Download ePub

All About Lawrence of Arabia                  

Ice Station Zebra                                                : Download ePub

When Eight Bells Toll                                        : Download ePub

Where Eagles Dare                                             : Download ePub

Puppet on a Chain                                             : Download ePub

Caravan to Vaccarès                                           : Download ePub

Bear Island                                                     : Download ePub

Alistair MacLean Introduces Scotland (Non-fiction)  

Captain Cook (Non-fiction)

The Way to Dusty Death                                    : Download ePub

Breakheart Pass                                                  : Download ePub       

Circus                                                     : Download ePub

The Golden Gate                                             : Download ePub

Seawitch                                                     : Download ePub

Goodbye California                                            : Download ePub

Athabasca                                             : Download ePub

River of Death                                                    : Download ePub

Partisans                                                             : Download ePub

Floodgate                                                           : Download ePub

San Andreas                                                    : Download ePub

The Lonely Sea                                            : Download ePub

Santorini                                                    : Download ePub


The Guns Of Navarone Series 

The Guns Of Navarone                                      :Download ePub

Force 10 From Navarone                                   :Download ePub

Storm Force From Navarone                             :Download ePub

Thunderbolt From Navarone                             :Download ePub

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Comments

  1. Anonymous27 February 2021 at 17:45

    Hi,
    If possible, will you please upload Bette Paul's Point S Nurses Series

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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