His first book, HMS Ulysses, was published in 1955, and his last book, Santorini, hit the bookshelves in 1986, just a year before his death. MacLean was a prolific author, but some of his books were not credited to him initially because he wrote under the pen name Ian Stuart.

He ranks among the best crime thriller authors because of his masterful use of suspense throughout his books. Born in 1922 and dying in 1987, he was a prolific writer with nearly 30 books to his name at the time of his death. Check out our list of the 15 best Alistair MacLean books to discover his work for yourself.Īlistair Stuart MacLean is a famous author known for his short stories published as simple novels. The realism of the descriptions, the believable motivations of the characters and the simplicity of the line of events make the story all the more credible, though the number of coincidental accidents that plague the crew is startling.Get to know one of the best suspense authors of the 20th century. It is their resilience that pushes these seamen to acts of heroism. His heroes are not especially motivated by ideals, they rarely excel at more than one task and they are overcome by a respectable enemy. The book uses a set of events to paint moving portrayals of the crew and the human aspects of the war. This echoes events in which British G-class destroyer HMS Glowworm and HMS Jervis Bay, an armed merchant cruiser, sacrificed themselves by engaging larger opponents. The Ulysses is sunk in a failed attempt to ram a German cruiser after all her other weapons had been destroyed. All slowly reduce the convoy from 32 ships to only five. They are beset by numerous challenges: an unusually fierce Arctic storm, German ships and U-boats, as well as air attacks. Her crew is pushed well beyond the limits of endurance and the book starts in the aftermath of a mutiny. Ulyssesputs to sea again to escort FR-77, a vital convoy heading for Murmansk. The novel features HMS Ulysses, a light cruiser that is well armed and among the fastest ships in the world. MacLean's experiences in the Royal Navy during World War II provided the background and the Arctic convoys to Murmansk provided the basis for the story, which was written at a publisher's request after he'd won a short story competition the previous year. Originally published in 1955, it was also released by Fontana Books in 1960. HMS Ulysses was the debut novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. 1956 'First published, 1956, in the United States' stated Doubleday & Company publishers, New York hardbound in light green boards with blue lettering on spine quite good condition with unmarked pages and minimal age foxing to pages (see pics) no dust jacket.

Hms ulysses by alistair maclean