 One cover for The Guns of Navarone |
|
| Author | Alistair MacLean |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | World War II Novel |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Publication date | 1957 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | ? |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | HMS Ulysses |
| Followed by | South by Java Head |
- This article is about the novel. For the film see The Guns of Navarone (film)
The Guns of Navarone is a well-known 1957 novel about World War II by Scottish thriller writer Alistair MacLean that was made into an equally acclaimed The Guns of Navarone film in 1961.
Contents |
Plot introduction
The story concerns the efforts of an Allied commando team to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied naval ships in the Aegean Sea, and prevents over 2,000 isolated British troops from being rescued. The story is based on the real events surrounding the Battle of Leros in World War II. The Guns of Navarone brought together elements that would characterise much of MacLean's subsequent works: tough, competent, worldly men as main characters; frequent but non-graphic violence; betrayal of the hero(es) by a trusted associate; and extensive use of the ocean and other dangerous environments as settings. Its three principal characters — New Zealand mountaineer-turned-commando Keith Mallory, American demolitions expert "Dusty" Miller, and Greek resistance fighter Andrea Stavros — are among the most fully drawn in all of MacLean's work.
Literary significance & criticism
In 1990 the British Crime Writer's Association placed The Guns of Navarone 89th on its The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time list (which used a liberal definition of 'crime novel')!
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
see The Guns of Navarone (film)
External links
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Novels: |
HMS Ulysses (1955) ♦ The Guns of Navarone (1957) ♦ South by Java Head (1957) ♦ The Last Frontier (1959) ♦ Night Without End (1959) ♦ Fear Is the Key (1961) ♦ The Dark Crusader (1961) ♦ The Golden Rendezvous (1962) ♦ The Satan Bug (1962) ♦ Ice Station Zebra (1963) ♦ When Eight Bells Toll (1966) ♦ Where Eagles Dare (1967) ♦ Force 10 From Navarone (1968) ♦ Puppet on a Chain (1969) ♦ Caravan to Vaccarès (1970) ♦ Bear Island (1971) ♦ The Way to Dusty Death (1973) ♦ Breakheart Pass (1974) ♦ Circus (1975) ♦ The Golden Gate (1976) ♦ Seawitch (1977) ♦ Goodbye California (1978) ♦ Athabasca (1980) ♦ River of Death (1981) ♦ Partisans (1982) ♦ Floodgate (1983) ♦ San Andreas (1984) ♦ Santorini (1986) |
| Short story collections: |
The Lonely Sea (1985) |
| Non-fiction: |
All about Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ♦ Alistair MacLean Introduces Scotland (1972) ♦ Captain Cook (1972) |
