Alistair MacLean

Alistair MacLean, born on April 21, 1922, in Shettleston, Glasgow, Scotland, was a renowned Scottish novelist known for his thrilling thrillers and adventure stories. His father was a Minister in the Church of Scotland, and MacLean was one of four brothers. As a child, he grew up in Daviot, which is located 10 miles south of Inverness, and studied English as his second language, his mother tongue being Scottish Gaelic.

MacLean's writing career took off after he joined the Royal Navy in 1941 at the age of eighteen. His two and a half years aboard a cruiser provided the basis for his first novel, HMS Ulysses, a remarkable documentary novel about the war at sea. After the war, he earned an English Honors degree at Glasgow University and became a schoolmaster. In 1983, he was awarded a D. Litt. from the same university. MacLean is known for his 29 world bestsellers and is recognized as an outstanding writer in his genre.

MacLean's novels, including "The Guns of Navarone," "Ice Station Zebra," and "Where Eagles Dare," have been adapted into successful films. He wrote a total of 29 bestselling novels, which helped establish him as one of the most popular Scottish novelists of his time. Despite the popularity of his novels, MacLean chose not to include much sex or romance in his work, believing it would slow down the action. MacLean died in Munich, Germany, on February 2, 1987, at the age of 64.
Guns of Navarone Books
# Title Year
1 The Guns of Navarone 1957
2 Force 10 from Navarone 1968
Alistair MacLean's UNACO Books
# Title Year
1 Hostage Tower 1980
2 Air Force One Is Down 1981
3 Death Train 1988
4 Alistair MacLean's Death Train 1988
5 Night Watch 1989
6 Red Alert 1990
7 Time of the Assassins 1991
8 Dead Halt 1992
9 Code Breaker 1993
10 Rendezvous 1995
11 Prime Target 1997
12 Borrowed Time 1998
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 H.M.S. Ulysses 1955
2 South by Java Head 1958
3 The Last Frontier / The Secret Ways 1959
4 Night Without End 1960
5 Ice Station Zebra 1960
6 Fear is the Key 1961
7 The Black Shrike / The Dark Crusader 1961
8 The Golden Rendezvous 1962
9 The Satan Bug 1962
10 When Eight Bells Toll 1966
11 Where Eagles Dare 1967
12 Puppet on a Chain 1969
13 Caravan to Vaccares 1970
14 Bear Island 1971
15 The Way to Dusty Death 1973
16 Breakheart Pass 1974
17 Circus 1975
18 The Golden Gate 1975
19 Goodbye, California 1977
20 Seawitch 1977
21 Athabasca 1980
22 River of Death 1981
23 Partisans 1982
24 Floodgate 1983
25 San Andreas 1984
26 Santorini 1986
Alastair MacLean Short Story Collections
# Title Year
1 The Lonely Sea 1985
Alastair MacLean Non-Fiction
# Title Year
1 Lawrence of Arabia 1962
2 Captain Cook 1972
Alistair MacLean Anthologies
# Title Year
1 War Stories 1987