Product Description

The novel that launched the astonishing career of one of the 20th century's greatest writers of action and suspense -- an acclaimed classic of heroism and the sea in World War II. Now reissued in a new cover style. The story of men who rose to heroism, and then to something greater, HMS Ulysses takes its place alongside The Caine Mutiny and The Cruel Sea as one of the classic novels of the navy at war. It is the compelling story of Convoy FR77 to Murmansk -- a voyage that pushes men to the limits of human endurance, crippled by enemy attack and the bitter cold of the Arctic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13250 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
'A brilliant, overwhelming piece of descriptive writing.' Observer 'A story of exceptional courage which grips the imagination.' Daily Telegraph 'It deserves an honourable place among 20th-century war books.' Daily Mail 'HMS Ulysses is in the same class as The Cruel Sea.' Evening Standard

About the Author
Alistair MacLean, the son of a Scots minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941 he joined the Royal Navy. After the war he read English at Glasgow University and became a schoolmaster. The two and a half years he spent aboard a wartime cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his remarkably successful first novel, published in 1955. He is now recognized as one of the outstanding popular writers of the 20th century, the author of 29 worldwide bestsellers, many of which have been filmed.

Customer Reviews

War on the high seas
Alistair Maclean is author of some of the best war fiction in the world – notably the Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare – but in this book he has surpassed the rest.
Seeing as I loathe spoilers in reviews, I shall keep them to a minimum! This book centres around the eponymous HMS Ulysses, a frigate in World War II. This ship is used on the arctic convoy runs to Murmansk, a vital part of the allied war effort sadly largley igonred by the Soviet government after the war. These convoy runs were the worst of the war, featuring not only the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boats, but also sub-zero temperatures, blizzards, and twenty-hour days. Combine all these and you have a good a picture of hell as it is possible to get. The men of the Ulysses think so too, and have mutinied. As the book starts, an Admiral is discussing the failed mutiny and what should be done with the Ulysses. It is decided that, to atone, she should escort one last convoy – FR77 – to Murmansk, then she will be sent to the Mediterranean theatre. The voyage that follows is truly appalling in every sense of the word. In particular, the pathos engendered by Maclean’s descriptions of men having to endure such agony is unspeakable. For me, the most poignant character is Ralston, the torpedo gunner. Without giving away too much, he does something no-one should have to do, and Vallery, the father-figure of the captain, suffers so much in making him do it and then realsiing what he has done to Ralston. It must be read to be fully experinced in all its emotional intensity.
The only comparable book to this is, in my opinion, All Quiet on the Western Front, though HMS Ulysses is far more bitter and gritty. There is a rawness exuded by the book, a sense of despair and loss permeating every line. However, the ending is surprisingly upbeat, yet so sad as to be beyond words. As I read the last two pages, I had tears running down my face, a testament to the power of Maclean’s writing. Maybe upbeat is the wrong word for the ending, yet I felt that there was a certain glory in it. All the suffering, all the pain, it’s all justified in the last chapter.
It’s not a long book, so those of you who are dispirited by hefty tombstone-size books have no excuse! But what it lacks in length, it more than makes up for in sheer force. Each page is littered with the anti-war message of the book. Like Saving Private Ryan, it is just not possible to come away with anything other than the idea that war is hell, and not something to be undertaken lightly.

The most compelling book I've ever read!
When I first came across "HMS Ulysses", I read it from cover to cover without putting it down - three times in a row. The story about the captain and crew of the HMS Ulysses, the story about men driven to the limit and far beyond by terror, cold and hunger, who somehow kept going because of their love and devotion to one extraordinary man, was one of the saddest, most capturing and most compelling stories I've ever read. I could almost feel the crew's desperation, feel the piercing cold, hear - and be tormented by - the captain's ripping cough. Not many books have the power to capture me that way.

I know "HMS Ulysses" almost by heart by now - but whenever I read it, I still do it from cover to cover, without putting it down. Once I begin, I just can't let it go until it's all over.

The only really good Maclean
As many reviewers before I can just concur: This is the best Alister Maclean, by far, and one of the best naval stories, ever. Nicolas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea (available on DVD!) is similar in many ways, but this is much more hard-hitting and gut-wrenching.

And for me, it is the only Maclean that has stood up to rereading, over and over again.

Let's hope it will be filmed one day!