HMS Ulysses

Written by Alistair MacLean

Narrated by Jonathan Oliver

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.

Constant patrols have pushed the crew of the HMS Ulysses beyond the limits of endurance. And now they must be put to sea again, to escort a vital supply convoy heading for Murmansk.
 
As they head deep into the frozen waters they are faced not only with the fierce arctic weather, but a swarm of airborne attacks, German ships, then the feared U-boats, all hellbent on destroying the convoy.
 
With each day threatening another sudden attack, and increasing hardships aboard the frozen ship, Ulysses suffers greater damage trying to protect the other vessels. And soon the journey becomes a tense and deadly game of cat and mouse between the crippled cruiser and her silent pursuers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9780008224363

Alistair MacLean

Alistair MacLean, the son of a 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 teacher. Two and a half years spent aboard a wartime cruiser gave 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.

Reviews for HMS Ulysses

[damcg63 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a punishing read...just a brutal story. Good, but brutal.

[breic-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fine thriller. It starts slow, but builds into a nightmare. Very exciting. I still prefer Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea," for its characterizations and plotting—it is more than a historical thriller.

[setnahkt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought of Alastair MacLean as a writer of implausible potboilers, but this, his first novel, is not bad at all. MacLean had served on a Dido-class light cruiser on Murmansk runs – including the infamous Convoy PQ17 – so he knew what he was talking about in this account of the fictional HMS Ulysses escorting a convoy to Murmansk. The characters are somewhat stereotypical – kindly captain, dedicated surgeon, brave able seamen, but the accounts of the variety of ways people can die horribly on a warship in the Arctic ring true. The German attackers are portrayed as just as brave as the defenders; the Americans are given a polite nod. My copy was a cheap trade paperback; a larger format would have made the ship layout in the front papers easier to understand. (It would be useful to copy this and blow it up to a larger format so you could keep track of who’s dying where). Worth at least 3 stars, I think.

[nadineeg-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full of detail, the sort of book that almost splashes water, or in this case freezing ice over you as you read.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The crew and the Dido Class cruiser, are sacrificed on the Murmansk run. This is an example of very competent genre fiction, and could be seen as the ancestor of books like "We All Died at Breakaway Station" in Science fiction.

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A gripping, frustrating, and involving story of British Naval convoys during World War II. Most of the characters are well-developed and believable, and the technical aspects are not overwhelming. Good read.

[veeralpadhiar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without doubt one of the best - if not the best - books written about the perils faced by the seafaring men of the Arctic convoys sailing from Britain to USSR in World War-II.

MacLean himself served on a warship in World War-II, so he knows what he is talking about.

One of my favorite books of all time.

Highly recommended.

[mikebrough-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the first grown-up books I read as a teenager (along with numerous Desmond Bagleys). I must have read it once every couple of years since!It can be a bit mawkish at times but, overall, it's a great study of men being pushed to their limits and beyond. Yes, it's the story of everything that can go wrong going wrong - and then some - but it also shows men rising above their limitations and exhibiting real love for their fellow crewmen. The ending brings tears to my eyes every time.One of my top 3 war novels of the last century.Apparently, there's a BBC radio adaptation starring Derek Jacobi and Donald Sinden - 2 knights of the boards. I must try to find that.

[jenianb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Try comparing this with Forester's "The Ship".There are some remarkable similarities. Nonetheless MacLean has written a rattling good sea yarn.

[joysgood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the greatest pieces of naval fiction to come out of World War II. A must read for anyone interested in war at sea.

[othersam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although not quite as well known now as he was in his heyday, Alistair Maclean was once the undisputed king of thriller-writers. Even now, titles like The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare are still famous as films, creaky and (endearingly!) old-fashioned though those look today. However, HarperCollins in the UK has recently been reissuing the books, and here's a surprise: the books stand up /just fine/.HMS Ulysses was Maclean's debut: to my mind, it's one of his absolute best. Although the book takes a couple of chapters to get going, once the Ulysses sets out on her fateful mission to the Arctic Seas, to protect vital supply-carrying convoy-ships from the predatory attacks of German U-boats, it's almost impossible not to find oneself taken along for the ride. A passionate, desperate story about the horrors of sea warfare and the incredible bravery and endurance of those who took part, this is a truly thrilling and engrossing read. Highly recommended.

[kateingilo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

and yes, it was one of my favorites a few years ago. I haven't read it for a long time, so I don't know if I would like it as much now.