South by Java Head

After success with the more conventional wartime thriller 'The Guns of Navarone', Maclean's third book feels like a return to the "epic" scope of 'HMS Ulysees'. We follow a large and disparate variety of characters (wounded men, soldiers, nurses, pirates, and the crew of an oil tanker) as they attempt to flee the fall of Singapore. Through circumstances all these people come together, and are forced to brave Japanese attacks and the harsh environment in a seemingly hopeless quest to reach Java Head and the protection of Allied forces. While the plot revolves around some secret Japanese plans, this is not really central to the story. For most characters, the goal is simply survival. With such a large and varied cast, it is inevitable that some either fade into the background or are jarringly killed off, but there are some well-drawn characters. Johnny Nicholson is a fairly standard Maclean hero, with other crew members such as McKinnon also fitting the Maclean mould. More interesting are the enigmatic duo Farnholme and particularly Van Effen; the latter is arguably the best developed of the lot. And, three books in, Gudrun Drachmann is the first female character and love interest to appear in a Maclean book. Drawing three-dimensional heroines was never a Maclean strong point, but Nurse Drachmann is one of the best of them; courageous, dedicated and intelligent. Note that in contrast to the Germans of the first two books, Maclean has no sympathy for the Japanese whatsoever. They are portrayed as ruthless and inhuman, with their actions disturbing even their allies. Whether or not this is historically accurate, it does add to the tension considerably. In all, the book is not quite as strong as 'Ulysees' or 'Navarone', although when Maclean describes the hellish chaos of wartime Singapore, or the relentless heat and humidity of the environment, the book comes close to reaching the heights of the first two. The circumstances are a little too unrealistic to be believable, and there are perhaps one too many lucky escapes and fortunate twists to satisfy (an issue that also arose in his next book, 'The Last Frontier'). And the romantic subplot is a bit clumsy, although I do think Gudrun's presence and her scarred face add a strong emotional element to proceedings. These flaws aside, 'South by Java Head' is a strong entry in the Maclean catalogue and a worthy successor to his first two classics.

Alistair MacLean's 1958 "South By Java Head" is evidence both of his tremendous talent as a story teller and that he was still learning the writing trade with this early novel. "South By Java Head" is set in the fall of the British stronghold of Singapore to the Japanese Army in February 1942. A mixed collection of soldiers, nurses, fleeing civilians, a small boy, and at least one spy attempt to escape the burning city aboard the Kerry Dancer, a battered freighter manned by a disreputable captain and crew. When the Kerry Dancer is crippled by Japanese war planes, the refugees are rescued by the Viroma, a tanker also fleeing the Japanese. Thus begins a terrible ordeal, as the Viroma itself is sunk by the Japanese and the survivors take to open boats. Led by stalwart First Officer Nicholson, they will attempt to flee to safety across the South China Sea, relentlessly pursued by the Japanese and equally at risk from traitors in their midst. "South By Java Head" has touches of real brillance. The description of the fall of Singapore is as moving as anything MacLean would write after "HMS Ulysses", and the twisting plot presages what would become the standard of MacLean's adventure stories. Although Johnny Nicholson doesn't even make an appearance until the second act of the story, he is clearly the hero; the rest is told from his point of view. He is a perfectly adequate Maclean hero, honorable, humane, but tough and enduring in a crisis; he is ably assisted by a strong, silent side kick who seems to rise to every occasion. Unfortunately, MacLean tries to pack too much adventure into the storyline. The core characters roll from one life-threatening crisis to the next; their continuing survival becomes less and less credible. MacLean gives himself rather too many characters to manage. Several get promising introductions, only to be killed off as plot devices. The secret that gives rise to several betrayals hardly seems worth the trouble it costs both the pursuers and the traitors. Nicholson is given a promising love interest, but the romance doesn't get a lot of development. The Japanese, fair or not, are flatly portrayed as savage monsters. "South By Java Head" is highly recommended to Alistair MacLean fans. The casual reader will likely find it to be an entertaining adventure story.

Book was delivered in a timely manner and securely packaged. Very pleased to have been able to find this title as previously owned books were destroyed by water in basement. Thanks again!

I always loved Alistair MacLean novels. For adventure, I found him to be one of the most consistent and satisfying authors out there. This is one of his best. It has twists and turns, as always, but is also a bit more harrowing than some of his other novels. All of which sets everything up nicely for a great denouement.