The Guns of Navarone

For those who know "The Guns of Navarone" only from the justly famous movie starring Gregory Peck and David Niven, Alistair MacLean's novel will be an enjoyable surprise. "Navarone" is, with "Where Eagles Dare", the Scottish-born MacLean's best known work in the United States. His story of a daring British commando raid against the fictional German-held island of Navarone is loosely based on a failed British expedition to the eastern Aegean Sea during the Second World War. The commandos must silence the guns of the title to permit the evacuation by sea of British troops trapped on a nearby island. The novel traces the commandos' dangerous journey by sea to Navarone and their struggles to survive and outwit the Nazi occupation force long enough to carry out their mission. A strength of this novel is MacLean's portrayal of well-developed and nuanced characters. Captain Mallory, a New Zealander and pre-war mountain climber, is the leader; his deputy is Andrea, a taciturn and dangerous, yet compassionate Greek. Others are Miller, the cynical and world-weary American explosives expert, and young Stevenson, the insecure subaltern and backup climber. We are given enough of the background and voice of each of the major characters to understand why they are the way they are. MacLean took care to populate the story with an interesting supporting cast of British and German military personnel and Greek villagers. In the process, he conveys a sense of the desperately bitter partisan warfare that must have taken place in Nazi-occupied Greece. A second strength is MacLean's ability to weave a complicated yet compelling story. The opening chapter sets the tone with almost brilliantly concise description and dialogue. Mallory, obstensibly spirited out from a behind the lines mission in Crete for a rest, discovers that his boss has a more important mission for him. Mallory's hastily put-together team must surmount a series of hair-raising challenges and make some tough choices along the way. In precise, often understated prose, we experience with the commandos the physical and mental fatigue of a dangerous and morally ambiguous mission. MacLean vividly portrays a harsh world of war and betrayal, in which even the best choices have brutal consequences. This book is highly recommended to the reader looking for an enthralling adventure story, one told with style and substance. This is no mindless summer beach read. "The Guns of Navarone" is MacLean at his best, a pure pleasure to read.

To all of you who are bad-mouthing this book, stuff it. It's not modern writing but if you read it to read it, not because you have a book report due, you'll like it. I picked it up and could'nt put it down except for a breif exception where I thought my bladder would explode, but then I picked it back up again. I would definitely rate this as a classic and, although some of it is a tad unrealistic, almost all of it is believable. I would highly suggest that if you have a few spare hours, you should immeadietly pick it up and if not, wait for a weekend (or a better time) and then do it. This book is Awesome!

"The Guns of Navarone" was an amazing display of creativity in a "war based" novel. The drama behind "the guns". Those darn guns were the only thing stopping forward progress in the war. The only other reasonable attempt would be a suicide mission up the giant cliffs and into the heart of the enemy stronghold. The way each character had his own trait and how it fit into the plot completed the comprehensive make-up of their actions. They each provided a specific and vital part to the mission. I do not want to get into any detail as to not ruin the story for any interested readers, but I will say to the fans of Tom Clancy pieces, you will be happy reading this Alistair MacLean novel.

Like many others, I first read this one for English in 8th or 9th grade. It's one of the few books most boys read voluntarily... I'm now in my thirties and it remains a diverting read. Great action, incredible gambits, complex characterization, good dialogue. Read the book then see the movie... they're both first rate!

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I got hooked on MacLean twenty years ago, reading everything he ever wrote. The action in the Guns of Navarone is riveting from start to finish, with the right touch of light humor to keep the tension from becoming overwhelming. As the characters make their way through the story,the reader is right there with them. Dusty Miller is a particular favorite. MacLean excels at the World War II stories, and this is among his best.