Hello everyone! Welcome or welcome back to my blog. Today, I will be reviewing another book by my favorite thriller writer, Alistair MacLean – South by Java Head. This is one of my personal favorites by MacLean. I you have not checked out my earlier reviews already, please do. So without further delay, let us begin:
About the Author:
Alistair MacLean was born in 1922 and was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. His father was a Scot minister. In 1941, when he was eighteen years old, he joined the Royal Navy. For two and a half years, he served aboard a cruiser; it later gave him the background and idea to write his first novel, an outstanding documentary of war at sea – the bestseller HMS Ulysses. After World War II, he applied for and received an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, after which he became a school master. In 1983, he received a D.Litt. from the same university.
His writing skills landed him the title of one of the top-ten bestselling authors in the world, and the top selling Briton, by 1970. Currently he is recognized as one of the outstanding writers of the 20th Century. His most popular novels The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Fear is the Key, and Ice Station Zebra have been turned into films. Apart from these, he wrote twenty-five bestsellers which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Alistair MacLean died in 1987 at his home in Switzerland.
South by Java Head:
An old army general, a troop of injured soldiers, a group of nurses, an old priest, and a two-and-a-half-year-old child, climb aboard The Kerry Dancer. A curious and surprisingly random collection humans, with age differences of decades, yes, but all with the same objective – flee Singapore before dawn breaks. When one’s mere life is at stake, one may go to any length to protect it. But when it is that, plus the lives of thousands of others, the stakes rise to unprecedented heights.
It is the February of 1942, that is, the middle of World-War 2. The Japanese forces have stormed through Indonesia, Java, Sumatra and have reached the gates of Malaysia. British civilians and army alike rush to ‘fortress’ Singapore, that stronghold of the British Army, which it was said that the Japanese could not conquer. But, like so many times before, the people’s beliefs broke, and Singapore, fell. The city lay devastated, with hardly any high-rise still standing, helpless before the conquering hordes of the Japanese army. And it is under these conditions, that the aforementioned party come together near the harbor, in an attempt to escape by the last boat to leave the country.
By dawn, they have reached far out into the sea, and seemingly away from the Japanese. But the relief lasts only for a moment. For, the Japanese bombers soon arrive over horizon, ready to take them down. Why the Japanese would spend so many resources in order to destroy a small, haggard group of helpless people, they knew not. But as the day and night progresses, secrets are learnt, stakes are raised, senses are alerted, sacrifices are made, comrades are lost, and love is found. The following incubus follows the journey of the desperate survivors, the brunt of the tropical nature and above all, the determined Japanese, as the survivors head South by Java Head.
South by Java Head is a little longer than most other Alistair MacLean thrillers, but consequently, it is more interestingly complex than most others. The number of surprises, twists, characters, and plots, along with MacLean’s signature writing style makes lends this book a different charm altogether. Personally, I love this story a lot. The only downside is, that this book may become a little too descriptive for a few people. Apart from that, South by Java Head is as good a thriller as any other.
Outro:
That is it for today, everyone! I hoped you liked the review and found it useful. South by Java Head really is a thriller. I will keep posting many such reviews on the most interesting books. Do follow my blog. It’s fun, and it’s free and you will get notified each time I post something. If you liked this post, stay tuned for more; if you didn’t, still do the same. Who knows? Maybe you will like the next one. Until then, Au revoir!