#alistair maclean

[ladysnowangel]

Currently reading Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean.

[musewrangler]

I just finished The Golden Rendezvous and I enjoyed it so much! I was so invested, I delayed cooking dinner by a quarter hour and skipped practicing just so I could finish the last 50 pages. Thank you for the recommendation!! I told you right after I started that I loved John Carter on the very first page, and I love him even more on the last one. He isn’t Piett, but I can see pieces of him in your Piett—his iron-willed determination to protect his people and defeat his opponent, his love for his ship, the way his intimate knowledge of her enables him to outwit his enemies, and demanding the doctor pump him full of meds so he can do what he believes is necessary. Of course, Marston is no Henley! 😆 I also enjoyed the way my perceptions of the characters changed as Carter either revealed more about them (Bullen, for instance) or changed his opinion of them (Susan and her parents). I came to really love her, too, by the way, and their romance was the cherry on top of this delightful book. I would have loved more of MacDonald and Carter’s friendship (such a bromance it could have been!) but what we got was wonderful, especially that moment when Carter is trying to get back to the medbay but had to change his route and MacDonald figures out what he’s doing and signals that he’s got Carter’s lifeline. So so good. Oh, yes, and I teared up when Bullen accused Carter of treason and then Susan castigated him too, and he said, “You’ve all got families. I’ve only got myself. Can you blame me for wanting to look after all I have?” And they all think (because he intends them to think it) that he means he wants to save his own skin, but he really means they’re his family and he doesn’t have anybody else so he’s going to do whatever he has to do in order to protect them! It’s all soooo satisfying!! Anyway, it’s totally worth a slightly late dinner and a missed practice session. :D

I am SO DELIGHTED you enjoyed this!!! It's one of my favorite stories, and Carter is definitely a favorite hero. I have such a weakness for British understatement and the stiff upper lip so this fits that bill perfectly. And yes, Susan is well done too. I get very fed up very quickly with either the uber feminist, girl power, don't need no man thing OR the pathetically helpless, limp and drooping little thing when it comes to the girl in a story. MacLean is someone who gets the balance right I feel.

And yep, I've read it a million times now, but when they all believe he's suddenly a coward and a traitor---OW. At least MacDonald knows him well enough not to buy it. But still.

I'm tickled that you had a late dinner and missed practice for this story. A sign of a good tale indeed. Thank you friend!

[alexhorrorfilms]

When Eight Bells Toll (Когда пробьет восемь склянок)

Екранізація роману Алістера Макліна, яка планувалася як конкурент Джеймсу Бонду.

Агент Казначейства проти піратів.

Перша головна роль Ентоні Гопкінса. Чудовий Роберт Морлі.

[yourwizardofaus]

Django, Indiana Jones, Quint from Jaws, The Jackal and Apollo Creed…all in Force 10 From Navarone (1978).

[pulpsandcomics2]

The Satan Bug by Alistair MacLean      (Fontana, 1962)

[tetsunabouquet]

Gosh, I feel so god damn overjoyed. After like 6 years, I visited my old job. It was a charity shop, you know, like those thrift stores whose profits go to charity.  I was a volunteer there, as they hired no one for money because it was a charity shop. I quit after a year and a half because of terrible work conditions and the fact they’re rats who definitely take bits of the profits when no one’s looking. Like, for one, I’m absolutely certain the building is very flammable so how it passes the fire safety inspection is BEYOND me, There’s no heater and in the winter it’s literally colder on the inside then on the outsie. Don’t forget they’re too greedy to even keep a supply of cleaning gloves, so anyone on cleaning duty  during winter was essentially screwed to clean with painfully red, aching hands that made you fear frostbite. We have a corner in the front of the store where (regular) customers and employees sit together to drink coffee. I’m pretty sure they invented this corner because of the mice in the employees kitchen. These conditions haven’t changed, but escaping the place isn’t why I’m overjoyed, NO. You see, I was mostly active on both the toys and the books departement. In my entire career working at the book departement (Reminder, about 18 months), there was this huge collection of Alistair MacLean books. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the guy, but like I said to my mom, I stared at that fucking collection week after week until I reached the point where I could throw them all on a bonfire.  I begged my boss to get rid of these books, but he wouldn’t comply. No one was buying them, absolutely no one. Either he changed his mind, or a lunatic bought the entire collection. BECAUSE I COULDN’T SPOT A SINGLE ALISTAIR MACLEAN BOOK. YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS. I feel so god damn happy to see that collection gone.  I’ve got tears in my eyes, god damn it. How much I could come to loathe a novel collection........

[shortmeteor]

The Guns of Navarone (J. Lee Thompson, 1961) 

Watch last night, for the first time in years. I remembered nothing, so was very entertained! (as always with an Alistair MacLean story, I’ve been on a bit of a “tour” lately). What struck me, though, was how completely this is the template for Tarantino. Every beat, every edit and shot, the characters, the story, everything. It lacks the layer of “reference” of course (it IS the reference), which is so much better. However much he likes Hong Kong or Japanese movies, karate etc., and the whole Kill Bill thing, structurally, texturally, editing, this is where he’s from (the Asian stuff is window dressing, local color). Just like Spielberg is from the “well-made Hollywood movie entertainment” tradition (completely square but well made; Norman Rockwell). Like watching a 70s or 80s TV show, only bigger. None of this is meant as “critique”, just observations. Your mileage may vary.

I read every MacLean book I could as a kid (loved those covers! The “Partisans” cover painting seems taken from this movie?). The best thing about these movies is how cozy they are. The scene at the beginning of Ice Station Zebra with Rock Hudson in the pub is maybe the coziest thing ever put on film. And even with the violence and the double crossing, horrible weather, etc., it never stops being cozy. The kind of movie you’d want to live in.

[movie-titlecards]

Puppet on a Chain (1970)

My rating: 4/10

One of those Bond knockoffs that were big in the 60s and 70s: Some guy goes to an Exotic And Picturesque Locale somewhere in Europe (in this case the Netherlands, though more typically it's somewhere Mediterranean) and gets shot at a bunch by some one-dimensionally evil bad guys. In this case they're drug smugglers, so there's a bit in the middle where it turns into a ham-fisted anti drug PSA for a bit, complete with a gruff-voiced authority figure talking about how weed is an evil gateway drug that murders teens in their sleep, or something. I suppose this is not the worst example of this particular subgenre, but it's still pretty dull and trite and not really worth watching.

[hopernicus]

Tunurile din Navarone

Nici nu poti da stele unei “povesti” din copilarie in care s a tot povestit “povestea tunurilor din Navarone” ♥️in fata blocului, desigur discutam filmul. Ei bine, pt acest motiv primind cartea cadou am fost curios sa gasesc diferente intre film si carte. M a incantat si e f bine scrisa. Un autor de excelenta in domeniul actiunii directe. Ma gandesc ca e imposibil sa nu i fi citit ceva (din cele…

[sunnylolli]

Imagine how detailed and awesome stories the countries would be able to write books and novels about. Like I've recently picked up H.M.S Ulysses by Alistair MacLean, and the detailing of the weather and the ship and all, like imagining the books like it from nation personifications?

Absolutely bonkers cool that would be to read

[ladysnowangel]

Reading queue.

[ed-recoverry]

List of free audiobooks on YouTube for anyone interested

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Alice in Wonderland

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H P Lovecraft

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Village by Caroline Mitchell

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (fuck JKR)

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Upside Down by Danielle Steel

The Fiancée by Kate White

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Theif

Accidentally Married by Victoria E. Lieske

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

The Collector (book one) by Nora Roberts

The Lies I Told by Mary Burton

Dead Man’s Mirror by Agatha Christie

The Hobbit

The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey

The Good Neighbour by R J Parker

The Island House by Elana Johnson

Desperation by Stephan King

The Healing Summer by Heather B. Moore

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt

To Be Claimed by Willow Winter

Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

The Inn by James Patterson

Wonder by R J Palacio

Faking It With The Billionaire by Willow Fox

The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

The Janson Directive by Robert Ludlum

The Catcher in the Rye

The Lottery Winner by Mary Higgins Clark

Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean

Death of a Nurse by M C Beaton

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Sonnets by William Shakespeare

Frozen Betrayal by Clive Cussler

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Line of Fire by R J Patterson

Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

The Remnant by Tim LaHaye

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

Payment in Kind by J A Jance

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A Marriage of Anything but Convenience by Victorine E. Lieske

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Inheritance Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The Kama Sutra by Mallanaga Vatsyayana

The Wisdom of Father Brown by G K Chesterton

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Robin Hood by J Walker McSpadden

The Poor Traveller by Charles Dickens

Days on the Road: Crossing the Plains in 1865 by Sarah Raymond Herndon

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Atomic Habits by James Clear

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Man After Man

Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Charlotte’s Web

Midsummer Mysteries by Agatha Christie

Out of Silent Planet by C S Lewis

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

The Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harai

Hamlet by Shakespeare

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish musician and singer Alastair Mcdonald born 28th October 1941.

Alastair is primarily a Banjo-playing folk/jazz musician, probably most famous for his recordings of Jim MacLean's folk songs, such as The Barras and The massacre of Glencoe, but also for some humorous songs, such as the jazz comedy song Sam the skull, about a Glasgow cat.

McDonald has mainly recorded songs written by other songwriters, for example Robert Burns and Jim MacLean, but has also written songs himself including Culloden's Harvest and The Village Green at Gretna and more reworked traditional songs, The Bell Rock Light, Mingulay Boat Song among others.

Though quite well known – he has toured US, every state except Hawaii and Alaska, also touring Canada, Israel, Denmark, Thailand and several more countries – not much is spoken of him in media.

Much of his work in recent years has been political song, usually socialist and/or republican, such as his tribute song to John MacLean.

At 83 Alistair is still performing, the multi-talented musician will appear at the Abbotsford Hotel in Ayr on Novemer 5th courtesy of Ayr Phoenix Folk Club.

I’ve chosen one of Alistair's more patriotic songs, this is about Sir William Wallace and is called The knight of Elderslie

When Scotland was in darkness and at English Edward's heel

There rose a lad to lead us and to make the tyrant reel

He raised up his arm for freedom showing nerve and Scottish steel

William Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

With the loyal Andrew Moray how he danced the English down

At Berwick and at Stirling, he provoked a royal frown

And mercenary traitors from Carlisle to London town

Knew of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

But the skies grew black at Falkirk as the English arrows sped

And many a mother's son did lie among the bloody dead

And when tithe took Judas' money that was placed upon the head

Of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

Then the noblest heart of Scotland was revealed for all to see

When they hacked him into pieces underneath the gallows tree

But the butchery and slaughter cannot scar the memory

Of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Once again, the land's in darkness as we hang our heads to mourn

And remember how the Braveheart caused oppression's tide to turn

But Scotsmen, aye, stand ready and prepared for Bannockburn

Thanks to Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

William Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

[general-illyrin]

So what makes you General Illyrin? Or does it mean you're Illyrin in general 🤔

Hello, @nerdy-catfish; thank you for the question!

When I first joined tumblr, I had recently finished reading The Secret Ways (also known as The Last Frontier), written by Alistair MacLean. The book is an espionage thriller inspired by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and centers on a British secret agent on a mission in Hungary during the Cold War. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but I remember really enjoying the book. (I haven't read it in a few years, so my memory of all the details is a little hazy.) My favorite character in it is Major-General Alexis Illyurin, the head of the underground network working against the Soviet government and a very smart man who has endured a lot in his life. He reminds me a bit of Maedhros, if that helps visualize his character. Because I admire his character, I decided to name my blog after him, changing 'Illyurin' to 'Illyrin' in order to hopefully make the name sound a little more fantasy-like.

And the only reason the name isn't Tolkien-related was that I had not at that point read the Silm XD

[uss-edsall]

The book HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean is rightfully held in high regard. It is a brutal, terrible book. It has incredibly evocative prose and is horrendously realistic. It stands upon the pedestal that The Cruel Sea and The Caine Mutiny stand upon, as the least known (inasmuch as it did not get a film adaptation) but no less lauded trio of 1950s novels of the Second World War.

It is primarily a character study. The book begins past the breaking point. The ship has just suffered a mutiny; yet despite the oratory skill of the ship's doctor, men who have seen one too many arctic convoys, led by a captain they love who's given too much of himself and destined to die on the bridge of tuberculosis, are ordered out to sea one more time.

The book asks "how far can a man, can a crew, go after the point you think you can be pushed no further, where you truly cannot continue on?"

Thirty-two ships set out. Five of them make it in the end. The titular ship HMS Ulysses is not among them.

It is not a novel depicting the horrors of war inasmuch as it does not depict the Shoah, it does not depict deliberate acts of crime. It depicts the horrors of war at its basest, the terrific pressure and awful feeling of being "worn-out, sleepless men, numbed with cold and sodden duffels, grey and drawn and stumbling on their feet with weakness and hunger and lack of rest." It is a novel depicting the horrors of war when war sends hundreds of men spilling into a sea that will freeze them to death in fifteen minutes - a sea covered in oil, filled with men, a sea that is on fire.

HMS Ulysses thesis is this:

“The synthetic national hatreds and the carefully cherished myth of King and country; these are nothing and less than nothing when mankind stands at the last frontier of hope and endurance: for only the basic, simple human emotions, the positive ones of love and grief and pity and distress, can carry a man across that last frontier.”

[mermaidsirennikita]

And friends to friends with benefits to lovers recs? Bonus points for HR?

Yep! The "friends" vibe can be a little shaky because I generally am not a huge friends to lovers person, but I do LOVE friends with benefits to lovers

Historicals:

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe--I mean to be fair Nellie and Lockwood are not friends at first. They hate each other. But they hate each other because they actually get each other, lol, so they begin a FWB deal that is complicated by the fact that he falls HARD. Some of my favorite sex scenes are in this book.

The Dueling Duchess by Minerva Spencer--In this one, they become like, kinda buddies and are fucking casually while traveling in this circus she's a part of (she's a sharpshooter). Then she feels betrayed, they separate, reunite a year later, and she's mad at him (and he's fallen for her).

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham--This may work! The heroine is a scandalous rakess who goes on vacation to write her memoirs. She meets this lovely widower with two kids, and there's a spark but he's like "oh you are waaaay too much for me". Naturally, they then DO fuck and shit gets really out of hand lol.

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe--This is the ticket. Alice is a wallflower type who wants to learn how to seduce, and local rake Kit wants to be taken seriously and needs a recipe from her chef. They already know each other though he hasn't noticed her a lot, and he begins giving her seduction lessons. He, naturally, falls for her.

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe--Different vibe wherein Katherine and Preston do hate each other at first (because he basically had no intention of marrying her and unintentionally led her on for years after their dads arranged the marriage--but accidentally hook up at a masked ball and become FWBs that actually like each other.

Unmasked by The Marquess by Cat Sebastian--OH THIS IS IT!!! Alistair befriends Rob, and becomes attracted to him... Only to find out that his new bestie isn't a man. (Rob is Robin, AFAB and NB, pretending to be a man in society.) They start fucking casually (including an amazing "from behind against a door with people on the other side of the door) but Alistair, much to Robin's horror, is FALLING.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean--Another one that really works. Caleb has longed for Sesily from afar for years, but they're friends via his friendship with her sister. They start boning, and it goes from there.

How to Marry a Marquess by Stacy Reid--In this one, they're friends for years and she's clearly in love with him, but he believes she won't be able to handle the public scorn of being with him because he recognized and raises his illegitimate daughter and is a pariah. She pretends she's trying to attract someone else so he'll teach her how to attract a man, and... The big P in V is kind of slow burn, but they definitely get up to shit before that.

When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath--Another one where the heroine is in love with the hero and trying to get him to help her find a husband, but this one is less sex lessons and more "shit accidentally got outta hand" (Rum On Lips TM). Lovingdon is nine years older than Grace but they're friends through their families; she's a lovely young lady, and he's a total rake because his wife and child died. They start... doing stuff and things.... as he tries to help her find a man lol.

Contemporary:

Reckless by Stella Rhys--Lol a perfect match. In this one the hero is a high-powered sports agent, and the heroine is his go-to work wife assistant who's become like, his closest friend. Then, while they're on a company trip she invited her fiance to join her on, she finds out her fiance is cheating on her, and she and dude hang out as he comforts her, and shit gets charged... And then shortly after he offers to fuck her in his office for funsies and things go from there lol.

Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn--In this one, the hero was friends with the heroine's boyfriend (fiancee?) first. Her man was a country singer, she was a rising country star, and the hero wrote songs for her dude. Then she took a stand against gun violence asshole dumps her, she hooks up with the friend guy for one night, and then they go their separate ways... Until years later, when he's her landlord, she begins plotting a return to music, and she finds out he's been writing the erotic instagram poetry she's been into lmao. They start hooking up, but obviously, there's MORE.

Give Me More by Sara Cate--Hunter and Isabel have been married a good while, and they're on a road trip with their best friend Drake, who's been friends with Isabel since she met Hunter and friends with Hunter since they were kids. Hunter sees Drake and Isabel in a compromising situation (that isn't what it looks like, genuinely lol) and realizes he likes that... And he thinks he likes being cucked and watching them fuck, but it's actually that they're all in love with each other and he's bi and won't admit it to himself. DELICIOUS. BOOK. SO. HOT. SO. ANGSTY.

Exposed by Kristen Callihan--More frenemies to FWB to lovers, but still. The heroine has been doing PR for this major rock band the hero is a part of, and they've been a part of the same friend group since they were kids but hate each other. After he overhears her at a bar being like "JESUS CHRIST I NEED TO BE FUCKED WELL" he volunteers. It's.... hot. And of course the super hot sex turns into love, lol.