Ice Cold in Alex

by Christopher Landon

A true classic, this bestselling novel--and the inspiration for the internationally renowned film starring John Mills--tells the story of a small group of soldiers and nurses trying to escape from Tobruk through the German-occupied desert. For Captain George Anson, the taste of the ice-cold beer served in Alexandria, Egypt remains an indelible memory. When he's assigned to escort two nursing sisters there, he dreams of enjoying that simple pleasure again. But his routine mission turns epic as he and the nurses find themselves driving further and further south to escape the advancing German army. A true classic, this bestselling novel--and the inspiration for the internationally renowned film starring John Mills--tells the story of a small group of soldiers and nurses trying to escape from Tobruk through the German-occupied desert. For Captain George Anson, the taste of the ice-cold beer served in Alexandria, Egypt remains an indelible memory. When he's assigned to escort two nursing sisters there, he dreams of enjoying that simple pleasure again. But his routine mission turns epic as he and the nurses find themselves driving further and further south to escape the advancing German army.

Genres: Fiction, War, Thriller, Classics, World War II, Historical Fiction, Novels

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Landon was born in West Byfleet, Surrey. His father was a stockjobber of Huguenot descent and he was a distant cousin of the author Perceval Landon. He was educated at Lancing College and Cambridge University. He studied medicine.

Christopher Landon served with the 51st Field Ambulance in North Africa during the Second World War and with the 1st S.A. Division. He ended the war with the rank of Major in the Royal Army Service Corps.

After the war he wrote several novels including: A Flag in the City (1953), his first novel which was about WWII British intelligence in Teheran and their plans to destroy Germany's fifth column operations in Persia; Stone Cold Dead in the Market; Hornet's Nest; Dead Men Rise Up Never; and Unseen Enemy (aka The Shadow of Time).

He died of accidental alcohol and barbiturate poisoning at his home in Frognal in 1961, leaving a wife and three children.

Reviews

[Corto · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of you who haven't seen the cherished film: "Ice Cold" a WWII story of two Royal Army Medical Corps personnel tasked with evacuating two nursing sisters to Alexandria, who've been stranded in Tobruk at the outset of the siege. At the beginning of their journey, the encounter a South African officer separated from his unit, and offer to bring him along.

They plot to cross the Western Desert, and as they go; the South African's behavior raises suspicion, a romance blooms between two characters, and one officer battles his own demons.

For those of you who have seen the film:

The key differences are that the plot lines are dispersed so that Captain Anson (John Mills), while still a leading character, is not the main character. Aspects of the plot are dispersed, so that WO Tom Pugh (Harry Anderson) shares the "starring" role.

If you've seen the film, the book will probably lack tension, because the plot isn't fundamentally different.

Why read it?:

It's still an interesting read. The most unique thing I find about this novel, is the examination of "cowardice". As Anson encounters challenges and obstacles in the novel, he perceives himself as battling his own "cowardice", which the author does a fine job of illustrating as the strain of having been under sustained combat for two years. It's a frank observation, and well-written into the character. I'm trying to think of other war novels written in this era, and this aspect of Anson's character seems to stand out in the way in which it's presented.

All, in all:

I enjoyed reading it. The romance aspect was very much of its time, and not something I necessarily enjoyed - but it's interesting to read authors of this era semantically dance around the subject of sex. The espionage aspect was ok - very low key - and in that regard, probably "realistic". Because of that, I understand why this movie is virtually unknown here in America (it's not available in ANY format, which is a shame) - it lacks "grit" and "brawn" and "intensity" (at least how we perceive those things). British war literature seems to lionize quiet, reserved men doing extraordinary things, whereas American war lit has a more "rough hewn" cowboy-stereotype character. So, as a whole, I would classify this novel as "high pulp". I could've done without the romance bit, but, it is what it is. This was a good yarn if you're interested in the experience of war from a non-Combat Arms perspective.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ice Cold in Alex is one of my all time favourite films, so when I saw this book I picked it up and read it through largely as a comparator. I'm glad I did because since reading it I'll never be able to watch the film in quite the same way, due to there being one enormous change of story line between the two differing media. Also, for any interested in book to film comparisons, this is one instance where the book only slightly outdoes the film. Both are well worth the effort to digest.

[Tamara Curtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently saw the film and had heard such great things about the book I had to check it out. Miles better than the film.

[Martha Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this six stars. Alex has been bugging me to read this for about the past five years, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to it. This is definitely one of my favourite books ever, of all time, now. If you had told me 48 hours ago that I would spend part of tonight crying on the kitchen floor about the fate of an ambulance -- not even the people in the ambulance, to clarify, although I do love all of them as well, but the physical ambulance itself -- I would have thought this was ridiculous. But I am in love.

Premise: during WW2's North Africa campaign, two nurses need to be evacuated from Torbuk, Libya, to Alexandria, Egypt; the people who get put down for the job are two dudes from the Royal Army Medical Corps Captain Anson (tired, PTSD-ridden, alcoholic officer) and Sergeant Major Pugh (dejected but loyal warrant officer), and they have to escort the girls back in an ambulance across 700 miles of desert and enemy lines. Also, a stranded South African officer who is not what he seems!

Are you in love yet? ARE YOU?

Found families! Soldiers struggling quietly with grief and fear and despair! Love in impossible odds! Determination in the face of nature doing its darnedest to kill everyone! [me, tearing my clothes off and yelling at the sky]

Surprising exactly no-one, I would DIE for Anson. But then again I would also die for Tom and for Diana and for Zimmerman and for Katy. I WOULD DIE FOR EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK. I am so soft. I want to read this again every day forever. I want this tattooed on the insides of my eyelids, and also on my hands so that when my eyes are open I can still see the words.

Gotta go watch the movie now.

[James Rivett · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a blooming marvellous book. Maybe it could scrape a fifth star! I don't know.
Ice Cold in Alex is, in many respects, the sort of midtwentieth century novel that is long overlooked and seldom replicated.
Written by Christopher Landon, it is based around events of the North Aftican Campaign during World War 2. It is not a fighting yarn but has its roots in Landon's own experiences with the ambulance corps and stories he encountered. 'Based on real-life events' appears an adequate description.
This book reminded me of the North African Trilogy by Alan Moorehead, based on his WW2 journalism, in its detail and depiction of the everyday aspects of life and war in the desert. It takes you to the point of feeling the rocky ground and the stifling heat and privations but also the comfort of respite and quiet. A great example of the clichéd 'show don't tell'.
The writing is eloquent and compelling and the characters are vividly alive with all too human traits. But, by far, the greatest and most determined character is Katy, the ambulance. The most glorious example of stoic resolution and patient strength Katy is the metaphor for wartime spirit. She exemplifies the stay calm and carry on, stiff-upper-lip blitz spirit of Landon's generation.
As a story of resourcefulness and camaraderie, the book works brilliantly as we see the strengths and weaknesses of each occupant of the ambulance as they face their challenges together and alone. Each character bears their own wounds, pains, and ailments, not all physical, which we see heal through shared experience and comradeship. There is, of course, irony in the fact it is the ambulance, Katy, who is being nursed along the most.
I did fear the presence of a lovestory might spoil the book, but I quickly came to realise the whole book is a lovestory. Ice Cold in Alex is a lovestory dedicated to the desert. It put me in mind of Moorehead's descriptions or those of TE Lawrence and could even be seen as a forerunner to The English Patient. Thankfully, though, it did not slip into the hyperbole often found in Damien Lewis books on the desert campaigns.
This isn't just a lovestory nor simply a novel about battlefield warfare but about a shared human battle against adversity and against the desert.

[Simon S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delighted to find this in a charity shop. I’ve always had a soft spot for the 1958 film – all sand, sweat, and pluck – and only fairly recently realised that it had started life as a novel, which promptly went on the wishlist.

I opened it with a measure of fond anticipation and was soon happily immersed. The desert journey is much as I remembered, but there’s more character depth here, more grit and introspection – and, rather brilliantly, the ambulance, Katy, gets an interior monologue. A nice surprise. She’s a wreck, but she’s their wreck.

Landon gets us inside each sun-struck head: Captain Anson’s bone-deep weariness and his need for the beer in Alex to stand for something bigger; Sergeant-Major Pugh’s quiet sturdiness, and his longing for nursing sister Diana, strong and kind. It’s not so much a war story as a tale of endurance – and the fond, unnameable bonds of unlikely friendship.

You can practically feel the dust between your teeth. And yes, the beer’s still cold.

This was a perfect read for a sunny Sunday.

[Erik Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A best selling novel at some point, this one has faded from the front of shelves as so many once popular books do. A true story of 3 men and a women crossing from Tobruk Lybia to Alexandria Egypt with the Germans hot on their tail. You don't see many books about the African campaign and less about medic units.
The whole book is about the main CO trying to get to Alexandria to have a cold beer and the obstacles that keep coming between them. It's a quick read but the fact it's a true story and that they went across the desert in a beat up ambulance was quite fascinating. The author really made the desert feel hot and sandy and the constant pursuit of the German armor made it all the more real.

[Mike Futcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Do you know the next drink I'm going to have? A beer, Tom. A bloody great, tall, ice-cold glass of Rheingold in that little bar off Mahomet Ali Square in Alex... and I'll buy you one, all of you one, because I'm bloody well going to get you there..." (pg. 94)

Christopher Landon's Ice Cold in Alex is a subtly brilliant novel that steadily gets better as it progresses. Initially, I found the prose rather more dense than I like, but as I became more accustomed to it I grew to appreciate it. Set during the North African campaign of World War Two, it follows two British army soldiers, two nurses and a South African soldier as they try to escape the German advance. Forced to cross the desert in their battered ambulance named KATY (who develops, as all great machines do, a personality of her own), their leader George Anson is driven on to their final destination of Alexandria by the promise of an ice-cold beer in a bar there (hence the title).

The character development in this novel is impressive, as all the characters have their own well-executed arcs - Anson in particular. Anson is an alcoholic, war-weary and failing in his command; his morale is, in one memorable phrase, "propped up with gin" (pg. 116). But when the chips are down he rediscovers his confidence and integrity, guiding the party through their trials and vowing not to touch a drop of alcohol until they reach that bar in Alexandria. Landon introduces the notion of 'Zerzura' or the 'wish-oasis' - that "when you are in danger - desperate - there's always something left to discover a little farther on" - whether something physical or just an idea, and that you can attain it "if one has the guts to carry on and look for it" (pg. 173). For Anson, it is the oft-eulogised prospect of an ice-cold beer that provides him with the determination and resolve to carry on. Like all great adventure/crossing the desert stories, whether fact or fiction, this novel is an ode to the perseverance of the human spirit.

Indeed, this tribute to the integrity of the human spirit is also evoked through the novel's subtle anti-war message. Little more than a decade after the end of World War Two, both the book and the film adaptation were notable for not portraying the Germans as evil adversaries. The adversary in Ice Cold in Alex is "the greater enemy" - the harsh nature of the desert (pg. 239), rather than a man who just happens to wear a different uniform. It is a novel about teamwork and redemption, struggle and reward. This gives the novel - which could easily have become stuffy, stiff-upper-lipped pot-boiler fare - a timeless quality which makes it an endearing read even more than 50 years after it was written.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a road trip, basically – a road trip through the Libyan desert in a battered military ambulance named Katy, in the summer of 1942. A pair of British Army Medical chaps, company commander Captain Anson, and driver/mechanic Sergeant Major Pugh are assigned to transport two nurses out of Tobruk to presumed safety in Alexandria, since Tobruk is about to fall to a renewed and ferocious German advance. The nurses had become separated from their party and left behind in the confusion, mostly because the younger of the two is a piece of hysterical baggage. Captain Anson, Sergeant Pugh and the surviving nurse, Sister Murdoch, meet up with a Captain Zimmerman, ostensibly of the South African expeditionary force, and set off through the desert, hoping to be able to evade the German forces about to invest Tobruk and make it safely through the inhospitable desert to Alexandria.
The North African desert: for your average English soldier, fresh from the soggy green meadows of the rural British Isles or the equally wet and eternally soot-stained urban regions, it must have seemed as alien as the moon … and three times deadlier. Captain Anson, who has been out in the thick of it for more than two years, is coping with PTSD by pouring alcohol on his shattered nerves, and keeping himself going by focusing on the ice-cold beer served up at a little bar in Alexandria – beers which he has promised to buy for his little party – if they make it through that desert. Sergeant Pugh, his able NCO, copes by mechanically babying the ambulance which they all depend upon for survival … and doing his best to unobtrusively support his officer. Sister Diana Murdoch, whose home-life growing up was not a happy one, finds herself falling for the taciturn enlisted man, Sergeant Pugh, himself a widower. And then there is Captain Zimmerman, who from the very beginning is obviously not who he says he is … but against the indifferent desert, does it really matter?

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ice Cold In Alex based on the book by Christopher Landon https://notesaboutfilms.blogspot.com/...

10 out of 10





This is a note about the mesmerizing motion picture, trying to connect it with the script of the movie is impossible for this cinephile, on goodreads one needs to be a librarian, in order to add a new book, or script, if you do not have the item listed already, as is the case for instance with what I see as the best film of 2022 by a long shot, and one of the best ten, so far into this century, The Banshees of Inisherin http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/01/t... blessed with a marvelous cast and director



There are a few motion pictures to watch, one of the most important is Close, which I understand to be one of the wonders of last year, but as we stand, the story of two friends (well, mates at least) who become estranged, because one of them starts thinking like Seneca http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/t... and realizes that life is too short if we waste it

Seneca in fact said something like ‘we have enough time, only look at the way we squander it, there are even humans who talk of killing time, when in fact we need to treat as the most important asset we possess, we are very wasteful with it…’ words to that effect at least I hope, this is what Colm seems to conclude



In Inisherin (or should we say on, seeing as this is an island) he had spent a lot of time with his buddy, but as the end approaches, Colm wants to create, compose music, refers to the immortality of Mozart – everyone has heard of Mozart he tells Padraic, the latter protests, for he does not know the composer, and thus ‘there goes your theory’…indeed, when you say ‘everyone’, this is either a figure of speech, or meant literally, in which case, that is wrong when you have just one ignorant fellow – and wants to stay away…

Ice Cold in Alex could be described as a classic war movie (indeed, classic motion picture in general) but it is much more complex than that, since we have the action taking place in World War II, in North Africa (the Alex in the title is actually short for Alexandria, where the hero wants to drink an Ice Cold Beer) only we have many more themes than the death and destruction that armed conflict brings to the world.



Seeing this film, one cannot help but think of the present war in Europe…it seemed that this calamity will be gone, becoming a relic of the past, as the luminary Yuval Harari argues in his marvelous books – one of them is the fabulous Homo Sapiens A Brief History of Tomorrow http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/h... humankind has reached a stage where prosperity, harmony more or less appeared to dominate the prognosis, until Putin has started his vicious ‘special operation’



Captain Anson, played by magnificent John Mills in the motion picture, has so many of the traits of the role model, without being Superman or Batman, he is courageous, resilient, kind, determined, able to cope with adversity and trauma, devoted, and the list can go on, there will probably be more admiring words to associate with him, however much he can sink into despair and show his vulnerability.

Given the immense stress, the trauma of the war, the captain has taken to drinking, to the point where he has become addicted, an alcoholic maybe we would say, but since he is given the task of taking this army truck and people to Alexandria, he has to find a way to cope with his weakness, and now there is another thinker I need to quote, Harvard Professor Tal Ben Shahar, who kept saying in his positive psychology lectures http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/07/p... ‘learn to fail, or fail to learn’, as one of the load stars, the most important rules we need to remember



The Harvard Professor mentions Edison and the ten thousand failed attempts to find the solution for artificial lighting, it took 10,000 failures for Edison to give the world the light bulb, albeit when asked, the inventor replied that ‘he did not fail, but just proved ten thousand ways that do not work’ something along these lines, but clearly this is not a quote…there is the example of a man who has reached the zenith in his career and life, committing suicide when faced with a serious crisis, because he had never had the chance to…fail

The small group of British subjects encounter the Germans, and a Captain vand der Poel (brilliantly brought to the screen by Anthony Quayle) the latter claiming to be a South African who knows German, thus being able to mediate, to influence the Germans and stop them from harming the travelling British.



However, early on, one of the nurses is wounded and then dies of the injuries inflicted when they had come under fire, the others pretend she is still alive, so that they could appeal to the humanity of the Nazis and make them allow for their progress towards a hospital, so that she can be saved, when this happens, we think maybe it would be all right, if not smooth sailing, at least we do not anticipate the obstacles to come

The South African (spoiler alert) is not what he claims, and somehow, the captain, sister Diana and Pugh realize that they have an enemy within their small group, they expose the -should we call him traitor, I guess it is the right label for someone who claims to share your values, and then you find he is actually in the other camp…incidentally, Aristotle spoke of the two crucial elements of tragedy, discovery and reversal, as in Oedipus http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/o... when the messenger comes and we have discovery and the upturn that makes the king take out his eyes, for he had killed his father and married his mother, in ignorance, and now he finds about it



Ice Cold in Alex is a splendid, magical film, something we should give young people in school to watch, so that they can learn how to be brave, munificent, loyal, resilient, see about Delayed Gratification, gratitude and so much more http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... and I took part in my own little war, as it is described here http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

[Eldon.shirkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific novel. Landon is not the greatest writer in the world, but he more than makes up for this by his knowledge of his subject. The book reeks of authenticity. From the snarl of the sand tyres on the tarmac, to the descriptions of the vast desert, the wire, turning the ambulance sideways when they blew the bridge over the tank traps, the sound of the half-track coming up the wadi, the interactions with the German patrols, and the relationships between the various military men, you know that Landon is not writing from his imagination. He has seen and done all this. Highly recommended.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boys-own, perhaps unsurprisingly. Lots of blah about cars, lots of blah about military stuff. Token love interest, who agrees to marry a man she's only known for about two minutes. I was just about as desperate for a pint by the end as they were. Perfect fodder for the spoofs it's spawned.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always an education reading about realistic events portrayed in fictional concoctions, or, sometimes, in classic films, watched over and over again with growing perspectives as I matured into a stale, pale...but not quite dead yet, ladies!...ahem...male. (Dirty word that!)
'Ice Cold In Alex', a novel of 1957 written by Christopher Landon, became one of my favourite Second World War, black-&-white films, starring John Mills, Harry Andrews, Anthony Quayle & Sheila Sims, the male actors, perfect representations of real men who had some backbone during an existential crisis. The three male characters, in both book and film, would no doubt in 2022, be seen as...well...you know the 'woke' definitions of male war heroes, don't you?...so many abusive terms for men these days...from you know where! But the characters in this adventure were every bit the old stereotypes.
It's set during the days following the fall of Tobruk, Libya in 1942; the British forces in North Africa are retreating towards Alexandria, harassed by Afrika Korps tactical skills & the climate, & relates the story of a transport section given the task of taking 2 nurses, stranded in their own hell, away east to safety. The two British soldiers - Captain George Anson & Sgt.Major Tom Pugh - & two nurses, in an ambulance-like vehicle dubbed 'Katy', pick up a stray Afrikaaner/Afrikander?! early in the trek & quickly run into German weaponry, fatally wounding one of the nurses, & bringing out the mental strength of the other, Diana Murdoch.
The Afikaaner, Zimmerman, manages to negotiate with Germans in their native tongue,in two separate confrontations with the enemy, which allows them to pass on.
Suspicions are raised about Zimmerman's true identity by the three British travellers (the wounded nurse has died) until, later in the desert ordeal, it becomes glaringly clear that he is a German spy with a radio transmitter, responsible for keeping tabs on British plans & manoeuvres.
But Zimmerman proves his worth as a tough & immensely strong ally to Captain Anson & Sgt.Pugh & Nurse Murdoch, and the quartet finally have their reward in an Alexandrian bar - glasses of ice-cold pale amber, Rheingold beer (ironic!) & Tom Pugh & Diana Murdoch contemplating a married future, having fallen in love over the past week or so, in such harrowing circumstances. The alcoholic Captain Anson persuades Zimmerman to adopt an alibi to escape a firing squad - he owns up to being Otto Lutz, an officer in the Afrika Korps who has been taken as a prisoner by the two British servicemen. The final scenes of the book, and later the film, are classics, as a good German emerges in both his courage & his humanity, & Lutz accepts that, perhaps, he had been ill-informed about British martial spirits & the joys of an ice-cold beer far from the firing lines of battle.
The film, for obvious reasons, tinkers with some of the books details, but reflects the grim struggle to survive in a hostile environment against all the odds when the human spirit for survival appears, even in sworn enemies.
Given that this adventure story was basically aimed, accurately, at a male readership (now diminishing to a tiny percentage!), I left off a 5th star in my rating, knowing that such novels will offend so many female readers with its portayal of unreformed & chauvinist men...the same men who helped to defeat the Nazi Germans, Fascist Italians & their ubiquitous collaborators in so many of the countries that now make up the European Union. 'nuff said!

[Nik Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book by Christopher Landon was published in 1957. The film was released the following year, with a screenplay by Landon and T.J. Morrison.

Briefly, Captain Anson (film: John Mills) of the Royal Army Service Corps Motor Ambulance Company is serving in Tobruk. He’s battle-weary and has turned to alcohol. The German Afrika Korps is due to take the city, so they all evacuate but in the confusion two nurses, Sisters Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms) and Denise Norton (Diane Clare) are left behind. Anson with Mechanist Sergeant Major Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews) take the sisters in their Austin K2/Y ambulance (nicknamed ‘Katy’). Separated from the rest of the evacuation vehicles, they set off across the desert to Alexandria (Alex). Shortly, they encounter a South African officer of the Union Defence Force (UDF), Captain Zimmerman. In the film he is named van der Poel (Anthony Quail).

Anson swears off alcohol even though Zimmerman carries several bottles of spirits in his pack. He declares he won’t touch a drop until they get to Alex.

There are a number of tense scenes in the book: crossing a minefield, a broken suspension spring which requires the formidable strength of Zimmerman to support the axel while they shove rocks underneath, the crossing of the Qattara Depression, a fatal attack by a German patrol, and a dangerous immersion in quicksand. All these sequences were dramatized at greater length and to good effect in the film. Two marked differences in the film are: the betrayal is signposted much earlier in the book, and Diana’s romantic interest is not Anson but Pugh.

It’s probably not a spoiler to reveal that, after many trials and tribulations, they do get to the bar in Alex! The cover image from the film reveals it, after all. The lager they drink is Rheingold (an American beer); of course in the film they drank the Danish beer Carlsberg; real beer was used and after several ‘takes’ Mills confessed to being rather giddy.

One of the German officers who waylaid them was played by Walter Gotell, who went on to appear in many James Bond movies.

Landon’s prose is reminiscent of Hemingway, very spare and direct. The viewpoint changes for (mostly) chapter-lengths from Anson, to Diana, Zimmerman and mainly Pugh. It is obvious from his descriptions that Landon had served in North Africa, which is the case. He wrote several novels and, sadly, died from accidental alcohol and barbiturate poisoning in 1961, aged 50.

If you’ve seen the film, you’ll still enjoy the book.

[John Mccullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is June 21, 1942. Captain George Anson is stuck in Tobruk on the east coast of Libya just as the Jerries are setting their forces up for the second (and successful) run at breaking the British siege of the city. British forces are mobilizing to mostly get out by sea and by land, leaving a few soldiers to hold on as long as possible and be sacrificed. Despite herculean evacuation efforts, some will be left behind. Two nurses – one hysterical - have been discovered and must be evacuated just as the attack forces are slipping into position and must be gotten out. Anson and his widower mechanic, Tom Pugh, have been drafted to get the nurses to Alexandria, Egypt. Anson has been dreaming of putting down a pint or two of ice-cold suds in a favorite Alex taberna, so the trip will be dear to his heart. He leaves Tobruk with his three companions only to be foiled just outside of the city and they are forced to make a run for it south through the desert, a mine field and enemy lines. Soon they run into a suspicious South African captain who lost his truck and they are off and running into the desert, trying to get to Mahomet Ali Square where the ice-cold Rheingold is waiting for Anson, should he and company survive. The book has a convenient map in front which allows you to follow their progress through the unending sands.

If you want to run into a plethora of British military and mid-forties patois, read the book. Examples include:
Swan out
Flanneller
Catch a patch
Bofors (Swedish 40mm repeating cannon/anti-aircraft gun)
Good nick
In the bag
Kippered
Make a balls of it
Gharries
I won’t even go into the acronyms which, however, end by midway in the book. You can figure out what most of these slang terms mean in short order but the acronyms were a bit frustrating. A dictionary for us archaic colonials would have been helpful, but that might put paid to a certain Britannic mystique.

It’s a thriller, reads fast and gives you a British view of the war, most specifically in North Africa. If you are a WW II buff you might want to read it even though it is fiction. The book was made into a movie, but recreating the book in movie form would have been difficult. Best to read the book first and enjoy it, as I did.

[Annabel Frazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up simply because I knew the title from the film, which I've never seen. I like wartime thrillers, so it seemed a good bet. At first, I was disappointed - the opening scenes set in the British Army base in the desert felt as though they were written by someone who knew a lot about soldiering but nothing about writing. It was almost impossible to tell the various characters apart or how they related to each other, or who was speaking at any one moment. Each line of dialogue was packed with confusing references to pieces of equipment or locations or previous actions, none of it explained, so that you grappled in vain for a foothold. None of the characters seemed well-drawn or sympathetic.

However, things picked up once the small ill-assorted group embarked on their journey (there's nothing like a small, ill-assorted group of people going anywhere to create a good story). It helped that the narrative and storyline became linear - if you're not very good at plotting, a road trip is an excellent choice for a writer. By this stage, there were only four or five characters to keep track of and a mix of genders, which also helped.

The 'there's a mole among us' plot I expected from the book blurb did not really take off in the way that I expected to, or in the way of the superior Where Eagles Dare. It was exciting, but never puzzling. However, to compensate for that, we got fascinating, varied and exotic desert landscapes and perils. I have a real weakness for this sort of thing, which probably comes from reading Biggles and the Willard Price adventures when I was a child, and I could have spent hours among those magnificent sandscapes and sea-marshes.

The other plus point was, wonder of wonders for a wartime thriller, an upbeat ending. I will say no more for fear of spoilers. BUt this meant that having started off with two stars for the writing style and characterisation, I added one star for the landscapes and a second for the ending. A good read.

[Gary Reger · Rating 5 out of 5]

In early 1941 the coastal city of Tobruk, which had been taken earlier by British forces from the Italians, was under siege, and the forces of the Afrika Corps under Rommel were poised to sweep east. This is the context of Ice Cold in Alex. Two nurses are sent out of the besieged city under the care of Captain Anson and Tom Pugh, a non-commissioned officer. As they race across the desert they discover they have been outflanked by the German forces, and to evade them decide to take a treacherous road through the marshy Qattara Depression, the lowest spot on the continent of Africa. They are joined by a lone soldier who claims to be South African, but he turns out to be a German spy. Yet his help is needed to make their escape to Alexandria, where an ice cold beer awaits that has been Anson's lodestar to get him out.

Anson is an alcoholic; the rest of the characters have their own troubles, too. One of the nurses, Diane Murdoch, falls in love; there's a chaste but passionate scene of sex in the desert.

Landon's writing is crisp and clear. He drew on his own wartime experiences to color the novel with believable, realistic details. A few years after its publication it was made into a fine film by J. Lee Thompson starring John Mille, a young Sylvia Syme as a fetching Diane, and Henry Andrews. Landon co-wrote the script, which made a few changes to the plot, notably Diane's love interest.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book as much as I love the film. I've seen the film so many times, I almost know the script by heart!
There are a few differences between the book and the film, such as character names being changed and the romance is between different people. However, these differences didn't spoil anything for me. I especially liked the part where Christopher Landon writes as though he were Katy the ambulance, almost making her seem like one of the characters.
Four people are going to Alex from Tobruk---an army captain, his MSM and two nursing sisters. Part way through the journey, one of the nurses dies and a South African captain is picked up. This man seems a bit suspicious, but gets the group out of several tricky situations.
On getting to Alex, Captain Anson takes his travelling companions into a bar and buys four 'ice cold' beers, one for each of them.
The end of the story is similar to how it's portrayed in the film and made me feel sorry for the inevitable outcome.

[Alex Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must have seen the b/w film quite a few times over the years; with my dad back in the sixties until now when I'm in my sixties. The film proved to be fairly faithful to the book, with just a couple of departures, including one big one that must have disappointed Harry Andrews and delighted John Mills. A story to remind us that not every serviceman was a combatant nor every battle against a human foe. Here the desert unites opposers in a desperate fight for survival leading to mutual respect. What a pity it took a war.

We do not know whether any of the characters survived the fighting that raged on for another three years, or if so in what state of body and mind. Living with the daily prospect of a sudden, violent death is no way to live and the wounds inflicted may not be visible but must be there all the same. So many books tell the same story but a lesson we never learn evidently.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s World War II and the setting is the Libyan desert. Captain George Anson and SergeantMajor Tom Pugh are charged with escorting 2 nurses (sisters—-it’s what the British call nurses) safely to Alexandra. To do this they must survive 600 miles through the desert and the German Afrika Corps. Along the way they pick up a South Africa soldier and the trek is underway in Katy, their banged up, sturdy transport.

The reward that drives the Captain is the promise of an ice cold Rheingold beer at his favorite Alexandra bar.

MY Thanks to the Brooklyn Public Libraryfor loaning me (ILL) their 1957 copy. Looks like it had been in storage.

[Steve822 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realise that the film, which is a staple of Sunday afternoon viewings (you don't realise it's on, come across it and still watch it for the umpteenth time), was based on a book. Surprisingly the film is honest to the book, apart from one strand (interesting that the film producers changed the romance). The book is of it's time - swearing is in initials - but I also found it fascinating that it mentions allied troops rioting when they were surrounded at Tobruk which I wasn't aware of. Got the book from a charity shop, which it'll go back to so somebody else can enjoy. It was a good read.

[James Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Decent characters, plot etc. I struggled to identify and place people at the start but the military rivalries and unspoken relationships kept me going. Once they’re out in the desert, much better. The only thing then, a lot of time is spent on navigational matters and terrain, easily skimmable. Enjoyed the end.

[Robert Widmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

En fantastiskt bra bok, som väl beskriver situationens desperation och psykologin mellan ambulansens passagerare. Kul att ambulansen (Katy) blir mer än ett dött ting i boken, något som man misstänker de var i verkligheten, där människors liv berodde på deras tillförlitlighet.

[Felicity Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars.
Found it tricky at the beginning, a lot of military jargon mixed with a bit of scene setting/character development- important but I found quite slow. As soon as they got on the road I felt the story pick up and it became a lot more gripping. Going to try the movie now!

[PeterJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think i'd have enjoyed this more had I not seen (several times) the movie which, to be honest is much better so I couldnt help comparing the book to it.

[Mike Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the movie - more or less.
Really enjoyed it.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Golly all that hassle for a pint and a packet of pork scratchings. The source of the much misused command "Get yer kit off Katy."

[Commander Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately know the film well.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite similar to the film in many respects, but love dynamic is different. Not always clear who is saying / thinking what, but I really enjoyed the book.

[Keith Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally absorbing. A brilliant mixture of dialogue and each character's own thoughts. The romance was unexpected because it was not in the film. The 5th character is ofcourse Katy.