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W zbiorze czternastu znakomitych nowel godne polecenia są zwłaszcza „Zatopienie Bismarcka”, „Rawalpindi” i „Jervis Bay” – każdy opisany tam szczegół jest prawdziwy i owa wierność realiom połączona z wartką akcją prezentuje ten typ literatury, której Alistair MacLean był mistrzem.
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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431 people want to read
About the author
Alistair MacLean
344 books1,205 followersAlistair Stuart MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair MacGill-Eain), the son of a Scots Minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941, at the age of eighteen, he joined the Royal Navy; two and a half years spent aboard a cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his first novel, the outstanding documentary novel on the war at sea. After the war he gained an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, and became a schoolmaster. In 1983, he was awarded a D. Litt. from the same university.
Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. Many of his titles have been adapted for film - The Guns of the Navarone, The Satan Bug, Force Ten from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Bear Island are among the most famous.
Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. Many of his titles have been adapted for film - The Guns of the Navarone, The Satan Bug, Force Ten from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Bear Island are among the most famous.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 17, 2023
MacLean really was a master storyteller. He has so much depth and imagery to each story he tells. These action packed short stories are the first works i have read but i plan to read his full books.
Each one contains similar elements regarding the wars at sea of which we could only imagine until we read MacLean. I was pulled in from the start with the pure excitment of the chase, verosity of the battle and the strength and courage of those men. Truely magnificent story telling. No wonder so many were adpated into film.
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Each one contains similar elements regarding the wars at sea of which we could only imagine until we read MacLean. I was pulled in from the start with the pure excitment of the chase, verosity of the battle and the strength and courage of those men. Truely magnificent story telling. No wonder so many were adpated into film.
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March 6, 2023
and there on the table, was a new bottle of Talisker - from The Dileus (p9)
Minor edits for clarity 6 March 2023
The Talisker scotch whiskey is there to help those waiting for news of attempts to rescue a ferry foundering in stormy seas. The scene opens the short story which won school master Alistair Maclean one hundred pounds in 1954 and led directly to his writing HMS Ulysses, to critical acclaim and onward to his prolific career writing thrillers over a long time, albeit with steadily diminishing returns.
This collection, published just a year before he died in 1986, is a curious yet interesting mixture of reportage of attacks on wartime merchant shipping, albeit some years after the events, some fictional tales of contraband, including smuggling in Singapore using cauliflowers, a Captain with a big gold watch and light-hearted shenanigans on the Lower Dipworth canal.
So it would be generous to label these short stories, only a handful really qualify. It would be much better to say stories and essays.
In any event, the most interesting inclusion is MacLean’s detailed and thrilling account of The Sinking of the Bismarck where he makes clear the course of quite a complicated battle and explains the capabilities and circumstances of each vessel involved: the Bismarck and its escort Prince Eugen and the squadron of British ships mustered to stop ‘the pride of the German navy’. It is quite a compelling account, and sobering too for both sides; HMS Hood, the pride of the British navy for a generation, finally fired a shot in anger for the first time and lasted just eight minutes, before a shell from the Bismarck came in at just the right angle to explode in the magazine of the British battleship, breaking it in two and sending it straight to the bottom with just about all hands.
The Bismarck itself, eventually disabled by aerial torpedoes, was pounded into a burning stationary wreck before sliding beneath the waves.
Almost equally good is an intensely intimate portrait of a minesweeper captain and his RNV associate as they work with another small trawler to sweep mines in the chilling waters off the west coast of Scotland (They Sweep the Seas). MacLean conveys the skill and phlegmatic approach of the captain and his crew as they ply up and down, a hawser slung between the boats, seeking out the tethered explosives.
Quite an interesting collection for devotees of the author, of lesser known work, of a more serious nature than his well known thrillers.
Minor edits for clarity 6 March 2023
The Talisker scotch whiskey is there to help those waiting for news of attempts to rescue a ferry foundering in stormy seas. The scene opens the short story which won school master Alistair Maclean one hundred pounds in 1954 and led directly to his writing HMS Ulysses, to critical acclaim and onward to his prolific career writing thrillers over a long time, albeit with steadily diminishing returns.
This collection, published just a year before he died in 1986, is a curious yet interesting mixture of reportage of attacks on wartime merchant shipping, albeit some years after the events, some fictional tales of contraband, including smuggling in Singapore using cauliflowers, a Captain with a big gold watch and light-hearted shenanigans on the Lower Dipworth canal.
So it would be generous to label these short stories, only a handful really qualify. It would be much better to say stories and essays.
In any event, the most interesting inclusion is MacLean’s detailed and thrilling account of The Sinking of the Bismarck where he makes clear the course of quite a complicated battle and explains the capabilities and circumstances of each vessel involved: the Bismarck and its escort Prince Eugen and the squadron of British ships mustered to stop ‘the pride of the German navy’. It is quite a compelling account, and sobering too for both sides; HMS Hood, the pride of the British navy for a generation, finally fired a shot in anger for the first time and lasted just eight minutes, before a shell from the Bismarck came in at just the right angle to explode in the magazine of the British battleship, breaking it in two and sending it straight to the bottom with just about all hands.
The Bismarck itself, eventually disabled by aerial torpedoes, was pounded into a burning stationary wreck before sliding beneath the waves.
Almost equally good is an intensely intimate portrait of a minesweeper captain and his RNV associate as they work with another small trawler to sweep mines in the chilling waters off the west coast of Scotland (They Sweep the Seas). MacLean conveys the skill and phlegmatic approach of the captain and his crew as they ply up and down, a hawser slung between the boats, seeking out the tethered explosives.
Quite an interesting collection for devotees of the author, of lesser known work, of a more serious nature than his well known thrillers.
March 13, 2013
'The Lonely Sea’ is a collection of all the short stories written by Alistair McLean over his entire career, starting with his first story ‘The Dileas’, that launched his career as a writer. The stories encompass a wide range of plots; the common thread, as the name suggests, being a connection with the sea, in one form or other. He has an unmatched gift in writing about sea, and I think it would be his career in the Royal Navy during the war, that armed him with this skill.
Nearly half of the stories in this collection are non-fictional accounts of wartime encounters – tales of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, as well as of tragedy, and bureaucratic blunders. The stories are extremely well written, vivid, and engaging. Unfortunately, I didn’t like these so much, because after a point they started having a lot of similarity, but more so, because they are invariably gory, depicting massive destruction, tragedy and loss. Such stories leave me quite sad, and disenchanted with humankind.
The others are fictional, with quite a variety in theme and tone, some of them are light-hearted, and some serious. These, I loved. Most of these have a twist in the end, very like O. Henry (another author I love!).
The edition I have also includes a newspaper article by McLean, titled “The Rewards and Responsibilities of success”, an interesting read. The highlight of the article would be an honest opinion of himself as a writer – he admits to no literary pretence (let alone greatness), but his purpose to entertain the readers. Or, as we can put it, to give everyone (the publisher and the readers) a worth for their money.
Nearly half of the stories in this collection are non-fictional accounts of wartime encounters – tales of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, as well as of tragedy, and bureaucratic blunders. The stories are extremely well written, vivid, and engaging. Unfortunately, I didn’t like these so much, because after a point they started having a lot of similarity, but more so, because they are invariably gory, depicting massive destruction, tragedy and loss. Such stories leave me quite sad, and disenchanted with humankind.
The others are fictional, with quite a variety in theme and tone, some of them are light-hearted, and some serious. These, I loved. Most of these have a twist in the end, very like O. Henry (another author I love!).
The edition I have also includes a newspaper article by McLean, titled “The Rewards and Responsibilities of success”, an interesting read. The highlight of the article would be an honest opinion of himself as a writer – he admits to no literary pretence (let alone greatness), but his purpose to entertain the readers. Or, as we can put it, to give everyone (the publisher and the readers) a worth for their money.
July 25, 2011
I love nautical fiction, and Alistair Maclean's emotive but harsh style is perfect for it.
February 8, 2025
What a nice surprise. I happened on this collection of Alistair MacLean short stories and thought I'd give it a try. They were excellent. MacLean is obviously familiar with boats, shipping, etc. and he can create the sense of a stormy sea or a cold fog or a naval battle as well as any and better than most.
The stories vary from a tale of chasing the Bismark to why the new father/son fishing family keep so much to themselves. There's humor, adventure, celebration, and sadness among these stories. In each one MacLane builds an emotional world, then plot then tension, then resolution. They are perfectly contained little worlds that completely immersed me each and every one.
I haven't read much MacLane. But if his novels are as well constructed and written as his short stories that'll change in a big way. Highly recommended for fans of naval fiction or short stories in general.
The stories vary from a tale of chasing the Bismark to why the new father/son fishing family keep so much to themselves. There's humor, adventure, celebration, and sadness among these stories. In each one MacLane builds an emotional world, then plot then tension, then resolution. They are perfectly contained little worlds that completely immersed me each and every one.
I haven't read much MacLane. But if his novels are as well constructed and written as his short stories that'll change in a big way. Highly recommended for fans of naval fiction or short stories in general.
August 20, 2011
This is another of my holiday reads - its a selection of stories (ranging from the entire career of Mr MacLean - including the first story he had published) and dramatic retellings of famous and infamous events on the high seas. From casualties of war to famous sea battles he does not glamourise or vilify the players in each event but tells it with a chilling yet compelling voice.
The reason why i gave this only three stars even with such praise is that the stories of courage and disaster, of terror and tragedy start to blend in to one, once you have read how one vessel was tragically lost you start to get numb to the story of the next one that meets its fate. Do not get me wrong this is not a bad book - its an excellent book that is amazingly well written its just you become numb to the destruction and loss of life which is all the more poignant considering many of these are true stories.
The reason why i gave this only three stars even with such praise is that the stories of courage and disaster, of terror and tragedy start to blend in to one, once you have read how one vessel was tragically lost you start to get numb to the story of the next one that meets its fate. Do not get me wrong this is not a bad book - its an excellent book that is amazingly well written its just you become numb to the destruction and loss of life which is all the more poignant considering many of these are true stories.
March 21, 2013
The first story of the book made me cry, it was Mr MacLean's first story, won first prize - 100 pounds, and began his writing career.
Each of the stories were well written, seemed quite unbiased, railed against bureaucracy and seemed well researched. I gave this book to my husband to read, think he will like it even more than I did.
Each of the stories were well written, seemed quite unbiased, railed against bureaucracy and seemed well researched. I gave this book to my husband to read, think he will like it even more than I did.
October 17, 2014
During his career MacLean wrote numerous short stories dealing with the sea and the men who plied her. This is a collection that spans his writing career.
September 2, 2013
Short story collection ranging from good to great. The Dileas (MacLean's first published story as I recall) is one of the best short stories I have ever read.
August 19, 2018
Great collection by a suspense, adventure writer who knows how to tell a story. This book has some great battle stories that readers will love.
October 6, 2016
Scottish author Alistair MacLean is one of those writers I usually identify as having a great impact on my own writing career. Though I have not read his entire oeuvre, I read enough of his novels in college for the experience to have had a lasting impact on my work.
Service in the Royal Navy during WWII placed in MacLean an eternal love of the ocean, and that became the scene of his first short story, “DiLeas.” I developed a similar love of the ocean when I served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and many of my stories take place on boats or at sea, including “Something Far Away,” first published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and republished in my short story collection, Duty. Many of his books I've read two or three times. I re-read Ice Station Zebra for inspiration while writing my own submarine-based mystery thriller, The Killing Depths.
Despite MacLean’s influence, I had never read any of his short stories or articles on naval history. Then I found The Lonely Sea. Though billed as "Collected Short Stories," The Lonely Sea is actually a collection of short fiction and nonfiction. Many of the works collected here are articles on sea battles and tragedies that occurred during WWII. Among those is his lengthy and critical study on the sinking of the German pocket battleship, Bismarck.
Among the short stories are his first published work, “DiLeas,” about a sea rescue in which a boat captain must make a heart-wrenching choice. The story “Rendezvous” is pure MacLean, the master of the double- and triple-twist spy story. In “The Good Samaritan,” the author shows no good deed goes unpunished—unless you're a quick thinker.
If you're a MacLean fan, The Lonely Sea is a must read. If you’re not a MacLean fan, read it anyway.
April 4, 2010
Every once in a while, I like to read a popular author from the time I was growing up. I was always a right proper little snob who was all too willing to turn his nose up at anyone who had successfully sold a few books. Every once in a while, I find a worthy writer who had something to say. Perhaps their only mistake was to keep saying the same thing in the same way and got rewarded by Hollywood for doing so.
Alistair MacLean is probably best known as the author of The Guns of Navarone and Ice Station Zebra. This particular book, The Lonely Sea, is a collection of short stories written around the beginning of his career. Most of them center around the dangers of the North Atlantic at a time when Britain was under attack from the Germans and daily expecting a land invasion. The War was a near thing for Britain, and MacLean makes us feel it in these amiable and rather muscularly written stories.
I have always been a sucker for good sea stories, and this collection contains some good ones. My favorite is the last one, "The Jervis Bay," about a brave Irish captain of an old and undergunned convoy escort that singlehandedly attacks a Nazi pocket battleship, the Scharnhorst, and diverts it sufficiently for the other ships to get away, though at terrible cost to itself.
Alistair MacLean is probably best known as the author of The Guns of Navarone and Ice Station Zebra. This particular book, The Lonely Sea, is a collection of short stories written around the beginning of his career. Most of them center around the dangers of the North Atlantic at a time when Britain was under attack from the Germans and daily expecting a land invasion. The War was a near thing for Britain, and MacLean makes us feel it in these amiable and rather muscularly written stories.
I have always been a sucker for good sea stories, and this collection contains some good ones. My favorite is the last one, "The Jervis Bay," about a brave Irish captain of an old and undergunned convoy escort that singlehandedly attacks a Nazi pocket battleship, the Scharnhorst, and diverts it sufficiently for the other ships to get away, though at terrible cost to itself.
July 29, 2014
Having been a seaman on convoy duty during WWII MacLean is always at his best and most authoritative when writing about the sea. This book collects both his short fictional and non-fictional work. Most of the non-fiction centres around famous sinking's of WWII and were, I believe, originally published in the British sunday press. The fiction includes his first award winning short story, which launched his career, plus 2 stories not published before. MacLean tells all the stories with verve and clarity, and you can almost smell the salt!
October 1, 2018
This may be a small collection of short stories but it really packs a punch and captures the highs and lows of life on the seas from adventurous voyages to disasters of man's own making as he tries to master the waves and his enemy. Each story is easy to read and gripping as the story is allowed to speak for itself without feeling forced, rushed or out of place. Even knowing the characters for so little time you find yourself rooting for them, cheering them on against the odds or feeling the cold grip of death as the icy waters close over them.
August 17, 2011
This is a collection of short stories and short historical sketches of famous or notorious World War Two ships.
Most are serious, some are humorous, and most are quite enjoyable reading. Great is you are somewhat episodic in your reading habits like me; I can read a story or sketch then book the book down for a couple of days to do something else.
Most are serious, some are humorous, and most are quite enjoyable reading. Great is you are somewhat episodic in your reading habits like me; I can read a story or sketch then book the book down for a couple of days to do something else.
July 15, 2015
Collected true stories of the seas. Fishing boats, battles, storms, rescues. The ships and boats are populated with captains, navigators, smugglers, drug dealers. A great variety of well-told stories of the sea.
May 26, 2010
I'm not usually a short story fan, but I enjoyed his collected sea tales, mostly from World War II.
August 14, 2015
All the short stories in this book are about sailing and navy during wartime. Considering that's not something I've ever really been interested in, this was surprisingly enjoyable.
March 20, 2021
A curious selection of short stories. They range from traumatic wartime accounts to some rather sweet short stories.
February 15, 2017
Slightly apprehensive about short stories, I was pleasantly surprised by this collection of 16 by Alistair MacLean. It starts off with The Dileas, the story that won the author £500 in a competition and set him on course to a career in writing. To be honest, I found it mediocre and trite, with an ending that sets a pattern for many of his tales - after some heroics by a character there is some revelation that they served in the war or had some sort of past that is supposed to make us consider them on another level - sentimental rubbish that probably resonated well with the immediate post-war readers. Other lacklustre titles include McCrimmon and the Blue Moonstones, They Sweep the Sea, Rendezvous and The Black Storm, with St George and the Dragon, The Gold Watch and The Good Samaritan practically being little more than long-form versions of anecdotal jokes you might hear down the pub. For all their flaws however, each have moments to savour and remind us that MacLean is a talented writer.
The other 8 stories more than make up for any misgivings however, with the majority focusing on ship battles and sinking, all of which are based on true accounts (the exception being MacHinery and the Cauliflowers which is essentially an enjoyable climax to a land-based tale about a drug-bust we never got to read). While there may be a risk of boredom due to repetition of themes and similarly written action sequences, it is to MacLean's credit that it never really bothers us, his storytelling gripping the reader so much that we gladly discard the endless incomprehensible nautical terms and difficulty in visualising action in favour of simply feeling the heat of the moment.
The Arandora Star, Rawalpindi, The Sinking of the Bismark, The Meknes, Lancastria, City of Benares and The Jervis Bay are highly recommended if you love either a great seafaring tale or simply well-crafted stories in general. In addition to these great stories there is an enchantingly insightful short piece by the author on 'Rewards and Responsibilities of Success' that would probably be of most interest to new writers.
The other 8 stories more than make up for any misgivings however, with the majority focusing on ship battles and sinking, all of which are based on true accounts (the exception being MacHinery and the Cauliflowers which is essentially an enjoyable climax to a land-based tale about a drug-bust we never got to read). While there may be a risk of boredom due to repetition of themes and similarly written action sequences, it is to MacLean's credit that it never really bothers us, his storytelling gripping the reader so much that we gladly discard the endless incomprehensible nautical terms and difficulty in visualising action in favour of simply feeling the heat of the moment.
The Arandora Star, Rawalpindi, The Sinking of the Bismark, The Meknes, Lancastria, City of Benares and The Jervis Bay are highly recommended if you love either a great seafaring tale or simply well-crafted stories in general. In addition to these great stories there is an enchantingly insightful short piece by the author on 'Rewards and Responsibilities of Success' that would probably be of most interest to new writers.
January 3, 2018
SS - a collection of nautical short stories. The Dileas (1954), Maclean's prize-winning first story. The Arandora Star, Rawalpindi, The Meknes, Lancastria, City of Benares, and The Jervis Bay are accounts of WWII disasters published in the Sunday Express (1960). Article Alistair MacLean on the Rewards and Responsibilities of Success published in the Glasgow Herald (1982). Also, St. George and the Dragon - a slight romance / The Sinking of the Bismarck - an account of the short life of the German battleship / MacHinery and the Cauliflowers - the drug trade in Malaya / McCrimmon and the Blue Moonstones - a comic tale of the Alexandria underworld / They Sweep the Seas - a tribute to WWII minesweepers / The Gold Watch - a very short comic piece of theft in the Mideast / Rendezvous - Underground agents in WWII France and Italy.
August 27, 2018
A nice collection of short pieces, some fiction and some almost like fable, with the others being short accounts of major and significant WW2 sea events such as the sinking of the Bismark. All are handled well, with often a very strong criticism of the Admiralty during WW2, but tight and factual and well-told with MacLean's typical skill.
February 26, 2020
MacLean is at home turf here, i.e the Sea. The collection is both fiction & non fiction and barring a few romantic/comedy type stories (came as a bit of a surprise though) the rest are stories of ships lost at sea during WW-II.
Tragic tales no doubt especially the one about sinking of a ship carrying kids, the individual courage and self sacrifice of naval men, the core of many MacLean's stories is widely covered here.
You would be able to get a grasp of how men die in naval warfare if you have seen movies like Dunkirk. War is hell and there are no winners.
"HMS Ulysses", another of MacLean's classic and tragic work on the annals of inhuman Arctic naval convoys of WW-II is also a must read if you liked "The Lonely Sea"
Tragic tales no doubt especially the one about sinking of a ship carrying kids, the individual courage and self sacrifice of naval men, the core of many MacLean's stories is widely covered here.
You would be able to get a grasp of how men die in naval warfare if you have seen movies like Dunkirk. War is hell and there are no winners.
"HMS Ulysses", another of MacLean's classic and tragic work on the annals of inhuman Arctic naval convoys of WW-II is also a must read if you liked "The Lonely Sea"
November 2, 2014
The Lonely Sea is a collection of short stories by Alistair MacLean. It includes his very first published story, The Dileas, as well as an assorted mix of fiction & non fiction stories revolving around the sea and many feature World War 2 tragedies. These tragedies include the sinkings of the Rawalpindi, Bismarck, Lancastria and City of Benares.
I generally don't read short story books as they often are a mixed bag of good works & filler works. I felt The Lonely Sea was not an exception to this - some of the stories were great, especially the non fiction world war 2 ones, some of the other stories, not so much.
Overall, provides a good background to MacLean's writing.
I generally don't read short story books as they often are a mixed bag of good works & filler works. I felt The Lonely Sea was not an exception to this - some of the stories were great, especially the non fiction world war 2 ones, some of the other stories, not so much.
Overall, provides a good background to MacLean's writing.
July 19, 2018
Although it’s subtitled ‘Collected Short Stories’, only half of the pieces on offer here are short fiction. The volume is rounded out with articles about wartime naval engagements. MacLean wasn’t renowned as a writer of non-fiction - his books on Lawrence of Arabia and Captain Cook are neither remembered or easy to find - yet ‘The Lonely Sea’ shades up from a curio to a genuinely unmissable MacLean because of them. Accounts of the sinking of the Bismarck and the defiance, against hopeless odds, of the Jarvis Bay are standouts and MacLean’s passion for his subject and affinity for the sea are palpable.
July 13, 2017
ExA book about nautical subjects that comes from facts and results is a well rewritten story. The nautical picture created ads to the story and makes one have to relationship with subject matter
To your increased knowledge of going down to the sea in ships.T h e description of sea conditions is realistic and exactly what to expect in the North Atlantic.
To your increased knowledge of going down to the sea in ships.T h e description of sea conditions is realistic and exactly what to expect in the North Atlantic.
November 24, 2017
as is often the case with collections this one has a rather mixed flavor. there are humorous stories and there are some very very serious ones. some I found less than Stellar in content or Style. but most were very readable very enjoyable and I learned quite a bit from them. in general I thoroughly recommend this to anyone with likes Alistair McLean's writing.
September 10, 2009
its good to read...
January 9, 2016
Normally don't particularly like short stories but this collection is the exception. The standout stories are Rendezvous and The Dileas and the story of the City of Benares and Jervis Bay.
May 7, 2016
read some time in 1992
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews