- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; (Reissue) edition (1 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006135129
- ISBN-13: 978-0006135128
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.6 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
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- #80 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Origins
HMS Ulysses
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Product Description
Review
‘A brilliant, overwhelming piece of descriptive writing.’
Observer
‘A story of exceptional courage which grips the imagination.’
Daily Telegraph
‘It deserves an honourable place among 20th-century war books.’
Daily Mail
‘HMS Ulysses is in the same class as The Cruel Sea.’
Evening Standard
Review
'A brilliant, overwhelming piece of descriptive writing.' Observer 'A story of exceptional courage which grips the imagination.' Daily Telegraph 'It deserves an honourable place among 20th-century war books.' Daily Mail 'HMS Ulysses is in the same class as The Cruel Sea.' Evening Standard
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alistair Maclean is author of some of the best war fiction in the world – notably the Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare – but in this book he has surpassed the rest.
Seeing as I loathe spoilers in reviews, I shall keep them to a minimum! This book centres around the eponymous HMS Ulysses, a frigate in World War II. This ship is used on the arctic convoy runs to Murmansk, a vital part of the allied war effort sadly largley igonred by the Soviet government after the war. These convoy runs were the worst of the war, featuring not only the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boats, but also sub-zero temperatures, blizzards, and twenty-hour days. Combine all these and you have a good a picture of hell as it is possible to get. The men of the Ulysses think so too, and have mutinied. As the book starts, an Admiral is discussing the failed mutiny and what should be done with the Ulysses. It is decided that, to atone, she should escort one last convoy – FR77 – to Murmansk, then she will be sent to the Mediterranean theatre. The voyage that follows is truly appalling in every sense of the word. In particular, the pathos engendered by Maclean’s descriptions of men having to endure such agony is unspeakable. For me, the most poignant character is Ralston, the torpedo gunner. Without giving away too much, he does something no-one should have to do, and Vallery, the father-figure of the captain, suffers so much in making him do it and then realsiing what he has done to Ralston. It must be read to be fully experinced in all its emotional intensity.
The only comparable book to this is, in my opinion, All Quiet on the Western Front, though HMS Ulysses is far more bitter and gritty. There is a rawness exuded by the book, a sense of despair and loss permeating every line. However, the ending is surprisingly upbeat, yet so sad as to be beyond words. As I read the last two pages, I had tears running down my face, a testament to the power of Maclean’s writing. Maybe upbeat is the wrong word for the ending, yet I felt that there was a certain glory in it. All the suffering, all the pain, it’s all justified in the last chapter.
It’s not a long book, so those of you who are dispirited by hefty tombstone-size books have no excuse! But what it lacks in length, it more than makes up for in sheer force. Each page is littered with the anti-war message of the book. Like Saving Private Ryan, it is just not possible to come away with anything other than the idea that war is hell, and not something to be undertaken lightly.
Seeing as I loathe spoilers in reviews, I shall keep them to a minimum! This book centres around the eponymous HMS Ulysses, a frigate in World War II. This ship is used on the arctic convoy runs to Murmansk, a vital part of the allied war effort sadly largley igonred by the Soviet government after the war. These convoy runs were the worst of the war, featuring not only the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boats, but also sub-zero temperatures, blizzards, and twenty-hour days. Combine all these and you have a good a picture of hell as it is possible to get. The men of the Ulysses think so too, and have mutinied. As the book starts, an Admiral is discussing the failed mutiny and what should be done with the Ulysses. It is decided that, to atone, she should escort one last convoy – FR77 – to Murmansk, then she will be sent to the Mediterranean theatre. The voyage that follows is truly appalling in every sense of the word. In particular, the pathos engendered by Maclean’s descriptions of men having to endure such agony is unspeakable. For me, the most poignant character is Ralston, the torpedo gunner. Without giving away too much, he does something no-one should have to do, and Vallery, the father-figure of the captain, suffers so much in making him do it and then realsiing what he has done to Ralston. It must be read to be fully experinced in all its emotional intensity.
The only comparable book to this is, in my opinion, All Quiet on the Western Front, though HMS Ulysses is far more bitter and gritty. There is a rawness exuded by the book, a sense of despair and loss permeating every line. However, the ending is surprisingly upbeat, yet so sad as to be beyond words. As I read the last two pages, I had tears running down my face, a testament to the power of Maclean’s writing. Maybe upbeat is the wrong word for the ending, yet I felt that there was a certain glory in it. All the suffering, all the pain, it’s all justified in the last chapter.
It’s not a long book, so those of you who are dispirited by hefty tombstone-size books have no excuse! But what it lacks in length, it more than makes up for in sheer force. Each page is littered with the anti-war message of the book. Like Saving Private Ryan, it is just not possible to come away with anything other than the idea that war is hell, and not something to be undertaken lightly.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first came across "HMS Ulysses", I read it from cover to cover without putting it down - three times in a row. The story about the captain and crew of the HMS Ulysses, the story about men driven to the limit and far beyond by terror, cold and hunger, who somehow kept going because of their love and devotion to one extraordinary man, was one of the saddest, most capturing and most compelling stories I've ever read. I could almost feel the crew's desperation, feel the piercing cold, hear - and be tormented by - the captain's ripping cough. Not many books have the power to capture me that way.
I know "HMS Ulysses" almost by heart by now - but whenever I read it, I still do it from cover to cover, without putting it down. Once I begin, I just can't let it go until it's all over.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As many reviewers before I can just concur: This is the best Alister Maclean, by far, and one of the best naval stories, ever. Nicolas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea (available on DVD!) is similar in many ways, but this is much more hard-hitting and gut-wrenching.
And for me, it is the only Maclean that has stood up to rereading, over and over again.
Let's hope it will be filmed one day!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Tremendous
In many ways this novel is unique among Alistair Maclean's works. Instead of the usual Byzantine plotting, a fairly straightforward war story. Read more
Published 22 days ago by BigJohn
H M S Ulysses
I read this book nearly 50 years ago,and like then, I still could not put it down untill I had finished it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. Edwards
One of the greatest books ever written
You may think that's an exaggeration but for me, having read a lot of books of all kinds over the years, it's true. Read more
Published 1 month ago by The Snowman
Utterly exhausting!
A truly great book. Very well researched, wonderful sense of place. Complex characters, excellent use of narrative structure, delay and suspense, lots of surprises. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ms. Madeline Hackett
Engaging and Insightful
A really engaging book. Maclean strips away the glory of war at sea so that you feel like you're on the Ulysses enduring the privations of the Arctic convoys. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dearnesman
HMS ULYSSES
READ THIS YEARS AGO, AND WAS DELIGHTED TO DOWNLOAD IT TO MY KINDLE. A REMARKABLE STORY OF THE COURAGE SHOWN BY THE MEN OF THE ROYAL NAVY ON THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS. Read more
Published 5 months ago by litread
an iconic must read
A wonderfull book really typical of its time when heroes were heroes and valour of the men at the front was never doubted. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. K. Wareham
Almost beyond comparison
A staggeringly good book that has stood the test of time. I bought this in 1973 and regularly re-read it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mamil
Very Good
My first Alister Maclean novel and enjoyed it very much.
Very well written book and reminded me of a 1940's John Mills war film but far superior. Read more
Very well written book and reminded me of a 1940's John Mills war film but far superior. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Moofo
HMS Ulysses
This book arrived promptly and in good condition. Anyone looking for an in site into life and conditions on board the ships sailing in the icy waters in war conditions will find... Read more
Published 8 months ago by SR WARD
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