Alistair MacLean claimed a few more hours of my life earlier this week, with Force 10 from Navarone.
The Guns of Navarone (1957) grabbed enough attention (and money) that MacLean must have felt obligated to create this sequel. The story in Force 10 (1968) starts only hours after the end of Guns. The lead characters are rushed off to solve a new war-turning problem, this time in Yugoslavia, saving a Partisan force from the Germans (this is all World War II action). Nobody stops for thought… action, action, action.
The only jarring note? The leader of the English force is supposed to be a world-renowned mountaineer (critical skills in both Navarone novels), but in Force 10 he has to act as a double-agent, as if no one would recognize him. But the tale rushes on, so just keep moving…it’s better that way.