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HMS Ulysses

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HMS Ulysses

By: Alistair MacLean
Narrated by: Jonathan Oliver
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The novel that launched the astonishing career of one of the 20th century’s greatest writers of action and suspense – an acclaimed classic of heroism and the sea in World War II.

Constant patrols have pushed the crew of the HMS Ulysses beyond the limits of endurance. And now they must be put to sea again, to escort a vital supply convoy heading for Murmansk.

As they head deep into the frozen waters they are faced not only with the fierce arctic weather, but a swarm of airborne attacks, German ships, then the feared U-boats, all hellbent on destroying the convoy.

With each day threatening another sudden attack, and increasing hardships aboard the frozen ship, Ulysses suffers greater damage trying to protect the other vessels. And soon the journey becomes a tense and deadly game of cat and mouse between the crippled cruiser and her silent pursuers.

 Action & Adventure Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Sea Adventures War & Military Adventure Suspense Heartfelt Tear-jerking War Military
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Critic reviews

‘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
All stars
Most relevant

What made the experience of listening to HMS Ulysses the most enjoyable?

Although this is fiction the Arctic convoys to Murmansk really happened in WW2. I first read this book as a teenager and have always loved it. The book empersizes the harsh conditions and the extreme cold and whether conditions in the Arctic, and life on board HMS Ulysses, a cruiser and flagship of the escort force for Convoy FR77 to Murmansk North Russia. At times the story is very moving and you feel for the characters. Of all the books Alistair MacLean wrote this should have been a movie!!!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The ships Captain ' Captain Richard Vallery. He was a leader and he was empathetic to his crew

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The storm in the Arctic Ocean was very dramatic

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I could I would

Any additional comments?

Reading this as a teenager the book made me aware of the Convoys and the hell those crews went though and so many were lost to U boats and air attack. Again although HMS Ulysses is fiction the convoys and their escorts isn't. I like this as much as The Cruel Sea. The Merchant Seamen in these convoys even today are so unrecognised. Thank you Audable for releasing this Gem as an unabridged audio book as it should be listened to. The Abridged version is a waste of time...

Finally!!!! An unabridged version of this classic!

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Enjoyed it thoroughly, as I had seen action on her sister ship Babur in '71. We too depressed our 5.25s during a submarine action.

Sister ship to Babur, on which I served in '71

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This is my first Alistair MacLean book and I chose this one based on the reviews I read. Alistair MacLean has written some classic war stories, some of which have been made into successful movies, such as Ice Station Zebra, which is a classic. I very much like war at sea type stories, so began listening.

The first thing I noticed was how the writing style of the author is very much of its time. If I recall correctly, this book was first published back in 1955 and the style feels very much of that era. This isn't a bad thing of course, this story, after all, is set during the second World war and the use of language etc is appropriate. The story is a good one, I can't deny it, but for me it didn't quite hit the mark. It's hard to explain why. The story depicted in detail the appalling conditions and dangers of what life was like serving aboard a convoy ship on the Arctic run. The huge storms as well as the bone chilling cold, ice and snow all set the scene very well. The story has a diverse set of characters and they are, for the most part, believable and realistic portrayals of the varying personalities that a Royal Navy ship might have. However, I felt the two primary protagonists, Captain Valerie and Admiral Tindel, seemed to me at least, to be polar opposites and rather too extreme in those opposing personalities. Captain Valerie felt too timid and didn't come across as a strong, confident man. On the other hand, Tindel was far too over confident and kept jumping down the throat of capable officers who were able to perform their duties with aplomb. Tindel, in particular, just seemed a bit of an old fool who, based on the narrators performance, bellowed a lot and for little reason. I had a hard time liking either of them to be frank. I know this wildly is at odds with at least one of the other reviews here that stated this was perhaps the best book they'd ever read and the loss of key characters brought tears to their eyes. For me, the story was an overall decent one, but I just couldn't identify with the Captain and Admiral at all.

One situation designed to elicit sadness from the reader felt rather contrived to me, which meant it lost its intended punch. The way the character chose to die made no sense to me given the nature of the difficulties. I won't elaborate more to avoid spoiling things, but I raised an eyebrow at the odd logic used. Readers may also be left a little confused at the unexplained naval terms used. It felt as if this story was written for the appreciation of men that served in the Royal navy and are familiar with the nautical terms frequently employed. Words like, athwart, I'd never come across before. I have a reasonable grasp of nautical-speak, and even I was left frowning at some of the terms casually used. This didn't impair the flow of the narrative, just not something the average reader will understand.

I found it noteworthy that McLean appeared to omit the word "and" frequently in some of his prose. He'd write things like, "He puffed his cigarette, threw it away, walked off." I'd expect an "and" to be inserted in place of the last comma, but if there's one thing I've learned having read quite a few books, it's that even successful writers have their own style that might go against what some may consider classic grammar. Far be it from me to criticise this, rather, it's just an observation.

Narration for the most part was fine. Jonathan Oliver has the sort of voice that suits the era this story is set in. He is adept at various regional accents and can deliver the clipped English public school boy or the gruff Liverpudlian equally well. However, his range of voices was limited and Admiral Tindel and Commander Turner sounded exactly the same to me, right down to the bellicose rebukes. His portrayal of Vice Admiral Star at the start of the book made me smile as there were shades of Robbie Coltrane's Samuel Johnson in the classic third series Black Adder Ink and Incapability episode.

AN overall decent story, but one that for some reason left me feeling rather ambivalent. Probably worth a second read, which may alter my perspective.

Not Sure Why, But ...

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This is a brilliant and powerfully written story that is highly descriptive and very moving.

A brilliant and very powerful story.

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This is a very powerful book. My father was on the same run and I had no idea how truly awfully it was. He barely mentioned it. Hearing this read so well had a much more profound effect than just reading it.

Superb

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