THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC WORLD WAR 2 ADVENTURE SET IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA. FEBRUARY, 1942: SINGAPORE LIES BURNING AND SHATTERED, DEFENCELESS BEFORE THE CONQUERING HORDES OF THE JAPANESE ARMY, AS THE LAST BOAT SLIPS OUT OF THE HARBOUR INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. ON BOARD ARE A DESPERATE GROUP OF PEOPLE, EACH WITH A SECRET TO GUARD, EACH WILLING TO KILL TO KEEP THAT SECRET SAFE. WHO OR WHAT IS THE DISSOLUTE ENGLISHMAN, FARNHOLME? THE ELEGANT DUTCH PLANTER, VAN EFFEN? THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL EURASIAN GIRL, GUDRUN? THE SLAVE TRADER, SIRAN? THE SMILING AND SILENT NICHOLSON WHO IS NEVER WITHOUT HIS GUN? ONLY ONE THING IS CERTAIN: THE ROTTING TRAMP STEAMER IS A FLOATING DEATH TRAP, CARRYING A CARGO OF HUMAN TNT. DAWN SEES THEM FAR OUT TO SEA BUT WITH THE FIRST MURDEROUS DIVE BOMBERS ALREADY AIMED AT THEIR SHIP. THUS BEGINS AN ORDEAL FEW ARE TO SURVIVE, A NIGHTMARE SUCCESSION OF DISASTERS WROUGHT BY THE HELL-BENT JAPANESE, THE UNRELENTING TROPICAL SUN AND BY THE SURVIVORS THEMSELVES, WHOSE HATRED AND BITTERNESS DIVIDES THEM ONE AGAINST THE OTHER. WRITTEN AFTER THE ACCLAIMED AND PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL HMS ULYSSES AND THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, THIS WAS MACLEAN’S THIRD BOOK, AND IT CONTAINS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF THOSE OTHER TWO CLASSICS. RICH WITH STUNNING VISUAL IMAGERY, MUSCULAR NARRATIVE POWER, BRUTALITY, COURAGE AND BREATHTAKING EXCITEMENT, THE CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOUTH BY JAVA HEAD OFFERS READERS A LONG-DENIED CHANCE TO ENJOY ONE OF THE GREATEST WAR NOVELS EVER WRITTEN.
दुस-या महायुद्धात पृथ्वीवरील पूर्व गोलार्धात जपानने सागरावरती आपले वर्चस्व प्रस्थापित केले होते.
अशा वेळी एक तेलवाहू बोट धाडसाने प्रवास करीत होती. त्यावर निर्वासित व ब्रिटिश सैन्यातील माणसांनी आश्रय घेतला होता.
पुढच्या तीन महिन्यांच्या जपानच्या आक्रमणाची लष्करी गुपिते असलेली कागदपत्रे घेऊन एक हेर पळून जात होता. तर बहुमोल किंमतीचे हिरेही या धामधुमीत हलवले जात होते.
शेवटी यातून बॉम्बिंग, जाळपोळ निर्माण होत गेली. त्या थरारक पाठलागात एक दोन वर्षांचे अनाथ पोर सापडले. आठवडाभर पाण्यावरून हालअपेष्टा सहन करीत किनारा गाठला. पण विमाने, पाणबुडी, सैन्य हात धुऊन मागे लागले.
या लष्करी धामधुमीत एक मूक प्रेमकथा फुलत होती. मानवी शरीराची व मनाची कमाल क्षमता ताणली जात होती.
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