Seawitch

1977 novel by Alistair MacLean

0-449-23597-1OCLC4311544Preceded byThe Golden Gate Followed byGoodbye California 

Seawitch is a novel written by the Scottish author Alistair MacLean. It was first released in the United Kingdom by Collins in 1977 and later in the same year by Doubleday in the United States.[1]

It was written in Mexico, where MacLean would not be taxed by US authorities.[2] The book deviates from MacLean's usual mystery/drama formula in that it is almost all action, with no mystery and no "traitor amongst them" sub-plot.

The book was a best seller.[3] The New York Times review said MacLean "stumbles badly".[4]

Plot introduction

Lord Worth, ruthless and fabulously wealthy, has made a lot of enemies in the oil business. His new offshore tension-leg platform oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, named Seawitch, is one of the biggest in the world, the only one of its kind, and will put his competitors out of business. To destroy it and therefore be able to inflate the price of oil at will, the competitors get together and send one man to deal with Lord Worth. The villain has a personal score to settle with Worth and kidnaps his daughters. But Lord Worth's daughters are betrothed to the protagonists, Mitchell and Roomer, two former police detectives, now private investigators. They set trying to save Worth and his daughters from certain death, as the villain intends to leave them on Seawitch when he destroys it with a stolen nuclear weapon.

References

  1. ^ Liebman, Walter H. (10 October 1977). "Blood, Love and Adventure On an Offshore Oil Rig". Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly. p. 43.
  2. ^ Webster, Jack (1991). Alistair MacLean: A Life. Chapmans. p. 208.
  3. ^ "Paperback Best Sellers: MASS MARKET TRADE". New York Times. 6 August 1978. p. BR8.
  4. ^ TOM BUCKLEY (23 October 1977). "Three Thrillers". New York Times. p. BR7.

External links

  • Book review at AlistairMacLean.com
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Works by Alistair MacLean
Novels
  • HMS Ulysses (1955)
  • The Guns of Navarone (1957)
  • South by Java Head (1957)
  • The Last Frontier (1959)
  • Night Without End (1959)
  • Fear Is the Key (1961)
  • The Dark Crusader (1961)
  • The Golden Rendezvous (1962)
  • The Satan Bug (1962)
  • Ice Station Zebra (1963)
  • When Eight Bells Toll (1966)
  • Where Eagles Dare (1967)
  • Force 10 from Navarone (1968)
  • Puppet on a Chain (1969)
  • Caravan to Vaccarès (1970)
  • Bear Island (1971)
  • The Way to Dusty Death (1973)
  • Breakheart Pass (1974)
  • Circus (1975)
  • The Golden Gate (1976)
  • Seawitch (1977)
  • Goodbye California (1978)
  • Athabasca (1980)
  • River of Death (1981)
  • Partisans (1982)
  • Floodgate (1983)
  • San Andreas (1984)
  • Santorini (1986)
Non-fiction
Screenplays
  • Where Eagles Dare (1968)
  • Puppet on a Chain (1971)
  • When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
  • Breakheart Pass (1976)
Adaptations
UNACO novels
  • The Hostage Tower (1980) (with John Denis)
  • Air Force One Is Down (1981) (with John Denis)
  • Death Train (1989) (with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Night Watch (1990)(with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Red Alert (1990) (with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Time of the Assassins (1991) (with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Dead Halt (1992) (with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Code Breaker (1993) (with Alastair MacNeill)
  • Rendezvous (1995) (with Alastair MacNeill}
  • Prime Target (1997) (with Hugh Miller)
  • Borrowed Time (1998) (with Hugh Miller)
Golden Girl novels
  • Golden Girl (1992) (with Simon Gandolfi)
  • Golden Web (1993) (with Simon Gandolfi)
  • Golden Vengeance (1994) (with Simon Gandolfi)


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