Historical fiction book · Curated
The Guns of Navarone
Alistair MacLean · historical fiction
Series: Guns of Navarone
In 1943 two radar-controlled guns on the island of Navarone command the only deep-water channel the Royal Navy can use to lift 1,200 marooned British soldiers off Kheros. Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel is World War II adventure historical fiction of the team sent to silence them—New Zealand climber Keith Mallory, Greek fighter Andrea, and American demolitions man Dusty Miller, with less than a week and a south cliff called unclimbable.
Why read it: A widely searched World War II novel—the MacLean title readers look up by name (the 1957 book and the film), and an Aegean commando counterpart to The Bridge over the River Kwai already on the shelf (not Force 10 from Navarone).
About this historical novel
The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean is historical fiction set around 1943 in the World War II era period with key settings including Alexandria, Navarone, Kheros, the Aegean. In 1943 two radar-controlled guns on the island of Navarone command the only deep-water channel the Royal Navy can use to lift 1,200 marooned British soldiers off Kheros. Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel is World War II adventure historical fiction of the team sent to silence them—New Zealand climber Keith Mallory, Greek fighter Andrea, and American demolitions man Dusty Miller, with less than a week and a south cliff called unclimbable.
On HisFic we tag it under 6. Adventure & epic and 5. Military & war so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include the Dodecanese, a commando raid, coastal guns, sabotage, and 1943. A widely searched World War II novel—the MacLean title readers look up by name (the 1957 book and the film), and an Aegean commando counterpart to The Bridge over the River Kwai already on the shelf (not Force 10 from Navarone).
Use HisFic’s free journey planner to stay in this era or subgenre, save titles to a want-to-read list in your browser, and open Amazon when you are ready to buy. HisFic is discovery-only—not a bookstore—so pages like this exist to help you choose the next historical novel with intent.
Plot summary
In 1943 two radar-controlled guns on the island of Navarone command the only deep-water channel the Royal Navy can use to lift 1,200 marooned British soldiers off Kheros. Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel is World War II adventure historical fiction of the team sent to silence them—New Zealand climber Keith Mallory, Greek fighter Andrea, and American demolitions man Dusty Miller, with less than a week and a south cliff called unclimbable. A widely searched World War II novel—the MacLean title readers look up by name (the 1957 book and the film), and an Aegean commando counterpart to The Bridge over the River Kwai already on the shelf (not Force 10 from Navarone).
Subgenres
Eras
Browse this mix
More like this on HisFic
Curated titles that share era, story type, or themes.
- City of Thieves · David Benioff
In the starving winter of the Leningrad siege, seventeen-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a dead German and spared only if he and Kolya, a deserting private with a story for every checkpoint, can bring a colonel a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake. David Benioff’s 2008 novel is World War II military historical fiction of a frozen city, cannibals on the road, and two young men sent behind the lines for a feast nobody can afford.
- Salt to the Sea · Ruta Sepetys
In the winter of 1945, as the war closes in on East Prussia, Joana, Florian, and Emilia—refugees each hiding something—meet a sailor named Alfred on the road to the Wilhelm Gustloff, the ship that is supposed to carry them west. Ruta Sepetys’s 2016 novel is World War II military historical fiction of that evacuation and of the sinking that followed.
- The Nightingale · Kristin Hannah
Two French sisters take different paths of survival and resistance under Nazi occupation.
- The Book Thief · Markus Zusak
A girl steals books in Nazi Germany; Death narrates a story of words and survival.
- All the Light We Cannot See · Anthony Doerr
A blind French girl and a German boy’s paths converge in occupied Saint-Malo during World War II.
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society · Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
A writer corresponds with islanders who survived German occupation—and finds a home among them.
Regions & places
Europe
Alexandria · Navarone · Kheros · the Aegean · Cairo
Themes
- the Dodecanese
- a commando raid
- coastal guns
- sabotage
- 1943
Tags
adventure · war · classic