''South by Java Head'' is the third

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, and was first published in 1958. MacLean's personal experiences in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

provided part of the basis for the story.

Plot introduction

The story is set in February 1942, in the immediate aftermath of the

Battle of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

. As the British stronghold of

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

falls to the invading

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

, a mixed collection of soldiers, nurses, fleeing civilians, a small boy, and at least one spy attempt to escape the burning city aboard the ''Kerry Dancer'', a battered freighter crewed by a disreputable captain and sailors. The ''Kerry Dancer'' is crippled by Japanese aircraft, and the refugees are rescued by the ''Viroma'', a tanker also fleeing Singapore; however, the ''Viroma'' is also sunk by the Japanese, and the survivors take to open boats on the open sea. Led by stalwart First Officer John Nicholson, they attempt to flee to safety across the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

, facing death by thirst and exposure, typhoons, and pursuit by the relentless Japanese. As tensions mount in the small boat, Nicholson realizes that they are equally at risk from traitors in their midst.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' said it was "crammed with action and realistically sketched backgrounds but there is a patchness about the escapes from tight fixes that makes ''South by Java Head'' a less credible chronicle of derring-do than its remarkable predecessors."

Film Adaptation

In 1957 producer Daniel Angel said that

Daniel Fuchs Daniel Fuchs (June 25, 1909 – July 26, 1993) was an American screenwriter, fiction writer, and essayist. Biography Daniel Fuchs was born to a Jewish family on the Lower East Side, Manhattan, but his family moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn whi ...

was writing the script for ''South by Java Head'' from a novel by Tom Carling, with Fox to finance. MacLean's publisher Ian Chapman had not felt the novel was up to the standard of ''The Guns of Navarone'' and was going to suggest to MacLean that he try another novel instead. However the film sale of the project led to the novel's publication. In January 1960 Buddy Adler announced he had bought the film rights for Fox as a vehicle for

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

and $4 million would be spent on it. Sydney Boehm would write the script.New Guinness Film to Cost $4 Million The Washington Post and Times-Herald 20 Jan 1960: B10. No film resulted.

References

External links

Book review at AlistairMacLean.com
1958 British novels Novels by Alistair MacLean Novels set during World War II Fiction set in 1942 Novels set in Singapore William Collins, Sons books {{1950s-hist-novel-stub