The Last Frontier

It was supposed to be a relatively simple job. Agent Michael Reynolds was sent behind the Iron Curtain to retrieve a famous scientist, Dr. Jennings, who had defected to the East. But right from the start, things went wrong. How wrong? It would be bad form to give the story away.

There are lots of great set pieces in this book: plenty of action, but not completely relentless, so you have a chance to breathe again before the next action sequence. One character does have a few boring "brotherhood of man" speeches, but these are easily skipped over, and really what's an Alistair MacLean novel without some speechifying? Another character, known only as The Count, is totally awesome. Michael Reynolds is pretty competent as well, but he's also show more believable in his fallibility. As for the famous scientist Dr. Jennings, I kept picturing him as Dr. Nefario from the Despicable Me movies, which lent the book an extra comic touch (albeit one that was definitely not envisioned by its author).

In my personal MacLean ranking, this would rank below Ice Station Zebra but above The Dark Crusader. It's a very solid Cold War story and should appeal to fans of MacLean or even of Deighton and Le Carré (if you want something a bit "lighter" set in the same era). show less

What an incredible thriller. One of MacLean's absolute best.
And very different from MacLean's other books that I have read so far - a lot of unexpected ideas and themes (including non-violence). There's a speech about humanity that is very moving.
The action, as usual, is excellent, there's lots of tension, and the ending is great.

I first read this book many years ago and have not forgotten it, so recently reacquired it after some searching. It is one of MacLean's earliest books, and consequently one of his best. The story of an English agent's attempt to recover a defected scientist, it is also a detailed description of cold war secret police tactics but also a work urging reconciliation as the only way forward. Set in Hungary just after the 1956 uprising (and written in 1959) it is authentic in atmosphere and moves swiftly with a cast of finely drawn characters. Just one query - much is made in the book of the winter snow and cold everywhere - why then does the cover of my edition shows green hillsides? Don't they read the books before designing covers?

I am reading all the MacLean adventures in order of publication, and this being number 4, was quite a disappointment compared to the previous 3. That's not to say that there were no exciting moments, because there were.....but it was really long on the question of moral authority of Westerners passing judgement on the proper way to assist in the ending of Communism behind the iron curtain, in this case, Hungary. A fascinating look at what may have been happening in Hungary....sad for sure.....and maybe it is dated to the point that it no longer has the impact with that iron curtain gone that it had when this was written. I just found myself working at keeping the book going rather than being unable to put it down. A little sappier than show more the others, but the moral argument did make me think......it was just too much....but i know there are many others to go and i will hope this is the anomaly. show less

The Last Frontier - Alistair MacLean **

Years ago Alistair Maclean was one of my favourite authors. His early works were really detailed and full of twists, turns and suspense. I then started reading some of his later books and felt they really struggled to live up to his reputation, so when I came across the last Frontier I was a little sceptical but decided to give it a try anyway, particularly as it was written in 1959 and his fourth novel.

I don’t know why but I just really couldn’t get to grips with this book. I found it, well, boring if I am honest. Other reviewers seem to rate it highly but each page felt like a kilogram weight as I forced myself to turn it to get the next. The action was tedious, the plot repetitive and I just show more wanted something big to happen to break the monotony.

The plot is relatively straightforward; we follow Michael Reynolds as he goes undercover in Russian occupied Hungary to bring back a scientist from behind the iron curtain. Things obviously don’t go to plan and a cat and mouse chase ensues.

I suppose that the book just wasn’t for me. If I had to sum up my feelings it would be that I wrote this review a few weeks after finishing the book and had to Google the plot to jog my memory... that’s how little it stayed with me. show less

British agent Michael Reynolds is sent to Hungary to recover a scientist who has gone over to the other side. This being an Alistair Maclean novel, Reynolds is captured and escapes several times, villains turn out to be allies and vice versa; and the lovey dovey mushy stuff is kept to a minimum. Maclean had a knack for writing excellent adventure novels and this, his 4th book, is one of the better ones.

4444. The Secret Ways, by Alistair MacLean (read 1 Jun 2008) This is MacLean's fourth book, published in 1959. I did not think it as good as Where Eagles Dare, for one. It is the seventh MacLean book I've read. The hero does impossible things and there are waves of excitement, as Michael Reynolds goes to Hungary to get a British scientist out ot the hands of the evil Communists. (In Britain the book is titled The Last Frontier--why its title was changed in the American edition I have no idea,)