Goodbye California

The front cover of my copy of Goodbye California claims that it is Alistair Maclean's best since HMS Ulysses. Given that HMS Ulysses was Maclean's first novel, and that he managed to write Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare AND The Guns of Navarone in the period between HMS Ulysses and Goodbye California, that blurb created some very high expectations. Unfortunately, I have to conclude that the blurb was actually supposed to be added to the cover of one of Maclean's other books instead. Goodbye California is nowhere near his best work, at least for this reader. In fact it is downright unreadable.

First, let's have a dose of positivity. This is a great premise. It begins with the theft of nuclear material and a terrorist plot to use show more nuclear bombs to trigger earthquakes along some of California's many fault lines. Chaos would therefore ensue. The stakes would be high indeed. But you wouldn't know it from the book.

The story actually begins with an author's note that provides a potted summary of how earthquakes work and tectonic plates and all that. Mildly interesting if you don't know that sort of thing, and also a bit giggle-worthy because the book was first written in the 1970s and it refers to 1982 as the future. Hee hee! I love books with "futures" that have already happened. Anyway, the author's preface did not bother me much. The first two chapters did, with their mind-numbingly detailed and inexplicably placed infodumps.

"Gee Bob, here I am, a California police sergeant, in your nuclear power plant, where my wife works and from which she has been kidnapped. Before you tell me anything actually important about how she was captured so that I can go out and get her back, please tell me how nuclear energy works."

"Sure Doug, I would be glad to do so, for almost an entire chapter that the readers are probably frantically skipping over!"

And while I sympathized with the sergeant's plight, I found his corrupt superior officer to be a bit too caricaturish to be believable as a villain. Also, the terrorist leader who captured the sergeant's wife was just as prone to infodumpy monologues.

"Hello captives, welcome to your new humble abode. Allow me to give you a detailed primer about seismic activity in southern California and give you a rough idea of our scheme. Muahaha."

This is the only Maclean I haven't bothered finishing. I would not recommend it unless you have a very high tolerance for long passages of explanation and have already read his more established classics (e.g. The Guns of Navarone or Ice Station Zebra). This is definitely not the one to start out with. show less

A madman has 10 nukes and is threatening to blow up California unless he is given a huge amount of money. A local detective, whose wife and daughter are being held hostage by the madman, works to bring him down. Maclean is more fitted for teens and young 20's, or those who can't appreciate a subtle plot. Not badmouthing Maclean at all though.

A group of Muslim extremists steal nuclear fuel from a power plant then proceed to manufacture nuclear bombs by kidnapping nuclear scientists and setting them to work.

The terrorist leader then tries to blackmail the United States under threat of nuclear blast triggered earthquakes. All the while a local police officer whose wife was kidnapped at the power plant attempts to uncover the terror plot.

Interesting premise, keeps your attention, at 256 pages it's a quick read.

Fast-paced action, which I could not seem to get enough in my teens.

Good

"Earthquake country" said the Professor. "San Francisco is geologically and seismologically a city that waits to die. Los Angeles is ringed by earthquake centres -- seven massive 'quakes so far. We have no idea where the next, the monster, will hit…." Until a criminal fanatic kidnaps a nuclear scientist and builds his own atomic bombs. If exploded on California's fault lines they could trigger off the mightiest earthquake of them all -- killing half its population and dumping the entire city of San Francisco in the sea.

Op de achtergrond van Komplot in Californië speelt de voortdurende angst van de bevolking van Californië voor aardbevingen en vloedgolven. Dat de oorzaak niet altijd natuurlijk hoeft te zijn, blijkt wanneer op een dag de atoomcentrale San Ruffino wordt overvallen door een bende terroristen. Naast enkele tonnen splijtbaar materiaal nemen zij een aantal gijzelaars mee, waaronder mevrouw Susan Ryder, echtgenote van brigadier Ryder van de recherche van Los Angeles. Deze neemt onmiddellijk ontslag bij de politie, om zo zijn handen vrij te hebben bij zijn pogingen de overvallers te achterhalen. Bendeleider Morro dreigt met atoomwapenen, die hij door een aantal van de ontvoerde atoomgeleerden en andere experts zou hebben laten vervaardigen. show more Spreekt Morro de waarheid? Kan hij zijn verschrikkelijke dreigementen ten uitvoer brengen? Zullen brigadier Ryder en zijn helpers erin slagen Morro en zijn bende uit te schakelen en de atoomdreiging af te wenden? Het antwoord ligt besloten in de sensationele ontknoping, waarbij niemand minder dan de president van de Verenigde Staten te hulp wordt geroepen. show less