FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean
Quiz about Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean

Thriller Titles by Alistair MacLean Quiz


"The Guns of Navarone" and "Where Eagles Dare" are just two of the books written by master thriller author Alistair MacLean. Can you spot or complete some of the many others ?

A multiple-choice quiz by Philian. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Literature Trivia
  6. »
  7. Authors L-P
  8. »
  9. Alistair MacLean

Author
Philian
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
130,634
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
11 / 15
Plays
574
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. Alistair MacLean wrote a sequel to "The Guns of Navarone". What was it called? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. In the U.S.A. this MacLean book was known as "The Secret Ways" but what was its original British title? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Complete the following title: "Puppet on a ... " Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. In Britain this MacLean story was called "The Dark Crusader". What was it called in the U.S.A.? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. Complete the following title : "... by Java Head" Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Complete the following MacLean title : "Fear is the ... " Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Complete the following MacLean title : "... Without End" Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Complete the following MacLean title: "The ... Rendezvous" Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Complete the following MacLean title : "... to Vaccares" Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. What was the name of the western written by Alistair MacLean that was made into a film starring Charles Bronson? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. What was the name of the book about an American nuclear submarine and a lonely outpost on a sheet of Arctic ice? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Complete the following MacLean title : "Goodbye ... " Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. In mid-career MacLean wanted to prove that he could write a successful thriller that did not already carry his name. Which two books were originally published under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart"? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. One book by MacLean is set amongst the Western Islands of Scotland. Complete its title "When ... Bells Toll". Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. From which Shakespeare play did Alistair MacLean take the title "The Way to Dusty Death"? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Alistair MacLean wrote a sequel to "The Guns of Navarone". What was it called?

Answer: Force Ten from Navarone

The author faced the problem of dealing with the enormous success of the film made from his book. As always the screenplay writer, Carl Foreman, thought it necessary to change many things including some of the vital characters and their fate. MacLean mostly opted for writing the sequel to the film rather than his original book.
2. In the U.S.A. this MacLean book was known as "The Secret Ways" but what was its original British title?

Answer: The Last Frontier

In other editions around the world the title "The Secret Ways" was translated into many languages. e.g. "Caminos Secretos" in Spanish. A film was made of this book and released under the title of "The Secret Ways".
3. Complete the following title: "Puppet on a ... "

Answer: Chain

This story was about drug smuggling and set mostly in Amsterdam. In the film version one of the most notable sequences was a chase up and down the narrow canals on high-speed boats. "Puppet on a String" was a popular song which won the Eurovision Song Contest.
4. In Britain this MacLean story was called "The Dark Crusader". What was it called in the U.S.A.?

Answer: The Black Shrike

The "Crusader" in question was a missile developed in secret by the British Government. The story included action on an island with a secret base and deception in the highest reaches of the British Secret Service.
5. Complete the following title : "... by Java Head"

Answer: South

This story starts in Singapore just as the Japanese are about to take over. A mismash of the usual MacLean "dodgy" characters heads out to sea in a series of boats and ships. Some of them just want to reach safety; some however are trying to carry away important secrets.
6. Complete the following MacLean title : "Fear is the ... "

Answer: Key

When interviewed on British television MacLean once declared that "Fear is the Key" was the best of his thriller stories. He placed "H.M.S. Ulysses" in a different category of story.
7. Complete the following MacLean title : "... Without End"

Answer: Night

The action in "Night Without End" is set in Greenland which is in the middle of the polar night. A crashed airliner has the usual motley crew of suspicious characters that have to be sorted into "goodies" and "baddies" by the men from the International Geophysical Year Station.
8. Complete the following MacLean title: "The ... Rendezvous"

Answer: Golden

"Golden" appears in the title of one of the other MacLean thrillers. That is called "The Golden Gate". The difference is that "The Golden Rendezvous" was written in the middle of his most creative period when, arguably, his best thrillers were being produced. By the time of "The Golden Gate" screenplays dominated his writing.
9. Complete the following MacLean title : "... to Vaccares"

Answer: Caravan

In the film that was made from this story the director allocated a bit part to Graham Hill, the British World Champion racing driver. He played a helicopter pilot. MacLean himself was a good friend of that other champion Jackie Stewart, another Scot and probably the inspiration for "The Way to Dusty Death".
10. What was the name of the western written by Alistair MacLean that was made into a film starring Charles Bronson?

Answer: Breakheart Pass

Most of the action in this story took place on a train climbing through the Rocky Mountains. Thus in the film there was an interesting mixture of the wide open spaces and the claustrophobic inside of the railway carriages.
11. What was the name of the book about an American nuclear submarine and a lonely outpost on a sheet of Arctic ice?

Answer: Ice Station Zebra

This was made into a film starring Rock Hudson and Patrick McGoohan. The British pronounced it "Zebra" with the "e" as in "bet" and the Americans pronounced it "Zeebra" with the "e" as in "beet". As usual, however, the book was 100 times better than the film.
12. Complete the following MacLean title : "Goodbye ... "

Answer: California

Lots of technical material about earthquakes and the San Andreas fault was crammed in. This was competent stuff by MacLean but the ground had already been covered (and shaken) by other authors.
13. In mid-career MacLean wanted to prove that he could write a successful thriller that did not already carry his name. Which two books were originally published under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart"?

Answer: "The Dark Crusader" and "The Satan Bug"

In fact 4 of his best thrillers were written in a brief two year period. "The Golden Rendezvous" and "Fear is the Key" were under his own name and, at the same time, "The Satan Bug" and "The Dark Crusader" under the name Ian Stuart. Of these only "The Dark Crusader" has not been made into a film.
14. One book by MacLean is set amongst the Western Islands of Scotland. Complete its title "When ... Bells Toll".

Answer: Eight

In Spanish this title translated as "When Two is Sounded on the High Seas" or "Cuando Dan Los Dos en Alta Mar". The film starred Anthony Hopkins when he was still young enough to play the dashing hero and long before Hannibal was even thought of.
15. From which Shakespeare play did Alistair MacLean take the title "The Way to Dusty Death"?

Answer: Macbeth

This line comes in the famous "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech which has provided titles for quite a few books by different people. "All our yesterdays" was the title of a television series about newsreels of the past. It is appropriate that a Scottish writer should choose the famous "Scottish play" for this title.
Source: Author Philian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. Alistair MacLean Novels Average
2. More Alistair MacLean Novels Average
3. The Guns of Navarone Average

3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us