Reviews

Breakheart Pass by Alistair MacLean

gsraavan's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.75

horthhill's review against another edition

4.0

Alistair MacLean's "Breakheart Pass" is an action-packed western with plenty of plot holes, the kind of plot holes that would end lesser stories. Yet, Breakheart Pass comes to the last page full of breathtaking excitement. Set firmly in 1873, Breakheart Pass doesn't care about the strangely anachronistic and awkward comparisons to zombies and "speed of light." If you are familiar with trains, you might find it odd that the British train vocabulary is used sometimes for an American train. MacLean is a Scottish writer. He doesn't care. You might wonder if a man with multiple fractures of his shoulder and front and back ribs would be fit for action. Of course, he is fit for action! Wouldn't an explosion strong enough to separate two cars also be strong enough to derail them? Maybe. Would not two wagons full of horses also be full of the men of the Calvary troop charged with watching them? Maybe. Wouldn't the locomotive and its smokestack knock back the overhanging branches? Maybe. Lots of maybes, but Breakheart Pass exceeds them all. People are stabbed, brained, and trapped in railcars tumbling down from bridges. Some bad guys turn out to be good. The other bad guys are bad guys. Page after page Breakheart Pass rushes to the very last page propelled by a steam engine creaking at the speed of light.

prashant2003's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

storiesforhisglory's review against another edition

5.0

Reread

I love Alistair MacLean books. John Dealing is a unique character, tough and determined. I will always see Charles Bronson as Deakin, and I really enjoyed the twists.

raehink's review

3.0

Just after the Civil War, an Army relief train speeds to a fort in Indian territory which is reportedly in the midst of a cholera epidemic. As the train approaches, mysterious accidents occur and tensions rise. This one is quite suspenseful and the movie version with Charlie Bronson is fun too.