Floodgate (novel)
Encyclopedia
Floodgate is a novel
by Scottish
author Alistair MacLean
, first published in 1983
. It is a rare example of inter-novel continuity
in MacLean's writing, as one of the characters in his previous novel Puppet on a Chain
makes a re-appearance.
terrorist organization, known as the "FFF" has detonated a bomb, which bursts dykes in the Netherlands
, causing massive flooding of Amsterdam
's Schiphol Airport. Unless their demands are met (i.e. immediate withdrawal of all British military forces from Northern Ireland
), they threaten to detonate more bombs, flooding Holland beneath a wall of water from the North Sea
.
Detective Lieutenant Peter van Effen, a man with a sardonic sense of humor and many hidden talents, and his fuzzy-minded boss, Chief of Police De Graaf, are called in. Lieutenant Van Effen is also an undercover operative with connections to a Dutch criminal gang, and sets about to sabotage the FFF terrorists, one way or another.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
author Alistair MacLean
Alistair MacLean
Alistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare, all three having been made into successful films...
, first published in 1983
1983 in literature
The year 1983 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Ironweed by William Kennedy is published.*Salvage for the Saint by Peter Bloxsom and John Kruse is published. This is the final book in a series of novels, novellas and short stories featuring the Leslie Charteris...
. It is a rare example of inter-novel continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
in MacLean's writing, as one of the characters in his previous novel Puppet on a Chain
Puppet on a Chain
Puppet on a Chain is a novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. Originally published in 1969, it is set in the late 1960's narcotics underworld of Amsterdam and other locations in the Netherlands.-Plot introduction:...
makes a re-appearance.
Plot introduction
An IrishIrish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
terrorist organization, known as the "FFF" has detonated a bomb, which bursts dykes in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, causing massive flooding of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
's Schiphol Airport. Unless their demands are met (i.e. immediate withdrawal of all British military forces from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
), they threaten to detonate more bombs, flooding Holland beneath a wall of water from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Detective Lieutenant Peter van Effen, a man with a sardonic sense of humor and many hidden talents, and his fuzzy-minded boss, Chief of Police De Graaf, are called in. Lieutenant Van Effen is also an undercover operative with connections to a Dutch criminal gang, and sets about to sabotage the FFF terrorists, one way or another.