The Hill (1965) by Ray Rigby

Though it is set during World War II, it would be somewhat disingenuous to refer to The Hill as a war novel. Written by Ray Rigby, a veteran of British television of the 50s and 60s, The Hill deals not with enemies on the battlefield but instead focuses on the escalating battles of will between disgraced British soldiers held prisoner in a Libyan wartime prison, and the authorities who lord over them within these barracks. 

The title refers to a manmade structure, 60’ high and 200’ long hill of sand, that has been built in the middle of the grounds in order to provide a grueling challenge for the prisoners who are forced to march up and down its sides under the intense blaze of the desert sun. Our main character is Joe Roberts, a warrant officer imprisoned for insubordination for refusing orders that he felt would get him and others killed. Our protagonists consist of the other 4 prisoners in Roberts’ prison cell. 

The true villain of the piece is Sergeant Williams, an ambitious staff sergeant who possesses no empathy, seeing the mistreatment of the prisoners as his best route to a speedy promotion. His increasingly cruel treatment sets into motion the devastating events of the book’s second half. The Hill started life as a TV play and it shows; most of the book is dialog-based and there is very little in the way of traditional action. As a result, there is a certain staginess that robs the book of some of its energy—this is pure drama with life and death implications, especially as the narrative progresses. 

Most will likely be more familiar with Sidney Lumet’s film version which starred Sean Connery, then hugely popular as James Bond. The movie was one of Connery's clear early attempts to distance himself from the globe-trotting spy. I struggled at times with this one and recommend it primarily to fans of the movie since it adds depth to characters and details beyond the film's scope.

Review by Steve Carroll