Book info

• Title Lieutenant Hornblower
• Author C. S. Forester
• Year 1952
• Genre Adventure

The nineteenth century dawns and the Napoleonic Wars rage as Horatio Hornblower is ordered to the Caribbean and dangerous waters. New Lieutenant Hornblower's latest ship is HMS Renown, a sound vessel whose captain is unfortunately of rather unsound mind. When ordered to attack a Spanish anchorage, the chain of command breaks down and it requires all of Hornblower's seafaring cunning to avert disaster. As cannons pound and splinters fly aboard their beleaguered vessel, and the men are forced to engage at close quarters, the young lieutenant knows that to save his ship and crew he must prove himself a master of the high seas...

Thoughts

A solid nautical adventure, it’s fun following Hornblower around, even if he does get a bit above his station at times! Confidence, rather than arrogance, though. This book also contains the interesting difficulties of a captain who is unstable, and the real consequences and terror that surrounds mutiny - even if it’s the right thing to do. I felt like the book came to a weird end, with Hornblower on shore, dealing with the day to day life of a non-naval existence… until the threat of war returned right at the end, almost like a cliffhanger! On to the next book!

Rating: 3 / 5