A few years back, Russell Crowe brought the attention of the movie-viewing world to the Napoleonic-era sailing fiction of Patrick O’Brian. While O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin novels are delightful, it is worth remembering that C. S. Forester is the father of naval historical fiction (it’s only fair to note that the Hornblower stories were also made into a popular TV series). If you have not tried Forester’s Horatio Hornblower books, they are well worth looking into. The series features lots of action and tactics on the high seas, as His Majesty’s Navy seeks to thwart the imperial ambitions of Napoleon and his allies. These are fast-paced tales, carrying more sail than O’Brian’s more leisurely stories. Forester’s series starts with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.
In the opening novel Hornblower is a 17-year-old midshipman, beginning the career that would be detailed by Forester in ten additional volumes. Despite setbacks such as the loss of his first prize-ship, and being captured by the Spanish, Hornblower perseveres, and by the end of the novel has achieved the rank of lieutenant. Daniel Burt describes Mr. Midshipman Hornblower as “a marvel of historical nautical re-creation.” With a great sense of shipboard life, strong historical accuracy, and a very sympathetic main character, the Hornblower stories have a lot to offer readers.
Check the WRL catalog for Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Blogging for a Good Book 
Leave a Reply