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Title: Lieutenant Hornblower by C. S. Forester, Ioan Gruffud, Ioan Gruffudd ISBN: 1-85998-976-4 Publisher: Trafalgar Square Pub. Date: September, 1998 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.74 (31 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: 4.5 stars -- fantastic
Comment: It's hard to write an objective review of Lieutenant Hornblower, chronologically the second novel in Forester's epic saga. Put simply, this was the book that addicted me to Horatio Hornblower and condemned to spend a small fortune acquiring the entire series.
This tells the tale of Horatio's first real mission. He is assigned to the Renown, a ship of the line destined to fight Napoleon in the Caribbean. It is here that Horatio really begins to distinguish himself -- helping his crew deal with a mad captain, then leading them into the teeth of a powerful Spanish presence in Haiti. We see his decisiveness, his daring and his courage -- as well as his darker side.
This book is cunningly different from others in the series in that Hornblower is not the main character. Rather, we see him through Lieutenant Bush -- destined to become one of Horatio's closest companions. At first, Hornblower seems distant and aloof. With Bush, we question his abilities and courage. And like Bush, we quickly see Horatio's heroism and intelligence. And it ends with a flourish that will have you scrambling to amazon to buy the next volume.
Once again, I must deduct a little bit for Forester's occasionally opaque description of the working of a ship of the line. But most of the time, he makes the action clear as crystal. During the most intense rivetting action scenes, I was never confused as to what was going on.
This is where the Hornblower series really takes off. Don't even hesitate to buy it.
Rating: 4
Summary: good dynamic characters amid turbuluent times
Comment: The second book in the Hornblower series the action and the tension in the book made living on a ship of the line more exciting than in reality. Usually serving on a boat, you'd expect to do tedious duties with nothing else except endless ocean across the horizon to look at in the distance. Couple that with the unpleasantness of living conditions aboard a ship of that age with no running water, toilets, or knowledge about contemporary hygiene as well as being commanded by a strict and almost tyrannical command structure and its no wonder that the Royal Navy had to recruit their seamen by force through press gangs.
The book's plot tells the story from the perspective of Lieutenant William Bush who had just been assigned to the ship Renown. It is here that he meets Hornblower and go on their crew's secret assignment only known by a suspiciously psychotic captain who thinks that the other officers are planning against him. There is a sense of tension between the captain and his officers as well as injustices that the captain inflicts upon his subordinates. There is also a first lieutenant on board, Buckland, that has served that position for a long time and through his personality the reader will soon realize why he will always be a first lieutenant. Forester has a good vision of putting characters together and making them interact in interesting situations. In reading this book you get to see the personalities of these characters take shape and it is these personalities that direct the plot. About two-thirds of the book was interesting but the last third fizzled and didn't have action at all. Considering that the book is part of a series, the last third was setting up the premise for the next book. But if you read this book on its own you would be disappointed with the ending as the climax of the story happened about a hundred pages before the ending. I consider myself a fan of Forester and I still like the book. Nevertheless, for a casual reader this probably wouldn't be as interesting.
Rating: 5
Summary: 1st Rate Book
Comment: Lieutenant Hornblower, 2nd in the series, was a super great read. It is full of action; from a crazy ship captain to a land assualt on a fortified fort. Throughout the story, Hornblower again, and again, rises up to meet the challenges that confront him. Without spoiling the book for readers that haven't read it yet, this was one super good book. To give you an idea of how enjoyable this book was; After reading only part of this book, I went ahead and ordered the rest of the books in the series; that is how much I enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the 1st book in the series, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. I became addicted to this book! You will not be disappointed in reading this one! I can't wait to read the next one; Hornblower and the Hotspur.
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Title: Hornblower During the Crisis by C.S. Forester ISBN: 0316289442 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 18 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Hornblower and the Atropos by C.S. Forester ISBN: 0316289299 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 30 April, 1985 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Beat to Quarters by C.S. Forester ISBN: 0316289329 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 30 September, 1985 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Ship of the Line by C.S. Forester ISBN: 0316289361 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 30 September, 1985 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Flying Colours by C.S. Forester ISBN: 0316289396 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 05 April, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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