From the back cover:
In this gripping tail of turmoil and triumph on the high seas, Horatio Hornblower emerges from his apprenticeship as midshipman to face new responsibilities thrust upon him by the fortunes of war between Napoleon and Spain. Enduring near-mutiny, bloody hand-to-hand combat with Spanish seamen, deck-splintering sea battles, and the violence and horror of life on the fighting ships of the Napoleonic Wars, the young lieutenant distinguishes himself in his first independent command. He also faces an adventure unique in his experience: Maria.

Review:
Lieutenant Hornblower is unique in that the tale is told from Bush’s perspective. I missed Hornblower’s brooding, insecure point of view, but it was interesting to see things from the stolid and loyal Bush’s perspective. I already had a healthy appreciation of Bush, but I sympathize with him more than ever after this volume.

The captain of the ship on which both men are serving is nutters, and eventually ends up being confined to quarters by his Lieutenants. To balance out this action in any subsequent inquiries, the men endeavour to distinguish themselves by going ahead with the mission. In this aim they storm and capture a Spanish fort, roust out some privateers, and repair an “unbushed” gun, all of which was exciting and interesting. Especially the gun bit, believe it or not.

Particularly great was the development of Bush and Hornblower’s relationship. Bush immediately sees Hornblower’s stoical mask for what it is, and his opinion of him continues to evolve from there. First he suspects he may be a coward, then he’s annoyed at Hornblower’s ready assumption of responsibility, then appreciative of his brilliance, then grateful for his solicitous attention once Bush has been wounded. By the end, Bush is honestly pleased for his friend when Hornblower is promoted from his subordinate to his superior.

This series has been great fun to read, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly. When next I read it, though, I think I’m going to go in internal chronological order, since the jumping around is getting a little tiresome.

From the back cover:
This year is 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Horatio Hornblower, a seventeen-year-old boy unschooled in seafaring and the ways of seamen, is ordered to board a French merchant ship and take command of crew and cargo for the glory of England. Though not an unqualified success, this first naval adventure teaches the young midshipman enough to launch him on a series of increasingly glorious exploits. This novel—in which young Horatio gets his sea legs, proves his mettle, and shows the makings of the legend he will become—is the first of the eleven swashbuckling Hornblower tales that are today regarded as classic adventure stories of the sea.

Review:
Mm, back cover, you lie a little bit. This is the first chronologically, yes, but it is the sixth in order of publication.

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower is a collection of short stories spanning the first five years of Hornblower’s career. Only two follow in direct sequence, so there is very little by way of narrative flow. I missed a long over-arching story, but still found the stories very entertaining. One of them, “Hornblower: The Frogs and Lobsters”, was rather dull, though it ended well. My particular favorites are “Cargo of Rice,” “Spanish Galleys,” and “The Duchess and the Devil.”

One thing Forester did exceptionally well was make young and inexperienced Hornblower recognizably the same character that readers following publication date will have already encountered later in his career. I also really liked seeing him interact with others of equal rank, actually joking around and stuff. Still, my favorite stories were those in which he was in command, so I guess I still like him best in that capacity.

From the back cover:
The Admiral’s face was grim as he gave Commodore Hornblower his orders. The situation was critical: mutiny was an infection that could spread through the fleet like the plague and, furthermore, the defiant crew of the Flame were threatening to go over to the French. St Vincent has put his faith in Hornblower. Hornblower knows he must not fail. Yet neither man dreamt, on that day in 1813, that the mission would result in a peerage—and a death sentence—for Horatio Hornblower.

Review:
This book was totally going to get a perfect score until the last fifty pages or so. It just went on a bit too long. The material at the end felt a bit rushed, possibly just to tie up with Bonaparte’s defeat at Waterloo. It wasn’t bad by any means, just not as good as the rest. The ending was still strong.

Prior to that point, I was loving all of Hornblower’s internal struggles, his endearing insecurities and quirks, his brilliant solutions, the interesting chilly conflict between he and his wife, not to mention the quick action. This is a book that was completely engrossing from the first page, and to have it sort of sputter near the end was disappointing.

One especially neat thing Lord Hornblower did was raise of the question of what kind of man Hornblower would’ve become if there hadn’t been a war on for his entire life. It really made me excited to proceed on to the next books in the series, which take place earlier in his career chronologically, to see what sort of youth he was when he started out.

From the back cover:
The incomparable Horatio Hornblower has been designated commodore of his own squadron of ships, led by the two-decker Nonsuch and bound for the Baltic. It is 1812, and Hornblower has been ordered to do anything and everything possible, diplomatically and militarily, to protect the Baltic trade and to stop the spread of Napoleon’s empire into Sweden and Russia. Though he has set sail a hero, one misstep may ruin his chances of ever becoming an admiral. Hostile armies, seductive Russian royalty, nautical perils such as ice-bound bays, assassins in the imperial palace—Hornblower must conquer all before he can return home, as his instructions are to sacrifice every man and ship under his command rather than surrender ground to Napoleon.

Review:
Many things about this book were great. Hornblower’s personality has undergone some gradual changes since we last saw him, and the differences are handled with skill. One doesn’t feel that one’s being hit over the head with it, and he certainly continues to be as self-conscious and internally conflicted as ever. I also really liked the Baltic setting, the multitude of clever ideas Hornblower comes up with and executes, and many of the supporting characters introduced, particularly Lieutenant Mound, who takes up emulating Hornblower’s mannerisms and is at once competent and endearing.

However, I have to take issue with a few things. Firstly, there are two instances where Hornblower suffers a prolonged bout of stupidity, first where he can’t identify a sound and later when he fails to realize another man’s intentions, which just came across as really out of character. Secondly, it is strongly implied that Hornblower did something for which he, judging from behavior in the past, should have had raging guilt and regret but apparently does not.

While these flaws were certainly annoying, the story was strong enough to overcome them, and I ultimately enjoyed it very much.

From the back cover:
Captain Horatio Hornblower now bides his time as a prisoner in a French fortress. Even if Hornblower escapes this fate and somehow finds his way back to England, he will face court-martial. As fears for his life and his reputation compete in his mind with worries about his pregnant wife and the possibly widowed Lady Barbara, the indomitable captain impatiently awaits the chance to make his next move.

Review:
Hornblower on land! Primarily, at least. There’s a decided absence of naval adventure and battle in this one, and a lot of introspection. Thankfully, Hornblower is fascinating and complex enough for this to be an interesting prospect. He just has his moments of… boyish desperation, I guess, where I’ll sympathize with him no matter what he does.

Although things did occasionally drag a little bit in the middle, I love, love, love the ending. Forester really has a knack with these, and avoids doing anything too cliche or tidy. I shan’t give it away, but it definitely makes one want to get the next book right away without being some sort of cheap cliffhanger. Highly recommended.

From the back cover:
His Majesty’s Ship Sutherland—of two decks and seventy-four guns—is a humdrum ship of the line. But in command is none other than the heroic Captain Horatio Hornblower and, with his crew from the Lydia, look set (sic) to take on commando raids, hurricanes at sea and the glowering menace of Napoleon’s onshore gun batteries—which Hornblower must deal with as he sails his ship to the Spanish station.

Review:
I absolutely loved both the beginning and ending of this book, the latter especially. I am going to have to check out the sequel far more quickly than I had planned. The middle section dragged a little bit, however, and I think it part of the problem was because during that section, Hornblower wasn’t able to command his ship in independent action. (He’s, like, the Jack Bauer of the Napoleonic War when left to his own devices.)

This volume was a lot more gruesome than the last, but I didn’t think it was excessive, just a very grim reality of war. There’s also more about the internal structure of command, now that Hornblower has to work in concert with some other ships. The introduction of Admiral Leighton adds an interesting dynamic, though I want to smack him soundly.

I must note that Hornblower, with his ability for mental calculation, could very easily tread into too-perfect territory if not deftly written. Thankfully, it’s abundantly clear that he is thoroughly and genuinely miserable and self-conscious, and thus can be sympathetically regarded as a hero.

From the back cover:
In Beat to Quarters, it’s June 1808 and a still young Hornblower is captain of the 36-gun frigate Lydia. He sets his course for Spain and Nicaragua in his ongoing quest to cut Napoleon’s lines wherever he crosses them.

Review:
There are two ways one might choose to read the Hornblower series. The first is to read them in order of publication, in which case one starts with Beat to Quarters, and the second is to read them in chronological order, in which case one starts with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. After some consideration, I opted to take the former path, with the notion that the first novel written would contain the most by way of introductory material.

It is, therefore, without reading any of the adventures Hornblower has in his earlier days, that I first encounter him as a thirty-seven year old captain, self-doubting and self-conscious, complex and fascinating. He hides behind a gruff exterior, so aware of how he is seen in the eyes of his crew that he stifles himself on many an occasion. He’s… well, he’s almost Darcy!

Even though I know nothing about naval matters, I had no problems following the action in the book. Forester doesn’t merely focus on battles, though they’re not neglected, but also on more pressing yet unglamorous affairs of sailing life, like obtaining sufficient provisions and making necessary repairs. Moreover, he manages to make all these things interesting. I also loved how all of the crew’s successes are due to experience, training, and a great deal of hard work, not some random deus ex machina.

Lastly, the character of Lady Barbara, while not fully fleshed out in and of herself, is used as a catalyst to challenge some of Hornblower’s preconceived notions about women (he likes “clinging incompetence”), and all the bits concerning their interaction are great. I hope we see her again in future books.