C. S. Forester

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 … [Read more...] about Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester: B+

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 … [Read more...] about Lord Hornblower by C. S. Forester: A

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 … [Read more...] about Commodore Hornblower by C. S. Forester: A-

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 … [Read more...] about Flying Colours by C. S. Forester: A-

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 … [Read more...] about Ship of the Line by C. S. Forester: A-