C.S. Forester - Hornblower

Is there anyone here that has read and enjoyed the Horatio Hornblower books by CS Forester?

I first got into them when A&E had their miniseries based on the books and quickly found that the books were magnificent.

I suppose that it helps that I was always into the "Tall Ship" era, be it pirates or the Royal Navy. The Napoleonic wars were also an interest of mine and these brought together some of my favorite subjects. I guess it was impossible not to like them.

If I had to pick one as my favorite, I would have to choose Hornblower and the Hotspur. I love how it is about Hornblower pretty much cutting his teeth as "Captain" of a ship. He learns lessons from his mistakes and is not afraid to be a man of action, risking his ship and his life.

bearilou said:

I have not read the books but like you, saw the miniseries and enjoyed them.

Looks like I'll have to investigate the books now.

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You will definitely enjoy the books if you enjoyed the TV series. The books are, of course, much better. There really isn't a bad one in the bunch. It is a shame that the last one that Forester was working on was left incomplete due to his death. It was shaping up to be an awesome novel.

I would suggest reading them in order of Hornblower's career rather than the order in which they were written.