Rating: 
Summary: carrying out duty in a challenging environment
Review: Forester brings forth a crisp view of the misfortunes encountered by the British frigate, Lydia. Its orders were to seek an alliance with a rebel government against Spanish America and to take, sink, burn or destroy a ship with three times the firepower of the Lydia. The book displays the shrewdness of its captain, Horatio Hornblower, who's calculated leadership accomplishes its duties and does it with effienciency. However there are twists in the plot that derail Hornblower's orders from the admirality in the Pacific as well as the need to take on board a female passenger seeking a way home due to unforseen circumstances. One note to take interest in the book is the introspection from the captain. As the captain of the ship, Hornblower must seem imperturbed even in the most distressful situations in order to maintain calm amongst his crew. But in private Hornblower anguishes about keeping the crew in control, maintain the operation of the ship, devising the tactics of the battle of maneuvering the ship and determining when to fire upon an enemy ship, as well as other problems that can come up. He also has a wife in England whom he thinks about. The female passenger in the book didn't really develop a romantic relationship until the second to the last chapter and the author isn't very thorough in developing those kinds of plots anyway. The battles were the most intriguing in the book and the aftermath of both battles left the captain with some challenging problems of which you needed to read on in order to find out.
All in all one of the better books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Which Came First? The chicken or the egg.
Review: Forester may have helped create the genre of historical naval novels, but , quite frankly... Patrick O'Brian was the more capable writer. Forester's Hornblower is a cardboard figure compared to O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey. Perhaps O'Brian's work could be considered "derivative"... but this would be a good example of the pupil trumping his Master. As light reading, with a fascinating dose of well-researched 19th C. naval history, I think O'Brian is the place to start, despite the "longevity" of the Hornblower saga. But.. reading both authors will give you material to form your own opinions about their relative merits.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not as good as Aubrey/Maturin series
Review: Hornblower series are not bad. Unfortunately, I read Aubrey/Maturin (which is much, much better) first. Basically, one could classify the Hornblower series as very good adventure, as opposed to Aubrey/Maturin, which could be classified as very good literature. I started with Midshipman Hornblower, which is probably the best book in the series, and recommend the sequence of reading published on the cover of the books. If you have not read O'Brien yet - good for you!! Start with Hornblower to warm up (it's only 11 books), and then sink your teeth in Master and Commander of Aubrey/Maturin (20 books).
Rating: 
Summary: This is clearly the best of the Hornblower series.
Review: I am an avid reader of sea novels, and I truly believe this is the best I've ever read. It manages to keep a good deal of action going throughout, but the presence of the character of Lady Barbara allows the human side of Hornblower's character to develop as well. I normally consider Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series to be superior, but this one novel rivals any of O'Brian's.
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing and enjoyable, but heavy on the jargon
Review: I came to Forester's series on the "recommendation" of David Weber, who attributes to Forester's Hornblower the inspiration for his highly enjoyable space opera Honor Harrington series. Having read only the first, I must say I am glad I took the time to read (or listen) to it, as Horatio Hornblower is a character that one can like, admire, and sympathize with, even having never served in the military. I found Hornblower to be a character of great depth. While I pity his self-deprication, I admire him for it. I see the contradiction, the struggle in him, and I sympathize. I admire his sense of duty and his willingness to carry it out. I admire his compassion in a compassionless business, but his duty takes prescedence. While I don't always agree with him, he is a believable and likable character. I don't know if Forester assumed that everyone who would read his novels was a seaman or if everyone in Britain in the 1940's WAS a seaman, but there is a great deal of jargon in the novel. I'm afraid that, having grown up in suburban America, I have no idea what the difference between a mizzenmast and a mainmast, what a forecastle is, which one is the quarterdeck, or (I looked up the others but still can't figure this one out) why they would SAND the decks for Hornblower's morning walks. I'd rather NOT have to look these things up in order to enjoy the book. Forester has no gift for dialogue; there is not much speaking in the books, but for some reason, though I love dialogue, I don't mind it that much. I wish he would have dwelt more on some of the conversations between Hornblower and Lady Barbara, but I can live without them. Their relationship grows in a believable way nevertheless. I am told this is the best book to start the Hornblower series with, and I believe it. It explains some of the relevant nuances the of Post-Napoleonic British Navy to the reader and gives a true feel for what it MIGHT be like to be a Captain in His Majesty's Navy. Despite the jargon, I did not feel like I was missing anything. A good book overall. I will read the rest.
Rating:
Summary: In my opinion the best Hornblower book written.
Review: I first read BEAT TO QUARTERS when I borrowed it from a public library in 1940. It is now 1998 and the third copy of the book is in my book case, the other two copies, being paper-backs, having been read until worn out. I might add that, in my opinion, any aspiring writer would do well to read Forester, not to copy his style, but to realise that any good author can entertain, but only the great can enthrall; and only the greatest can make you "see" a character (even a minor one) in only two short lines of print. His death robbed the reading world of one of its most readable authors.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading!
Review: I understand that this is the first Hornblower book written. That explains a lot. It is actually the sixth, chronologically, in Hornblower's career. First of all, Lieutenant Bush is back. But, it is not too well described the relationship and history between Bush and Hornblower. But, this is the first book written, so at the time of writing, there wasn't any history.... Anyway, Hornblower is his typical self. Very unsure of his skills and abilities and far too worried about keeping up his image in front of the men. The story is excellent. A seven month voyage on a secret mission. Hornblower follows his orders explicitly. Never to touch land until his destination. Well, imagine how the world of politics can change in seven months. Hornblower has had no new information about the war since he left England. Enemies are now friends. Friends are now enemies. As for the action scenes.... This is one of the best described ship to ship sequences I have ever read. As usual, Hornblower is outgunned. However, he has the smaller faster ship and is able to outmeneuver his opponent. The battle lasts well over 12 hours of his time. It is interupted by a driving storm and night. At dawn, the enemy is sighted. There is little or no wind. Hornblowers lowers the boats and begins a stern chase by being towed. As he closes, the other ship uses it's heavier weight of iron to deliver broadside after broadside at extreme range. Hornblower has to endure this for several hours before his smaller guns are within range. At that point, the training and discipline of the English sailors takes it's toll. With the politics aside, this book is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: If you aren't reading this series you should be
Review: If you are reading it you have to have this one. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: If you aren't reading this series you should be
Review: If you are reading it you have to have this one. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Start with this one.
Review: If you're new to the Hornblower series, start with this one. Then read Ship of the Line, then Flying Colors. The three are practically a triptych, whereas the others all feel like they have space between them. Also, since Forester actually wrote Beat To Quarters first, there's in 'introductory' quality to it that no other book in the series has. The series compares favorably with the Aubrey/Maturin series I think. Odd that they were both cut short by the deaths of their respective authors. In short, start with this and the next two as a trilogy, then proceed in any order you want.
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