Rating: 
Summary: Naval hero helps end the war.
Review: After recovering from the typhus and attending to ceremonies of the knights of the bath, Commodore Hornblower is sent to Le Havre in Normandy to intervene in some mutineers who are demanding a pardon on threat of turning their ship over to the French. In typical Hornblower fashion he captures a very large French cargo vessel, the mutineers ship and another French navel vessel all in a couple of days. But Hornblower isn't done yet. He negotiates with the Mayor of Le Havre to turn against Napoleon with British naval support. Hornblower sails into the harbor with a few hundred marines and takes over. For some weeks he is bound up in administration of the port and it's defenses. A French siege army approaches but a daring row up river blows up their siege guns and powder. Captain Bush is killed in the explosion. The crown prince of France arrives and a whole entourage, along with Lady Barbara. With his army defeated in the south and Normandy held against him, Napoleon abdicates. Hornblower and the crown prince sail up the Seine toward Paris. For his achievements and for political reasons Hornblower is appointed "Lord Hornblower." Lady Barbara goes to Vienna with her brother for political peace talks, so Hornblower visits his friend from "Flying Colors." While he's there Napoleon retakes the country and Hornblower leads a small resistance force tying up several thousand men who might have made a difference elsewhere at Waterloo. There is plenty to like in Lord Hornblower, bravery and wit overcoming long odds at sea, adventures in politics and the splendor of the court. The saga continues.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult and unusual tasks
Review: An initially bleak tale of storm and mutiny in the old British Navy is elegantly told as only Forester has done. The pioneering modern writer of naval sail novels, he set a standard occasionally matched but never surpassed nor so elegant. One of the things that separates Forester's (and initially O'Brian and Pope's) novels is the parallel lives of loved ones ashore whom we occasionally glimpse. This depth of story confers a sense of larger life in a more real world than seaborne battle and naval intrigue alone can do.
This book especially is full of the pathos of life, and the vicissitudes of love-of a crew for the Commodore, for spouse or lover, royal or commoner, and Horatio for his long subordinates Bush and Brown. It is a story of passions, of mutiny or loyalty to country and crew, battlelust and lust of woman, "Boney" and the apathy of peace. Powerful emotions are stirred here. Hornblower is clever at sea but faces disaster on land. The cover art is once again bleak and dark in this Back Bay edition, more redolent of the pain than of the excitement to be found within.
Rating:
Summary: 4 guerilla campaigns with HH on land
Review: C.S. Forester had tremendous success writing 3 Hornblower novellas before World War II followed by Commodore Hornblower after the war. Lord Hornblower sees our hero through the completion of the Napoleonic Wars. While Forester would continue to write Hornblower novels, filling in details from Hornblower's earlier life, the later ones chronologically have the most suspense as the reader really doesn't know how successful HH will be. Still, while very good, Lord Hornblower is not his best in the series. When created, Hornblower may have been unique as an action hero. Here was a man who, although he was brave, intelligent and daring, was plagued by self-doubt and guilt. Before deconstruction became literary vogue, Forester deconstructed the action hero. Forester's genius and inspiring message was in portraying Hornblower with such human weaknesses, yet having him rise to overcome them. In the best of the series Forester successfully balanced Hornblower's self-criticism and analysis with breath-taking naval action. Unfortunately, little of Lord Hornblower takes place at sea. Lord Hornblower starts in fine HH tradition with the recently recovered Hornblower sent to France with a hopeless mission. He must persuade mutineers to turn themselves over so that they can be hanged. Can Hornblower get out of the quandary and brilliantly take advantage of opportunities? Of course he can. However, the book continues as Napoleon is forced to abdicate. The rest of the novel takes place on land. There is more action at the end when Napoleon returns in 1815 for the Hundred Days however the exploits don't compare to those of the past and the naval exploits are non-existent. Lord Hornblower is perhaps the must introspective of the series and not a bad novel by any means. Less than optimum Forester is still better than most material available today. It just doesn't match up to the Captain Hornblower trilogy and Commodore Hornblower. There are no bad entries in the series but this one is the weakest. With the exception of Hornblower and the Atropos, it's also the most tragic. It's still worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Good adventure reading
Review: Get this one and see if it quells your appetite. It won't, but you'll be in the company of the rest of us. Read it again in a couple of years. I've done it half a dozen times.
Rating: 
Summary: The end of the wars.
Review: Hornblowers 2nd to last book details his actions and the Napoleonic wars finally draw to a close. Several loose ends in the series are tied up. We start with Hornblower summoned to quelch an uprising on a British Brig and end with a Chase through the French Countryside during the hundred days. Hornblower is as ever both dynamic and self doubting. His bursts of temper give the book some style as he tries to cope with post war life with Napoleon safely at Elba... ...or so the world thinks. This side of the character which is expanded on in the final book is just as interesting as the rest of the books which shows that good character development and fine writing make a series. Not just roaring guns. Of course the roaring guns don't hurt either...
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting tape!
Review: If you love books on tape as I do you'll love this rendition of our magnificent hero - Horatio Hornblower. Ioan Gruffudd is magical in the reading of this abridged version and most expertly brings his many characters alive - both male and female with the use of different tones and cadences. What I also found most charming were the solo piano pieces between "chapters" - a perfect combination with the rich and romantic voice of Mr. Gruffudd. Perfect listening for those long commutes.
Rating:
Summary: The ninth book in the Hornblower series.
Review: It is 1813 and Lord Hornblower has been given the task to rescue Lieutenant Chadwick from the mutinous crew of the Flame. Force does not seem to be the answer, but if Hornblower does not do something the crew threaten to turn the ship over to the FRENCH! And THEN he has to deal with a Prince of France and his wife Barbara meets his mistress Marie!
Rating:
Summary: The ninth book in the Hornblower series.
Review: It is 1813 and Lord Hornblower has been given the task to rescue Lieutenant Chadwick from the mutinous crew of the Flame. Force does not seem to be the answer, but if Hornblower does not do something the crew threaten to turn the ship over to the FRENCH! And THEN he has to deal with a Prince of France and his wife Barbara meets his mistress Marie!
Rating:
Summary: Duty, Seizing Initiative, and Painful Conflicts!
Review: Lord Hornblower continues C.S. Forester's masterful examination of the trials of a conflicted soul, the publicly admired Commodore Sir Horatio Hornblower. Hornblower is married to the woman of his dreams, Lady Barbara, and is enjoying raising his young son, Richard, while Hornblower recovers successfully from typhus contracted during the Baltic campaign described in Commodore Hornblower. All seems well. His biggest immediate problem as the book opens is that he is both bored and uncomfortable sitting through a ceremony for the Knights of the Bath, of which he is one. Suddenly, a messenger breaks in to call away the First Lord of the Admiralty. Looking troubled, Lord St. Vincent immediately sends for Hornblower while the ceremony continues. A group of British naval seamen has mutinied against a tyrannical captain who had abused his authority, and now the seamen want to be granted amnesty . . . or they will defect to the French. Lying just outside of two French harbors, this is a very real threat. Hornblower asks for and is given orders to handle the situation as he sees fit. But he knows that amnesty can never be granted without undermining the discipline of the service. How will Hornblower handle this? He doesn't know, but he's soon on his way into a massive storm. Surely, the mutineers realize that they will dance at the end of a rope if they surrender. Is this the end of Hornblower's fabulous reputation? Set at the very end of the Napoleon Wars, Lord Hornblower shows once again that even the most dire situations are filled with opportunity . . . and peril. This book is most like Flying Colours of the earlier novels, in that the action at sea is very limited while the time spent on land in France is extensive. Hornblower also meets with his old friends from that novel, M. le Comte and Mme. la Vicomtesse de Gracay. As peace nears, it creates new challenges for Hornblower. Never a man to enjoy the salon, he finds that the demands of his wife's family bringing both Lady Barbara and he into increased social interactions with royalty and political leaders. These interactions are despised by Hornblower, and life loses its zest for him. How will he recapture the spirited focus that beating Boney has provided him over the last 20 years? The Hornblower marriage is also put to new strains by the prospects of peace, and Hornblower finds himself tempted to stand aside from his role as Lady Barbara's social escort. How will Lady Barbara and her powerful brothers react? Lord Hornblower reminds me of the story of Adam and Eve after they have tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Hornblower knows himself better now, and also learns new things about Lady Barbara that had escaped him. He has new experiences that further add to his knowledge in this book. As a result, he's a more mature person, but a much more troubled one. With his greater reputation, influence, and wealth, he's also more inclined to stick his oar in to do what he thinks should be done . . . regardless of the consequences. The results are not always pretty for Hornblower, or for those who depend on him. How does the warrior adapt to peace? Like in the StarTrek move, "The Undiscovered Country" you will find that it is a hard thing to do. Vigilance is also needed, lest the peace be lost. Has some problem in your life become so continuing and pervasive that it dominates your perspective on everything? What would you do if you solved that problem, or it simply went away? Are you prepared to build from the fruits of your solution? Or will losing the problem be like losing a crutch instead, leaving you feeling crippled? Look, think, and act for what is ahead . . . or be perpetually chained to what has been!
Rating: 
Summary: Good for half of it
Review: This book started out so well. After Horatio Hornblower's triumph in the Baltic, he is assigned an incredibly difficult duty. He is to take back a ship that has mutinied against one of the most brutal captains in the Royal Navy. The ship is only a few miles from escaping to France and recapturing it is going to take all of Hornblower's ingenuity.
When Lord Hornblower was dealing with this subject, I found it thrilling and captivating. But halfway through, it changes to Hornblower entering France and taking part in the rebellion against the tottering Napoleon. It was then that the novel ground to a screeching halt. Hornblower's attempts to deal with the crown prince of France are amazingly dull and his later guerilla campaign was unbelievable. Perhaps I was turned off by a developement with Bush halfway through that was abrupt and cold. But for some reason, the last half of his book dragged for me -- a situation I'd never experienced before in a Hornblower book. I would probably still recommend purchasing this book if you've come this far. But don't get your hopes up. This is a low point in the series.
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