Two week ago my father and I were talking books (as usual) and he showed me his 25th anniversary edition of On Basilisk Station by David Weber and discussed how much we enjoyed the Honor Harrington books. Dad brought up that Weber was influenced by the Horatio Hornblower books that he read sections of to me as a kid. In fact the dedication to On Basilisk Station is, "To C.S. Forester, With thanks for hours of enjoyment, years of inspiration, and a lifetime of admiration." I didn't think to check if Audible had any of the Hornblower books available but while perusing one of the sales on Audible they had this first book available for $5. Since I was picking up another story on Audible I grabbed it as well. Here is the link to the Audible page for the book. It was narrated by Christian Rodska who did a good job of providing different voices for characters and an enjoyable experience. I can see where Weber was inspired but as the stories are such completely different times and technologies I had no difficulty in enjoying them both for where they are. Forester uses the nautical terminology through the book, but context and limited explanation are sufficient for understanding.
Plot: Horatio Hornblower is a young lowly midshipman (junior naval officer) in the British Royal Navel. In his late teens our story begins with his first assignment and carries us through his adventures as a midshipman. Beginning his career on a worn down battleship at the mercy of a cruel man, bitter with ineligibility for promotion Hornblower finds miserable. So miserable in fact that when given the opportunity he challenges his tormentor to a duel because he figures his suffering will end either way. Luckily, his career does not end there and a transfer to a frigate presents him a multitude of opportunities to prove his worth. From leading a prize crew bringing a captured merchant man to friendly port to directing swivel gun fire on enemy ships Hornblower is able to show competence and quick thinking on every adventure. Unfortunately, he is not infallible and he pays the price for his mistakes and misfortunes. But in the end his honor, skill, and wit help him to carry the day.
My personal favorites: It was fun to read a sailing adventure. There are things that sailing ships have to be mindful of in order to be successful. Modern stories of ships (such as Red Storm Rising and Hunt for Red October) don't have to worry about wind and waves. There was a real skill to piloting a sailing vessel and the elements where unconquerable. Hornblower was also a fantastic character as he was clearly the best man for the job, but he was never perfect. I loved the many adventures and the pacing of the book and found the collection of vignettes of stories of his adventures very fun.
Considerations: There was no graphic language of any kind: not in violence, gore, sensuality or course language. Despite the theme, swearing was kept to an extreme minimal. The only reason I might hold of on reading this to my children would be that the language is rather elaborate and the nautical terms used. In many ways it reminds me of King Solomon's Mines in the way it was written. Perhaps that is not surprising considering the era Forester was writing about.
I look forward to picking up the other books in the series. It was a great listen and gives me a new era of story, both in when it was written and about which it is written. With all my fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary fiction some good old-fashion naval battles and adventures are a great palate cleanser and are always an enjoyable experience. The total length was just under 8 and a half hours.
Plot: Horatio Hornblower is a young lowly midshipman (junior naval officer) in the British Royal Navel. In his late teens our story begins with his first assignment and carries us through his adventures as a midshipman. Beginning his career on a worn down battleship at the mercy of a cruel man, bitter with ineligibility for promotion Hornblower finds miserable. So miserable in fact that when given the opportunity he challenges his tormentor to a duel because he figures his suffering will end either way. Luckily, his career does not end there and a transfer to a frigate presents him a multitude of opportunities to prove his worth. From leading a prize crew bringing a captured merchant man to friendly port to directing swivel gun fire on enemy ships Hornblower is able to show competence and quick thinking on every adventure. Unfortunately, he is not infallible and he pays the price for his mistakes and misfortunes. But in the end his honor, skill, and wit help him to carry the day.My personal favorites: It was fun to read a sailing adventure. There are things that sailing ships have to be mindful of in order to be successful. Modern stories of ships (such as Red Storm Rising and Hunt for Red October) don't have to worry about wind and waves. There was a real skill to piloting a sailing vessel and the elements where unconquerable. Hornblower was also a fantastic character as he was clearly the best man for the job, but he was never perfect. I loved the many adventures and the pacing of the book and found the collection of vignettes of stories of his adventures very fun.
Considerations: There was no graphic language of any kind: not in violence, gore, sensuality or course language. Despite the theme, swearing was kept to an extreme minimal. The only reason I might hold of on reading this to my children would be that the language is rather elaborate and the nautical terms used. In many ways it reminds me of King Solomon's Mines in the way it was written. Perhaps that is not surprising considering the era Forester was writing about.
I look forward to picking up the other books in the series. It was a great listen and gives me a new era of story, both in when it was written and about which it is written. With all my fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary fiction some good old-fashion naval battles and adventures are a great palate cleanser and are always an enjoyable experience. The total length was just under 8 and a half hours.
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