NLS/BPH: Minibibliographies, The Horatio Hornblower Series by C.S. Forester Home > Bibliographies > Minibibliographies > The Horatio Hornblower Series by C.S. Forester NLS Minibibliographies The Horatio Hornblower Series by C.S. Forester Content last modified December 2014 Introduction In 1927, C.S. Forester purchased three volumes of The Naval Chronicle from 1790 to 1820. For the Chronicle, officers of the Royal Navy wrote articles on strategy, seamanship, gunnery, and other professional topics of interest to their colleagues. The Chronicle for those years covered the wars with Napoleon. Reading these volumes and traveling by freighter from California to Central America allowed the germination of the character Horatio Hornblower as a member of the Royal Navy in the late eighteenth century. By the time Forester's journey brought him home to England, the former medical student-turned-writer had plotted Beat to Quarters, and it was published in 1937.

A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were published soon after, and in 1939 all three appeared as Captain Horatio Hornblower. Forester's interest in the Romantic period and the political and military maneuvers of the early 1800s continued, and the Hornblower saga was produced. Subsequent volumes in the series were sequels to the original trilogy or filled in its gaps. The episodic quality of the novels is due partly to their having appeared serially in magazines, primarily the Saturday Evening Post. Most of the books were written around the time of World War II, which influenced Forester to concentrate on strong military leaders and heroic deeds in the earlier world war he described. Hornblower's complexity has endeared him to readers. He is cynical but compassionate, courageous but not without fear. Self-conscious and socially unconfident, his marriage is a mismatch, and he finds himself in love with the Duke of Wellington's sister. Above all he is a consummate seaman, deserving of the loyalty of his men.

The achievement of Forester, who led a quiet, contemplative life and suffered from serious illness, was that in conjuring up person, period, and place--rousing sea battles, eventual shore life, England, France, Central America--he made it easy for readers to believe they were there. In England, Beat to Quarters was published as The Happy Return. Captain Horatio Hornblower appeared as a motion picture in 1951. Following are the books of the Horatio Hornblower series in the order in which they should be read according to the Fiction Catalog, Twelfth Edition, 1991. Dates are the original dates of publication. All of the books listed are available from NLS network library collections. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower The early career of Horatio Hornblower of the British Royal Navy is traced in a series of adventurous episodes. They illustrate the quick thinking, brilliant intuition, and decisiveness characteristic of our hero and leave him with the rank of lieutenant. 1950 DB 26915 Commander Hornblower marries Maria in England and soon afterward sails for duty off the French coast.

War breaks out with France, involving Hornblower in a land raid and in several sea battles. 1962 DB 46118 Hornblower during the Crisis, and Two Stories: "Hornblower's Temptation" and "The Last Encounter" Hornblower receives a promotion to captain and is relieved of his command of the Hotspur in this last-to-be-written and incomplete novel. When the new captain is court-martialed, Horatio is asked to testify. In "Hornblower's Temptation," which takes place before the events in Lieutenant Hornblower, an Irishman condemned to die wants Hornblower to undertake an apparently innocuous assignment. "The Last Encounter," truly the end of the saga, concerns a meeting with Napoleon in 1848. 1967 DB 41649 Horatio Hornblower | Hornblower | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Hornblower, the son of a doctor, was born on July 4 , 1776 (the date of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence ) in Hythe , Kent .

He was given a classical education, and by the time he joined the Royal Navy at age seventeen, he was well-versed in Greek and Latin . He was tutored in French by a penniless French emigré and had an aptitude for mathematics, which served him well as a navigator . Early career Edit Hornblower's early exploits were many and varied. Joining the Royal Navy as a midshipman , he fended off fire ships which interrupted his first (disastrous) examination for promotion to lieutenant . Still only an acting lieutenant, he was given command of the sloop Le Rêve , which blundered into a Spanish fleet in the fog, resulting in Hornblower's capture and imprisonment in Ferrol . He was finally confirmed as a commissioned lieutenant while still a prisoner of war . His daring rescue of some sailors from a shipwreck, and his honourable adherence to the parole he had given, was rewarded by his Spanish captors by his release. His captivity left him with a fluent knowledge of Spanish , which proved highly useful in several further adventures. As a junior lieutenant, he served under Captain James Sawyer , who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia on a trip to the Caribbean , during which he began his long friendship with William Bush .

Returning to England , Hornblower was demobilised during the Peace of Amiens , causing him great financial distress -- he resorted to making a living as a professional gambler. He was employed for the Long Rooms , playing whist for a modest income. During this time, Hornblower took up residence in Portsmouth , in Mrs. Mason 's boarding house. In 1803 , he was reactivated and given command of a sloop of war. Mrs. Mason's daughter, was incredibly distraught at this development. Out of pity, Hornblower proposed marriage. Maria happily accepted. He had been confirmed as Commander of HMS Hotspur when hostilities resumed against Napoleon . After gruelling service during the Blockade of Brest , he finally was promoted to captain and recalled to England. Once there, he met the secretary of the Admirality and post rank is conferred immediately when Hornblower agreed to take part in a clandestine operation that eventually lead to the resounding English victory at the Battle of Trafalgar that cost Horatio Nelson his life. Hornblower then organised Nelson's funeral procession along the River Thames and had to deal with the near-sinking of the barge conveying the hero's coffin.

Later, he secretly recovered sunken gold and silver from a sunken ship on the bottom of Marmorice Bay within the Ottoman Empire with the aid of pearl divers from Ceylon , narrowly escaping a Turkish warship at the end. Upon unloading the treasure and refitting, his ship was taken away from him to be given to the King of the Two Sicilies for diplomatic reasons. On his return to England, he found his two young children dying of smallpox . He later made a long, difficult voyage in command of the frigate HMS Lydia , round the Horn to the Pacific, where he supported a madman, El Supremo , in his rebellion against the Spanish. He captured the Natividad , a much more powerful Spanish ship of the line, then had to reluctantly cede it to El Supremo to placate him. When he found that the Spanish had switched sides in the interim, he was forced to find and sink the ship he had captured. On his return voyage, he and his well-connected passenger, Lady Barbara Wellesley , the younger sister of Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington ) became dangerously attracted to each other.

Later career Edit After these exploits, he was given command of HMS Sutherland, a seventy four gun ship of the line . While waiting at his Mediterranean rendezvous point for the rest of his squadron - and its commander, Admiral Leighton - to arrive, he carried out a series of raids against the French along the south coast of Spain. He learned that a French squadron of four ships of the line was loose, having slipped the blockade. He decides that his duty required that he fight at four-to-one odds to prevent them from entering a well-protected harbour. In the process, his ship was crippled and, with two-thirds of the crew incapacitated, he surrendered to the French. He was sent with his coxswain, Brown , and his injured first lieutenant, Bush, to Paris for a show trial and execution. During the journey, Hornblower and his companions escaped, and after a winter sojourn at the chateau of the Comte de Graçay , navigated down the Loire river to the coastal city of Nantes . There, he recaptured a Royal Navy cutter , the Witch of Endor , manned the vessel with a gang of slave labourers and escaped to the Channel Fleet . He is very smart.

Hornblower faced a court-martial for the loss of the Sutherland but was "most honourably acquitted." Among the honours he received was a knighthood . When he arrived home, he discovered that his first wife Maria had died in childbirth and that his infant son, Richard, has been adopted and cared for by Lady Barbara. As she had been widowed by the death of her husband, Hornblower's former commander, Admiral Leighton , they were free (after a decent interval) to marry. Barbara was more beautiful, cleverer and far richer than the poor Maria (whom Hornblower had more pitied than loved). Thereafter, he lived (uncomfortably) as a country squire in Kent. Freedom from this purgatory came when he was promoted to commodore and sent on a mission to the Baltic Sea , where he was to be a diplomat as much as an officer. He foiled an assassination attempt on the Russian Czar and was influential in the ruler's decision to resist the French invasion of his vast country. He provided invaluable assistance in the defence of Riga against the French army, where he met Carl von Clausewitz .

He returned ill with Typhus to England, yet soon after his recovery went off to deal with mutineers off the coast of France. After taking the mutinous ship by trickery, he sets up the return of the Bourbons to France, and was created a peer as Baron Hornblower, of Boxley in the County of Kent. When Napoleon returned from exile at the start of the Hundred Days , Hornblower is staying at the estate of the Comte de Graçay. He lead a Royalist Guerrilla movement; after capture by the French, he was about to be shot under an earlier warrant for his execution when he was saved by news of Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo . After several years ashore, he was promoted to Admiral and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the West Indies . He foiled an attempt by veterans of Napoleon's Imperial Guard to free Napoleon from his captivity on Saint Helena , captured a slave ship , and encountered Simón Bolívar 's army. He retired to Kent and eventually becomes Admiral of the Fleet. His final, improbable achievement occurred at his home, when he assisted a seemingly-mad man claiming to be Napoleon to travel to France.

That person turned out to be Napoleon III , the nephew of Hornblower's great nemesis and the future president (and later emperor in his own right) of France. For his assistance, Lord Hornblower was created a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour . At the end of his long and heroic career, he was wealthy, famous, and contented; a loving and indulgent husband and father; and finally free of the insecurities and self-loathing that had driven him throughout his life. Traits and Personality Edit Horatio Hornblower was chiefly characterized by his courage and integrity. He regarded himself as defiant and resourceful. His introverted nature continually isolated him from the people around him, including his closest friend, William Bush , and his wives never fully understood him. He suffered from severe seasickness (like Horatio Nelson ) at the beginning of his voyages and played excellent whist ; he was tone-deaf and found music an incomprehensible irritant. He was philosophically opposed to flogging and capital punishment , to the extent that on one occasion he contrived an escape for his personal steward who would otherwise have been hanged for striking a superior.

Hornblower's ships Edit Horatio Hornblower was created by author C. S. Forester , who wrote 11 books about the character between 1937 and 1967. Hornblower is iconic in Age of Sail traditional naval fiction . There are many parallels between Hornblower and real naval officers of the period, especially Thomas Cochrane and Horatio Nelson . The name "Horatio" was inspired by the character in William Shakespeare 's Hamlet and chosen also because of its association with contemporary figures such as Nelson . [1] Published in 2012, The Jamaican Affair of 1805 was written by John Mahon,with permission of Forester's family to include the period immediately after Hornblower and the Crisis. The Hornblower novels and short stories Flying Colours , The Commodore , Lord Hornblower , and Hornblower in the West Indies make up a third omnibus edition called Admiral Hornblower to fill out the series. The Hornblower short stories Edit Three short stories by C. S. Forester about Hornblower were also published in 1940 and 1941.

The stories are: Hornblower's Charitable Offering (aka The Bad Samaritan), published in Argosy , May 1941, and was originally intended as a chapter for A Ship of the Line. Hornblower and His Majesty, in Collier's , March 1940, and in Argosy, March 1941. The Hand of Destiny, in Collier's, November 1940. Two other stories Hornblower and the Widow McCool (aka Hornblower's Temptation) (1967) and The Last Encounter (1967), are often included with the unfinished novel Hornblower and the Crisis. Another short story The Point And The Edge is included as an outline only in The Hornblower Companion (1964), a book in which Forester describes and illustrates with maps the incidents which his fictional hero experienced, and describes how the novels were written, what inspired them and how they relate to the real world of the Royal Navy.

Hornblower in other media Lost book by Hornblower author reveals CS Forester's hidden talents - Telegraph Books Lost book by Hornblower author reveals CS Forester's hidden talents A "lost" book by the Horatio Hornblower author, CS Forester, is to be published for the first time Horatio Hornblower 1951 Film Roya Nikkhah, Arts Correspondent 10:15AM BST 16 Oct 2011 He made his name with tales of valiant battles fought by his naval hero, Horatio Hornblower. But CS Forester's hidden talent as a racy thriller writer with a penchant for steamy scenes and risqué plot lines, is to be revealed when a "lost" book by the author is published for the first time. Written in 1935, The Pursued depicts murder, incest and illicit love affairs in a plot leagues removed from Hornblower's derring-do escapades at sea, immortalised onscreen by the Hollywood actors Gregory Peck and Ioan Gruffudd.

Described as a "dark, twisted tale of murder, lust and retribution," the recently rediscovered book tells the story of Marjorie, an unhappy London housewife who returns home one evening to find her younger sister, Dot, dead in the kitchen with her head in the oven. Although an inquest returns a verdict of suicide, revealing that the unmarried Dot was pregnant, Marjorie and her mother become suspicious of Marjorie's overbearing husband, Ted. Related Articles You can kiss Nelson goodbye 12 Aug 2000 During her attempt to unveil the truth about Dot's death, Marjorie begins an affair with the family's lodger, George. Secret liaisons and more murder ensue. Published next month, The Pursued has been eagerly anticipated by Forester fans and hailed as a "miraculous discovery" which sheds new light on an author traditionally associated with the Napoleonic wars. Forester wrote The Happy Return, the first of the 12 Hornblower books, on a boat journey back to Britain from America where he had been writing a film script in Hollywood.

Upon arriving back in London, he wrote The Pursued and sent it to the offices of his publishers, Michael Joseph, in London and Boston. But after visiting Spain during the civil war in 1936, Forester decided that the 19th-century Peninsular War between France and the allied powers of Spain, Britain and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsular, would make a good subject for the second Hornblower novel and subsequent series of books. Concerned that a racy thriller with a plucky but adulterous housewife as its heroine would jar with the Hornblower series, Forester asked to delay publication of The Pursued. As the success of the Hornblower series soared, The Pursued manuscripts were forgotten and later lost. In a mysterious twist, one of the manuscripts, complete with Forester's annotations, emerged at auction in 2002. Sold by an anonymous vendor, it was bought for £1,200 by two members of the CS Forester Society, and will be published by Penguin on November 3. Lawrence Brewer, the treasurer of the society and co-owner of the manuscript, said: "The thrill of the chase in discovering this book has been extraordinary.

Though Forester referred to it, nobody thought it would ever surface again having been lost for so many years. It could not be more different to the Hornblower books, which makes it even more exciting." In Forester's 1967 autobiography, Long Before Forty, he lamented the loss of The Pursued: "There is the matter of the lost novel, which I find almost inexplicable. I wish I could remember more about that novel. It was contemporary, and it contained at least one murder and a hint of incest, and the principal characters (I think) were women, but I cannot recover any additional details. "Every three or four years, something reminds me of it, and then I forget about it again.

It is just possible that the typescripts still exist, that they lie forgotten and gathering dust, in rarely entered storerooms in Boston and Bloomsbury; some day someone may find himself in one of those storerooms and wonder vaguely what is this wad of typescript he has stumbled over." The crime novelist Andrew Taylor, said: "The Pursued is a wonderful, miraculous discovery – a hitherto unknown crime novel by an unsung godfather of English noir." An extract from the second Hornblower novel, A Ship of the Line "Hornblower's sword was out, and at the instant of contact he leaped madly from the barge to the guard-boat, choking with excitement and nervousness as he did so. He landed with both feet on someone in the stern, trod him down, and miraculously kept his own footing. There was a white face visible down by his knees, and he kicked at it, wildly, felt a jar up his leg as the kick went home, and at the same moment he cut with all his strength at another head before him.

He felt his sword bite into bone; the boat rolled frightfully under him ..." An extract from The Pursued "Marjorie came into his arms, out of a desert of indecision into a sweet oasis of heedless submission. The bed was there beside them. For one second, like a lightning flash across a darkened sky, the thought came into Marjorie's mind that her husband was a murderer. When it had passed all that remained was a greater eagerness to anticipate this new lover's every wish. [George] Ely was an inexperienced lover, gentle and yet clumsy, infinitely tender while passion tore at him. Marjorie felt her whole heart and soul go out to him, in love." In Which Order Should You Read Horatio Hornblower Novels? By Robert Wilde Updated July 08, 2016. Set primarily during the Napoleonic Wars , C. S. Forester's Hornblower books chronicle the adventures of a British naval officer as he battles the enemy, struggles with life and rises through the ranks.

While newer competitors, particularly Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey and Maturin, have reduced Horatio Hornblower's dominance of the naval genre, he remains the favourite of many, and a well regarded television series attracted an even wider audience who were now able to visualise naval warfare with greater clarity. Unless you're unlucky enough to be trapped somewhere with just one book, newcomers to Hornblower are faced with a key decision: to read the books in the order Forester wrote them, or in the order of their internal chronology. For instance, 'The Happy Return' introduced the world to Hornblower, but the series has five other books with events predating those of 'The Happy Return'. There's no right answer here. Read the books in chronological order and you follow Hornblower through his career and across the development of the Napoleonic Wars. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge In contrast, reading the books in the order of Forester's creation allows for a much easier introduction ('The Happy Return' is deliberately welcoming to new readers) and a chance to miss contradictions, as Forester sometimes changed his mind or made errors and assumptions which are much more obvious in a chronological reading.

The decision will differ depending on each reader, and I have to admit I have no advice to give on the subject, as I have never made my own mind up and didn't read in any specific order! (It was a time before ordering books...) Both orders are as follows (titles in brackets are U.S. titles): Order of Creation (the original and easiest way to read) The Happy Return (Beat to Quarters) A Ship of the Line (Ship of the Line) Flying Colours Hornblower and the Crisis - unfinished* (Hornblower during the Crisis) Hornblower and the Atropos The Happy Return (Beat to Quarters) A Ship of the Line (Ship of the Line) Flying Colours Lord Hornblower Hornblower in the West Indies (Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies) * Many editions of this unfinished novel include two short stories, one set when the hero is a Midshipman and to be read after 'Mr Midshipman Hornblower', while the second is set in 1848 and should be read last.

You could, of course, stream the television series and watch that in the order they were produced, but I must admit I don't know if they were in internal chronological order as I didn't get to see them all (unlike Sharpe ...) and they only cover events from three of the books, plus they make changes (not to everyone's taste). Horatio Hornblower: The Duel Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 18 January 2017 12:17 PM, PST NEWS 31 out of 34 people found the following review useful: If America only knew how good this was. from Kingsport, Tennessee 17 April 2002 If America only knew how good this was,it would be the highest rated Made-For-TV movie series of all time(hard to believe there are more people out there that would rather watch "The Columbo Mysteries" than Horatio Hornblower- that just goes to show the power of major network name-brand advertising. The Hornblower movie series has been television at its finest. I have seen all 6 of the A&E Horatio Hornblower movies,"The Duchess and the Devil" is my favorite of the 6 films.

However I tune in to A&E everytime they air a new Hornblower movie. So far all 6 movies have been based on the Horatio Hornblower adventure novels written by C.S. Forester(the same author who wrote African Queen). Each Movie chronicles the on-going adventures of Horatio Hornblower who is a Brittish Lt. in the Brittish Navy during the late 1790's-to early 1800's during the Napoleonic era in Europe. I sincerly believe that each one of these 6 Films has been good enough to have shown at the movie theaters,if the producers had wanted to. Unlike other Made-For-TV films,The Hornblower films do not have that Made-For-TV feeling to them,like most television movies have. A common misconception that people who havent seen these movies have is that all 6 of these films go to gether as a mini-series- that is not true.

The Hornblower movies are not a mini-series,all 6 of these films are individual movies about the same charactor- with all the same actors playing the same roles in each film(EXAMPLE:think of the James Bond films-They are not sequels, but they are all about the adventures of James Bond- that same principle applies to the Hornblower movies) I give the entire Horatio Hornblower movie series 5 out of 5 stars. Its Perfect entertainment- but you cant please everyone, so for those of you dont like epic battleship battles,historic style drama,high stakes adventure, and danger on the high seas,if you dont like stuff like that-there is always Columbo re-run for you to watch. Was the above review useful to you? 27 out of 27 people found the following review useful: One of the all time great seafaring adventures! from Malta 22 January 2004 I Have just finished watching the entire series of Hornblower and must say that few seafaring adventures can beat it.It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind.

Ioan Gruffudd is perfectly cast as young Hornblower,a seasick midshipman who tranforms gradually into a courageous leader of men. Robert Lindsay offers great support as Capt.Edward Pellew,one of the most important characters in the story who guides Hornblower along his journeys.Jamie Bamber,Paul Copley and Sean Gilder are all excellent as Hornblower's loyal shipmates. Ireally can't pick any one episode as they are all magnificent.I also liked Paul McGann who portrays Lt.Bush. All in all i just hope that in the future their will be more parts to this truly brilliant adventure series!!! EASILY 10 OUT OF 10 ! Was the above review useful to you? 23 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Storytelling at its best! from Virginia, United States 2 February 2005 The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning. After watching this, you will find yourself longing for more. There is enough action, drama, and humor to satisfy just about anyone. The acting is wonderful.

Ioan Gruffudd in particular in the leading role, but all the supporting actors put out great performances as well. The costumes are flawless. That, combined with the set design and ships, make you feel as though you have gone back in time. I would recommend this miniseries to anyone I know (And I've done much of that already). Was the above review useful to you? 23 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Absolutely wonderful from Jerusalem, Israel 14 July 2000 First of all, a note about the American titles for this mini-series: what's wrong with you people? Can't you leave a title alone? Or do you think your crowd is so dumb, they wouldn't understand the title that the makers gave it? Why did you have to change "The Even Chance" into "The Duel", for instance (and the other titles as well)? Translating a foreign title is one thing. Altering (and totally ruining) an existing title is something else. And now to the comment: "Hornblower" is one of the best-made series I have ever seen. It's clever, it's interesting, it's really wonderful in all aspects possible.

And Ioan Gruffudd is not only good looking, he's a good actor- a skill that most Hollywood stars unfortunately lack. Right now I have only seen the first two episodes, but I'm definitely not going to miss the other two. Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Wonderfully done... Author: anonymous 29 May 1999 Okay, these movies should fare good if these were on the big screen. Well-written adventure stories about a handsome young hero going out to save the British navy from many problems. He knows his duty and he's one of the most clever officers in the British navy. The actors and actresses also have the British accent and feel to prove it. Their remaking of the Indefagitable was wonderfully done, spectacularly! Hornblower pulls off some clever stunts. The brutality of the conflicts were done well. Ioan Gruffudd is excellent at the character of Hornblower himself! He's one brave fellow! Was the above review useful to you? 16 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Hornblower-Simply brilliant!

from Weston-Super-Mare, England 1 November 1998 I am 19 years old, and since I had not read any of the Hornblower books (I expect most people would think this criminal, not to have read the stories of the most beloved naval hero in fiction!) I knew nothing about the story until the first two hour film was shown on TV (October 7th in England.-I hear that the USA will get the Hornblower series in the New Year) There are four Hornblower films, and the first 'The Even Chance' made me want to see the other three right away! The story is set in the years of the Napoleonic wars, and the first story shows Hornblowers first adventures as midshipman aboard the' Indefatigable'' having to put up with bullying by Simpson another midshipman aboard the ship who takes an instant dislike to the new recuit. The acting by Ioan Gruffudd as the young, self-concious, shy Horatio Hornblower is superb, and his dark brooding good looks are sure to make him a new heart throb.

The rest of the cast are brilliant too, from Robert Lindsay as captain Pellew to Dorian Healy as the vicious Simpson. The £12 million spent on the film, has not gone to waste either. The first wooden ship to be built for 140 years, 'The Grand Turk', is used in the film for the 'Indefatigable' and is a stunning sight to see. The action sequences are brilliantly done, making you feel like you are almost on the ship itself. So brilliant action sequences, wonderful battle ships, and a stunning cast, all make Hornblower one of the best things to come on TV in years. Luckily for me (now a huge Hornblower fan) the showing of the second film-which was to be in December- has been put forward to November, because of the huge number of people calling ITV Television station, saying how much they liked it, and demanding for it to be put on early! I personally cannot wait to sail the sea with Horatio Hornblower again. Was the above review useful to you?

14 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Top Notch Entertainment from Sydney, Australia 1 December 2000 I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck. But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same - fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for? Add to this an excellent cast, from the principals down and you come up with a rip roaring piece of entertainment. The producers on the whole avoided the urge to "modernise" the story, the speech and demeanour of all concerned rang true, this in itself is worthy of note. So, if like me , you were reluctant to see this show as you didn't want your memories of the Peck movie spoilt - do take the opportunity if it comes to your screen again. It is a classic example of when the British do something well, they do it extra well - Recommended. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Great Production Values .

Great Entertainment from Isle Of Bute, Scotland 19 May 2003 I remember watching one of these HORNBLOWER productions when it was first broadcast in the late 1990s but wasn`t too taken by it , so when ITV decided to repeat the series the only reason I watched The Even Chance was because there was nothing else on . When the end credits rolled I found myself asking how on earth I dismissed it so slightly when it was first broadcast ? The Even Chance is a superlatively made piece of television , it`s production values are outstanding . Unlike Sean Bean in SHARPE Ioan Gruffudd makes a vulnarable and realistic hero and finds himself at the mercy of the sadistic violent bully Jack Simpson played by Dorian Healy . This well written , well acted television and I look forward to seeing the rest of the HORNBLOWER series Was the above review useful to you? 19 out of 25 people found the following review useful: Great entry to the series!!! from Antwerpen, Belgium 21 January 2000 Hornblower: The Even Chance is a great entry to the four made for television movies! Its production value is outstanding starting with the original ships, costumes, cities...

and ending with the very convincing battles at sea! This is one of the rare cases where CGI is very clever put to use! Ioan Gruffudd is an excellent choice as Horatio Hornblower! You believe immediately that he is the character! Gruffudd is not a typical Hollywood handsome man but a traditional beautiful European(he is Irish from origin!) lad. Watching this movie makes an exceptional evening! Highly recommended! Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: An Officer and a Gentleman 10 January 2006 I'm quite sure Forester would have approved. I think that almost any novel (or series of novels) which achieves 'favorite' status is at a competitive disadvantage when turned into a film. The most notable exceptions are works written, either consciously or not, with a screenplay in mind (I'm convinced Michael Crichton ONLY writes screenplays). I think it safe to assume that C. S.

Forester was not writing with the screen, either large or small, in mind so I have to say that this series is hands down the best series of films (they're not really a miniseries because they're not really interdependent) ever produced from another media. The series is well paced, the characters well developed and wonderfully cast, the action scenes excellently shot, but to my way of thinking the series best feature is the development and maturation of the character of Hornblower himself.. I've always been a fan of 'coming of age' films (my all time favorite  A Bronx Tale), but to watch the growing relationships which Hornblower develops with Mathews, Styles, Captain Foster, Taping, and particularly with Captain/Admiral Sir Edward Pellew is truly a joy. Ioan Gruffudd's portrayal produces an honorable man, a character which every guy should secretly want to be and which every woman should want to hook up with. This series is a 'must have' for every film library. Ten stars! Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 3: Horatio Hornblower | fictional character | Britannica.com fictional character Cheshire Cat Horatio Hornblower, fictional character, a British naval officer who is the hero of 12 books (mostly novels) by C.S. Forester that are set at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The Hornblower novels begin with The Happy Return (1937; also published as Beat to Quarters) and conclude with the unfinished novel Hornblower and the Crisis (1967; also published as Hornblower During the Crisis and Two Stories: Hornblower’s Temptation and The Last Encounter). Other novels in the series include A Ship of the Line (1938), Flying Colours (1938), and Lord Hornblower (1946). The Hornblower Companion (1964) is a book of anecdotes and maps that provides background on the series. C. Northcote Parkinson wrote a “biography” of this fictional hero, The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower (1970).

The character was perhaps most famously played by Gregory Peck in the film Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951). Beginning with Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998), Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd played Hornblower in a series of made-for-television movies. Learn More in these related articles: C.S. Forester August 27, 1899 Cairo, Egypt April 2, 1966 Fullerton, California, U.S. British historical novelist and journalist best known as the creator of the British naval officer Horatio Hornblower, whose rise from midshipman to admiral and peer during the Napoleonic Wars is told in a series of 12 novels,... C. Northcote Parkinson July 30, 1909 Barnard Castle, Durham, England March 9, 1993 Canterbury British historian, author, and formulator of “Parkinson’s Law,” the satiric dictum that “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” A relatively obscure academic prior to the... 1 Reference found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference created by Forester (in C.S. Forester ) External Links Corrections?

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Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: December 18, 2014 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share Horatio Hornblower Themes - YouTube Horatio Hornblower Themes Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jun 15, 2010 Two themes from the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. High seas adventure abounds with a terrific cast of characters and captivating stories! ******* C. S. Forester C. S. Forester Search C. S.

Forester Cecil Scott "C.S." Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899—1966), an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare including the now famous series about Horatio Hornblower. He was born in Cairo and educated at Alleyn's School, Dulwich College, and Guy's Hospital, although he did not complete his studies. During World War II, Forester moved to the United States where he wrote propaganda to encourage that country to join the Allies. He eventually settled in Berkeley, California. The Hornblower series is mainly set within the period of the great wars with France during which our hero is promoted from Midshipman to Commodore & a peer of the realm. Books from the series have been made into a film and a television series . He also wrote a stand alone HNF novel .

Series: Horatio Hornblower At 17 joins Royal Navy as a Midshipman aboard Justinian when he becomes famous for being seasick in Spithead 1794 Transferred to Indefatigable under the command of Sir Edward Pellew Hornblower is assigned a number of duties until he is taken prisoner whilst in command of a prize La Reve 1796 Lt. Hornblower negotiates a mutiny (Short story) 1799 Hornblower & the Widow McCool (aka Hornblower's Temptation) Lt. Hornblower joins Renown and the Channel Fleet where he has dealings with a captured Irish rebel (Short story) 1801 With a mad captain Renown is sent to the Caribbean. Hornblower plays a leading role in guiding the ships officers and is promoted Commander & given Retribution. However with the Peace of Amiens declared his promotion is not confirmed.

1803 Promoted to Commander Hornblower is given the sloop Hotspur and as part of the channel fleet blockades Brest 1805 Hornblower & the Crisis (aka Hornblower During the Crisis) Hornblower is sent to Spain as a spy to try and get the combined fleet to sail. He is successful & the Battle of Trafalgar follows. 1806 Promoted Captain he is given the sloop Atropos. After arranging Nelson's funeral he is sent to the Mediterranean & Turkey 1808 The Happy Return (aka Beat to Quarters) Given command of the Frigate Lydia he sails to the pacific to aid a rebellion against Spain by her colonies. 1810 Given command of the Sutherland he joins a Mediterranean squadron. His ship is sunk engaging superior numbers in Rosas bay. He is taken prisoner 1810 Captain Hornblower encounters marooned prisoners of war (short story) 1810 Escaping his captors he travels across France to Nantes where he recaptures the cutter Witch of Endor & escapes 1812 Hornblower commands the Royal Yacht Augusta (short story) 1812

Question: Who wrote the Hornblower novels?
Answer: C S Forester