Shy, standoffish, and predisposed to dumb clumsiness, I obviously needed the role model of a misfit like I was, who would bloom under the rigours of his first command. No character of classic fiction is better known, or regarded with more affection than Horatio Hornblower, R. As the fog lifts, Hornblower finds that he is in the midst of a Spanish fleet of not less than ten ships of war. Gustosissime le descrizioni del cerimoniale, dell'etichetta, dei gesti e dei costumi di fine settecento: sottilmente autoironiche eppure perfettamente realistiche. Then the crew was picked up by the French privateer Pique , Captain Neuville commanding, the English crew taken prisoner.

A massive attempt to jettison the rice comes too late and Hornblower commands all hands to abandon ship. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Horatio Hornblower at 17 in 1793 ( born July 4 1776 which amuses some) that midshipman, barely an officer on the Indefatigable , ( a real distinguished vessel from two centuries past) technology advances nevertheless and better systems to eliminate your troublesome enemies moves forward.

Even in the frigates, the eyes and claws of the blockaders, boredom had to be endured, the boredom of long periods with the hatches battened down, with the deck seams above dripping water on the men below, long nights and short days, broken sleep and yet not enough to do. But ultimately it’s seeing the young Horatio grow throughout the tales that makes this a great adventures novel. Hornblower was assigned to command the jolly-boat and to board Papillon and to aloft to set sail while the other boats are engaged in a battle to take the ship.

On the way, he finds himself surrounded by enemy ships in the dense fog and is captured then imprisoned for two whole years.Here is part of Gene Roddenberry's description of his hero from the original Star Trek pitch to the networks. If I were more English than American, I’d probably be way more interested in eating both of these authors’ books up, but alas, it’s a history that only mildly interests me. This particular book is very episodic in nature -- almost a collection of standalone short stories tracing highlights in Hornblower's very early career.

Still, this story (the longest yet) provides insight into the inner workings and behaviors of soldiers and sailors alike. By the way, was it Forester's love of his adopted country that led him to give Hornblower's date of birth as 4 July 1776? One of the most obvious elements is the way that situations turn into seemingly insoluble problems which endanger life and limb.It’s a story that shows that some loss is justifiable in war, or, as we’d say it today, “You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Well, back in the times when I was similarly “in command” of a group of office workers, I led by intuition and not by will - much like the young, untried ordinary seaman Hornblower.