Mr Midshipman Hornblower

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Life in the Navy, though it seemed to move from one crisis to another, was really one continuous crisis; even while dealing with one emergency it was necessary to be making plans to deal with the next. He is so successful in taking merchant and French naval prizes, Hornblower gets his first chance of command of a ship, tasked with taking it to England with a small crew. He alone knew of his remissness in plugging that shot hole, he alone could decide on his punishment, and this was what he had chosen. And then he has many more chances to show his skills and ingenuities - from sailing a ship full of wetted and swelling rice to imprisonment and saving the lives of shipwrecked sailors. Midshipman Hornblower begins the seafaring career of a young British officer in one of the greatest historical naval fiction series ever penned!

This initial book in the series reads somewhat episodic, with whole creating a rounded introductory. Glavn lik je isto interesantan posto pretstavlja izuzetno moralnog i casnog coveka stavljenog u situacije koje ce testirati ono sto mu je najvaznije. It is actually ten short(ish) stories tracking the adventures of young Hornblower from his first day on a ship (a sort of floating Rugby School with its own equivalent of Flashman) to his first responsibility taking a prize back to England and all the way to his capture and imprisonment by the Spaniards.

Anticipating capture Hornblower prepares to throw his dispatches overboard, but is persuaded by the Duchess, who also reveals her true identity as a popular actress, to allow her to conceal them under her clothes, as she is sure to be repatriated immediately. And so Hornblower's career begins with pain, but by the end of the first chapter we already have mention of his future mentor and promoter, Pellew of the Indefatigable. It's still finely-written adventure fiction set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, with plenty of shattering broadsides and falling masts, and quieter moments of reflection as well; and Hornblower is a fascinating, queer and crossgrained character. Zásadový stydlivý introvert, který nezkušenost a nejistotu skrývá za výbuchy prchlivosti až arogancí, typ jedince co by sice nejraději "udělal vše sám, protože spoléhat se na ostatní přináší problémy", ale vždy je správňák a hrdina.

This is a review of the Penguin edition that comes with an introductory foreword by Bernard Cornwell. When viewed from a 3rd part narrator, as he is in some of the novels through Leftenant Bush, he seems cold and aloof, but when you are inside his brain, it is a shocking counterpoint. Captain Pellew took the loss of the Marie Gallante lightly and when questioned about the cause of the fire aboard Pique, Hornblower guessed that, perhaps, it was spontaneous combustion. Too many folks I know have corrupted their youth early on with the strategy of power, its dark secrets veiled in a “tedious argument of insidious intent” to lead their hapless victims to an “overwhelming question” and force their hands.Their enemies and even battles are similar, but the key difference is that while Forester focuses on the British Navy, Cornwell focuses on the British Army. Hornblower inquired unto Captain Foster about his Lieutenant's examination, Foster replied that he would have to await for another board. Snad to nebude znamenat, že to u nás podobně jako O’Brianova série po pár dílech skončí bez vydání všech dílů.