Hornblower and the Hotspur

This is the third Hornblower novel by way of continuity, following "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower" and "Lieutenent Hornblower" and it is one of the very best Hornblower novels. Horatio Hornblower has been promoted to Commander, and is now captain (not a Post-Captain) of HMS Sloop Hotspur, which is given the important duty of monitoring the French port of Brest. Captain Hornblower and First Lieutenant Bush are now fully developed as characters, and their long association together takes form in this novel. Here, Hornblower is now gaining a reputation as an unusually competent and resourceful officer, as the storied Admiral Cornwallis takes Hornblower under his wing as mentor. Nonetheless, this is a time of great stress and danger for Hornblower. The British Navy is exerting every ounce of Britain's strength against Napoleon, and the British fleet is all that stands between the Corsican tyrant and world domination. Hotspur, commanded by Hornblower, is responsible for monitoring Brest, which is where Napoleon's next move against Britain is expected to first come from. Hornblower is truly "the tip of the spear." This is a great story."Hotspur" is one of the key Hornblower novels and I highly recommend it to Hornblower afficianados and anyone who just likes a good novel of the days of "wooden ships and iron men." By the way, it makes for a nice sequence of reading if you follow "Hotspur" with "Hornblower During the Crisis." You'll see why when you read the latter.The Hornblower novels are in my opinion the best naval adventure series in all of literature and "Hotspur" is one of the very best of the series. What more can one say?

I read several of the Hornblower books years ago. At that time, I vowed to acquire them all and start from the beginning (in chronological order). This is a great series! I just finished this, the third in the series. Hornblower is becoming quite experienced in ship handling. Bush, who was introduced in the previous book, is now is first lieutenant. Hornblower has been promoted to commander, one step below post captain, and given command of a sloop-of-war of 18 guns. He becomes a vital part of the Inshore Squadron during the blockade of Brest. C.S. does a wonderful job of describing the situations.Points of interest in this book: Hornblower get married and has a son, Hornblower is involved in shore excursions on enemy shores, Hornblower is involved with the taking of the Spanish treasure fleet, Hornblower fights a duel between his sloop (18) and a heavy French frigate (44).There is one nagging point that I have. C.S. spends a lot of time letting the reader know about Hornblowers thoughts. It's especially bad when Hornblower has self doubts. But, once you get used to this style, the book flows quickly.The conclusion of the book is quite sudden and is left wide open for the series to continue.I hope to see Bush and Hornblower together again. Maybe he will even reacquire his steward, Doughty.Good book!

C. S. Forester is best known for the series of novels about Horatio Hornblower, although he wrote many other good novels. I consider this novel as the best in the Hornblower series, and it is the one that I have best remembered over the years.I have always advised friends to include incidental skills in their resumes, even if they have no direct relationship to the job (who knows, a company may be looking for a shortstop for its softball team). In Hornblower's case, he was an expert whist player. As an unemployed Royal Navy lieutenant, struggling to survive, his skill at whist puts him in the right place at the right time, and he receives command of the Hotspur.Forester never presents Hornblower as a Superman. He has mathematical skills, is a good navigator, and has the courage to go forward to carry out assigned missions. He also has the intelligence to see opportunities for action. On the other side of the coin, he gets seasick, is tone deaf, speaks French with a horrible accent, has no particular luck with women (marrying a plain, lower class woman he feels some obligation to), and has no useful family connections.In command of the Hotspur, he is inshore close to the enemy. He becomes involved in various successful actions, but rewards tend to go to others. He receives little prize money and leads a frugal life style. When he acquires a new steward, he must inform him that his "cabin stores" are limited to some lobsters taken from a French fishing boat.Hornblower does have the good luck to survive, often the main criteria for advancement in the Royal Navy. He also is well regarded by senior officers, which could be a path to promotion.

Although Hornblower and the Hotspur is the third installment chronologically in the Hornblower series, it was one of the last written. Paradoxically, perhaps it might have the least harmony with modern readers. Hornblower stands for values that many people have rejected or would at least find quaint. Hornblower and the Hotspur is a first rate naval action story that worked on many levels when it was written. Unfortunately, some of these levels no longer strike a chord with modern readers.Hornblower and the Hotspur begins with Hornblower's wedding. It is obvious from the beginning that Hornblower did not want to get married. The fearless Hornblower is too soft hearted to break a woman's heart. He realizes that he could have taken advantage of her and left her broken hearted but has married her and made her deliriously happy instead. Unfortunately, most modern readers would not find this chivalry believable. Much has changed since Forester first published this novel nearly 40 years ago. Modern heroes are expected to sleep with the women and then sail away ignoring heartbreak and possible progeny. Many modern readers would see Hornblower as a sap.For the majority of Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower is at sea. It is 1803 and the brief peace is ending. France and England are set to engage in yet another war. France is amassing a huge army to invade England. The parallels to World War II would have been obvious to the readers of 1962. England has a small army and would be unable to stay free if the huge army from the continent were ever able to cross the English Channel.Another parallel is in the mention of the soldiers who were drafted to serve a tyrant. Hornblower regrets having to kill Frenchmen in the way that modern Britons would have regretted the necessity of killing Germans in WWII.A subtext is Hornblower's coming to terms with his family life. Many of the original readers would have been WWII veterans who perhaps married in haste and made the best of raising their "baby-boom" families. In spite of all this, Hornblower and the Hotspur is about sea chases, broadsides, furious storms and night actions. Forester tells a marvelous sea tale that stands the test of time. It's sad that some its original values have been lost and that some of the parallels are no longer relevant. Hornblower and the Hotspur is too good a story to fade with time.

This is my favorite of the Hornblower series. Fast paced and full of action. If you liked the first two, definately continue on with this one.