Introduction: The original nautical tales from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, Forester's taut writing ensures that these will remain classics for many years to come.
Introduction: The original nautical tales from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, Forester's taut writing ensures that these will remain classics for many years to come.
While not as historically accurate as some later series, Hornblower is a compelling character as he moves from gangling, uncertain youth to mature, respected Admiral.
As far as screens big and little go, a film "Captain Horatio Hornblower" was made in 1951 starring Gregory Peck, but there was no attempt to transfer the character to the small screen until 1997, when "Mr Midshipman Hornblower" was made into a series of four telemovies starring Ioan Gruffudd. "Lieutenant Hornblower" was filmed as two telemovies in 2000 and "Hornblower and the Hotspur" was filmed (again in two parts) last year (2002) and is showing in the UK (January), Australia (February) and US (?April) this year (2003). There are reports that "Hotspur" is set off South America, and concerns that his love interest has been made "dull". This seems to indicate some confusion with "The Happy Return".
| Title | Pub | Set | Comment |
| Mr Midshipman Hornblower | 1950 | 1794-1797 |  Rank: MidshipmanShips: Justinian (74 Keene), Indefatigable (40 frigate Pellew), Miscellaneous prizes Loc: Biscay, Mediterranean Charts the young Hornblower from the misery of his first posting on the old Justinian, though his growing and learning years under the brilliant frigate commander, Captain Edward Pellew. Pellew was a real person, accurately portrayed by Forester. |
| Hornblower and the Crisis 2. H & the Widow McCool |
1967 | 1799 | Rank: Lieutenant Ship: Renown (74 Sawyer) Loc: UK {Tor Bay} Hornblower gets caught up in the espionage surrounding the Irish rebellion. |
| Lieutenant Hornblower | 1954 | 1800 |  Rank: LieutenantShip: Renown (74 Sawyer) Loc: Caribbean The Renown is on a secret mission, under a mad captain and a weak First Lieutenant. But Hornblower survives and is given an acting command to take back to England. But peace has been declared, and the commision is not confirmed. This is the tale where Bush joins Hornblower. (Image courtesy of Pan Macmillan.) |
| Hornblower and the Hotspur | 1962 | 1803-1805 |  Rank: CommanderShip: Hotspur (18 sloop) Loc: Channel, Brest approaches Hornblower marries Maria for all the wrong reasons, and is given command of the sloop Hotspur and assigned to the channel fleet. The 'eyes' of the blockading channel fleet, he must risk ship and crew to ensure Cornwallis has the intelligence he needs. |
| Hornblower and the Crisis 1: Hornblower & the Crisis (unfinished) |
1967 | 1805 |  Rank: CommanderShip: None Loc: Channel, London, Spain (Image courtesy of Pan Macmillan.) |
| Hornblower and the Atropos | 1953 | 1806-1808 |  Rank: Post CaptainShip: Atropos (22 sloop) Loc: Downs, Med, Turkey Hornblower takes his first command as Captain to the Mediterranean to hunt for treasure under the noses of the Turks. He returns to find the children dying of smallpox, and Maria distraught. (Image courtesy of Pan Macmillan.) |
| The Happy Return [US = Beat to Quarters] |
1937 | 1808 |  Rank: Post CaptainShip: Lydia (36 frigate) Loc: Central America (Pacific Coast) Sent to aid the revolutionary El Supremo and harass the Spanish in the Pacific, Hornblower's task is complicated when he is forced to accommodate a party of English civilians on board, so they can escape a yellow fever epidemic. They include Lady Barbara Wellesley, whose brothers include a government minister, a diplomat and a soon to be famous general. In the close confines of a frigate the attraction is strong and mutual. But Hornblower must think of Maria, alone and grieving for the children they lost to smallpox. |
| A Ship of the Line | 1938 | 1810 |  Rank: Post CaptainShip: Sutherland (74) Loc: Mediterranean Hornblower is given command of a ship-of-the-line and posted to the Mediterranean under the command of the man Lady Barbara has just married. Admiral Leighton is suspicious and jealous, and Hornblower must watch his back at every step. Finally, the Admiral makes a mistake, and Hornblower must make the tough decision whether or not to risk his ship to save the Admiral's. |
| Flying Colours | 1939 | 1810-1811 |  Rank: Post CaptainShip: Witch of Endor (10 cutter, captured) Loc: France, Channel Captured after the loss of the Sutherland, Hornblower is being escorted to Paris for a very public execution. Escaping with Bush, he manages to capture a cutter and return to England to face a court martial for the loss of the Sutherland and the news of the death of Maria in childbirth. |
| The Commodore | 1945 | 1812 |  Rank: CommodoreShip: Nonsuch (74 Bush) Squadron: Lotus, Raven (sloops), Moth, Harvey (bomb ketches), Clam (cutter) Loc: Baltic Given command of a squadron, Hornblower is sent to fly the British flag in the Baltic taking Bush as his flag captain. Tension is running high as Napoleon's invasion of Russia turns sour. |
| Lord Hornblower | 1948 | 1813-1814 |  Rank: CommodoreShip: Northumberland (74 ?), Glenmore (36 frigate), Cerberus (32 frigate), Porta Coeli (18 brig Freeman), Flame (18 brig) Loc: France With Napoleon's regime on the ropes, the crew of the Flame has mutinied off the French coast, and Hornblower is sent to negotiate with the crew, and remove a dangerous propaganda weapon from French grasp. |
| Hornblower in the West Indies | 1958 | 1821-1823 |  Rank: Rear Admiral
Loc: West IndiesEurope may be at Peace, but in the West Indies, Rear Admiral Hornblower is right in the thick of it, fighting piracy, cracking down on the slave trade, and being shipwrecked by hurricanes. (Image courtesy of Pan Macmillan.) |
| Hornblower and the Crisis 3. The Last Encounter |
1967 | 1848 | Rank: Admiral of the Fleet Ship: None Loc: Smallbridge, Kent |
| The Hornblower Companion | 1964 | 1794-1857 |  The book of maps by the master himself, with a description of how he wrote the novels up to "Hotspur" (Image courtesy Greenhill Books.) |
| The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower | 1970 | 1776-1857 | Shock, horror! Someone has taken it upon themselves to fill in the gaps in the life of Horatio Hornblower. Admittedly they waited until after Forester's death, so they will never be contradicted, but does it work? YES, because it has been written in the style of a biography (complete with bibliography and index.) Good Fun. |
There are currently three omnibus volumes available containing all but the unfinished "Crisis" and the short stories.
Forester originally wrote just three novels, and a number of short stories. When the novels proved popular and he began writing more, the short stories proved a nuisance in terms of consistency, so he refused to allow republication. A couple recently resurfaced in a pair of Anthologies. They are:
Images on this page are used by kind permission of Pan Macmillan Books and Greenhill Books
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Last update 5/10/03