The novel “Midshipman Hornblower” begins the famed series of novels by Cecil Scott Forester (1899–1966), the famous English writer, military historian, and Hollywood screenwriter. In the first volume, the reader meets the youth of one of the most charming and beloved heroes of English literature—Horatio Hornblower—who, having gone through “the hazing,” storms, naval battles, and French and Spanish captivity, becomes one of the most brilliant young officers of Nelson’s fleet. In the following books, we will see him as captain of a frigate and a line-of-battle ship, as commodore, admiral, and a peer of England; we’ll learn of his adventures in Latin America, France, Turkey, and Russia, his family troubles, his romantic interests, and the great love he carried through his entire life.
After “Lieutenant Hornblower,” the adventures of young Horatio continue in the book “Hornblower Hunched.”