Yesterday, I finished Lieutenant Hornblower and removed it from The Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com Reading List.

Thus, it is time for the required, Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com Book Review.

—- ==== SPOILERS BELOW ==== —-

Series Arc

The second book in the Hornblower Saga, Lieutenant Hornblower occurs some time after
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. The year is (I think) 1802 (or at least before the Peace of 1803). England is at war with France (go figure) and France is allied with Spain. Therefore, Spain is at war with England. (And the “Love Triangle” between the European Sea Powers continues.) Our heroes find themselves on the H.M.S. Renown, under the command of Captain Sawyer. They have orders to cross the Atlantic and raid a Privateer cove off the Island of Santo Domingo, under the protection of a Spanish Fort. Currently the blacks are invovled in a local uprising there, but that does not concern the Brittish Navy (or should it…?)

Story

The story is of the adventurs (and mis-adventures) of life aboard the mighty Ship-of-the-Line, H.M.S. Renown. The Commanding Officer, Captain Sawyer, is highly regarded as he served with the revered Lord Horatio Nelson at the Nile, and is considered one of “Nelson’s Own”. It is quite an honor to serve with such a distinguished officer. (Or is it?)

Plot

• The introduction of Mr. Bush
  Even though this is the second book chronologically, Forester wrote this book later in his writing career (7th of the 11 books in the series), where Mr. Bush was already an established character, here we see where Horatio and Bush meet, and it is the first event of the book.
• The misery of life on the Renown
  Unfortunately, life under Captain Sawyer is not what it is cracked up to be. Sawyer, while highly a highly reveared commander is a paranoid schizophrenic, and by default assumes that any private or quiet conversation is a conspiracy for mutiny. Needless to say, this makes it impossible for the Officers to converse even on the most harmless of topics. The crew was undisciplined and the officers were maligned and their decisions questioned.
• The Conspiracy to “Mutiny”
  Of course none of the members invovled were talking OF mutiny, but they did indeed want to relieve Commander Sawyer of command. Their scheme was quickly thwarted by what happened next.
• Captain Sawyer’s Accident
  When Sawyer found out four of his five officers were missing, he assumed mutiny and called for a latenight search of the ship to find the conspirators. During this search, he was discovered to have fallen. But after the conversation of the conspirators, there was suspicion that Sawyer’s fall was “encouraged”. This mystery would follow through the rest of the novel. Did someone push Captain Sawyer? If so, who did?
• The Change of Command
  With Captain Sawyer found unfit to command, after his accident, command fell to the First Lieutenant. However, was this command change temporary, or would this new commander have to undertake the mission given to Sawyer. Of course, the decision was made, the confidential orders were read, and the H.M.S. Renown resumed her mission to the West Indies
• The sea attack on the Spanish Fort
  A daytime assult is made on the Spanish Fort, however, the H.M.S. Remown is caught in a crossfire, between the fortified guns (firing Red-hot heated shot) and a nearby cannon battery. The ship runs aground, and it is up to the crew to break free of the ground and escape the cannon fire. It marks an embarassing defeat of a Brittish Ship-of-the-Line.
• The Land Attack of the Spanish Fort
  At the suggestion of Hornblower, the acting Captain agrees to a second assult on the Fort. This attack is quick and successful, and the Renowns take the weakly defended fort.
• The negotiations
  The local Spanish are desperate, and demand the immediate evacuation of their personell, to escape the insurgent rebellion on the island. When the English forces gain the upper hand, the Spanish immediately give their unconditional surrender; fort, ships, and prisoners.
• The seige of the H.M.S. Renown
  With the H.M.S. Renown and her three prizes overflowing with prisoners, it does not take long for the spanish pirates to overthrow their captors. They almost take the ship, except that Hornblower comes to the rescue from his command of the prizes, and retakes the Renown from Spanish hands.
• The inquiry into the activities of the mission
  Once back Kingston, port for the Rear-Admiral Lambert, an not-so-formal inquiry was held into the matter of the death of Captain Sawyer (and the accident in which he was deemed incapacitated) and the events which lead to the loss of recapture of the Renown.
• Promotions and Peace
  After the inquiry, the Admiral took the liberty to make some field promotions, one of them being for Lieutenant, now Commander, Hornblower. However, before the promotion was made permanent, Peace breaks out between England and France, and Hornblower not only loses his field promotion, but like many other of his comrades, is reduced to half-pay for a Lieutenant. Peace is a hard thing for a carrer officer in his Majesty’s Royal Navy
• Promotions – Part II
  Our heroes, back in England, attempting to live on half-pay, finally get the rewards they deserve. The War is back on!

Characters

• Lieutenant William Bush
  Our Narrator.
  The novel is told though the third-person perspective of Bush.
  Amazingly, I picture Lt. Bush looking like Actor Paul McGann.
  When he arrives on the Renown he comes as third-Lieutenant. This is where he first meets fifth (and the most junior) lieutenant, Horiatio Hornblower. At first Bush is wary of the junior officer, but after a while, Horatio grows on him. By the end of the novel, the two are the best of friends in England.

  It is interesting to read this novel from Bush’s perspective. As he does not witness Captain Sawyer’s fall, and was part of the conspiracy against him just moments before. He suspects that Hornblower or Vonunteer Midshipman Wellard, but he cannot prove, nor confirm his suspicion, as neither Hornblower or Wellard give any clues.
  And since Bush never learn the answer to this mystery, we the reader never know what might have happened to Captain Sawyer.

  For those of you who are fans of Lieutenant Bush (as I am), he does finally become 1st Lieutenant by page 105.

• Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower
  The Hero
  who looks amazingly like Ioan Gruffudd.
  Alas, the book is not named Lieutenant Bush, therefore the hero of the day is our favorite son, Horatio.
  He appears in the book as 5th-Lieutenant, the most junior of all officers on board. He seems to be the most “picked on” by Captain Sawyer, but not as much a poor Mr. Wellard. As we only see Hornblower through Bush’s eyes, we can only see through Bush’s personal bias as well.
  Hornblower is, of course, part of the officer conspiracy agaisnt Captain Sawyer. Once incapacitated, Hornblower is influential in getting the ship underway, and help put Lt. Buckland as commander. He was influential in escaping the failed sea assault on the Spanish Fort. He was the genius of the plan to invade the fort by land. He was the interpreter in the negotiations with the Spanish General-Captain.
  After been given command of the three Spanish Prizes, he rallied the Prize Crew to re-take the captured Renown.
  As a reward for his bravery, and intelligence, he was promoted to Master and Commander of the largest prize, renamed the H.M.S. Retribution. When peace breaks, he is reduced back to Lieutenant, and placed in inactive service, along with Mr. Bush. The two men meet up in England, both struggling. In a series of strokes of good luck, War breaks again, (Just as it is recorded also in O’Brian’s Post-Captain) and Hornblower is confirmed to the Commander position, and the commission of a Sloop of War. If this reviewer had to guess the ship, it would be the H.M.S. Hotspur
• Lieutenant Buckland
  The First Lieutenant on the Renown, his orders are the most questioned by Sawyer. Buckland is a timid officer, 21-years as a Lieutenant, he has spent far too long as a junior officer to be considered for a promoted rank. It is clear that Buckland is not ready for command, as he questions his own orders, and relies on his inferior officers for command-level decisions. (Something Bush is uncomfortable with, but something Hornblower is more than capable of exploiting.) His attack on the Fort is less-than futile, and if not for the efforts of Bush and Hornblower, it would have been the end of the Renown. He is quick to acquiece to Hornblower’s suggeston of an immediate counter-counter-attack on the fort, by land; and for good, as this attack is quite successful.

  Ultimately, Buckland’s downfall is during the seige of the Renown; he is bound, helpless in his bed, leaving the rally of the Renowns to Bush, and the ultimate re-capture to Hornblower. In the end, Buckland remains a first lieutenant under the command of a new Post-Captain on the Renown.

• Captain Sawyer
  One of the antagonists, who looks amazingly like David Warner.
  Sawyer, hero of Nelson’s navy, is a disturbed man. After seveal beatings of young Mr. Wellard, and countless questionable orders, the officers of the Renown plot to remove him from command. Sawyer suspects their secret meeting and scourges the ship for them. During this purge, Sawyer ends up unconscious in the Ship’s hold, apparently from a fall. He is soon a lunatic, and the Ship’s doctor incapacitates him.
  During the seige of the Renown, Sawyer is murdered by the Spanish pirates in his quarters.

  In the end, during the inquiry, there is no talk about Sawyer’s condition, in the end, as to protect his reputation.

• Mr. Midshipmann Wellard
  A volunteer, and thus not a real midshipman, Wellard is a valuable young prospect. However, Sawyer belittles and squander’s his talents. Fortunately, Hornblower sees the talents and skills Wellard posesses. During the attack on the island, Bush had difficult times finding faithful assistants, yet Hornblower always has a faithful Wellard at his side, always at the ready (This irks Bush very much, but only showed him how much of a leader Hornblower proves to be.)

  Wellard lives through the adventures of the Renown, but perishs in a fishing accident, during the peace.

There are several other notable characters, like Lt. Roberts and Lt. Smith (who both perish on the Renown.)
Additionally,

• The ship’s surgeon, Dr. Clive
• The Purser, Mr. Lomax
• The Ship’s Master, Mr. Carberry
• The Marine Captain, Mr. Whiting
• Acting Gunner, Mr. Hobbs

Readability

This was a quick read (took me all of a week). The language was much more easier on the eyes than O’Brian’s tales of Captain Jack Aubrey. (However, where the Master and Commander falls in readability, it makes up for in detail.) The Hornblower saga is more of a story, rather than historical fiction.)

Believability

Horatio Hornblower saves the day.
Horatio Hornblower saves the ship.
Horatio Hornblower saves the world.
Horatio Hornblower saves the galaxy…

Okay, its not as bad as all that. But it does seem a little overdone at times.

Aside from that, the book is uber-believable, and a great read.

Overall

Once again, great book.
And very good read even if you’ve not read any of the other books.

Share and Enjoy!