Read Books This will provide a list of the books I've read with a brief review. Users are blocked, contact me for access. I welcome discussions, but I'm tired of spam.

June 14, 2025

Lieutenant Hornblower by C. S. Forester

Filed under: Adventure — Tags: — Randolph @ 11:19 am

Horatio Hornblower is starting his first commissioned post on the HMS Renown. Here he becomes friends with Lt. Bush and they have to deal with the insanity of Capt. Sawyer.

The book goes through a mutiny and lots of concerns over where this may lead and leaving five lieutenants in charge of the ship.

They go through sea and land battles, they have to deal with a fort protecting a harbor. Hornblower excels in almost every area where he is able to help.

The book has a strong naval vocabulary. I kept going to a nautical dictionary, but it isn’t necessary to understand everything to follow the story. My one complaint is that Hornblower seem a bit too competent, bordering on being a superhero. But the story is enjoyable and well-told.

October 23, 2022

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester

Filed under: Fiction,History,Series — Tags: , — Randolph @ 2:08 pm

This is the first book in the Horatio Hornblower saga, being written as a prequel. It is a series of short stories telling his tale from arriving at his first post through his promotion to Lieutenant.

The author shows his knowledge of tall ships in its handling, manning and in damage. I found it useful to keep a nautical dictionary at hand, but the details are not needed for a full appreciation of the stories.

I found the stories interesting, well-paced, well-told and hard to put down.

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