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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This isn't a novel, but the unfinished work of Forester before he died. One of those despicable business operations so often carried out by publishers nowadays. Up until it breaks off, it is as good as the previous books in the series.
adventurous
medium-paced
Sad to read the book that Forester was in the middle of writing when he died.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfinished and cuts out right before all the bits that would be interesting. Unless you really need to read the whole series this us very skippable.
fast-paced
Forester's final novel before he died and the 4th chronologically. It was unfinished and published with the author's notes so it is quite short. Still enjoyable reading the three separate stories. 3.5 stars.
I'm not going to give this a star rating, because how can you? This was left incomplete when the author died, and is published along with a half page summary of his notes on how it was to play out.
Instead, I'll just say that I have heard Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series came after the Hornblower series, and is viewed by many as a pale imitation. I don't want to disparage Forester, but having read all 20 (plus an unfinished work due to author's death) from O'Brien, and 3 and a half tales so far from Forester, I find O'Brien to be far and away the more compelling storyteller. The characters are deeper (of course, with triple to stories to populate, they'd better be), the stories richer, the depiction of naval life fuller, and all in all more compelling.
It got off to a decent start. The scene of Hornblower taking the French ship felt a little undercooked, so to speak. Not full enough. I'll leave the rest of the book unreviewed, considering that it's unfinished. Hornblower himself is (after the 3-4 tales I've read) starting to come off as some super-brilliant, infallible guy whose only fault is that he sometimes forgets to be an emotionless automaton. Meh. I prefer my heroes a little less Olympian, and a little more human.
Instead, I'll just say that I have heard Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series came after the Hornblower series, and is viewed by many as a pale imitation. I don't want to disparage Forester, but having read all 20 (plus an unfinished work due to author's death) from O'Brien, and 3 and a half tales so far from Forester, I find O'Brien to be far and away the more compelling storyteller. The characters are deeper (of course, with triple to stories to populate, they'd better be), the stories richer, the depiction of naval life fuller, and all in all more compelling.
It got off to a decent start. The scene of Hornblower taking the French ship felt a little undercooked, so to speak. Not full enough. I'll leave the rest of the book unreviewed, considering that it's unfinished. Hornblower himself is (after the 3-4 tales I've read) starting to come off as some super-brilliant, infallible guy whose only fault is that he sometimes forgets to be an emotionless automaton. Meh. I prefer my heroes a little less Olympian, and a little more human.
Despite the book being unfinished, it was really enjoyable and I wished that Forester had been able to complete it. Good stuff.
adventurous
fast-paced
fast-paced