A review by thisotherbookaccount
Commodore Hornblower by C.S. Forester

3.0

What I love about the Horatio Hornblower series of books seems to be missing in this volume, and maybe it is because Hornblower now has more influence, power and wealth than ever before. As the commodore, he has command of several warships, and takes on a more backend role with most of the adventures. As a result, nighttime assaults, sabotages and bombing runs happen in a distance, with Hornblower observing from far away. It feels as if he is removed from the action, then describing the details to the readers after the fact. This book is also short on naval battles, which, I imagine, is the chief reason why most of us are still here after nine books or so. Instead, we have a lot of diplomacy, which, truth be told, is interesting only when doled out with a healthy dose of action in between. Most of the time, Hornblower is negotiating with the Prussians or the Russians, or having dinner parties with the Czar. I do miss a time when Hornblower had to answer to an unjust authority, or when he didn't have that much power. Underdog stories tend to read better when they triumph, even with their hands tied.