Hornblower and the Hotspur

April 1803, and the Peace of Amiens is failing as Horatio Hornblower takes a sloop on a vital reconnaissance mission ...On the day of his marriage to Maria, Hornblower is ordered to take the Hotspur and head for Brest – war is coming and Napoleon will not catch His Majesty's navy with its britches round its ankles. With thoughts of his new life as a husband intruding on his duties, Hornblower must prove himself to be not only the most capable commander in the fleet, but also its most daring if he is to stop the French gaining the upper hand.

I am as absorbed by what is going on in Hornblower's mind as I am by the blazing, splintering action of the guns.' -- Atlantic Monthly
'No other contemporary writer can equal Forester at this kind of storytelling.' -- Chicago Tribune
'With meticulous attention to nautical detail, which no committee of old sea dogs has been able to fault, C. S. Forester has shown himself to be a master of genre.' -- New York Times Book Review

Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic wars. Two of the Hornblower books, A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours, were jointly awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1938. His other works include The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). AudioFile Golden Voice Christian Rodska's 20-year career in British theatre encompasses radio plays, West End performances, television, and audiobooks. AudioFile has acclaimed Christian's performances of Officers and Gentlmen, by Evelyn Waugh, To Serve Them All Their Days by R. F. Delderfield, Switch Bitch by Roald Dahl, In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin, and Waterland by Graham Swift. Christian's appreciation of and facility with the satire of Waugh and Dahl make them among his personal favourites.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.