Ship of the Line

Rating:
Summary: A naval adventure
Review: One of the best books written alot of fighting on land and war a great naval story with alot of adventure a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Entralling reading
Review: One of the best of the Hornblower books. Each time I had to put the book down, I was anxious to get back to it. Hornblower using his exacting knowledge to best effort, all the while adhering to the Royal Navy's exacting standards of behavior.

Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars -- Fantastic!
Review: Ship of the Line is one of the highpoints of the Horatio Hornblower series -- a dazzling adventure built around three-dimensional characters that will have you running to the store to buy the sequel. Do yourself a favor and buy Flying Colours when you buy this one. Otherwise, you'll go crazy waiting to see what happens next.

Hornblower, flesh off his triumph in the Pacific, is now assigned to the least desireable two-deck ship of the line, the Sutherland, with only half the crew he needs. Worse yet, he's assigned to duty under Admiral Leighton -- an inexperienced, over-cautious and frankly incompetent commander who also happens to have married the love of Hornblower's life -- Barbara Wellsley.

Will Hornblower overcome these obstacles? You haven't been paying attention if you don't the answer to that already. He quickly becomes the "Terror of the Mediterranean", leading brilliant daring raids against the French on the coast of Spain and finally ending in a stunning battle against four French ships that is possibly the exciting, most heart-rending and most terrifying battle sequence Forester ever wrote. It perfectly capture both the excitement and the horror of warfare.

As usual, it the character of Horatio that elevates this novel from historical drama to classic adventure. He in introspective and moody, intelligent enough to be scared of battle but brave enough to face his fears. He also represents the spirit of the Enlightenment in his disdain for the aristocracy and his belief that his men will fight better if they love him than fear him.

This ranks with Hotspur as the pinnacle of the series. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the occasional confusion over events and (wait for it) lack of maps. Otherwise, this is a great story.

Rating:
Summary: Still trimmed after all these years.
Review: Ship of the line was the second volume of the origonal three books of the Horatio Hornblower saga. Nearly 70 years of being in print has done nothing to make it stale.

We see again all of the warts of a navy trying frantically to prepare itself to face Napoleon. All the desprate measures taken just to equip a SOL for a voyage become clear to the reader. Many would say that the difference in quality made it an easy task, but the reason this difference existed was a constant blockade with men and ships paying the price in broken bones and weary bodies. Hornblower's own worries not only inform us but they make everyday duties interesting.

Of course we see action action action as he reaches his station in the Med wreaking havoc on the coast. Once again Forester takes the time to inform us. In a time when people can travel the Atlantic in hours and make it from Boston to Worcester in minutes the struggle it was simply to travel is lost on us. It is not lost on Forester who drills it home indirectly by Hornblowers acts.

Without revealing the ending (which most Hornblower fans will know anyway.) The climatic battle has all of the traits of an epic. Hornblower is the kings man and shows it to the full in that last fight, and it is done without being overdone.

Another jewel in the crown for us readers.

Rating:
Summary: Still trimmed after all these years.
Review: Ship of the line was the second volume of the origonal three books of the Horatio Hornblower saga. Nearly 70 years of being in print has done nothing to make it stale.

We see again all of the warts of a navy trying frantically to prepare itself to face Napoleon. All the desprate measures taken just to equip a SOL for a voyage become clear to the reader. Many would say that the difference in quality made it an easy task, but the reason this difference existed was a constant blockade with men and ships paying the price in broken bones and weary bodies. Hornblower's own worries not only inform us but they make everyday duties interesting.

Of course we see action action action as he reaches his station in the Med wreaking havoc on the coast. Once again Forester takes the time to inform us. In a time when people can travel the Atlantic in hours and make it from Boston to Worcester in minutes the struggle it was simply to travel is lost on us. It is not lost on Forester who drills it home indirectly by Hornblowers acts.

Without revealing the ending (which most Hornblower fans will know anyway.) The climatic battle has all of the traits of an epic. Hornblower is the kings man and shows it to the full in that last fight, and it is done without being overdone.

Another jewel in the crown for us readers.

Rating:
Summary: Challenges, Ingenuity, Intense Action and Romantic Thoughts!
Review: The books about Horatio Hornblower include some of the most interesting and exciting novels ever written about warfare at sea during the days of sailing ships. Hornblower himself is a charming hero who doubts himself, has many weaknesses, and uses his sense of the odds to calculate the best course to take. He is more like Clark Kent than Superman in that way, but can turn into Superman briefly when the occasion calls for it.

Throughout the prior volumes of this wonderful series, there has been lots of "ship of the line" envy on Hornblower's part as he made do with commanding lesser vessels. In Ship of the Line, Captain Hornblower finds himself getting his heart's desire, a two-decker called the Sutherland.

Complications soon arise when Hornblower discovers that his new admiral has just married Lady Barbara Wellesley, with whom Hornblower is in love. Hornblower and his wife (Maria) meet the admiral and Lady Barbara in a social scene that you will not soon forget.

With too little time to prepare, the Sutherland is soon at sea with an under sized and inexperienced crew. What follows is as action-packed a book as you can imagine. Ship of the Line has a greater variety of difficult and unusual challenges thrown Hornblower's way than any reader could possibly hope for. The details of the conflicts are stunning in their scope and scale. If you are like me, you'll find yourself racing through the pages to see what happens next . . . knowing that there are surely big surprises ahead. As usual, Hornblower's imagination and quick thinking make for enormous differences in the outcomes from what would be expected.

You will enjoy the complications brought about by Lady Barbara's new husband. And Hornblower's thoughts of Lady Barbara intrude throughout the book, like the musings of a love-sick schoolboy.

The book is also interesting because Hornblower is faced with many decisions that could wreck his career, leaving him unemployed at half pay for the rest of his life. While many today would enjoy an early retirement, Hornblower is only happy at sea . . . and in battle. With his strong sense of duty, he makes decisions that may surprise you from time to time, which makes the story all the richer.

If you have never read any of the Hornblower books, I suggest that you start with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and proceed through in the chronological order of Hornblower's career through the series (not the order in which they were written).

If you do decide to read this book first to see if you like the books, let me caution you that the book ends in such a way that you will probably immediately decide to read the next one. For that reason, try to resist reading Ship of the Line until you have read its six predecessor volumes.

Do you always take time to locate new solutions that others have not tried before? Once you see a possible solution, do you stick with that idea to work through the problems . . . or are you soon discouraged by the first foul wind?

Assume there is a solution vastly better than any you have tried before . . . or have thought of yet. And keep thinking until you find it!

Rating:
Summary: Challenges, Ingenuity, Intense Action and Romantic Thoughts!
Review: The books about Horatio Hornblower include some of the most interesting and exciting novels ever written about warfare at sea during the days of sailing ships. Hornblower himself is a charming hero who doubts himself, has many weaknesses, and uses his sense of the odds to calculate the best course to take. He is more like Clark Kent than Superman in that way, but can turn into Superman briefly when the occasion calls for it.

Throughout the prior volumes of this wonderful series, there has been lots of "ship of the line" envy on Hornblower's part as he made do with commanding lesser vessels. In Ship of the Line, Captain Hornblower finds himself getting his heart's desire, a two-decker called the Sutherland.

Complications soon arise when Hornblower discovers that his new admiral has just married Lady Barbara Wellesley, with whom Hornblower is in love. Hornblower and his wife (Maria) meet the admiral and Lady Barbara in a social scene that you will not soon forget.

With too little time to prepare, the Sutherland is soon at sea with an under sized and inexperienced crew. What follows is as action-packed a book as you can imagine. Ship of the Line has a greater variety of difficult and unusual challenges thrown Hornblower's way than any reader could possibly hope for. The details of the conflicts are stunning in their scope and scale. If you are like me, you'll find yourself racing through the pages to see what happens next . . . knowing that there are surely big surprises ahead. As usual, Hornblower's imagination and quick thinking make for enormous differences in the outcomes from what would be expected.

You will enjoy the complications brought about by Lady Barbara's new husband. And Hornblower's thoughts of Lady Barbara intrude throughout the book, like the musings of a love-sick schoolboy.

The book is also interesting because Hornblower is faced with many decisions that could wreck his career, leaving him unemployed at half pay for the rest of his life. While many today would enjoy an early retirement, Hornblower is only happy at sea . . . and in battle. With his strong sense of duty, he makes decisions that may surprise you from time to time, which makes the story all the richer.

If you have never read any of the Hornblower books, I suggest that you start with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and proceed through in the chronological order of Hornblower's career through the series (not the order in which they were written).

If you do decide to read this book first to see if you like the books, let me caution you that the book ends in such a way that you will probably immediately decide to read the next one. For that reason, try to resist reading Ship of the Line until you have read its six predecessor volumes.

Do you always take time to locate new solutions that others have not tried before? Once you see a possible solution, do you stick with that idea to work through the problems . . . or are you soon discouraged by the first foul wind?

Assume there is a solution vastly better than any you have tried before . . . or have thought of yet. And keep thinking until you find it!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best in this series of novels.
Review: The sixth book of the Hornblower series opens in May 1810, 17 years into the Napoleonic Wars. The 39 year old Horatio Hornblower is given command of the 74 gun HMS Sutherland, 'the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy list.' Also, being 250 men short of a crew, he must enlist and train new members. Will this ship and crew be able to handle BOTH the French navy and army? Is this the end of Hornblower? Of course not, otherwise there wouldn't be more books after this, but don't you want to know how he handles a blockaded Spanish coast AND four French warships?

Rating:
Summary: Hornblower gets his first real ship-of-the-line.
Review: The sixth book of the Hornblower series opens in May 1810, 17 years into the Napoleonic Wars. The 39 year old Horatio Hornblower is given command of the 74 gun HMS Sutherland, 'the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy list.' Also, being 250 men short of a crew, he must enlist and train new members. Will this ship and crew be able to handle BOTH the French navy and army? Is this the end of Hornblower? Of course not, otherwise there wouldn't be more books after this, but don't you want to know how he handles a blockaded Spanish coast AND four French warships?

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book in a Great Series
Review: This is such a great series (Patrick O'Brian is good, but a distant second) and this book is one of the best in it. Very exciting battles with Hornblower displaying his superior wits again and again, as well as his always present self-doubt. His character is so believable and so compelling, and the sea adventures so believable and vivid, that this is a joy to read. Be sure, at the least to read Beat to Quarters first. Better yet, read them all in order.