A Ship of the Line

Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #7

by C.S. Forester, Christian Rodska

Her Majesty's ship Sutherland is a humdrum ship of the line. But in command none other than the heroic Captain Hornblower and, with his crew from the Lydia, looks set to take on commando raids, hurricanes at sea and Napoleons's gun batteries.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Historical, Classics, War, Nautical

Audiobook

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Cecil Scott Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of adventure and military crusades. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, about naval warfare during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.

Reviews

[Philip Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Ship of the Line was the second book written by CS Forester in what would become his Hornblower series. It was commissioned in the wake of the success of the first Hornblower novel, The Happy Return (called Beat to Quarters in the US), which had originally been written as a standalone work. There is a perceptible element of the author feeling his way still. We see him easing towards the idea of a series of books (which was still an unusual concept in the 1930s), without yet fully committing. He achieves this via the interim step of what is effectively a ‘min-series’. A Ship of the Line will take Hornblower via a series of interlocking adventures to the low point of desperate defeat at the book’s conclusion. This becomes the starting point for his redemption and rise again in the following, twin book, called Flying Colours. The end of this second book has a resolution that could have ended a Hornblower trilogy. Fortunately for us, Forester was persuaded to continue.

The book is at heart a rollicking good swashbuckler, with enough nautical action to satisfy the most demanding fan. We also see the way that the author is developing his world. The character of Hornblower starts to emerge from the work-in-progress we saw in The Happy Return. Gone are some traits – like the throat clearing, while other parts are refined. The self-doubt that plagues him becomes a stronger element, together with his lack of confidence behind his assumed calm, determined exterior. He also has an almost autistic inability to form relationships with those around him, not least with Bush, his closest friend. Together it makes for a more interesting and believable hero than the traditional, faultless kind offered by some lesser writers.

We also witness his flawed relationships with women. He finds himself trapped in a marriage to the frumpy Maria, a wife he neither respects nor loves. Instead he is obsessed by the socially and physically more desirable Lady Barbara, now married to his commanding officer. As readers our sympathy lies with the faultless Maria, who has lost two children to smallpox, is pregnant with his third, and still loves him unreservedly.

In summary it is a fun read, with an eternally interesting main character, and remains one of the founding books of the naval genre.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Hornblower is getting older and more mature, he remains anxious, self-critical, socially awkward, and prone to private despair—even while performing brilliantly under pressure. That's why his character is so appealing and contemporary.
Another reason why I find Hornblower novels so compelling is because the reader is drawn into the mental process: weighing odds, anticipating enemy behavior, managing subordinates, suppressing fear. This focus on thinking rather than spectacle (although the descriptions of naval battles and other military operations taking place in exotic countries are detailed and vivid, too!) gives the stories enduring relevance, especially to readers interested in leadership, ethics, or strategy.
Aspiring leaders could learn a lesson or two from Hornblower.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read many of these books years ago and have started reading the ones I missed...or don't recall all that well, "chronological order". That is as Hornblower's life progresses.

Here Captain Hornblower is in command of his first *ship of the line.


*Note: A ship of the line was a war ship of at least 2 decks of guns. It was called a "ship of the line" from the tactic or strategy of running "your" ships in a line across the stern of the enemy thus allowing "your" **broadside to be fired into the rear of the enemy.

**Note: A "broadside" means all guns on one side of the ship fired into a target.

Anyway we get to watch HH grow from an insecure young man to an insecure older man. He is constantly aware of keeping up the appearance of a proper Captain in spite of his internal doubts.

You will at times not like HH himself, but in the end I like these books. They will probably end up on my favorites list.

Enjoy.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐
Part of my comfort binge reread of the Hornblower books, whilst fighting a cold.
Part one of a two part arch concluding with Flying Colors. This sees HH getting his first major command, the ship of the line Sutherland. He proceeds to the coast of Spain to confuse and harass Napoleon's forces on land and sea. Set in the Nineteenth Century, the book avoids dating with its credible descriptions of the period and interestingly, Forrester's woman characters, though few and far between in this tale of the high seas, are well drawn and historically convincing.
Just a ripping good yarn, of the old school.

[Basicallyrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good to see that the amount of bare flesh on display in the TV series is based firmly in book-canon. I feel like Hornblower and the Eighth Doctor would get on well, what with their carefree attitude to nudity. (Yes, I am focusing on the important parts of the book, dammit.)

One day I shall make a graph with 'Chronological Progression Through Hornblower Series' on the X-axis and 'Urge to Give Hornblower a Slap and a Damn Good Talking To About Personal Relationships' on the Y-axis. Then I shall plot a y=x line. I mean, I know I was all gooey-eyed over his flaws back in Mr Midshipman, but now they seem almost absurd. Not talking to your junior officers at all, ever, except to give orders? On months' long sea voyages? I'm no great fan of social interaction, but that's taking it a bit far, surely?

That said, when resisting the urge to give Hornblower a damn good talking to, I did enjoy the book. Probably because it's one long Crowning Moment of Awesome for the Sutherland and Hornblower's captaincy, and dammit, Forester, you can't leave it there. I shall *have* to read Flying Colours now, and not just to see whether my graph's projection is accurate.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 stars

_Ship of the Line_ takes up where _Beat to Quarters_ left off and we follow Hornblower as he takes command of a ship of the line, the two-decker 74 gun HMS Sutherland . The novel is chock full of events as Hornblower captures a French trading vessel off the Spanish coast, storms an enemy battery, and even manages to cut out an enemy ship at harbour, all in about 48 hours. Indeed, our intrepid captain seems destined to go from success to success as he pursues a very fruitful cruise, though his successes are somewhat tarnished by both the fact that his commanding officer is not only an exemplar of the incompetence of wartime bureaucracy, but also the new husband of Lady Barabara Wellesely (his erstwhile love interest from the previous volume), and the ever present plague of his own self-doubts.

Hornblower really is something of a strange ’hero’. Full of self-doubt and apprehensions about what others think of him, he is driven to pretend to be what he is not, when simply being himself might more easily garner him the praise and admiration he craves. Constantly concerned with appearances and propriety he gives up chances for happiness simply to do what is expected of him. He is as harsh in his judgements of others as he is of himself and I pity his wife Maria and the few friends he has that more often than not suffer for their devotion to him. Another reviewer noted an almost autistic-like manner to Hornblower’s character, especially in his interactions with others, and I have to say that this observation rang true to me. The only other option that comes to mind is to characterize him as something of a misanthrope, which might be a bit too far, but Horatio is certainly a unique individual in the annals of hero-dom.

In my never-ending practice of comparing Hornblower to Jack Aubrey I couldn’t help but note that Forester often goes out of his way to point out Hornblower’s tone-deafness to music. I wonder if Patrick O’Brian purposely made his own Napoleonic hero-caption a devotee to music purposely in response to this. I would once again opine that I think the Hornblower books suffer for the lack of another character of equal presence against whom the reticent captain can play off…Bush and Gerard are simply too devoted to their captain to work in this role, though I have hopes that the captain’s coxswain Brown might play a larger part in future stories.

This was a fine entry in the series and certainly keeps the pace moving at a good nautical clip. Be forewarned though: the cliffhanger ending may require that you pick up the next volume, _Flying Colours_ right away.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm tempted to take away a star for the cliff hanger ending, but otherwise it was as good as all the others. As a captain of a ship of the line, 74 guns, Hornblower has plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff. Lots of action.

While the manning of ships has been mentioned before, a special point is made of it this time. The gov't didn't give Hornblower enough men any more than they provided uniforms or many other things. They simply expected the captain of the ship to properly crew his ship, although they did deign to give him the Marines & officers. Hornblower transferred the entire crew of the Lydia, his old frigate that had spent a couple of years at sea, directly to his new ship & a few convicts. That wasn't nearly enough men, though. This meant he had to 'press' or basically kidnap the men he needed. Apparently just about anyone was fair game so long as they hadn't been given a special warrant exempting them. Forester dwells on this to some extent, enough to make the horror real.

There are a lot of other complications. Forester's writing is quite terse & I wish he had spent a bit more time on some of the after-action reports. In one case the debacle of the taking of the Spanish fort from the French I can't believe he has completely dropped it. I expect it will raise its head in the next book since this one ended so abruptly. I HAVE to read the next one now. What happened?!!! How will he manage to turn this around & get back to the career we know continues? It's bloody awful. It's a good thing the man is dead & not near me or I'd shake him until he gave it up & slap the editor for allowing this.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-reading the Hornblower books. I don’t like this one quite as well as Beat to Quarters. It’s an interesting read, and the naval stuff is fascinating, but this is terribly bleak.

It begins with Hornblower desperate to get away from the wife he dislikes, grumpy because Lady Barbara got married, and depressed because he can’t legally kidnap enough men to fully man the miserable ship he now commands. There’s a cheerful (if bloodthirsty) section in the middle where he harasses the French along the Spanish coast, but it ends with a terrible bloodbath when Hornblower goes into battle against impossible odds.

I’m torn about the situation with Hornblower’s wife. I understand why he married someone he doesn’t love or respect, and I recognize that he does his best to keep her from finding out his feelings, but it’s very unpleasant to experience his shame and dislike. I feel sorry for Maria, and I’m irritated by the easy out for Hornblower that is forthcoming.

Hornblower continues to childishly enjoy the air of mystery he cultivates (“He had made it a rule to offer no explanations - and there was a pleasurable selfish thrill in keeping his subordinates in ignorance of their future”). He is also simultaneously envious and contemptuous of his officers and men. However, I think that we should give him (or the narrator) credit for recognizing the selfishness and the envy. Hornblower feels guilty for feeling the way he does, and is pretty sure other people don’t feel the same way.

[John Gribbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middling Hornblower, both in terms of his career and quality of story. Forester has a penchant for getting his hero off the ship and on to dry land to fight battles (as if Sharpe suddenly took command of a ship and raced off to fight a French frigate), and in this one he gets him on to dry land to fail to fight a battle, in one of the dullest sections of the entire canon. Compensated for by two lovely (and lively) bits of action at sea. As others have warned, though, this is only half a book, with a cliffhanger ending leading straight in to Flying Colours. Once again, to anyone reading the series in chronological order of Hornblower's career, the relationship with Bush is downright bizarre. The man who was previously Hornblower's best friend, a couple of years older than him, is now a distant and much older figure who feels "fatherly" towards his Captain.

[Bakunin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can still remember the first line from the novel, even though probably 22 years have passed since I first became acquainted with the novel. My father used to read these Hornblower stories to me as a child and in looking back, I feel an urge to revisit those heroic tales of bravery from a far distant time.
This was one of the first works he read when he was growing up (along with the works of Jack London) so it has probably played a part in forming his world view. I too am drawn to this picture of a time when high ideals where important and perhaps we need ideals such as courage, honesty and bravery now more than ever.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE‌ ‌GREAT‌ ‌COMPLETIST‌ ‌CHALLENGE:‌ ‌In‌ ‌which‌ ‌I‌ ‌revisit‌ ‌older‌ ‌authors‌ ‌and‌ ‌attempt‌ ‌to‌ ‌read‌ every‌ ‌book‌ ‌they‌ ‌ever‌ ‌wrote‌

Currently‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌challenge:‌ ‌Margaret‌ Atwood‌ |‌ ‌JG‌ ‌Ballard‌ |‌ Clive‌ ‌Barker‌ |‌ Christopher‌ Buckley‌ |‌ ‌Jim Butcher's Dresden Files | ‌Lee Child's Jack Reacher | ‌Philip‌ ‌K‌ ‌Dick‌ |‌ ‌Ian Fleming | CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower | William‌ ‌Gibson‌ |‌ ‌Michel‌ Houellebecq‌ |‌ John‌ ‌Irving‌ |‌ ‌Kazuo‌ ‌Ishiguro‌ |‌ Shirley‌ Jackson‌ | ‌John‌ ‌Le‌ ‌Carre‌ |‌ Bernard‌ ‌Malamud‌ |‌ Cormac McCarthy | China‌ ‌Mieville‌ |‌ Toni Morrison | ‌VS‌ Naipaul‌ |‌ Chuck‌ ‌Palahniuk‌ |‌ ‌Tim‌ ‌Powers‌ |‌ ‌Terry‌ ‌Pratchett's‌ ‌Discworld‌ |‌ Philip‌ ‌Roth‌ |‌ Neal‌ Stephenson‌ |‌ ‌Jim‌ ‌Thompson‌ |‌ John‌ ‌Updike‌ |‌ Kurt‌ ‌Vonnegut‌ |‌ Jeanette Winterson | PG‌ ‌Wodehouse‌ ‌

Finished: ‌Isaac‌ ‌Asimov's‌ ‌"Future History" (Robot/Empire/Foundation‌)

2024 reads, #34. It’s summer, which means I’m back to my usual summer reads, a series of easy-to-digest genre novels (also sometimes known as “airport and beach reads”) being done to honor 10-year-old Jason, who used to read the kid’s version of these each year for his public library’s summer reading program. CS Forester’s “Horatio Hornblower” books are a recent addition to my summer completist list, and fall under a category that I call “Grandpa Lit,” which I just recently aged into myself (I’m 55 this year), called this mostly because the books in this category are ones I remember my own grandfathers reading back in the 1970s when I was a kid, and seem like the kinds of books that only grandpas can fully get into (including not only these but old-style Westerns by people like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, military technothrillers along the lines of Tom Clancy, and more).

Like with the first one I read last summer, 1937’s Beat to Quarters (my review), I’m tempted to say that you actually need to know a lot less in advance about the intricacies of tall sail ships to enjoy these than you might expect at first (for those who don’t know, these all take place within the British Navy of the late 1700s and early 1800s, as they fight France in the romantically historic Napoleonic Wars); but upon reflection, perhaps it’s more that here in late middle age, I’ve finally picked up enough general information about sailing here and there over the years and decades to be able to follow along with these books in a way a younger person can’t, thus helping to explain even more why these might only appeal to grandfathers and others who have lived long enough a life to actually be able to figure out what’s going on here in these jargon-filled books full of references to “quarterdecks” and “tops’ls” and the like.

And for sure, another reason grandpas gravitate towards these kinds of books is that they’re unabashedly and unapologetically old-fashioned in their morals and culture, which is something important for younger people to understand before picking one up; in the world of the Hornblower novels, men are men, women are mostly pregnant and silent, God has chosen the rich to be the natural masters over the poor (and He has given them happy permission to beat the poor with knotted ropes anytime they put up a fuss about it), and people of color largely just don’t exist at all, with most of the storylines so far revolving one way or another around the idea of the people of southern Europe, in countries like Spain and Italy, being shiftless, lazy ne’er-do-wells, constantly causing trouble for the “True Gentlemen” of northern Europe who are always having to come down with their big impressive warboats and save their incompetent asses yet again.

That said, if you can embrace a milieu such as this, the Hornblower books are undeniably thrilling adventures, giving us a sweeping look at a planet quickly being corralled and mapped by the newest generation of these tech-forward, highly proficient tall ships, a world in which navies are all-powerful because water is the one and only way humans have in these years to move large amounts of goods quickly, meaning that even the largest army in the world is quickly in trouble if their navy can’t get food and ammunition to them regularly. Forester very deliberately packs in just about everything that could possibly happen to one of these naval ships into each one of these books, deliberately to crank up the drama and stakes to a ridiculously high level, where it’s a matter of life or death pretty much every week of their sometimes year-long voyages; in the first book this all happened over on the west coast of Central America, as Hornblower and company help a Nicaraguan general who has declared his independence against invading French forces, while this second book is set in the much more expected area of France’s southern coast and Spain’s eastern coast, with his ship being just one of half a dozen traveling together (the “line” of the book’s title), and whose mission is this time the much more general “try to screw things up for France in as many ways as you possibly can.”

This leads us to all kinds of adventures, including lots of daring raids on occupied Spanish forts in the middle of the night (not to mention a little retconned contemporary social commentary from Forester, writing this in the late 1930s, and having Hornblower think about how the Spanish are fated to have a country-destroying civil war in the future if they don’t get their act together), all while he takes an equal amount of time to simply describe what daily life was like on these ships, a harsh martial life where it’s just taken for granted that some humans are naturally the masters over others simply because God made it that way, and where the tiniest infractions can often lead to public beatings while the offender’s crewmates are forced to stand silently and watch. That’s the main reason to read these, because they describe in exacting detail a world that not only doesn’t exist anymore but that never really existed in the first place, taking the events that might happen to half a dozen ships over their course of their entire lives back then and squeezing them all into just one ship over the course of a single year here, then making everything work out great for the British people in charge of things just from their natural can-do spirit and God-given smarts above the rest of those other, lesser European states that surround them. (Not for nothing were these novels written while in the middle of England being bombed back into the Stone Age by an all-powerful Germany at the beginning of World War Two, an attempt by Forester to nostalgically remember the “good ol’ days” when the sun never set on an unstoppable British Empire.) They should be read with this mindset; but brother, if you do, you’ll get a thrilling experience unlike any other in modern literature, and they come recommended in this highly specific, highly grandpa-friendly spirit.

CS Forester "Horatio Hornblower" books being reviewed in this series: Beat to Quarters (1937) | Ship of the Line (1938) | Flying Colours (1939) | Commodore Hornblower (1945) | Lord Hornblower (1946) | Mr. Midshipman Hornblower (1950) | Lieutenant Hornblower (1952) | Hornblower and the Atropos (1953) | Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies (1958) | Hornblower and the Hotspur (1962) | Hornblower During the Crisis (1967)

[Tim Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second Hornblower novel (in publication order) this book was a rough go for about the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. It took forever for anything to happen. And, quite frankly, Hornblower isn't interesting enough as a character (and none of the supporting characters amount to anything of interest) to support a book where not a lot is going on. Once Hornblower and company finally made it to the western Mediterranean and started some naval action as part of the British blockade of Spain and France it kicked it up enough to actually be interesting.

Following his exploits in Central America with The Lydia, Hornblower is given command of The Sutherland, a ship of the line, that is a captured and reconditioned Dutch ship. He is put under the command of the new husband of Barbara Wellesley, a Rear Admiral, and the four ships in that group escort an East India Company convoy until they break off in to the Mediterranean for blockade duty. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which may well have been unusual and annoying in 1938, but isn't such a big deal now.

Honestly, until about the half-way point I thought this might be my last Hornblower book. I'm only luke-warm on Forester at this point. But I do want to see how the cliffhanger ends, and there is juuuuust enough of interest going on to make it worth giving him one more book to get things going.

[Linda Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Horatio Hornblower of the English ship, Sutherland, emerges as a short-tempered warmonger. He seems to be happiest when anticipating battles. His saving grace is his love for a certain unborn child. In the end he gets his comeuppance, more or less.

I do wish these novels were not so violent, but that's war, and this is a tale of life in the English navy during the Napoleonic wars.

Hornblower is also unfortunately caught between two women: (1) his pregnant wife, Maria, to whom he is physically faithful while not 100% appreciating her, and (2) Lady Barbara, a considerably more attractive woman who he fell in love with during the sixth novel of the series. She has married someone else, however, so things aren't looking great for any real relationship with her.

I'm reading these books with a few other Booktubers... because I was curious and wanted to know what was in them. This is the seventh of eleven in the series.

I'm giving this one only three stars because of the level of violence. One battle after another. Hundreds of men killed. No, thousands.

[Jim Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, following the Forester formula of frantic action interspersed with Hornblower's inner musings on his own capabilities. This time with a cliff-hanger ending.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial fyi: my main purpose in reviewing these books is not with adults in mind, but for the parents or adult friends of reading children.

While this is full of adventure and amazing action, I am finding that so far I like the books in the series that were written later, rather than earlier. This was the 2nd Hornblower book written and it follows the precedent of "Beat to Quarters"...a little more violent and in my opinion Hornblower is allowed to dwell too much on his feelings for a certain someone, not his wife. The violence is completely in character with the times and the setting, if anything it's not nearly as horrible as it certainly really was (and it's really not over-the-top at all--but you definitely get the picture, and it's as all war is). I find myself often momentarily appalled during reading as I ponder the press-gang, the nightmare it would have really been to be on a fighting ship in the middle of the ocean. Shudder.

On another tack, the "relationship" tidbits are just sort of pointless in a book like this. It could be argued that Hornblower does the honorable thing (for now)and is loyal and true to his wife (at least in the literal & physical sense) but he pines for someone else. It is perhaps an interesting situation full of grief and perplexity for an adult reader, but a kid just won't care and the social nuance & implication will go over-head.

I love the leadership and the other values displayed in these books. I will reserve judgment on the others until I'm done, but so far I think this is an excellent set for older children, with either parental supervision on the ones that dwell more on the "relationship" factor OR skipping those books altogether until an older age.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hornblower is so hilarious as a character. He is so stoic and sharp on the outside, yet terribly self-conscious on the inside. He literally thinks his next steps out in his head to appear more badass than he actually feels. Adorkable ain't the word!

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of Age of Sail books and I'm slowly reading my way through Forester's Hornblower series. My slowness is partly due to delayed gratification and partly because I am not terribly impressed with the series. I have read all of O'Brien and especially liked Woodman's Drinkwater series. Compared to these two authors Forester's adventures are merely okay but nothing special. I suppose there is an additional problem with any book in this genre in that they all are about warfare between the British and French navies during the Napoleanic Era which was only about 15 years. Given the limitations of time and participants it is hard to imagine anything new and entertaining while maintaining some adherence to history. Nevertheless, a good sea yarn can some times be just the change of pace a reader like me needs and this one did not disappoint. I would have been slightly more generous with my star rating but the author did commit what I consider a major sin and that was to leave the reader with a cliffhanger. Cliffhangers are a cheap gimmick to sell books and if an author can't sell books based on his/her talent then maybe they should chosen a different line of work. So this book gets my 3 star, good book worth the time and the money expended on it.

As for the story itself Hornblower is now a post captain in command of a 2 decker ship of the line. His ship is part of 4 ship squadron headed for the Northeast corner of Spain to assist the Spanish in Catalonia in resisting the invader French. There is background material regarding Hornblower's marriage and his romantic interest in a woman that appeared in the book previous to this one. This woman is a relative of the future Duke of Wellington and is now married to a talentless but politically connected admiral that is now Hornblower's commander. There is a satisfactory amount of sea battles and the dangers of the sea while in a wooden boat powered by the wind. Over all this is a more than adequate adventure for any fan of this genre but there is nothing to set it apart.

[Stephanie Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite Hornblower novel? Maybe? Or close. Beat to Quarters is up there, too, so, hmm. I like this because Hornblower actually has some good luck...at least for a while hah. Made me look up a map of the coastline of France and Spain in the Mediterranean. Yay for learning geography! (Also I swear this series always motives me to write some in my pirate fic lol)

[Father Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might have written before about the fascination I have with the sailing ships of a bygone age, but reading this book has rekindled my wonder at the mastery of the art of naval warfare as it was practiced in the so-called "Age of Sail". Again and again I am awestruck at the huge accumulation of knowledge required to command a single ship effectively, and how worthless individual lives seemed to be when ships faced off against each other in combat at sea. This particular novel is an account of Hornblower's attempt to outfit the Sutherland and his eventually successful harassment of the French army marching along the Coast of the Mediterranean, pinned between the beach and the nearby mountains. Not having read the immediately previous novels, I was struck at how much less I liked Hornblower as a person even as his stature as a captain grew to superhuman proportions. Forester has done a remarkable job at sketching this latest evolution of Hornblower in continuity with his earlier years as a midshipman and lieutenant while presenting the unique challenges and concerns that continue to shape him as a sailor and a man--relative poverty, lack of seniority, hopes for advancement, an implacable and numerous enemy, doubts about his own capacities, and the secret fears of dismemberment and death which he must repress in order to command the respect of the men he leads.

Each time I read these accounts of hundreds of cannon being discharged at short range into the wooden hull of ships filled with defenseless sailors, there is an aftertaste of awe and horror at the cavalier destruction of so much life. Those men who chose the life of the navy were either deeply in love with the sea, or profoundly insane; few chose it freely, impelled by necessity or the bludgeons of the press gang. Yet on those ships, which were a unique blend of village, barracks, and prison, somehow life managed to flourish--men relished the performance of their duty, knew the heady triumph of victory, and put away against the more bitter days of naval service the small pleasures of drunkenness and song. And some life it was...

Ship of the Line ends with a real cliffhanger that absolutely must be followed up quickly with the next volume in the series, Flying Colours.

[Nancy Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I certainly am learning more about the Napoleonic Wars than I ever knew I wanted to know!! Already 17 years going, the French still have control of the coast of Spain. Hornblower is now under the command of Admiral Leighton....not the brightest crayon in the box.....who also happens to be the new husband of Lady Barbara, Horatio's flame. Horatio still has the hots for her, even though he has vowed to remain faithful to his wife Maria, who of course is pregnant again. Understandably, Horatio is happy to set sail once again and heads to the Spanish coast where his newly organized crew manages five successful raids before biting off more than they can chew as they meet up with four French ships. The end of the book finds Horatio struggling with the option of sinking or surrender. It's amazing to learn what these sailors....and captains!....had to go through to maintain a ship and a crew....the personal expenses involved, the struggle to build a complete crew, the miseries of life on board ship. I have even more respect now than I had previously for the navies of history!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Smokes! HH gets command of the HMS Sutherland and wreaks havoc upon the French along the Spanish Coast. He captures several ships but must attack a squadron of four French frigates alone. He's outgunned with help on the horizon in the shape of the a small ship the Cassandra and two ships of the line Bolton's Caligula and the Admirals flagship Pluto. But they won't get there in time to help.

Ordered to engage the enemy, he disables two of the ships but has his main and mizzen mast blown off by the third. 1st LT Bush has his foot blown off, Gerard the gunner is missing and young Longley is killed before his very eyes. HH must surrender his ship and give up his sword. He is looking at years in a french prison, while Maria carries a child he may never see. What will become of Captain Horatio Hornblower? As an oh-by-the-way Lady Barbara is married to Admiral Leighton- the admiral of his squadron.

The next installment is "Flying Colours".

Talk about exciting literature!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like the sophomore effort it is: while some of Hornblower's trademark brilliance makes an appearance, most of the book is a slog through the horrors and stupidities of war. Forester is clearly trying not to duplicate his first book but is just as clearly unsure how to tell a different sort of story and still entertain.

Because this is only rarely entertaining. Hornblower is awake to the psychological toll of war, but reading as he destroys the livelihoods of French civilians or accomplishes the Napoleonic war equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel is painful at best. Add in the constant hum of Hornblower's romantic angst, his admiral's incompetence, and the last ten pages of death, death, and more death—capped by a morose cliffhanger ending—and it's no wonder this is my least favorite of the series so far.

[Clay Asbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Hornblower series, started reading them in the same order as the BBC/ITV series which I had really enjoyed. Although this book tells the story of Capt. Hornblower as a middle aged man, it was written well before the books about Horatio as a young lieutenant and midshipman.

Ironically, one gets the impression that as Forester grew older he passed on the wisdom and humility he acquired to the younger Hornblower. Although, I liked this book, the character of its central protagonist is more fully developed in later books where Hornblower becomes accustomed to life at sea and challenges of leadership.

[Raymond Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5.
Perhaps does not reach the heights of excitement of 'The Happy Return', but better paced and better character development/analysis, particularly of the side characters.

Good to see that the nudity in the TV series is indeed canon.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical rollicking read in the Hornblower series.
In charge of his own ship, Hornblower needs to prove himself and do something with a grossly understaffed boat.
It’s odd that the author, to show how “modern” Hornblower in effect is, has him resorting to whippings only with reluctance, having no faith, but keeping up appearances for the good of discipline, and having a daily bath. He then makes two casual racist references in the course of the story which sort of jump out and hit you in the face.
Not so modern after all, Mr. Forester

[Noah Goats · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Ship of the Line, Hornblower is given command of a bigger ship (the titular Ship of the Line) and sent off to the coast of Spain to wreak havoc on the French. This novel is entertaining, but not quite as good as Beat to Quarters, mainly because Ship of the Line is so loosely plotted. Also, the romance with Lady Barbara was a highlight in the previous book, but here, with Lady Barbara so far away and Hornblower mooning over her like a school boy... it's almost cringy. Still, Hornblower is a great character, a complex and very human hero, and I love him.

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

6th in the series, but 2nd to be written, it has the feel of an early effort, before Forester fully hit his stride. However, the series of slight stories is saved by a devastating climax that has me reaching for the next book straightaway.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[The Professor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He hated the land”. Hornblower sticks it to the French. If “A Happy Return” illustrated Hornblower’s lethalness against a single ship “A Ship Of The Line” crazily ups the ante as Horatio inspires his crew of gaolbirds and prisoners to five victories in three days leading the reader to wonder why this guy isn’t Admiral rather than the boozy, complacent dinosaurs he reports to.

Even after just two novels it’s clear Forester relishes putting Hornblower on the back foot and then stacking the deck against him. Robbed of his prize-money and reduced to Captaining “the ugliest and least desirable two decker in the Navy List” Horatio begins his next mission of accompanying an East India convoy with one of the greatest spew-fests this reader has ever come across. Forester really conveys that galley cabin rising and falling 20 feet in waters very different to those of the blue Caribbean and has Hornblower desperate to avoid his men twigging he’s seasick, one of many humanising details. Good news though, the French handily decide to attack the convoy and what follows is just the start of an incredible tour de force for both Hornblower and Forester.

Naughtily press-ganging the best able seaman from other ships in the convoy, Horatio then appears to the modern reader to go completely off his rocker, waging a one-man war on the dastardly French. However, a quick reminder of the politics of the day gives us a free pass to join in the fun without any tedious political reservations with sequences guaranteed to have English readers cheering and getting weepy-eyed at every turn. This really is England’s Greatest Hero in full sail, moral relativism be damned. Horatio captures supply ships, storms coastal batteries and manfully tips French cannons off balustrades – this, THIS, is what happens when you don’t get to first base with Lady Barbara. Throughout all Hornblower shows himself to not only be a whizz at seamanship (and the requisite mathematics) but an ace strategist too, getting his men to synchronise watches when going ashore and work to a strict schedule in the storming of the coastal battery. He has no idea what the French signal “M.V.” means but deduces it must be a friendly signal and uses that to buy time in his next attack. His people-management skills are on the up too: “It was more effective delivered that way, he knew, even while he despised himself for using rhetorical tricks”. None of this gets him any thanks on his return from Admiral Leighton, gorging himself aboard the Pluto, but who then has to find space for some humble pie when Hornblower battles a ferocious storm to rescue the Pluto from shipwreck. “Sutherland to flagship. Am about to give assistance.”

No wonder this won the James Tait Memorial Prize back in the thirties. It all ends, of course, in a superb, shocking, “you have got to be kidding me”, cliff-hanger cementing this as part of one of the great ongoing, serialised English novel sequences. It’s pure A-grade storytelling that was ripped off left right and centre for every boy’s comic strip and adventure fiction for decades and being a newcomer and having no idea what fate lies in store for Hornblower the finale is all the more delicious. “A Ship Of The Line” is, above all, a perfect example of a writer putting obstacles in front of their hero and allowing us to watch him work his way out from under them. Bravo.

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I flew by A Ship of the Line. I believe this is only the second book in the series that Forester wrote in his timeline, but reading chronologically, you can see the refinements. Horatio doesn’t clear his throat nearly as much, maybe becoming more well balanced in his decisions. At the same time, he has this disposition to hate having conversations with anyone. Especially Bush. Which I find odd, seeming as how he’s his closest friend and there’s something holding him back from forming a relationship with him. But I know Hornblower to be incredibly self conscious, doubting everything he does.

He’s incredibly depressed all the time. You can start to see his grief over the loss of his children, to my relief. I still felt bad for Maria though, who still loves her husband more than anything while he can’t stop thinking about Lady Barbara and her fine figure.

The nautical action was phenomenal, as usual. It’s so much fun to read and glide through, you feel like you’re right in the middle of it.

And OH MY GOD. THE CLIFFHANGER. I can’t believe my man, William Bush, wanted to STAY ON DECK after losing a limb!!! Foolish man 🤦🏻‍♀️ I now have to have self control not to immediately jump to the next novel to see what happens with Hornblower’s surrender to the French and if Bush will have a speedy recovery!