Lieutenant Hornblower

By: C. S. Forester

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible:

Having now paid his dues as midshipman, Horatio Hornblower returns as a newly promoted Lieutenant, in the second instalment of C.S. Forester's beloved naval series.

In this new adventure, Hornblower is overjoyed to discover his next task is to serve aboard the mighty HMS Renown. After witnessing some unsettling scenes however, he soon finds himself struggling to serve under the captain, James Sawyer, whose unsound mind leads him to treat his crew with extreme suspicion and contempt.

As talk of mutiny is abound, the tension rises and Hornblower is forced to make impossible decisions in an effort to unite the crew and avert further disaster by defeating the Spanish.

Introducing a much-desired element of romance to the series, Horatio encounters the beautiful and seductive Maria, who sends him on an altogether different but equally enticing escapade.

Hailed by the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Sir Winston Churchill for being 'admirable and vastly entertaining,' C.S. Forester became a hugely influential 20th Century author.

Born in Cairo, raised in London and buried in California, the metropolitan writer experienced huge success with his Horatio Hornblower series as well as with his later works, The African Queen and The Good Shepherd.

His literary genius is perfectly encapsulated within this endlessly entertaining narrative, and his heroic protagonist draws us in to another titillating journey through the Napoleonic wars.

Narrator Biography

Christian Rodska is an English television and voice actor best known for his role in the 1970's series Follyfoot.

From the The Monuments Men and The Eagle of the Ninth to The Likely Lads, Z Cars, The Tomorrow People, Coronation Street, Bergerac and Casualty, his extensive and diverse acting career has led him to become a highly solicited radio and audiobook narrator.

He has now voiced over 150 unabridged audiobooks including Winston Churchill's biographies, Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arms and Sebastian Faulks' A Possible Life. He has been praised for his ability to vary in vocal pace and style and as such, Christian boasts 12 Earphone Awards from Audiofile Magazine.

©1952 Cassette Productions (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A delightful sea novel!

A splendid book. The characters Hornblower and Bush come alive with Christian Rodska's narration. The plot kept me engaged all through.

Great Follow up!!

Great story detailing Hornblower's prowess at sea and awkwardness on land thus reaffirming the complexity of Forrester's character.

Great

what more can be said. Looking forward to my next credit, so I can get the next book,.

Rousing sea story!

Hornblower is quite the seaman! Excellent story series! Looking forward to hearing the next installment!

Wonderful listen

An amazing and gripping story told well. Set sail with the Renown and her crew.

Vivid scenes and excellent plot twists

Forester has a way of twisting the plot so that you don't know where he will lead his characters next. Hornblower is placed in a ship with a captain that has it out of his lieutenants, Hornblower being one of them. Forester makes you feel the pain these lieutenants feel as they are roughly treated. Later, the crew is facing off the Spanish in the Caribbean, and the Spanish have the upper hand. Forester artfully takes his characters through these trials and will keep you from guessing the next turn in the plot.

For descriptions, he paints the scenes with the ocean, ship, and characters in vivid, memorable language. It is a well written book.

Worth Considering for Patrick O'Brian Fans

If you've exhausted Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and miss tales of the British navy in the 18th-19th centuries, then the Hornblower books seem to be a worthy way to get your fix. The main character is appealing and the naval arcana is well-told, but this book lacked the sly social commentary that lace the O'Brian books. Nevertheless, it's a series I shall continue with. Excellent audiobook narration, with a variety of upper and lower class British accents delineating the characters.

Excellent

Forrester is always good! His attention to detail puts you in the middle of the action!

Love this book!!

It's one of the stories that you love the characters and want to meet them in person. Adventure and character!

A truly wonder voyage

So beautifully written and read. I’m so pleased I picked up this old adventure. Cannot stop listening to the wonderful seamanship descriptions!!!