Hornblower and the "Hotspur"

I recently borrowed Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and Lieutenant Hornblower from my local library and couldn't wait to get the next book on audio, so I visited my account here. Unfortunately, the books here do not do the series justice. Macnee is a horrible narrator. Macnee's performance would lead you to believe that all characters except Hornblower are deaf and extremely stupid, including Lt. Bush and other favorites. Macnee never seems to get too far beyond his own, dull voice. Get the unabridged versions from a library or Amazon, and make sure Macnee is NOT the narrator.

C.S. Forester's novel about life aboard a British Man of War is ledgendary. In the Hotspur, Hornblower's reputation as an aggresive, determined captain come into fine focus. He is an honorable man with a realistic sense of what can be attained if you work hard, dare greatly and are willing to pay the price. I wish the entire series was available. Patrick Macnee does a masterful job of bring this famous story to life. Highly recommended.
George Carpenter

As a young boy, I avidly devoured each of C.S. Forester's 'Hornblower' books as soon as they appeared -- re-connecting with Hornblower seventy years later was a joyful experience -- Patrick McNee does a masterful job creating the voices of Hornblower and all the other characters in this novel -- each chapter of Forester's book were brought vividly to life for me -- I look forward to purchasing the remaining Hornblower books in the Audible library...

I've read all the Hornblower books when I was young. I was afraid that listening now would have been a disappointment. It wasn't. The story was still gripping and the reader was engaging. I just wish the other books were also here.

A very well-read installment of the classic series. You feel you are standing in the rigging looking for signs the French Many has sailed out to do battle.

While the story is as good as you would expect, the narration is ponderous and VERY poorly done.

Where as the book is a wonderful classic, saddly the recording has places that the recording is weak and the pitch changes. Audible should review the book and upgrade the recording.

wonderfully written and a great story. Best of all the reader is magical with all his different voices.