Hornblower and the Journey Home

By: James Keffer

Narrated by: Nigel Peever

The year is 1840. Twenty-three years ago, Horatio Lord Hornblower was governor of the island of St. Helena and hailer to its only prisoner, Napoleon Bonaparte. First mutual respect, and later shared tragedy, forged a clandestine friendship between the two men.

Now King Louis Philippe of France has requested that the remains of the late emperor be returned, and Queen Victoria has granted that request. The French have also requested that the former Governor Lord Hornblower attend the exhumation as the official British representative! Hornblower knows the situation is a veritable powder keg; the Ultra-Royalists, led by the ruthless Duke of Angouleme, will stop at nothing to prevent Bonaparte’s remains from returning to France, while the Bonapartists, led by the late emperor’s nephew Louis-Napoleon, hope to use the return to stage a coup and establish a renewed French Empire. However, that would cause Tsar Nicholas of Russia to declare war and invade France!

Hornblower must do his utmost to ensure the mortal remains reach French shores safely to pay a debt he has owed for over 20 years.

©2021 James Keffer (P)2022 Penmore Press

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Hornblower at his best

Hornblower and the Journey Home.
Another great Hornblower tale.
I love the formality of the language between the officers and the descriptions of battle.
It will go into my relisten file.
Nigel Peevers narration is first rate and leaves you believing you were there.

Well written and performed.

The audio book was entertaining and well performed though I found much of the sound effects distracting at times. The action sequences were well written and exciting. The plot was intricate and detailed. I would recommend this audio book to anyone who enjoys a good sea story with the tall ships of old.

Engaging (even if not CS Forester

First of all, Nigel Peever's audio production (narration and sound effects) is first rate, as always. As for the story itself, it is engaging, but the fact that the protagonist, Horatio Hornblower, is someone already familiar to most readers (and more significantly, dear to the heart of most readers), occasions the unfortunate comparison of this work to the original novels by CS Forester. James Keffer would have been better employed, it seems to me, populating his high seas adventures exclusively with characters of his own creation. His scenes of naval warfare are exciting and believable. Mind you, new readers unfamiliar with the original Hornblower series might not be as put off as I am by this author's attempt to ride to literary success on another author's coattails.

Sound effects not appreciated.

Did not like the voice of the reader, his intonation was not that of a fighting officer or crew member.