Books with author c.s. forester

In 1941, Hitler's deadly Bismarck, the fastest battleship afloat, broke out into the Atlantic. Its mission: to cut the lifeline of British shipping and win the war with one mighty blow. How the Royal Navy tried to meet this threat and its desperate attempt to bring the giant Bismarck to bay is the story C. S. Forester tells with mounting excitement and suspense!

Horatio Hornblower, only seventeen years old, gets his sea legs in this "absolutely compelling" (San Francisco Chronicle) first installment of C. S. Forester's classic naval adventure series. The year is 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Horatio Hornblower, a seventeen-year-old boy unschooled in seafaring and the ways of seamen, is ordered to board a French merchant ship and take command of crew and cargo for the glory of England. Though not an unqualified success, this first naval adventure teaches the young midshipman enough to launch him on a series of increasingly glorious exploits. This novel -- in which young Horatio gets his sea legs, proves his mettle, and shows the makings of the legend he will become -- is the first of the eleven swashbuckling Hornblower tales that are today regarded as classic adventure stories of the sea. "I recommend Forester to every literate I know." --Ernest Hemingway

Hornblower gets his first independent command in this installment of C. S. Forester's beloved series, "the most popular modern saga of the days when ships were wood and men were iron" (New York Times Book Review). In this gripping tale of turmoil and triumph on the high seas, Horatio Hornblower emerges from his apprenticeship as midshipman to face new responsibilities thrust upon him by the fortunes of war between Napoleon and Spain. Enduring near-mutiny, bloody hand-to-hand combat with Spanish seamen, deck-splintering sea battles, and the violence and horror of life on the fighting ships of the Napoleonic Wars, the young lieutenant distinguishes himself in his first independent command. He also faces an adventure unique in his experience: Maria.

We again find Captain Horatio Hornblower in this the 9th volume, chronologically, of the Hornblower Saga, off on a new adventure to the Baltic in 1812, when Napoleon's army marches into Russia. He comes through raids, assignations, a siege, an attempted assassination by a member of his crew , and typhus, seeking success but not notoriety, while his introspection sometimes overwhelms him. According to his biographer, Hornblower's swift actions using ungainly bomb-ketches, landed marines and his naval insight for strategy and tactics probably had major influences on the retreat of Napoleon from Russia. Another great read.

Here we meet Horatio Hornblower, a young man of 17, in this Volume #1 of what becomes the 11 volume set about the career of this British Naval officer fighting against Napoleon and his tyranny of Europe as an inexperienced midshipman in January 1794. Bullied and forced into a duel, he takes an even chance. And then he has many more chances to show his skills and ingenuities - from sailing a ship full of wetted and swelling rice to imprisonment and saving the lives of shipwrecked sailors. And along the way, he fights galleys, feeds cattle, stays out of the way of the guillotine, and makes friends with a Duchess. Here Hornblower becomes a man and develops the strength of character which will make him a hero to his men, and to all England.

Hornblower is now 5th Lieutenant aboard the HMS Renown. Unfortunately for him and the crew, the captain is crazy. On their first voyage, the junior officers meet in secret but the captain is on to them. But the captain falls down a ladder during the pursuit and is incapacitated. The first lieutenant takes command but mishandles the job. Hornblower saves the day and ends up being promoted to commander but the Peace of Amiens is called and Hornblower is forced to eke out a living playing whist at a high class gambling hall.

The year is 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Horatio Hornblower, a seventeen-year-old boy unschooled in seafaring and the ways of seamen, is ordered to board a French merchant ship and take command of crew and cargo for the glory of England. Though not an unqualified success, this first naval adventure teaches the young midshipman enough to launch him on a series of increasingly glorious exploits. This novel–in which young Horatio gets his sea legs, proves his mettle, and shows the makings of the legend he will become–is the first of the eleven swashbuckling Hornblower tales that are today regarded as classic adventure stories of the sea.331 pages, with a reading time of ~5.25 hours (82,951 words), and first published in 1950.

This book introduces the most gallant and redoubtable figure in naval history - Horatio Hornblower. The seventeen year old Hornblower became infamous as soon as he stepped on board ship as the midshipman who was seasick in the Spithead, but things were soon to change. Amid battle, action and adventure he proves himself time and time again - courageous in danger, resourceful in moments of difficulty and decisive in times of trouble. The reader stands right beside him as he prepares to fight his first duel, feels that heat as he battles to control a blazing ship and shares his horror as he experiences for the first time, the panic of the plague. The young Hornblower - a truly formidable force in his majesty's service.

They were the most brutal, cunning and adventurous pirates on the face of the earth. Wherever they marauded, men sailed in terror and rich merchantmen feared for their cargoes. For two thousand years they plundered the seas from their lairs along the coast of North Africa—until the tiny, ill-equipped Navy of the new-born United States set out to blast them out of the seas.In this dramatic reconstruction of one of the most exciting periods in naval history, Forester tells the story of the pirates, their incredible raids and the men who finally brought about their downfall. Though basically written for younger readers, THE BARBARY PIRATES will appeal to all lovers of sea stories.—Back Cover.

The Barbary pirates came from the four North African countries of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli — known as the Barbary States. What began as Mohammedans making war on Christians, turned into centuries of raids on merchant vessels, and forced slavery. Only a year after America and England signed the peace of 1783, the American merchant brig, Betsey, was captured by a Moroccan warship. As a result, the United States Navy was born and the young country began its war on piracy in the Mediterranean. Joshua Humphreys came forward with the best designs for ships which were built to endure both battle and storm, full of power and speed. Ships such as the Constitution, the Intrepid, the United States, the Constellation, the Enterprise and many more were sent out to sea. C. S. Forester brings to life many young captains, including Morris, Preble, Decatur and Eaton who overcame many obstacles to help their country. Finally, after more than thirty years, and the efforts of all the civilized nations, peace and security was made permanent.

Hornblower finds himself fighting Napoleonic forces in Russia in this "extremely entertaining" (Christian Science Monitor) chapter in C. S. Forester's beloved naval adventure series. The year is 1812. Hornblower has been ordered to do everything possible, diplomatically and militarily, to protect the Baltic trade and to stop the spread of Napoleon's empire into Sweden and Russia. Though he has set sail a hero, one misstep may ruin his chances of every becoming an admiral. Hornblower must find his way through a maze of perils -- hostile armies, seductive Russian royalty, ice-bound waterways, assassins in the imperial palace -- before he can return home to his beloved new wife and son, as his instructions are to sacrifice every man and ship under his command rather than surrender ground to Napoleon. "Hornblower is Hamlet in command of a battleship." --New York Times