Hornblower and the Atropos

Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #5

by C.S. Forester

In the wake of a humbling incident aboard a canal boat in the Cotswolds, young Captain Horatio Hornblower arrives in London to take command of the Atropos, a 22-gun sloop barely large enough to require a captain. Her first assignment under Hornblower's command is as flagship for the funeral procession of Lord Nelson.

Soon Atropos is part of the Mediterranean Fleet's harassment of Napoleon, recovering treasure that lies deep in Turkish waters and boldly challenging a Spanish frigate several times her size. At the center of each adventure is Hornblower, Forester's most inspired creation, whose blend of cautious preparation and spirited execution dazzles friend and foe alike.

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

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

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

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

#5 of Hornblower saga, 'Hornblower and the Atropos' is a totally gripping adventure story following post-captain Horatio Hornblower whose dream finally comes true - he gets to command a vessel. 'Atropos' is a small but fast and agile sloop. It seems to me that 'Atropos' symbolizes Hornblower himself - a young, ambitious and fearless sailor who is not a youngster anymore but still is full of energy. He has to learn his lessons, fight and win his battles in order to survive and find his way in the stormy sea of life.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-stop action and a great read on every page as the young Horatio Hornblower gets in and out of trouble. There are superb sailing scenes where you don't have to understand all the terms to get the feel and flavor and tension of what is happening. There is also intelligent consideration of these events in the mind of the maturing Hornblower, when he succeeds and also when that success is not always recognized or rewarded.

This is perfect for me as a break from my research reading on Hitler, Heydrich and the Gestapo in connection with the sequel to A Flood of Evil.

[Mr. Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this Hornblower book. It was definitely the weakest of the bunch thus far.

Hornblower is promoted to Post-Captain and as junior Captain on the rolls (but none-the-less favored) he is given a ship - a 22 gun sloop of war. The smallest possible shop to rate a full Captain. Good stuff so far, but the story never really develops or picks up as it does in the other books. There is no great crisis. Hornblower never needs to bring his ship into a desperate struggle. And this is a disappointment.

This book is really in three parts: (1) Hornblower takes over his ship, (2) Hornblower conducts a salvage operation in Turkish waters, and (3) Hornblower confronts a random Spanish frigate. Unfortunately these parts don't really fit well together. The Spanish frigate (where there was a furious boarding action) felt tacked on. The meat of the story was really the salvage operation, but there wasn't enough tension. Yes, he did get trapped, but ... meh ... he escaped without much trouble. I think this was really the heart of the story. It needed more and it didn't get it. It was too bad.

Three out of five stars. Hornblower is still good stuff but I had expected a bit more.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of Horatio Hornblower continues. Here Captain Hornblower (one of many captains waiting ashore for a command) gets command of the Atropos. She's a small sloop of war the very smallest ship that would require a captain to command her rather than a commander.

I read many of these years ago but didn't complete the "series" of books that relate the life of our hero. This one gives us one of the less warlike stories of Hornblower. It takes place not long after the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson.

While not as traditionally navel battle oriented as some of the books the plot will I believe draw you in just the same. Also we get to know more about our developing Navel hero.

Recommended.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Hornblower series. The last book I read and reviewed was the fourth book in the series and to say the least it was a disappointment. That book seemed to be an effort on the author's part to get something to the publisher for reasons unknown to the readers. The book consisted of two unrelated short stories and what I termed a fragment of a promising full length adventure that ended just as the expected action might have begun. I had hoped that this fragment might have been a tease for a story to be continued in the fifth book. For that reason I immediately started reading number five and can now report that the fourth book in the Hornblower series was a waste of time, paper, and ink. The story started in number four did not continue in number five at all and number five is set in a time frame occurring after that of the fourth book. If there is an explanation for this I am unaware of it and would love to know if anybody can shed any light on this situation.

As for this book it is a fair though not particularly exciting tale and contains three or maybe two and half separate stories. It begins with Hornblower being promoted to post captain and then being assigned to oversee the planning for the London funeral of Admiral Nelson following the return of his body from Trafalgar. As you might expect a funeral is anything but exciting. Following this assignment Horatio is next sent to the Mediterranean on what amounts to a treasure hunt. He is sent to recover silver and gold coin sunk in Turkey in a British ship some years before. The ship is more than 100 feet below the surface and the retrieval must be done without the Turks knowing what they're doing. This was about the best part of the book but it was followed by a more typical story for a book in this genre.

After Turkey Hornblower is back with the Mediterranean Fleet and on a scouting mission when he encounters a Spanish frigate far superior to his ship. It is a story of shifting roles between hunter and hunted and then a final surprise conflict. At the end of the book Hornblower loses his repaired little ship to Mediterranean politics and returns home to discover his family is ill with what might be smallpox. As book four revealed that at the end of his career Hornblower is married to a woman other than the one he has had up to and including book five this may portend dire circumstances in book six. I think I'll let that book go for now and move on to something lighter.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horatio Hornblower gets the helm of his first ship.

Even though it is a small ship, and he is the junior most captain of the navy, he gets sent on an important mission, and uses his wits and guile to win the day.

It is amazing to see how much the world has changed in what is an eyeblink in the cosmic sense of time.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good addition to the Hornblower series. As usual, the action never stops in several different adventures. That was one of the issues too, though. In prior books, a big deal has been made of how long it took to beat back windward & the lack made the end of the book seem a bit sketchy. Also, it ends on a terrible cliff hanger.

On the plus side, there was a salvage operation that was quite interesting & several narrow escapes. The latter is to be expected, but Forester varies the circumstances enough to make them seem quite fresh.

I had to read this ebook before going back to listen to the rest. The audio book edition I have is read by Nicolas Coster which I couldn't take for more than 5 minutes. Awful, ponderous reading. Christian Rodska read all the previous books & did a great job. Looks like he read the rest that my library has too, thankfully.

[Will Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the complete 11-book series of THE HORNBLOWER SAGA by C.S. Forester, which I just finished reading last night.

[Note: Individual books have individual star ratings (mostly 5-star, a few 4-star), but the descriptive review will be the same for each, and encompass the entire series, as follows.]

Actually, I just finished reading the complete series for the second time, the first being as a teenager some 30 years ago.

It's remarkable to me that I have only just this moment realized that my own timeline regarding the two readings corresponds almost exactly to the age progression experienced by the main character in the course of these 11 novels.

It's a 30-year journey unlike any other I have ever taken in books - full and deep and satisfying.

This is the epic saga of fictional British naval hero HORATIO HORNBLOWER, who goes from a 17-year-old midshipman to a 46-year-old admiral during the "golden age of sail" which encompasses the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century.

I'll list the 11 books in chronological order (not the order they were written), which is the best way, I believe, to read them:

- MR. MIDSHIPMAN HORNBLOWER
- LIEUTENANT HORNBLOWER
- HORNBLOWER AND THE HOTSPUR
- HORNBLOWER DURING THE CRISIS
- HORNBLOWER AND THE ATROPOS
- BEAT TO QUARTERS
- SHIP OF THE LINE
- FLYING COLOURS
- COMMODORE HOWNBLOWER
- LORD HORNBLOWER
- ADMIRAL HORNBLOWER IN THE WEST INDIES

I've read other sea-faring novels, but to me, Forester earns the crown.

Why?

Many reasons, but I'll list just three:

1. All the rousing action you could ask for in a well-paced adventure series...

2. ...coupled with a complex main character. This is the true secret of the Hornblower books - that Hornblower himself is not some one-dimensional, infallible, faultless hero. On the contrary, he is filled with self-doubt and doesn't always choose the best course, especially in personal matters. But by building the main character this way, Forester allows you to recognize, empathize, and eventually care deeply about him - rooting for his success rather than merely expecting it. It's this complex characterization that complements and actually allows for the heroics of the plot - because it all comes at a price.

[One price is so high that, as a teenager, I couldn't believe that Forester had actually done it. I can't go into detail because this is a spoiler-free review, but something happens that is so devastating that literally for entire books afterwards, I kept expecting Forester to make amends. But it doesn't happen. And finally, as an older adult - knowing it will happen, knowing there will be no reprieve - I realize Forester was saying, "This is the price of war."]

3. The Language of Sailing Ships: I'm not nautically-minded, and there is much use of nautical language in these books. But rather than being annoyed, I had a very different reaction. First, I learned a few things. But much more importantly, I also grew to appreciate the language itself, whether I understood its technical details or not. To me, it became like poetry. Or even music.

And I loved it.

All 11 books.

It's an investment, to be sure.

But, for those "able-bodied", a wonderfully entertaining journey awaits.

Should you set sail?

Aye-aye!

[Bfisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this about 50 years ago. The canal boat beginning has always stuck in my mind. Upon a reread, I think I now understand why Forester included this in the book. The Hornblower saga is more than a mere Age of Fighting Sail tale; Forester was also trying showing us how Britain was able to sustain a global conflict for more than 20 years against what must have looked like an unbeatable continental power.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The four discrete incidents related in this novel didn't form a cohesive whole. It was agenda-driven to highlight technology and a particular historic event wrapped up with a hasty sea-battle, so it was interesting and a decent read, but no more.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The period of history when Napoleon Bonaparte was marching across Europe is perhaps my favorite time for British Naval historical fiction. The Battle of Trafalgar was a pivotal naval victory for Great Britian. The French and Spanish navies were decisively crippled. Old Boney may have been the supreme military power on land but the British Navy was the supreme power of the seas. Great Britian did suffer a major loss in the battle. Admiral Horatio Nelson was mortally wounded. Admiral Lord Nelson was perhaps the most celebrated officer in the British navy.

It is at this moment in history that Hornblower and the Atropos begins its story. Captain Horatio Hornblower and his pregnant wife travel to London for his new commission. Hornblower fully expected to get orders to set sail to sea. It turns out Hornblower's orders are that he is to be in charge of the extravagant procession to convey Lord Nelson's coffin up river to a place where the coffin would then be taken overland to the cathedral for the funeral. The eyes of the Admirality and all of London are on Hornblower.

C. S. Forester is a great author and Hornlower is a popular series. This is my second or third book that I have read in the series and I can say I don't enjoy these books as much as0 the books by Patrick O'Brien or Dewey Lambdin. That said though, this book was an enjoyable read. I listened to the audiobook. I didn't care for the narrator's style or portrayal of the story's characters. He was adequate enough though as to not abandon the book altogether.

For those who like naval historical fiction of the late 1700's and early 1800's, C. S. Forester's Hornblower series is definitely worth checking out. For this particular book, I would avoid the audiobook and recommend reading the ebook or hardcopy editions of the book.

[Linda Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel much more than Hornblower and the Hotspur. I'm reading this series in the chronological order, though now I need to backtrack and read the "Crisis" half-novel.

This book returns to the author's earlier writing style which is more conversational than Hotspur was. However I'm still reeling from the last few words in the book. Was that meant as a cliffhanger to get people to buy the next novel?

We meet some interesting characters in this book. Hornblower has an entirely new crowd of people around him once Atropos sets sail, a few chapters in. The book started with a canal boat adventure with the family.

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rather leery of starting in on the Hornblower series. Without knowing anything about it aside from the period in which it was set and the period in which it was published, I had the notion it was going to be pulpy, melodramatic, and repetitious.

That couldn't be farther from the truth. In this book, as, indeed, in the whole series, Forester presents a splendidly realistic hero, full of both foibles and virtues. His historical setting is engrossing and obviously well researched. It still doesn't quite measure up to O'Brian's similar Aubrey/Maturin series, owing mostly to a lack of warmth in comparison, but it's absolutely worth the journey.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last of the Hornblower prequels. This one tells of Hornblower's first command as a full post captain (in Hornblower and the Hotspur, he was commanding the Hotspur, and called "Captain" by courtesy, but his actual rank was still lieutenant; the Hotspur wasn't big enough to warrant a post captain) on H.M. Sloop-of-war Atropos, the smallest ship in the British navy (just a skosh larger than the Hotspur, in fact) to warrant a full post captain.

Anyway, in this particular instance he spends pretty much all of his time in the Mediterranean -- much of the book is occupied by a mission to retrieve treasure from a British ship that went down in Turkish waters carrying payroll for the fleet a few years prior.

And again, there's plenty of excitement and plenty of very precisely described sailing jargon, and things end with the pieces being put into place for the events of Beat to Quarters, the book Forester had written a decade earlier that introduced one Captain Horatio Hornblower to the world.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really loving the Hornblower series. I would have appreciated it more during my time in the Navy. This one was awesome. HH now with a wife and 2 children, gets a new ship, puts on a funeral for Lord Nelson, meets the King, finds treasure, trains up a German Prince to be a midshipman, outwits the Turks and Spaniards and then has to use his cutlass in close combat. The result would be good, right? No- he loses command of the Atropos as it is given to the Sicilian Navy. What adventures await him now that he has been sent back to England to find his children ill with the smallpox? Stay tuned as I turn to the next novel (the first one Forester wrote) “Beat to Quarters”.

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hornblower finally becomes a Captain and gets his own ship to command around the Mediterranean. As usual, the writing is faultless. Even without as much action as previous installments, it is never anything less than engrossing.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, like most Hornblower books. And, like many Hornblower books, the parts are greater than the whole. Forester has wonderfully enjoyable episodes: Hornblower steering a barge on the way to his new command (accompanied by a disapproving Maria); Hornblower's ship beginning to sink as he leads the Nelson funeral procession; being saddled with a non-English speaking prince and his obnoxious equerry as part of his crew; treasure hunting with Ceylonese pearl divers off the Turkish coast; and the question of what exactly you do when an important member of your crew falls into the ocean at the same time you are being chased by a large enemy ship. Hornblower's solution to this last problem is, as often happens, quite brilliant.

Hornblower's brilliance can begin to grate if you let it -- time after time, he comes up with solutions to seemingly intractable challenges. In a way, this helps explain Hornblower's eternal insecurity: as a world-class whist player, he must know that he is beating the odds and that someday he's likely to guess wrong. The character does not know that Forester is weighing the scales on his behalf. In fact, Forester would have written a stronger series of books if sometimes the odds HAD gone against Hornblower. Or if, at very least, he had gotten to some of the solutions through consultation. Don't some of his lieutenants have insights? Hornblower as lone genius, in an environment with as much teamwork potential as the Napoleonic British navy, is a disappointment.

Note that, in stating when I read this book, I mean the most recent time. I read the whole series in my teens, and then again in my 20s.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently-promoted Captain Hornblower and his very pregnant wife travel by canal boat to London where Hornblower is to take over his first command, that of "Atropos", the smallest ship in the British navy. One might think this would result in boring assignments and times for the young captain, but as usual, Horatio makes lemonade from the lemons he is given. In the early going, we are granted wry glimpses into Hornblower's marriage and its conflicts with his total dedication to his navy career. One of the beauties of Forester's creation of Hornblower is that, despite his brilliance as an officer, he is an appealingly flawed human being, saved by his basic decency. Once he puts to sea, however, domestic tribulations are forgotten and the action begins.
As usual in this series, there is extraordinarily accurate technical nautical detail, but even if much of it is beyond the reach of the lay reader it's still clear enough to be understood in context. The varied adventures and characters make this book one of the best in the series. I'm sorry to be nearing the end of my voyages with Hornblower.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has anyone remarked on the double entendre in our hero's name? No. Then I won't either.

Right. The book. Yes. I know I had all sorts of interesting things to say about it, but I finished reading it a month ago and the interesting things have slipped away into the place all those bon mots and lightning quick quips go when you actually want to use them, to be replaced by leaden, frankly rather dull, words. Words like episodic, entertaining and edifying: they all apply but really, if you've read any Hornblower, you'll know that already.

What did I have to say that was interesting? Ah, was it this: this is story as single-person drama. While it's not written in the first person, it's absolutely Hornblower's story - something evinced by the relatively small amount of dialogue. It's all action and Hornblower planning on, or reflecting on, action. As such, it's a peculiarly solipsistic book. Not bad for that, but I think having read four Hornblowers I need to take a break for a while. It might have helped if Hornblower had a sense of humour, but he's as devoid of that as he is of musicality. Music is a bit hard to do in a book; humour is almost as hard.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help but laugh at myself, as I try to formulate an opinion about this book. You see, reading this cycle is something of a throwback to my teenage years, when I devoured every Hornblower book I could find at my local library. Forester's creation was a hero grander than life for me at that time.

Fast-forward to 2012 and I am astonished by how my view of Horatio Hornblower has changed. Due to almost thirty years life experience and vastly increased knowledge of history, I see a young man, who's undeniably competent, but also rather unsure of himself, unatractively manipulative and to be frank, rather unsymphatetic.

How does this change of view reflect on the Hornblower opus and this book in particular? Rather well, I must say - the fact that I toda preceive Hornblower so differently than I did while still a boy, is proof in itself of quality and depth in Forester's writing. As a nautical adventure, it is undeniably one of the classics in the genre, as is the rest of the cycle.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hornblower is a fascinating character, and for various reasons this is my favorite book of his so far. One reason is the supporting cast--the doctor required to heal the man he'd almost killed in duel, the Ceylonese divers dragged to a strange world to dive for lost treasure, the German princeling and grand-nephew of the King of England literally learning the ropes--all intrigued me. But Horatio's glum pessimism (a pessimism justified by events) and morbid self-doubt and self-absorption, combined with his bravery, intelligence, and basic kindness make for a very complex and interesting character.

Oh yeah, and the plot was fun and gripping. Forester has a thing about ending on a horrible, painful note that leaves everything as a downer right after a triumph for Hornblower--I don't know if I hate it or love it, but it's very involving.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh hell no! Nicolas Coster's reading had me ready to cut my own throat in under 5 minutes. I gritted my teeth & concentrated more on driving hoping against all hope that it would improve. It didn't. Had to stop or my teeth were going to break.

Slow, ponderous, awful!

Christian Rodska read all the previous books & did a great job. Looks like he read the rest that my library has, too. I guess I'll have to get the ebook & read it.

My 3 star review of the ebook version is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Luca Cresta · Rating 5 out of 5]

La decisione di completare la lettura dei romanzi del ciclo di Hornblower si sta rivelando molto positiva: avevo quasi dimenticato il piacere di leggere storie di mare dopo aver completato i testi di O'Brien su Aubrey e Maturin. Questa "puntata" delle avventure di Horatio è ambientata tra Londra ed il Mediterraneo orientale. Quanti ricordi ha sollevato in me la descrizione dell'ingresso nella baia di Marmaris in Turchia: la narrazione di Forester è così viva che mi sono ritrovato a bordeggiare nei due passaggi all'ingresso senza fatica, anche se sono passati oltre 25 anni dalla mia ultima navigazione in loco. Divertenti e accuratissime sia la descrizione del funerale di Nelson che quella delle operazioni di recupero. Insomma un libro che mi ha dato un enorme piacere.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hornblower faces domestic crisis, the tension between family and patriotic duties, threats to his career, and another great literary sea chase -- with the fine writing Forester brings. Never a dull moment.

[Geoff Woodland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read this book fifty five years ago I thought I'd read it again. I had the same enjoyment that I'd had when I first read the story. The author brings the characters to life and paints word pictures that fills the mind with excitement.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Horatio Hornblower is on his way to London with his family on board a canal boat to receive his newest orders. The canal boat trip is eventful and results in Hornblower learning a great deal about what it takes to pilot a boat like this as opposed to on the high seas.

His arrival in London comes just as the city is thrown into mourning following the death of Admiral Nelson. Hornblower’s first assignment is to command the flagship for Nelson’s funeral. With the eyes of London upon him, Hornblower manages to safely deliver the Admiral’s casket to the dockside, although he also faces a hazard that requires his usual quick-thinking to do so.

Having completed this, he is next assigned as Captain of the Atropos. The ship is a sloop of the war. His destination is the Mediterranean where he is to join up with the fleet. To complicate matters even further, the King’s nephew, a German-born Prince, is part of the crew along with a hot-headed ship’s surgeon who serves as translator.

To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...

[Jacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 1805. Young, eager Horatio Hornblower has been givain captaincy of the Atropos, one of his Majesty's smallest ships worthy of a captain, and carrying 22 guns. She's still fitting out when Hornblower arrives in Portsmouth after a journey from Gloucestershire on a fast canal boat. His wife, Maria, is within days of giving birth to their second child. His first order is to organise the procession up the Thames which is part of Nelson's funeral. Then he's sent to join the Mediterranean fleet, so with his new daughter barely hours old, he sets sail. His first officer is a little dull and unimaginative, and he has a European prince on board as a new midshipman. Gradually he sets everything in order. He has to retrieve treasure from Marmeris Bay off the Turkish coast, without alerting the Turkish authorities. It's a difficult and dangerous mission which he completes by the skin of his teeth. After that he rejoins the Mediterranean fleet andengages the Catillia. It's really a collection of short stories strung together, but it hangs together as a novel. Christian Rodska's reading is good, though his first Lieutenant sounds just like Mr Bush in previous novels.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume in the series consists of several entertaining episodes, each allowing Hornblower to show his mettle in different ways, but as much as I always enjoy that—and I really do—they don't come together to form a cohesive narrative or build to a compelling denouement.

This volume also suffers from a lack of interesting secondary characters. I've become accustomed to Hornblower's encounters with other captains or shrewd foes or incompetent superiors or reliable lieutenants...and while some of these flitted on the page from time to time, none of them connected with Hornblower in any meaningful way, leaving our clever captain more than typically alone in his anxiety-ridden mind, unremarked by and unremarkable to any but his reader.

It's not as satisfying to watch Hornblower triumph against the odds when not one of his contemporaries is given the opportunity to share in my delight at his wily, resilient intellect.

[Sonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Nothing in this review can be construed as a spoiler because all the action mentioned is included in the synopsis on the back cover of the book.

Another Exciting Hornblower tale. Hornblower takes command of a 22 gun sloop, the Atropos. Starts out with being the flagship for the funeral procession of Lord Nelson, killed during the battle of Trafalger. From there Hornblower becomes part of the Mediterranean fleet harassing Napoleon, goes on to recover treasure in Turkish waters and takes part in a battle against a much larger Spanish Galleon.
Gripping and realistic as you can expect from all of C.S. Forester's books.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, not bad. It's not amazing by any means, but entertaining. I'm not sure I could read the whole series without getting bored, but this isn't my first and I'm still having a decent time. Not exactly thrilled, but there we are.