What do You think about The Young Hornblower Omnibus (1998)?
Having read the Aubrey-Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian and have now started to read Hornblower. My preference is........... Hornblower. Purely for the reason that, for me, the variety within the plots are better. I enjoyed Aubrey and would recommend them for anyone, but, Hornblower is even more of a rip roaring yarn.The only thing is that, not being a sailor I find the descriptions of which sails are run out and when, difficult to follow. If was that much of a problem I could always look it up on the internet.
—Andy
A thoroughly good book; well written and well researched. it is obvious why/how he was the inspiration for Patrick O'Brien and the Aubrey series. These books are, however, more definitely action and concentrate much more on the naval aspects and the war fighting without the more complex relationships developed by O'Brien.Hornblower is clearly an exceptional naval commander but one who doesn't blow his own trumpet and it's interesting to see how his advancement only comes about through those who can see how good he really is rather than because he is pushing himself forward.I look forward to reading the subsequent books in the series.
—Alex
Seldom have I enjoyed a book as much as this one, even though I have read it before (a long time ago). Hornblower is an interesting character who appears human and flawed despite his desperate need to be neither. The pace of the book is excellent, jumping from action to action with interesting nautical detail thrown in (not that I can verify the authenticity, but it feels authentic). I'm looking forward to re-reading the rest of the series and counting my blessings for stumbling on this in e-pub format from my local library.
—Gavin
