Hornblower during the Crisis (Hornblower Saga) (Paperback)

The beginning is the first 30-40 percent of a novel that C.S. Forester was working on at his death called, Hornblower During the Crisis. The events take place immediately after Hornblower and the Hotspur.

Next comes a short story (or very brief novella, if you prefer) called "Hornblower's Temptation" which deals with his first posting as a young Lieutenant on the Renown. The action takes place after Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and before Lieutenant Hornblower.

Finally comes another short story (or very brief novella) called "The Last Encounter." It deals with the time during which Hornblower is already a lord and an admiral.

"Hornblower's Temptation" deals with Hornblower's assignment to take control of a prisoner who is being court-martialed for desertion. The story is pretty grim, but contains all of the elements of the better Hornblower stories. A difficult challenge is presented. No obvious solution exists. Hornblower finds a good way out, and overcomes mental and moral hurdles to succeed. I would advise no one to miss this story. It is good background for later stories where Hornblower must find a way to do the right thing without fully disclosing what has taken place.

"Hornblower During the Crisis" has many attractive elements. The story deals with Hornblower's experience in handing over the Hotspur to his replacement after Lord Cornwallis promotes him to Post Captain at the end of Hornblower and the Hotspur. On the way back to England, Hornblower fights as improbable a naval battle as you can imagine, and in an unexpected role. As a result of his quick thinking, important information is developed which he takes to the Admiralty. While there, he helps devise a remarkable scheme for influencing the French. The book ends at that point. You then get 164 words of author's notes on how Mr. Forester planned to finish the novel. The finished parts of the novella are reasonably polished. Forester probably would have added more details to the beginning to make it more interesting and dramatic. The parts in London look like they are fully developed.

If you are like me, the best parts of Hornblower stories are where he has crises of conscience. Hornblower During the Crisis promises just such crises in the 164 words, but does not deliver them. As a result, most people will see this novella as less than a full Hornblower novel. It is too bad, because the concept was a sound one . . . and I would have enjoyed reading the end. I graded down the book accordingly.

As to "The Last Encounter," this story is intended as irony without any testing of Hornblower either intellectually or morally. It is a piece of fluff. Be sure not to read this story until after you have finished the whole series. It contains references to other characters that will spoil your enjoyment from reading the books ahead in the chronology of Hornblower's fictional life.

Should you read this book? If you like Hornblower, I say "yes." I slightly prefer reading it in order to reading it in the end of the series. For me, the right solution was to read all but "The Last Encounter" in chronological order . . . and then reread those sections and read "The Last Encounter" at the end of reading all of the other books.

If this were your last day on earth, what unfinished business should you do today? How would it improve your life and the lives of others if you do that unfinished business anyway? Imagine, for example, how much more rewarded C.S. Forester's readers would be if he had completed a thorough outline of the rest of this story before he died. That would have taken no more than a day . . . and the benefits would have been enormous.