Lord Hornblower

In 1946, C. S. Forester published Lord Hornblower, the fifth installment in the popular Horatio Hornblower series of novels. Following hot on the heels of The Commodore, released a little over a year before, Lord Hornblower sees the title character called on to deal with a difficult and precarious situation — this time, handling a crew of mutinous soldiers in danger of defecting to the crown's shown enemy, France.

True to form, Forester delivers an exciting tale of adventure and suspense on the high seas during a period of British history — the first decades of the 19th century — that has since passed into folklore. Although the prolific author would be back with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower less than four years later, this follow-up would technically be a prequel, and fans of the series would have to wait until 1958 for another full-length installment in the saga of one of Britain's best-loved fictional heroes. This is an important entry into a canon that remains immensely popular to this day and a fine example of Forester's writing.