Hornblower During the Crisis (Hornblower Saga (Paperback))

I have read the first, numbered half of the Hornblower Saga (from "Midshipman" up to "Beat to Quarters"), and I very much enjoy the series. I like Hornblower's ability to meticulously plan, the human way in which he is so self-critical (something all people probably can relate to), and his ability to unerringly know the right moment to take a risk in order to enhance the fruits of his careful planning.
However, I was reluctant to pay full price for something that was, essentially, half a novel. And so it was with mixed feelings that I purchased "Hornblower During The Crisis."
I was pleasantly surprised.
I just finished reading the book, and I can say that I did not feel at all cheated out of my money.
It would have been pleasant to have actually read the rest of the story, instead of reading a synopsis that describes its ending, but all the elements from the other Hornblower books are here: and, ultimately, it did not leave me with the feeling that I'd read an incomplete thing.
If other Amazon shoppers are considering buying this book, but have the same concerns I had, I feel comfortable in telling them that they probably won't regret the purchase.

This novel picks up with Hornblower relinquishing command of the Hotspur and returning to London for a new command. As typical in a Forester novel, nothing ever goes as planned and action follows Hornblower on his way home from a supply ship. There are only about 150 pages of text in this story and what was missing in the story were what Hornblower did that lead to the eventual decisive Battle of Trafalgar. It was nice to see what Forester wrote anyway only because I like the genre and I like Forester's details and descriptions of being in the Service and living during that time. But this book wouldn't be good on its own.

Hornblower During the Crisis
This is the fourth volume in the Hornblower Saga following [[ASIN:0316290467 Hornblower and the "Hotspur" (Hornblower Series)]]. This novel was not finished when the author died. It was completed by others using the author's summary of how it ended and other notes left by the author. I`ve read in some of the other reviews complaints that the author died before he could complete this book. That the book was completed by someone else or that the price for the book was the same as for the others, NOW REALLY!

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1st you can hardly blame an author for dying. Many authors have died with outlines of unfinished books left with their estates. Examples: [[ASIN:0618919805 Leaving Cold Sassy]]I suggest that you read up on the Battle of Trafalgar before you start this book. I don't want to give too much a way but it is relevant to this book
Andre Norton left numerous that Baen Books is still publishing.
Personally I believe the publisher of Andre Norton's unfinished works did the better job in finding an author willing to finish her works. [[ASIN:0385312202 Leaving Cold Sassy: The Unfinished Sequel to Cold Sassy]] was a "blah read" to me. Yes, I read it. It read like a first draft, most author go through at least three drafts before they submit their works.
2nd about the price: two short stories (Horn blower's Temptation and the Last Encounter) written by the author related to the Hornblower Saga are included AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE!
Come on people if you can't afford to buy books check them out of your free public library!
You can buy a used copy of this book in very good condition for less than the price of admission to a movie, why complain about the price?

The next volume in this series is[[ASIN:0316289299 Hornblower and the Atropos (Hornblower Saga)]](Hornblower Saga)

There are three rather short stories in this book. The back cover describes the book as following "Hornblower and the Hotspur," and the unfinished first story does, so you probably shouldn't read this book before reading "Hotspur." But the next story is set between "Midshipman Hornblower" and "Lieutenant Hornblower," and the third story is set at the end of the entire series. You don't need to read the whole series first, but the last story won't make sense unless you at least read "Beat to Quarters" first. And nothing in this compilation is necessary for understanding other books. So you shouldn't read it in the sequence listed on the cover, and you may as well save it for last. That said, all three stories are worth reading.

As you know, the main story was unfinished, which is fine. It's an ambitious tale of how an out-of-work commander saves Britain from invasion and deals the French tyrant a mortal blow through luck, skill, luck, cleverness, luck, and derring-do. It ends about halfway through the story, with about a page of notes about how it ends. The half that's finished is entertaining, but does rely a lot on luck. I have trouble imagining the second half being written without relying too much on luck. It's great the way it is.

The next story explores the young Hornblower's character as he must guard a devious prisoner and face financial and professional temptation. The last story shows the peaceful life of an old, successful, wealthy, respected, contented Hornblower interrupted by an entertaining echo of his old enemy.

All told, it's a fun, easy-to-read book for Hornblower fans. But there's nothing wrong with saving it for the end of the series.

"During the Crisis" features three novellas by C.S. Forester. The first, best and the only incomplete novella is the first which occurs after "Hornblower and the Hotspur". The second occurs sometime after Mr. Midshipman and Lieutenant Hornblower. The third, I think (I have not completed the entire series yet) should be one of the last things read about HH. I don't know how Forester intended on introducing these three well written, but very chronologically disjointed pieces into the life of HH, but it would seem that his estate put together his remaining notes about HH and published it under the title "During the Crisis". My suggestion to anyone who is reading the Hornblower series for the first time is to pick this book up and read the sections after you have read the books in the order I have mentioned them. Reading this before I read Lieutenant Hornblower would have been enlightening.

I give this book two stars, but in no way am I implying that C.S. Forester deserves two stars for his work. Rather, I give the publisher of the book two stars for giving us half a novel but presenting it as a full entry in the Hornblower saga. I was looking forward to another great Hornblower novel, but found instead the beginnings of a promising story and a few short stories. The whole edition is much shorter than the other Hornblower novels, but costs the same price. I would recommend skipping this book until you have really exhausted the other Hornblower novels already.

This is genuine Forester and Hornblower, lovely what there is, but a bit out of sorts. First, one of the two short stories appended to this volume, Hornblower's Temptation, should be read immediately following the Mr. Midshipman book (#1). In it we see Hornblower in his first Lieutenancy, solving a mystery.
Second, the main novel here (#4 biographically) is the "final" one left incomplete by Forester's death. Hornblower has left Hotspur on the Brest blockade, but not finally, due to his incompetent successor. After that flurry of action, Hornblower waves to his wife and is off to London to become a Post Captain, but is promised a ship only if his rash espionage plan successfully penetrates Bonaparte's Empire. In the succeeding book 5 (Atropos) there is no allusion to Hornblower's incredible deception of the French set up here (but unwritten). Third, the other short story in this volume, The Last Encounter, as its title implies, might be reserved for reading after the last novel in the Hornblower saga.
The Author's Note published here to forward the unfinished novel--setting Hornblower ashore to deceive the French Navy into its most colossal blunder--is disappointing in its brevity. On the other hand, one infers that Forester must have been in the habit of writing only the sketchiest of outlines and usually wrote from page 1 right through to the end in order. The 9 chapters that were completed are fully formed and polished. Perhaps Forester enjoyed writing his stories the same way we enjoy reading them: inspired from the beginning and no skipping!

Like all the Hornblower books we see our hero in many unconfortable positions, from the Court Martial of his successor to finding himself a junior officer in a battle situation after years of command. Unlike the other Hornblower books we are left with an incomplete story. It seems to me that this drop doesn't change a thing.
Most people who read Hornblower will know their Navel History and will be able to put the pieces together, (on more than one occasion Forester talks about Hornblower's fellow captians putting the pieces together from a brief statement in a report.) and the reader can do it without problem.
The two short stories that follow are both of high quality. (I was very disapointed that we didn't see the story of Barry McCool in the lastest Hornblower movie.) His encounter with McCool and with Napoleon III were both well written and interesting.
Unless you are reading the series in chronological order (don't forget to read the McCool story AFTER Midshipman Hornblower then put it away till you finish Hornlober and the Hotspur) this book should probally be read last. I wouldn't buy this book first, but I wouldn't recommend missing it either.

If you don't, you'll wish you had. These things might go out of print and catch you one book short.

It's hard to write a review of a Horatio Hornblower book that is less than superlative. But I must in this case.
Hornblower during the Crisis is probably only of interest to Hornblower fanatics. It is the incomplete (and unedited) beginning of a story Forester was writing when he died -- matched up with two short stories about Hornblower.
None of these stories are very good. I'll avoid revealing plot details as all three hinge on unlikely and rather obvious plot twists. The main story, which tells of the events between Hornblower leaving the Hotspur and the Battle of Trafalgar, drags a bit and stops right when it was going to get interesting. The next tells of an event in Horatio's early history -- an unpleasant one that seems to contradict his character. The last is an encounter near the end of his career and is rather amusing but not exciting in the least.
Again, this book might be worth buying if you are interested in completing a collection (although, even then, the price is ridiculous). But casual readers should steer a course to the other ten novels.