| In C.S. Forester's novel The Commodore, Horatio Hornblower plays a major role in the later stages of the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1812, Hornblower is delighted to finally receive a challenging mission after several months of boredom ashore. He is given the rank of commodore, a ship of the line and various smaller vessels, and the delicate task of trying to bring neutrals Sweden and Russia into the war on Britain's side against Napoleon. On the way to Russia, Hornblower chases and sinks a French privateer, even though the latter seeks the protection of Sweden waters. When he arrives in Moscow, he has to prevent the assassination of both Czar Alexander and the King of Sweden by Hornblower's own interpreter (a Finnish exile with grudges against both) without anyone noticing during a reception. When Napoleon finally invades Russia, Hornblower is ordered to help defend Riga against the French. He does so both by sea and by land. With the onset of winter, Napoleon is forced into a disastrous retreat from Moscow. When his forces at Riga also withdraw, Hornblower persuades the Prussian rearguard to switch sides. He then contracts typhus, which is ravaging the French armies, but recovers and returns home to his wife and son. | ||
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Plot & Themes Time/era of story: War Thriller Yes Armed Forces: - Navy Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 50 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Setting Europe Yes European country: - Russia Ice Caps/Sea? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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