Not quite what I was expecting but entertaining none the less. Gave an insight into how CS Forester went about creating the character of Hornblower but I was craving for more detail. The maps were great to put the stories in context but the text was more about CS Forester than Hornblower. Good to add to your Hornblower collection.

A good adjunct to the Hornblower Series. The maps allow you to follow his travels through his adventures. ( )

I finished off my Hornblower journey with this, an official "companion" to the series written by C. S. Forester himself. I was a little surprised, to be honest, to realize that the term "companion" book, which I primarily associate with big media franchises (e.g., Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Companion, Doctor Who: The Television Companion), goes back to the 1960s and to literature.

The first half of the book is a series of maps, covering Hornblower's career in chronological order. Some are big picture, such as one of the entire western coast of Central America, chronicling the events of Beat to Quarters. Others zoom in on specific battles, just showing a few nautical miles. These were neat, but I ultimately flipped through them pretty quickly. Instead of reading them all at once after finishing the novels, I'd've been better off keeping them by my side while reading the novels, to better help me visualize what was going on. Oh well; if I ever read the series through a third time, I will do that.

The second half is much more meaty, though, a lengthy personal essay by Forester about his history with the Hornblower character, about how he came to write one book, then three, then ten. Very rarely did he set out to do it, so you get a good glimpse into his creative process, how things bubble out of the subconscious and ultimately demand to be written. I tore through it very quickly because I enjoyed it so much. A nice way to tie up my (re)read of these books.

Aubrey has long since surpassed Hornblower in my affections, and so I put off reading this book for far too long. The commentary accompanying the maps is not terribly useful if you haven't read the books in more than ten years (although I'm sure the maps are a lovely auxiliary to the books as you're reading them), but Forester's memoirs of the process of writing the novels are utterly delightful. I enjoy his description of the way his ideas grow - like barnacles growing upon timbers submerged in a kind of subconscious ooze - and find it very familiar. I recommend this as much as a writing book as anything else. ( )

Due to having the 1974 paperback in my possession, i hope that the original Hardcover had larger maps. They remain clear guides to the areas dealt with, however. A good book within its derivative limits, and is helpful used in conjunction with the novels for the first time reader. worth the $1.95 it cost in those days. ( )