The Happy Return
C. S. ForesterSailing the frigate "Lydia" in South American waters, Captain Hornblower has orders to sink the "Natividad", a Spanish two-decker. But this proves the least of his worries, for he is also commanded to aid the revolutionary El Supremo, a madman whose bestialities stagger the Spanish authorities.
FromReader Christian Rodska sounds much like the late Roddy McDowell--the same expressive precision, the same British accent, the same skill with narrative flow. Without fully acting out each part, Rodska differentiates the characters, and through his handling of the prose, one can hear the creaking of the ship's rigging and the screams of dying men. This is a Horatio Hornblower sea story set in Napoleonic times, one of the best: The Captain attempts to help a mad Central American revolutionary to overthrow the Spanish dominions. D.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
SUMMARY:
A shy and lonely seventeen-year-old, Horatio Hornblower embarks on a memorable career in Nelson's navy as a midshipman on board H.M.S. Justinian. In action adventure and battle he is forged into one of the most formidable junior officers in the service.