This may come across as heretical, but I think A & E's screenplay adaptions of the Horatio Hornblower novels may be an improvement to C.S. Forrester's original prose. Ack! I can hear the broadsides flying my way already. But, consider that the adventures Forester documents episodically in Mr Midshipman Hornblower, the first five years of Hornblower's career, are translated by A & E into four full-length TV movies. Each film further deepens the characters and plots involved with Hornblower's exploits--such is especially the case in The Wrong War. I don't intend to propose that more is better, but rather that the movie adaptions fully capitalize on the oppourtunity to flesh out the english naval hero's adventures. That being said, this first installment of the adventures of Horatio Hornblower is still worth reading on its own merits. Forester's dialogue is of the rich vintage appropriate to the era. And while the act of striving for accuracy causes many historical works to succumb to a plodding pace, Mr Midshipman Hornblower is a remarkably fluid read. The action driven plot moves briskly and anyone with an interest for the age of sail--or perhaps if you've played Sid Meier's phenomenal Pirates!--should thoroughly enjoy Forrester's passion for the period. His careful attention to the details of late 18th century seamanship and naval warfare cultivates a desire to learn more about the era rather than underwhelm with sterile jargon (for more of the latter, please see under Tom Clancy). Even if you have all the sea legs of a leaden bovine, you too will easily develop an acquaintance with common items like mizzenmasts, jibs and gunnels through Forester's splendid depictions of nautical life.