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Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies by C.S. Forester
Published by Little, Brown and Co.
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies by C. S. Forester deals with the close of Hornblower's career as a fighting admiral. The year is 1821 and the Napoleonic Wars have been over for nine years. Hornblower has been sent to the West Indies to deal firmly with the problem of piracy in the Carribbean, now that the Royal Navy's attention is no longer absorbed by France.
The action begins in New Orleans, which is now an American city, although it retains its French and Spanish heritage. Hornblower soon discovers a plot by Napoleon's Old Guard to attack the island of St. Helena and restore the fallen Emperor to power. He deals with that by assuring their leader (falsely) that Napoleon has died and they no longer have an Emperor to restore to the throne.
Meanwhile, a desperate band of pirates sees him as a possible tool to gain clemency for themselves. A foolish young trumpeter in the Marine band, obsessed with musical perfection, commits an act of mutiny that makes his own life forfeit. Then Hornblower is relieved of command, to be sent back to England to spend the rest of his life on half-pay. Finally there is the hurricane that tests Hornblower's seamanship and command ability. In all it is quite a dramatic close to the Hornblower saga.
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Review posted January 17, 2000
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