This latest attempt to continue the Hornblower series of the late great C. S. Forester, Hornblower and the Island by James Keffer, sees the famous sailor tasked with controlling Napoleon during his exile on St. Helena.
Forester's Hornblower is arguably one of the most famous characters in nautical literature so in seeking to take up this batten the author sets himself a difficult task. The strength of the Hornblower series for me was his character and the way Forester wrote about him thinking through his problems whilst pacing the deck and I think Keffer managed to capture this well. The book also needs to be placed in the timeline correctly with accurate references to the back story and supporting characters and again this was achieved with one surprising and enjoyable inclusion. I won't spoil the surprise by revealing it, you will just have to buy the book and find out.
The bulk of the plot takes place on the island and is essentially about the interaction of the two main characters Hornblower and Napoleon. If what you seek in a Hornblower novel is strong nautical sequences such as survival of the hurricane in Hornblower in the West Indies or naval action such as the Lydia's epic battle with Natividad you wont find it here with 'at sea' time being limited to the journey to the island. That said the plot was well written and I found it hard to put down.
The book is self published and as tends to be the case the absence of a professional copy editor shows at times, but the odd minor 'typo' does not detract from what was an enjoyable read. If you are looking for a 'fix' of your favourite character - Recommended.
EDIT: Since this review was written the book has been taken up by a publisher so there may be some differences in the version currently available.
Description of: Hornblower and the Island
Author: James Keffer