After only one night with his bride, Hornblower, as commander of the frigate Hotspur, sails for duty off the French Coast to keep Napoleon from invading England.

In the wake of a humbling incident aboard a canal boat in the Cotswolds, young Captain Horatio Hornblower arrives in London to take command of the Atropos, a 22-gun sloop barely large enough to require a captain. Her first assignment under Hornblower's command is as flagship for the funeral procession of Lord Nelson. Soon Atropos is part of the Mediterranean Fleet's harassment of Napoleon, recovering treasure that lies deep in Turkish waters and...

Captain Horatio Hornblower and the undaunted crew of the Sutherland set sail to rival the exploits of Napoleon's ships.

A prisoner of the French after he was forced to surrender his ship, Captain Horatio Hornblower faces a trial by his captor, if he can escape, a court-martial back in England.

Loyalty: "Horatio [is] marooned in peacetime Portsmouth, living off his superb card playing skills. But with the winds of war stirring, Hornblower is given command of the sloop Hotspur"--Container. Duty: "Horatio jumps into wedded bliss and then returns to his command to face a French fleet that is preparing for invasion -- aided by an old nemesis"--Container.

Following his rapid rise through the ranks of the King's Navy, Hornblower is assigned to the HMS Renown which is sailing to the West Indies to subdue a pirate fleet. Her brutal captain is rapidly going insane forcing Hornblower to take action that threatens not only his naval career but his life as well.

Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, the story of Horatio Hornblower, the legendary sea-faring hero, follows the raw recruit as he battles the French, evades capture, and rises through the ranks of the King's Navy.

This eight volume set follows the adventures of Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars from his beginnings as a midshipman to his rise to the rank of commander.

"Horatio Hornblower and a force of seven men capture a small French ship, La Reve. He is rewarded with his first command, sailing the ship to Britain. Traveling with him is a beautiful and intriguing duchess and a vital package of documents bound for the Admiralty. In a thick fog, the La Reve strays into the path of the Spanish fleet. The duchess is brought aboard the enemy flagship, while Hornblower and his crew are exiled on a remote island. But...

"The year is 1793. As England prepares for war with France, young Horatio Hornblower reports for duty aboard the battleship Justinian. His welcome to the King's Navy is harsh, however, as the sadistic Midshipman Simpson takes an instant, violent dislike to the young man. Transferred to the Indefatigable when war erupts, Hornblower proves his mettle in combat and catches the eye of the captain. But his career is threatened when they come upon the flaming...