O'Brian versus Hornblower?

[Connavar]

I prefer Hornblower series for two reasons that are very important for the genre of historical fiction imo because its clear O'Brian is the better writer word for word, better writer of the lead characters but he loses to Forester for the two important reasons that: Forester is the better storyteller of historical adventures, he is a great researcher, knows how to make everyone involved in life,work of the famous British Navy to come alive so vividly. I had to often check out every sail info online in naval dictionary so i could understand.

He is more interesting to me than O'Brian because i dont read naval military historical fiction for dense writing with decent characters but i read it because Forester makes feel like im on board when all heal breaks loose on ship to ship to battles. He is perfect to me who love reading about naval history, the life of the sailors, soldiers who made the famous real historical captains who they are. He is the better writer for military historical fiction while i dont really care that O'Brian is better writer if it was just another fiction writing. I will read his series too like i have read all but two Hornblower books.

The only real flaw is see in Forester is ironically his popular hero because even i liked seeing Hornblower grow up, became the brilliant naval commander he is sometimes written too often like he is YA hero. He is flawed, emotional but the rest of his books are hardcore military life on the seas or great adventure while Horatio himself is sometimes in his own isolated YA novel....

Also saying O'Brian is better writer doesnt mean Forester doesnt became so much better in the 30+ years he wrote the books, they became quality overall over the years. He is far from a popular adventure hack.....

 

[Bugg]

I like them both, but O'Brian's series is my favourite series of all that I've read. I say this having only recently finished it - I read 13 of the books last year. I normally would never read multiple books by the same author so quickly in succession, so it shows just how much I loved them. For me, his books are so immersive that having finished one I found it very difficult to surface at the other end and read another author or genre. His writing is wonderful, and the atmosphere and sense of time and place he creates is second to none, IMO. I've seen his writing likened to Jane Austen, and I get that completely.

But, apart from anything else, it's his characters, the laugh-out-loud humour that arises so naturally from their interaction, the fear for their safety - even though I always knew that they'd be back in the next book - that makes me want to spend time with them (God, I love Preserved Killick!). And the action, when it comes, is astonishingly good (Desolation Island, I'm looking at you in particular!). As I got deeper and deeper into the series, each 'novel' began to feel like it was a chapter in a much larger book. It was like binge-watching a tv series, when you watch one episode there is always the urge to dive straight into the next one.

The series upended all my preconceptions and misgivings in the early going when all those nautical terms threatened to push me away. When I read the first book, Master and Commander, a couple of years ago, I never for one moment thought I'd go on to read the whole series. But I did, and I've loved every word of it (especially the ones I had to look up - I learned a lot of words!). There isn't a bad book among them, IMO. There's a lot of excitement, a lot of fear, a lot of laughs, a fair bit of romance, and atmosphere by the bucket-load. It's not so much a series of books as a recreation of a world and a time so perfectly executed that you can get lost in it completely.

And, btw, I do think Hornblower is fantastic.

 

[Bugg]

If I may be allowed to indulge myself for a moment . . .

Writing the post above had me reading some of the reviews of the books I wrote last year for my blog on another forum, and I found some running Killick-isms that had me chuckling again:

He [Jack] raised his voice: 'Killick. Killick, there. Light along another pot of coffee, will you?'

'Which I already got it in my hand, ain't I?' said Killick, outside the door.

Preserved Killick walked in with a look of surly triumph on his disagreeable shrewish face and said, jerking his head in Stephen's direction, 'Which I only wanted to ask his honour where this little green parcel was to go. In the dispensary? Down the head?'

'Jesus, M...' Stephen checked himself and went on, 'It had flown out of my head entirely, with the anxieties of the journey and the tumult of the waves. It is a Troy pound of Jackson's best mocha. He sells it by the Troy weight as a precious substance, which indeed it is. Good Killick, honest Killick, pray grind it as fast as human power allows and make up a noble great pot.'

Killick had never been called honest before and he was not at all sure how he liked it now. He sidled out, with suspicious glances back into the cabin.

'Well,' said Jack, and called, 'Killick. Killick, there.'

'Which I'm just behind your chair,' said Killick.

I miss Killick

 

[MWagner]

O'Brian is one of the most genuinely funny authors I've read. Only Jack Vance makes me laugh out loud more often.

 

[hitmouse]

Agreed. The humour is partly in the sparkling dialogue and significantly in the eccentric relationship between Aubrey and Maturin. Jack is clearly a rubbish violinist and a bit thick and pompous outside being a great naval officer. Stephen gives a very learned lecture at the Royal Society ( or somesuch) and although everyone politely congratulates him, it is obvious that he mumbles, goes on too long and is generally boring and incomprehensible.

 

[soulsinging]

I did go for chronological order (except for my starter which was a charity shop acquisition and was somewhere around the middle). Not sure I'd recommend that order though. It took me a long while to appreciate that Hornblower wasn't just depressed and massively lacking in self confidence but something much more like what we now call bipolar. Maybe if I'd read in publication order that might have come across much quicker.

I do have a tendency to go for chronological when I can.

I wound up grabbing Beat to Quarters and Ship of the Line. Looks like they were the first two published and they have some of the best reviews, so I decided to start there. I guess chronologically they're like 4-5? Looking forward to taking a crack at them!

While Hornblower drew first blood, there's a lot of praise for both so it looks like Forester/O'Brian might give me the same kind of binge I enjoyed when I went through Hammett/Chandler.

 

[Vertigo]

I'm sure you'll enjoy them. I'll be on the last of them in the next couple of months.

 

[Connavar]

I wound up grabbing Beat to Quarters and Ship of the Line. Looks like they were the first two published and they have some of the best reviews, so I decided to start there. I guess chronologically they're like 4-5? Looking forward to taking a crack at them!

While Hornblower drew first blood, there's a lot of praise for both so it looks like Forester/O'Brian might give me the same kind of binge I enjoyed when I went through Hammett/Chandler.

Dont mind the chrono order, read publishing order because its clearer more military history, storytelling quality wise the first half books are better imo. Beat to Quarters is a great first book for the series and it more typical Hornblower books than later written Young Hornblower books.

While i enjoy both CS Forester and O'Brian they are not compareable to Hammett/Chandler other being two popular seminal writers in the same genre. O'Brian didnt write essays calling Forester the master of the genre, literary genius

 

[soulsinging]

While i enjoy both CS Forester and O'Brian they are not compareable to Hammett/Chandler other being two popular seminal writers in the same genre. O'Brian didnt write essays calling Forester the master of the genre, literary genius

That's all I meant... O'Brian and Forester seem to have the same kind of renown in their genre as Hammett and Chandler did in theirs.

 

[Connavar]

That's all I meant... O'Brian and Forester seem to have the same kind of renown in their genre as Hammett and Chandler did in theirs.

I know i was just trying to joke about they dont have the master,pioneer, student connection the two PI legends do.

Frankly i dont get why it seems many HF fans compare Forester, O´Brian so much they feel they have to choose only one of them as the better one.

PI fans like you and me can read Hammett,Chandler no problem and admire both greatly without choosing only one of them to read.