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The Commodore cover art

The Commodore

By: C. S. Forester
Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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Summary

Exclusively from Audible

In the ninth instalment of the series, C.S. Forester transports us to the quaint village of Smallbridge. Predictably restless and eager to embark on his next adventure, Horatio Hornblower dreams of returning to the seas and commanding his next ship.

Now happily married to Lady Barbara Leighton and widely celebrated for his recent successes with the navy, Hornblower has been knighted and appointed a commodore.

Fortunately for Horatio, his uneventful days as village squire are soon interrupted when he is sent word from the Admiralty. Ordered to embark upon a diplomatic and military mission to protect Britain's Baltic interests, Horatio is quick to choose a squadron and leave his small village life behind.

Fighting against the savage Baltic weather, Hornblower must impede Napoleon from conquering Sweden and Russia and, as always, ensure that no French privateer can prevent him from achieving his goals.

Hailed by the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Sir Winston Churchill for being 'admirable and vastly entertaining,' C.S. Forester became a hugely influential 20th-century author.

Born in Cairo, raised in London and buried in California, the metropolitan writer experienced huge success with his Horatio Hornblower series as well as with his later works, The African Queen and The Good Shepherd.

His literary genius is perfectly encapsulated within this endlessly entertaining narrative, and his heroic protagonist draws us in to another titillating journey through the Napoleonic wars.

Narrator Biography

Christian Rodska is an English television and voice actor best known for his role in the 1970s series Follyfoot.

From the The Monuments Men and The Eagle of the Ninth to The Likely Lads, Z Cars, The Tomorrow People, Coronation Street, Bergerac and Casualty, his extensive and diverse acting career has led him to become a highly solicited radio and audiobook narrator.

He has now voiced over 150 unabridged audiobooks including Winston Churchill's biographies, Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arms and Sebastian Faulks' A Possible Life. He has been praised for his ability to vary in vocal pace and style, and as such, Christian boasts 12 Earphone Awards from Audiofile Magazine.

©1945 C.S. Forester (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Christian Rodska recounts this naval war adventure with the gusto of Commodore Hornblower as he travels the seas. Hornblower assumes command of a ship undertaking voyages rivaling those of Napoleon and his army of adversaries. We hear the compassion, wit, and intelligence with which Hornblower commands his ship. The politics of the times, the responsibilities of leadership, and the trials of serving at sea in a century gone by are captured in this narrative depiction of British naval life." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Commodore

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Last chapter is missing from the audio book

Luckily the last chapter is more an epilogue than the climax of the book, but even so to be missing the last chapter is a pretty disappointing error in an audio book.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Complete and Enjoyable

Once again Christian Rodska does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life and reading the story very well. I am also glad to report that the "missing chapter 23" has been fixed and the story is complete.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and have enjoyed the series immensely thus far.

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5 people found this helpful

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Brilliant

Another great story read by the perfect narrator. On to the next
book. Perfect for summer

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1 person found this helpful

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Awesome!

Very different to your usual hornblower , but all the better for it . Wonderful descriptions and a solid pace in the arc of European history. Brilliantly narrated !

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Really good

Glad to have the best narrator back. A cracking story as told by a great writer and story teller.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hornblower in the Baltic

The loose political alliance that Napoleon cobble together starts to fall apart around him. Christan Rodska narrates magnificently.

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1 person found this helpful

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Fantastic

Great next chapter in a wonderful story. The reader really brings all the characters to life in this next chapter.

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Last chapter is missing.

The last chapter is missing. It doesn't make a difference to the story but Audible, it would be good to have the complete book!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hornblower in evolution


The Commodore, is Hornblower in evolution; revealing a maturer, more measured HH. There is perspective and overview and his adventures in this episode have elements of an historical novel…

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Enter the diplomat

Hornblower's career takes a major change of direction. Challenges abound and hardships endured. Another cliffhanger ending. Brilliant narration.

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