Books by C S Forester
“I like Lieutenant Hornblower because it’s the only book in the series that tells the story not from Hornblower’s perspective, but from Bush’s. You see the main character through someone else’s eyes…with the naval genre, the settings can overwhelm the characters. It can be a bit dry: it’s easy to get lost in the ships and the seafaring and the naval history. So I like that he has a strong narrative voice in it. It’s a bit more emotional than some more traditional Age-of-Sail books.” Read more...
The Best Naval Historical Fiction
Katie Daysh, Novelist
The General
by C S Forester
C.S. Forester was a historical novelist, though this book, The General, may not count strictly as a historical novel because it was set in a period he himself lived through, the First World War. It was recommended to us by the late and great British military historian, Sir Michael Howard, as “a book that has been largely forgotten but which I very strongly recommend to anybody who wants to understand the First World War.” An added bonus is that it’s also reasonably short.
Interviews where books by C S Forester were recommended
The best books on War, recommended by Michael Howard
Fear is a great examiner of one’s character, argues the World War II veteran and eminent historian of war, Sir Michael Howard. He recommends the best books on war—two on strategy and three on what it’s actually like for soldiers and commanding officers.
The Best Naval Historical Fiction, recommended by Katie Daysh
Whether based on fact or fiction, novels set aboard ships can make for some of the best stories around. Novelist Katie Daysh, author of A Merciful Sea, introduces us to five of her favourites from the classic American novel that inspired Jaws to a horror story set aboard a U-boat in World War I.
