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Hornblower series

Hornblower series by C.S. Forester

by C.S. Forester

Ranked 11 of 13 historical novels by recommenders

Readers praise its Star Trek-like exploration of new worlds and well-researched technical detail, and people recommend reading the whole series.

Readers praise its Star Trek-like exploration of new worlds and well-researched technical detail, and people recommend reading the whole series.

4 people gave an opinion

recommend it
4
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 3 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: not recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: not recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
  • Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Star Trek-like exploration of new worlds

    “Star Trek like atmosphere, exploration of new worlds etc”

    Comment from 14 Feb 2026 in “Babylon 5 Is Now Free to Watch on YouTube”
  • Well-researched technical details

    “Even the tiny technical details are well researched.”

    Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else”
  • Whole series recommended

    “the entire Horatio Hornblower series”

    Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “The Essential Question: "What should I read next?"”
  • Read the real thing

    “Just read the real thing.”

    Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)”

Other historical novels people recommend

The four most recommended other historical novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

Hornblower series by C.S. Forester compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Aubrey-Maturin seriesby Patrick O'Brian180100%6—Approved
The Three Musketeersby Alexandre Dumas120100%5—Approved
The MANIACby Benjamin Labatut120100%4—Approved
I, Claudiusby Robert Graves110100%4—Approved
Hornblower seriesby C.S. ForesterThis page40100%3——
See all 13 historical novels, ranked

What people said

All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“the entire Horatio Hornblower series”

RecommendsComment from 13 Aug 2026 in “The Essential Question: "What should I read next?"”

“Even the tiny technical details are well researched.”

RecommendsComment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else”

“Star Trek like atmosphere, exploration of new worlds etc”

RecommendsComment from 14 Feb 2026 in “Babylon 5 Is Now Free to Watch on YouTube”

“Just read the real thing.”

RecommendsComment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.