Better Than Life: A New Addition...

We meet again, blog followers.

(Which is amazing since my average posts-per-day is like 0.00000000000000000000001)

Anyways, I am here to talk to you about a special person who has grown very dear to my heart during the course of this week. I don't believe I've met anyone quite like him. He's brave, loyal, self-sacrificial, clever, compassionate, honorable...yet he is not without fear and still has much to learn.

You have probably guessed by now that I am talking about the magnificent Horatio Hornblower.

Now many may claim that since I have only just finished watching the television adaptation of the original novels, I do not have the right to accurately judge Horatio's character until I have read the originals. Well, this afternoon I will be heading to the library to pick up the first installment, thank you very much. ;)

I am very eager to read the original Hornblower series to get to know this character more. C.S. Forester wrote eleven novels in the series and only a few of those stories made it into the A&E series on TV back in the late 1990s. I HIGHLY recommend that series, but I'm telling you now that it is addicting...just be sure to watch them when you don't have a lot of stuff to do (there are eight episodes, each about 90 minutes long). :D

Now you're probably wondering what the heck the stories are about.
It's set during the late 1700s/early 1800s when the French revolution was taking place. It follows the life of Horatio as he begins as a 17-year-old midshipman on a British naval ship and gains experience in the British navy, leading to his promotion to Commander as Napoleon Bonaparte instigates another war.

That's as far as the TV series goes, but there are more adventures and promotions chronicled in the book series.

If you aren't into British history or movies about ships and stuff, you may not like it. However, I'm not a huge fan of 18th century British wars or naval battles and I still loved it. The characters are just incredible. I almost wanted to cry when I realized I had finished watching the last episode. The company decided not to make anymore because it was too expensive, apparently. Pfft. Losers.

Anyways, enough summarizing of the story. Horatio is an incredible character. He's a war hero, but when he's out of his element he doesn't really know what he's doing. He often knows exactly what to do when unexpected situations arise, but sometimes takes risks to do what he believes to be right. He is absolutely, undoubtedly loyal to his duty as an officer, but that loyalty turns into a problem when other aspects of life require him to re-examine his priorities. He is handsome and an absolute gentleman, but lacks any sort of confidence when interacting with women (it's rather comical at times).

In short, Horatio has become one of my favorite fictional characters in a matter of 4 days. I can admit with certainty that he is a new addition to my list of fictional characters I could marry...

The List (in no particular order):

Matthew Crawley (Downton Abbey)