<br /><br />As a great fan of the Hornblower series (have read it completely through 3 times), I was somewhat disappointed in A&E's rendition of it. C. S. Forester's writing was "abso-fraggin'-lutely" outstanding. His characters, plotting, and historical accuracy and detail mark the books as classic reading and are thoroughly enjoyable.<br /><br />I was looking forward to the miniseries with great anticipation. Hate to disagree with what seems the common praise -- the sets, the actors, the filming are all very well done -- but what's missing is the texture of the STORY!<br /><br />As probably the worst example of this, Forester's chapter "The Even Chance" sets up the characters and situation that bring about the duel wonderfully. It's unique. He explains the inaccuracy of pistols of that time and how Hornblower sets the conditions of the duel because of it. In the tv version, this has been changed to something that has little to do with the story as Forrester wrote it. They make a series of a good book precisely because it's such a good story, and then feel compelled to change the story into a typical formula plot.<br /><br />Enjoy the series for what it is, but read the books to get the story that made them classics in the first place.