AlexLucid

You've set up your mystery well. Now we get to see what the letters tell us and then experience whatever the Guild has set up for George. You've created a nice little arch-enemy. Perhaps you'll give it a face in a future chapter, the main bad guy so that George has someone specific to gun for, not just an annoying wife of a diplomat. Eagerly awaiting the next bit.

I'm trying to guess what you're setting up here. Perhaps why Granger might have to distance himself from Nelson. The man is wallowing in bad advice and power-gone-to-head syndrome. Anyway, I look forward to the next, perilous leg of the journey. Pirates and secrets and foreign ports, oh my.

I am glad to see you've reengaged with our favorite naval captain. You've set a couple bits of future nastiness in motion so I am eager to see how they'll play out. I hope your muse continues to sing to you.

Excellent to see a new chapter of this story. When I'm waiting for my next fix, I might have to go read one of the Hornblower novels again. Lieutenant Hornblower, maybe. See, Mark, you've got competition. I just wish both you and Mr. Forester were still putting out new chapters. It was a great chapter, thanks!

I enjoyed seeing more of the interaction between Granger and our friend Hornblower. He's a long way from being comfortable with power even though Granger, perhaps, can see him eventually earning it for himself. I am also glad to know that Hornblower will be a passenger for the first cruise so we will continue to see more of him, hopefully. (Unless I am mis-remembering the events of Lt. Hornblower.) Another of the reviews to this chapter refers to how Granger and his circle might eventually be enlisted to help Hornblower along. Well, then our author may also need to account for the year-plus of poverty Hornblower spends waiting out the 'Peace of Amiens' which isn't so far in the future. I believe Hornblower is forced to become a semi-pro card player to earn his coin. Let's be thinking about why someone like Granger wouldn't have helped Hornblower, aside from Hornblower's reticence to ask for help. Food for thought. The story remains engaging and something I look forward to continuing every week.

Congratulations. There is much to admire in this chapter, not least the carefully and beautifully written description of our new major. My favorite bit came in the last paragraph when we have Hornblower listening to Granger joking with his new men. Hornblower is soon to tangle with a very different kind of captain (and later at least one incompetent admiral); he will turn over questions of how to be a good leader, how to balance the imperious requirements of command with his natural, if awkward, friendliness. Hornblower's future best successes will be because he agonizes over how to balance duty and friendship and bravery and appearance. I love that you've made Granger one of Hornblower's models.

Several wonderful sets of surprises for this chapter, thank you. First, the description of his Roman palace. You wouldn't be thinking of holding a true Roman orgy at some point in the future? Perhaps Granger will be assigned to the Channel Fleet and can live in his palace, at least until Jervis shows up and makes life a lot less fun. Then the ship. She sounds both fearsome (to enemies) and dangerous (perhaps also to enemies, perhaps to the people who crew her). You've outlined a bunch of possibilities for the future, all of them interesting. Last, and not least, a cameo for Hornblower. Very exciting. Perhaps he will get to do something to win him a patron in Granger because it will be a long time until he's promoted to Commander (the end of the Treaty of Amiens, if I recall). I doubt he'll become one of Granger's bed partners as Hornblower was a lady's man and not very faithful to either of his wives. I look forward to seeing what you do with this incredible character. Make up something incredible please. (You're allowed one joke about how tone deaf he is when Granger prefers people with musical talent.) This is really shaping up to be an incredible tale. No pressure, right?

Granger needs a new mascot for his new ship. The rat-catching dog Ranger has long since disappeared so I nominate a tortoise. (Perhaps a female that might survive all the way to the Crimean War and get named Timothy of all things, gender-bending turtles.) From the wikipedia article: This particular tortoise, the oldest 'veteran' of the Crimean War, survived until 2004. Almost long enough to live to see the next Crimean War? I'd never heard this bit of trivia until today. Brought a smile to my face.

If we're going to turn the thread into literary criticism, I'm in. I thought I was the only person in the known world who didn't like the O'Brian books. (The movie adaptation was beautiful to look at and fun to watch, though.) I haven't stumbled across the Ramage books but I have read the Bolitho ones. Pure action-adventure. Fun, like eating a bunch of cookies or bingeing on a trashy TV series. I felt kind of sick at the end. (Where the heck is the Masterpiece Classic to cleanse out my mind...) I think the reason why the Hornblower books hold up is because they are about more than the 'naval adventure' aspects, the fun bits. They're deeply introspective of Hornblower. The books have tremendously powerful moments sprinkled in everywhere -- the struggle to be a good person, the struggle to be a good leader of the right variety. For example, Hornblower is in a boat with a number of his men at one point and they're close to the enemies on shore. One of his men has a fit (possibly epilepsy) and begins making noise. What to do? Silence the man or risk everyone in the boat. It's a well-crafted moment, well written, high tension. Could just be a throwaway, could be a bit of abstract philosophy (philosophers love to pose that kind of question, kill one to save ten). The book makes it into a real moment, and tells us a lot about Hornblower and his agonies. (He believed he killed the sick man and saved the mission.) They are incredible stories, even the ones that aren't so good. (Like dealing with the insane South American potentate or the drawn-out escape from his death sentence in France.) The worst one of Forester's is better than even the best of Kent or O'Brian. That's just my opinion, though.

I have to add my recommendation for the Hornblower novels. Mark's Granger stories led me to the Hornblower novels since I'd somehow missed them when I was younger. I don't really care much for the first three of the novels (when the Hornblower character was a post captain), but I love the later prequels and sequels, especially Lieutenant Hornblower and Commodore Hornblower. Thanks to Mark and this story for leading me to C.S. Forester. I hope others will fall for Hornblower or rediscover his qualities.

An excellent beginning. You've threaded the needle between giving George an exciting frigate that he can get into trouble and aventure with and the mark of favor implied by posting him to a boring, fleet-bound ship of the line. A ship of the line that's cut down to a frigate, very tricky and clever of you.

Elizabeth forced to perform good works? Interesting. Perhaps she becomes the executive director of some major charity and then returns to acting like Vlad the Impaler. "But it's for the children." I could see that, probably even be fun to write. Make it plenty hard on her; give her a book-length term of being the (disturbing) comedy relief. That should be plenty of punishment for her. (For now.)

I find Wade a much more compelling character, a young JP, than I do Matt. I know opinions differ among the readers and reviewers of this story, but I never pictured them as forever-mates. It's sad for them to end, but Wade has contorted himself through several books in order to remain with Matt. Perhaps Wade should also be in intensive therapy as to why he's been content being a door mat for several years. I didn't have much of a positive reaction to the news of Matt becoming a POV/narrator in the next tale. I know people who flail around are more interesting, in fiction if not real life, than those who've set on a path, but Matt wears me out. (Will learns something from his adventures and mistakes; Matt just smiles or cracks a joke and seems to dismiss whatever has happened.) Perhaps our kind writer will summon up a suitably interesting and challenging new love interest for Wade -- and sprinkle in bits here and there to keep us pro-Wade folks amused even as Matt wallows around in indecision and debauchery. As for Will, one reviewer commented on the impossibility of the Will and Zach romance. I think it's likely impossible for them to pull it off in their teens or twenties, but perhaps they'll drift back into each other later in life as JP and Stef have. We all know our prolific author likes to bring his major characters back to a happy place if he can. (Just a thought for the distant future, perhaps the tale that begins in 2020 or so.) Will, for reasons I don't understand, doesn't irritate me like Matt does. He's got an absolute idea of right and wrong, okay perhaps a bit flexible, but that appeals to me. He also has this caring for the underdog thing that's very charming. Yes, he's loud and headstrong and wavering between too-mature and way-immature, but he is a portrait similar to people I've known in life. One last compliment on Will/Zach: Their limited hours together (before family or commitments or their own volatility tear them apart) burn with a passion as big as a room-sized candle. If that's not entertainment, I don't know what is. Congratulatons.

Thank you for this excellent set of tales. I look forward to the continuation. I fully expect Granger to be land-bound at least until Napoleon changes things to his personal benefit in France. Perhaps we get to see Granger slogging through unwanted duties for the Admiralty, counting spars for the Navy Board or quizzing midshipmen trying to become commissioned lieutenants or something equally tedious and amusing. Of course, I expect the rest of the time to be boiling in politics. I doubt Granger will be content to let the Guild lick its wounds. I suspect he'll be investigating the pirate ship Vulture and many of the other little strings that Spencer is content to let remain untouched. Will he become a parliamentarian and actually use his seat in the Lords? How about form up a little group to handle, behind the scenes, the worst of the Guild? I know you're not one to throw out the troublemakers, like the Wilcoxes or the sister-in-law Davina, but I wonder if George's elder brothers are long for the world? Bertie in a dangerous place and Freddie having married such a horrible, scheming woman. Surprise us, please. After all, the name of the series remains Bridgemont so something will have to happen with that estate (and its now more exalted Dukedom) and I doubt it'll end up falling to folks less worthy than our captain. You've set yourself up with some excellent material to get the next story moving. What else? Some of the other suggestions among the comments here are great, but I'm sure you'll find your own way. Please craft many excellent little voyages for us.