The Good Shepherd [Paperback]

C. S. Forester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 1955

Forty-eight hours on an American destroyer on the icy Atlantic during WW2.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon Publications (December 19, 1955)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193131327X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931313278
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,562,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C. S. Forester (1899-1966) wrote several novels with military and naval themes, including The African Queen, The Barbary Pirates, The General, The Good Shepherd, The Gun, The Last Nine Days of the "Bismarck," and Rifleman Dodd. But Forester is best known as the creator of Horatio Hornblower, a British naval genius of the Napoleonic era, whose exploits and adventures on the high seas Forester chronicled in a series of eleven acclaimed historical novels. Over the years Hornblower has proved to be one of the most beloved and enduring fictional heroes in English literature, his popularity rivaled only by Sherlock Holmes.

Born Cecil Louis Troughton Smith in Cairo, Egypt, Forester grew up in London. At the start of World War II he traveled on behalf of the British government to America, where he produced propaganda encouraging the United States to remain on Britain's side. After the War, Forester remained in America and made Berkeley, California, his home.

The character of Horatio Hornblower was born after Forester was called to Hollywood to write a pirate film. While the script was being drafted, another studio released Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn, based on the same historical incidents about which Forester was writing. Rather than seek another movie project, and to avoid an impending paternity suit, Forester jumped aboard a freighter bound for England. By the end of the voyage he had outlined Beat to the Quarters, which introduced the now legendary character Hornblower, Bush, and Lady Barbara.

Forester died in 1966 while working on Hornblower During the Crisis.

Back Bay's editions of the Hornblower novels are numbered according to the chronology of Hornblower's life and career, not according to the sequence in which they were written. The series is comprised of the following titles:


Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower During the Crisis
Hornblower and the Atropos
Beat to Quarters
Ship of the Line
Flying Colours
Commodore Hornblower
Lord Hornblower
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superlative Study of One Man's Naval War!, May 1, 2000

By 

Richard Rinn (Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Shepherd (Paperback)

I first read this book many years ago when I was in high school. (At the time I was working my way through Forester's Hornblower saga.) One of the things that I find amazing is how fresh and moving it is on subsequent reading many years later, even after I've developed a considerable degree of middle-aged cynicism. The strength of the book lies in the characterization of the protagonist. He is above all realistic and believable, with very definite foibles and insecurities. Nonetheless, he also represents all that is best in the "warrior" tradition: duty, discipline, loyalty, focus, and application of consientiously developed professional skills and knowledge. No one can write about nautical matters like C.S. Forester, and the story of one eastward-bound trans-Atlantic convoy is spell-binding in its intensity and carefully thought out attention to detail. But the richly fabricated interior world of Commander George Krause is what makes the book really great and not just another war story. Even for those that have no particular interest in naval or military fiction, it is a superlative study of grace under pressure--of an honourable man facing the most difficult moments of his life and succeeding by doing the best he can!

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine story of World War Two convoy duty., January 4, 2004

By 

Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Good Shepherd. (Hardcover)

This is the story of an American sea captain in charge of bringing a convoy of ships from America to Britain during the early days of America's entry into the Second World War. Confronted by a frightfully competent adversary--the German U-Boat fleet, Captain Krause has a vital mission indeed, as Britain's survival was dependent upon such convoys. Krause is well aware that the outcome of the war at that time was very much in doubt, and he must bring to bear all of the skills he has learned in a career forged largely in peacetime.

Krause is more than a little reminiscent of Hornblower--highly intelligent, introspective, and full of self-doubts. Forester masterfully shows how Krause must continuously make tough decisions based upon imperfect knowledge, often low-quality ships and equipment, and subordinates who often execute his orders imperfectly. He must take all of these factors into account, and how he manages to do this makes for a very fine and satisfying tale.

Personally, I could have done without Krause's flashbacks to his early marital troubles. I just didn't think this added anything either to the reader's understanding of Krause and his character, or to the story in general. Just my opinion. The career problems that Krause had earlier faced added a sufficient melancholy ingredient to the story, without being sordid.

Forester always succeeds when he sets out to write a novel of naval adventure, and this book is no exception. This is a wonderful novel. I debated whether to deprive it of the fifth star because I believe that the Hornblower series, and "The Captain From Connecticut" are even better than this novel. But in reality this book is among the very best tales of naval adventure even if Forester has written even better ones, and so five stars it will be.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 solid depth chargings for a WWII classic, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good Shepherd. (Hardcover)

C.S. Forester is known mostly for his Hornblower series and as the author of The African Queen. He wrote a number of novels and historical works that are being increasingly forgotten except by a small group of fans. The Good Shepherd is a novel that should not fade into oblivion. I read The Good Shepherd shortly before Remembrance Day (November 11) and, while it is fictional, it is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices that so many made for freedom and our way of life.

I read Forester's The Ship some months ago and found a number of similarities and differences. The Ship was written during the war when the outcome was uncertain and was quite probably an effective propaganda piece. It is still an excellent, realistic story if dated by some of its jingoism. In contrast The Good Shepherd was written a decade after the issue was decided and is the product of a matured author. Like The Ship, The Good Shepherd has the action unbroken.

The Good Shepherd is literally the USN Commander of an Allied convoy in the darkest days of WWII. The Good Shepherd is also a metaphor for Jesus Christ. The novel abounds in Christian symbolism, not the least of which is the parallel between Commander Krause's travails and Christ's passion. It is refreshing to read an older work and see how seamlessly previous generations of writers could incorporate religious themes while telling marvelous stories.

The novel also works on a literal level and Forester acknowledges expert sources in the technicalities of anti-submarine warfare. If anyone does not understand how the German U-boats could decimate allied convoys for years, they could do worse than read The Good Shepherd. I got a terrific understanding of the cat and mouse and hunter versus hunted nature of anti-submarine warfare.

Forester also brings a sense of irony to the story. The fact that Krause is a Lutheran of obvious German extraction is very ironic. He is depth charging and trying to kill people with whom he has a lot in common; a standard theme in war stories, but neatly understated by Forester.

Another positive Forester attribute is his inclusiveness of allies. While Krause and his ship are USN, escorts from the RN, RCN and Polish Navy are featured. I have thought in the past, perhaps cynically, that Forester saw the advantage of not alienating any readers of English. With The Good Shepherd, it's hard to imagine that he was concerned with the size of the Canadian readership and certainly not the Polish readership. The novel is a respectful tribute to the men and is as inclusive as is manageable.

I still believe that The Cruel Sea is the best naval novel of WWII but The Good Shepherd is a solid second with H.M.S. Ulysses in third. Forester has been dead for over 30 years and we still miss him.