Ramage, by Dudley Pope
By Peter on May 20, 2009 in Dudley Pope, Excellent book, Historical Fiction, book review
Dudley Pope’s series about Lord Ramage is set between the years 1796 and 1807. They are well written and Pope has a vast knowledge about sail ships and ship handling. And his knowledge of the subject matter – both historical and nautical – shows through in every chapter.
Lots of new book reviews!
Naval fiction:
The Alan Lewrie series, by Dewey Lambdin
The Richard Bolitho series, by Alexander Kent
The Lord Ramage series, by Dudley Pope
The Kydd series, by Julian Stockwin
Ramage starts with the hero, ranking third lieutenant, being unconscious in the middle of a furious sea battle, and roused by the enlisted men 
So the novel, and the series, gets off to a very fast start. Ramage needs to somehow get out of the fight, but also has a difficult and challenging mission to complete, assigned to him by the infamous Nelson himself. So the action is fast and furious. And while the action slows down a little in the middle, the book never gets boring. There is a beautiful woman her, Marchesa di Volterra, intrigue, camaraderie, battles, romance, and excitement. As well, the ending is very suspenseful.
Ramage comes across as is an interesting and likable character with intriguing weaknesses and strengths.
Also, Pope presents the Royal Navy in a very realistic fashion – with all its flaws – its tendency to promote incompetent officers from wealthy and influential families, the internal politics, the problems posed by mentorship relations, and so on. A good start for the Lord Ramage series!
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