Ramage and the Dido [Hardcover]

Dudley Pope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 1989

This is Dudley Pope's 18th novel to feature Nicholas Ramage and it is set in the West Indies where Captain Lord Nicholas Ramage, the youngest captain of a ship of the line since Nelson, brings his old crew to a new command against the French in Martinique.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Dudley Pope is well known both as the creator of the Ramage novels and as a distinguished naval historian. Pope falsified his age in order to enlist in the British Merchant Navy during World War II. In action, his ship was torpedoed and he spent 14 days at sea in an open lifeboat. After being discharged due to the injuries he received, he worked as the naval and defense correspondent at the London Daily News. He turned to writing fiction at the urging of C. S. Forester, who viewed Pope as his creative heir. Author of ten non-fiction historical works as well as the 18 books in the Ramage series, Dudley Pope died in 1997. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dudley Pope, a naval defense correspondent of the London Evening News, progressed to writing carefully researched naval history. C.S. Forester urged Pope to try his hand at fiction and saw the younger writer as his literary heir. Pope began what was to become an impressive series with Ramage (1965) and, over the next 24 years, produced 17 more novels tracing Lord Ramage's career. Pope died in 1997.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd; First British Edition edition (September 4, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0436377586
• ISBN-13: 978-0436377587
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Alas, the last, July 13, 2003

By 

tertius3 (MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramage & the Dido (The Lord Ramage Novels) (Paperback)

I'm glad to have this volume in print again, but it's perhaps the most disappointing in the series. It's the last installment in an unfinished saga by the late Dudley Pope. Everything here is MUCH too easy for Ramage (still a captain) and his trusty, rich, and invulnerable Calypso crew, now shipping out in the Dido, a formidable 3rd rate "74" ship of the line. In some ways (simple lingo, explanatory vignettes, lots of action) this last volume is an easy introduction to nautical fiction. Or one could say there's lots of padding, one too many books in the series. After the unique setting of the penultimate novel #17, fighting the exotic Saracens, Pope is so tired that he even has Ramage return to the scene of one of his greatest accomplishments in the Caribbean (#7 Ramage's Diamond) and substantially repeats the same achievements to a still finer degree. Ramage fights five nearly bloodless ship battles and leads a cutting out expedition in boats. It's pretty incredible, Ramage is never at a loss for tricks and the French always are. I never felt much tension, suspense, or terror in the story, not strong points in Pope's prose anyway.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cruel Ending, April 19, 2009

By 

Cpt. Billy Bones "BarBQue" (Lost Coast, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramage & the Dido (The Lord Ramage Novels) (Paperback)

Yes... A cruel ending for this great string of novels... Dudley Pope died before he could finish this series and the ending of the last one "...Dido" is a gigantic cliffhanger... Clearly he intended to go on to the end of the "Age of Sail"
This literally screams for a "Fan Fiction" addendum... So get busy all you budding writers.... Ramage has yet to "hoist his flag at the mizzen"

"BarBQue"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read, July 23, 2008

By 

Dr J (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramage & the Dido (The Lord Ramage Novels) (Paperback)

This is the last installment of Dudley Pope's Ramage series. Our hero, Ramage, has finally been given command of a ship of the the line. He is sent ot the Caribbean to deal with the French there. He singlehandedly wins the war for the British in the Caribbean. As another reviewer has mentioned, everything really is too easy for Ramage. Never a tight spot he can't get out of very easily. Why then five stars? This series is really not meant to be very realistic. It's a superman sort of series. The hero always gets out of every jam with little problem. If you keep that in mind, you can enjoy the series. The other reason for five stars is that there is plenty of action--lots of fighting in this book. Not a lot of down time. Also, it's an easy read--the language is easy and it just keeps moving along. So, if you want a simple, hero-oriented series to introduce yourself to the naval fiction genre, this is for you. If you want blood and guts, real life navy, then you might want to move on to something else.
I am a bit surprised that this is the last in the series. The last line even indicates that there is more in store for Ramage. No loose ends are tied up. Yes, I know that Pope passed away--but nearly a decade after thsi was published. Seems like he could have pumped out a few more and had Ramage finally retire. Oh well. It's been fun to read this series. I've reviewed all the books in the series, so have a look at them to see if this is what you want. I enjoyed them.