Customer Reviews

Ramage

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the hardest kind of review to write, I find. The first of the Dudley Pope "Ramage" series is not bad as an adventure-at-sea novel, but it is not great either. It is fun, but not amazingly exciting. Pope is knowledgable, but heavy-handed. So the book rates 3 stars.

First some background. I have read the Horatio Hornblower & Aubrey/Maturin series, as well as a couple books by Kent, "Two Years Before the Mast", and scattered other bits of nautical lore and adventure. I enjoy the genre as a whole. Thus at a friend's suggestion I picked up "Ramage".

The action in this book can get pretty heavy, but often to the point of strained credulity. As this is a historical novel, I don't really expect to see sections that strike me as "What an AMAZING bit of luck!" every 20-30 pages, but that does happen here. Ramage begins his career (at least as far as the book is concerned) by coming back to consciousness after being knocked about by an explosion. Luckily he has not noticable concussion... He is the only officer left on board his ship. Luckily he can find the captain's secret orders... Luckily they directly involve skills he has... And somehow he is able to convince his heavily battered crew that he is NOT abandoning them by leaving the ship in the ship's boats. This is only the opening sequence, so I am not giving much away here.

His adventures take a much more believable turn on land and the pace really picks up; unfortunately things drag later during a courtmartial scene. I want to get involved with the adventures and the excitement, but I keep thinking, "How much blind luck can one fellow have?"

Another disappointing aspect of the book revolves around the nautical lore. It is always tricky as to how much to include in a given book and how to present it. Patrick O'Brian was the great master of being able to spoon bits of knowledge of sailing vessels to his audience without making it seem like a long lecture. Unfortunately Pope is much more heavy-handed in his approach. When he wants to explain something about the management of ships, he very obviously places a non-naval person in the scene and then proceeds to have Ramage give a mini-lecture. This is not only clunky in execution, it becomes woefully predictable. The only time this didn't happen, Ramage thought all the steps out in his head, sort of like a Shakespearean soliloquy on naval maneuvers.

Ramage himself is a rather nice character, with some little quirks, an interesting background, and rather too much luck. Gianna, his lady love, is a standard head strong young woman who comes to love the hero. Jackson, Ramage's American sidekick, is also rather nice, but a little too Johnny-on-the-spot, as if all he is at times is an extension of Ramage's luck.

Pope knows the period very well. He knows the sea, the commanders, the action, and the politics. As this was his freshman effort I have every hope that the later books become less heavy-handed. In the end "Ramage" is not a bad book, but it is not a great book of the genre either.

Ramage is the first installment in the Hornblower like Ramage series. The jacket cover states that Pope was encouraged to write the series by C.S. Forester and Ramage was published in 1965, just before Forester died. Ramage is about the same age as Hornblower and Pope even pays homage to his mentor by having Ramage recall his midshipman days with Horatio Hornblower.

Unlike the first Hornblower installment, Ramage begins with the hero in command. He is unconscious in the middle of a furious sea battle and is roused by the enlisted men to assume command. Can Ramage assume command in a desperate situation, carry out his orders, gain the confidence of his men, overcome the political enemies who destroyed his father and would destroy him, and find the woman of his dreams? Of course he can! Mind you this is the first installment in the series and Ramage's position has plenty of room for subsequent insecurity. However, I have a feeling that whatever ill fortune is thrown Ramage's way, he will find a way to overcome it. What more can one ask of this genre?

Pope has a thorough knowledge of sailing which shows in his writing. Unlike O'Brian, he does not bog us down with details. His writing is simple and effective. He also got the message from Forester about the importance of the American market and included a trusty American seaman as Ramage's right hand man. Nicholas Ramage may be a little too perfect and the novel is formulaic but Pope has followed the formula well. I am sure that Forester was pleased.

This was the first novel I have read by Pope and I throughly enjoyed it. It gets off to a very fast start, which is unusual for a sea novel. It slows down somewhat in the middle but never gets boring and the ending is very suspenseful. Ramage is an interesting and likable character. The book is well-written, for the most part, although there are lines here and there that struck me as a little corny. The tone of the book is mostly serious, but there are a couple of scenes that are pretty funny. One of the things that I particularly liked about this book was the way Pope does not romanticize the Royal Navy. He presents the Royal Navy with all its flaws; such as its tendency to promote incompetent officers from wealthy and influential families while far better officers get stuck in the lower ranks. This book shows the tremendous pressure that Royal Navy officers were under to succeed in their missions, or die trying. Pope compares very favorably with the novels I have read by Alexander Kent and Richard Woodman. In fact, I like him better than Kent. Pope is not nearly as good as Patrick O'Brian, though. Anyway, I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

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Review of the Ramage series of novels:

This is first of a series of nine books. All of these are fictional novels based on British Admiralty records of the Napoleonic era. Written in the best tradition of Forester and O'Brien, these books will capture our imagination. And if you haven't read the Hornblower series by Forester, or the Aubrey/Maturin series by O'Brien, try them also. All of these are excellent books that you will treasure and reread. I particularly like these books by Pope. I recommend that you buy them all at once and read them in order. You will be glad you did.

If you enjoy reading accurate descriptions of naval maneuvers in the age of sail, or simply a good adventure yarn, Dudley Pope delivers. Pope conveys how the best of the best, handle emergency situations. He portrays these situations with realism and authenticity.

Review of this book:

In this novel, Ramage awakes after receiving an injury in battle to find himself in command of the rapidly sinking Sibella. The pace is fast and furious as he struggles to complete the Sibella's mission and save his crew. As any Captain who has lost his ship, this book concludes with Ramage facing a daunting courts martial board with the deck stacked against him.

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This was Pope's first novel (of ultimately nearly 20) about Lord Ramage, a character who seems based [like O'Brien's Lucky Jack Aubrey] somewhat on the real Lord Cochran. It gets off to a hurtling start as Ramage comes to in the midst of total chaos, on a sinking ship littered with dead and wounded, and is told he's in command. He completes the mission his sunk ship was on, to rescue some Italian nobles, and meets the Great Love of his life, the georgeous Gianna. Back at the base, he's court-martialled and it looks grim... but the novel switches from courtroom drama to another rousing naval operation as Ramage rescues the officers and crew of a wrecked British Navy ship. If you entered Age-of-Sail fiction by way of O'Brien, this will be pretty thin gruel, but it is pretty much up to the Forester/Kent/Woodman/ Lambdin mark, and quite enjoyable. I was certainly motivated by reading it to eventually read the other novels in the Ramage series.

A fine beginning to a series and introduction to a character. This is a well-written book, with some vivid scenes and a good understanding of the title character. This shows signs that the rest of the series could be right up with Kent's "Bolitho", O'Brian's "Aubrey and Maturin", and Stuart's "Hazard".

A reprint of Pope's novel first published in 1965. The action is concentrated in a very short time period (less than two weeks) in the later part of 1796, just before the British evacuation of Corsica. Ramage escapes from a sinking frigate, aids the escape of Italian refugees from the French, and then deals with the aftermath of his actions. There is a final side action on the coast of Corsica involving the grounded frigate Belette (W.P. Gosset, "the Lost Ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900," lists the frigate Belette as "burned at Ajaccio as unserviceable" on 20 October 1796, along with the frigate Poulette). The action is, perhaps, a little too fast paced. At points, the author gets wrapped up in details of ship handling, but overall it is a good story with a somewhat romantic ending.

What sets these books apart from the works of Patrick O'brian and C.S. Forrester is the emphasis on the fun and romance of the era. Everything's extravagant and exagerated, from the beauty of the maidens to the ferocity of the action! No boring passages about setting sails and chapters upon chapters of gunnery training. Its just action, action, and more action, by land and sea! Daring rescues, crazy manuvers, with punishment dealt out by Captain Nelson himself.

I have read a number of Pope's books and have enjoyed them, including the Ramage series. Pope is an historian and his writing is very informed and his portrait of the British navy accurate. If I had any complaint it is that the Ramage books are more of the same Royal Navy fare that we have seen many times. For a more unique series, one that is just as accurate and fast paced, I recomend James L. Nelson's books about the American Navy during the American Revolution. By Force of Arms is the first in the series.

Enough reviewers have gone on at length to talk about the merits of this book, so I shall be brief.

This is a good story. The characters are interesting. The action is plentiful, and well written.

Ramage is no Aubrey, nor is he a copy of Bolitho or Hornblower. He is a fine character in his own right.

Full marks for Dudley Pope!

On to Ramage & The Drumbeat!