Customer Reviews

Triton Brig/(English Title = Ramage and the Freebooters)

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This is the third in the series about Lieut. Lord Nicholas Ramage, now commanding a brig in 1798, and the action seldom abates. First, in order to take command, he has to convince its mutinous crew to leave Spithead -- which he does in typical Ramage fashion, by presenting them with a situation that catches them all off-guard. A few weeks later, he's managed to wield them into a cohesive unit as he delivers dispatches about the fleet-wide mutiny to the blockading squadrons off France and then heads out into the Atlantic on a similar mission to the West Indies Squadron. Along the way, he takes a French slave ship -- a "blackbirder" -- as a prize, which is a nice way to come into a new port. The admiral there has been having a good deal of trouble with local privateers making hash of the local merchant schooners and two of his own frigate captains have been unsuccessful at catching the Bad Guys. So he gives Ramage the job, knowing that he himself will come out ahead whether the new boy succeeds or fails. But Ramage fail? Not likely. Pope seems to set up each novel with only two or perhaps three extended sub-plots, which gives him plenty of room for details and development of the action. And there's a temporary love interest, too -- or at least a lust interest -- which ties back to the privateers. We've come to know all the supporting cast by now and the author spins a great yarn.

This is the third in Dudley Pope's Ramage series (see my reviews of _Ramage_ and _Drumbeat_). In this book Ramage is given command of a ship whose sailors want ot take part in the infamous mutiny. Somehow, he has to find a way to dissuade them from doing so. After a trek across the ocean, he is given the unapalatable task of rooting out some pirates who have been preying on British Caribbean commerce. There's lots of good action--swashbuckling, shooting, everything you want in a good sea novel. However, what I find the most interesting is following Ramage's reasoning and planning. What's he going to do next? Why? The whole episode reads like a thriller. It's all good fun and you won't be disappointed!

If you like a good sea battle, this book is for you! Accurate in most details of sea life, Dudley Pope does an excelant job. you will not be disappointed!