Ramage's Diamond (The Lord Ramage Novels) (Paperback)

by Dudley Pope (Author)
Key Phrases: marine lieutenant, voyol block, leading frigate, Fort Royal, First Lieutenant, Admiral Davis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"All the verve and expertise of Forester." (The Observer) "Expert Knowledge of naval history." -- Guardian

Product Description
The youngest captain in His Majesty's Navy, with a reputation for landing impossible assignments, Lord Ramage is dispatched to the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Diamond Rock. The mission seems humdrum: barricade the French within Fort Royal. But sent to sea in the Juno with a crew grown restless and undisciplined under the prior command of a drunk, Ramage realizes his vessel may not be up to battle with the French.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: McBooks Press (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935526897
• ISBN-13: 978-0935526899
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #210,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great rebound from #6, January 31, 2007

By	Dr J (Salem, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This is installment 7 of Dudley Pope's Nicholas Ramage series. It is heards and tails above #6. Ramage is the quintessential hero. The reader knows that Ramage will succeed in his endeavors. The fun part about these novels is finding out HOW Ramage will succeed. He has way too much success--almost Deus ex machina. The action and episodes in this novel are all interesting. The battles are described well and keep the reader's interest. As usual, though, there is really too much detail when Ramage has his men hoist some guns onto the top of a mountain. Pope, just let the guys get the guns up and start shooting at the Frogs! For that, this book get 4 and a half stars. But the rest of the book is great fun. I might add that the BBC chose the wrong story for its naval hero. The Ramage stories are much more interesting than Hornblower.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engineering mastrerpiece off Martinique, December 2, 2005

By	George Aubrey (Texas) - See all my reviews

Based on historical events, this novel retells the story of a tremendous feat of martial engineering. Ramage captures frigates and schooners and builds his own fleet. Recognizing the importance of controlling the shipping lanes in and out of Fort de France, he manages to mount baterries on a huge towering rock, known as the Diamond. With the batteries and his ragtag fleet, he manages to defeat a much larger French fleet and supply convoy, sinking, burning or capturing the entire lot. The detail work is good, and the story moves well, never letting the readers interest lag. My personal favorite in the series.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fanciful Fiction, May 23, 2001

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

While most writers of historical fiction place their characters in the context of real events, in this case Dudley Pope has substituted Ramage for Commodore Samuel Hood. After preliminaries, the main action takes place at Martinique in the summer of 1804. Ramage is sent to blockade the island and, in the process, fortifies the Diamond Rock (Hood's actual accomplishment that year). Some of the writing goes into extreme detail (e.g., Pope's reconstruction of the probable means Hood used to place guns on top the rock), and some is larger than life, perhaps too much so (Ramage's action against a French convoy). There are some editorial glitches, e.g., a statement that men would be excluded from sharing in prize money when earlier in the story they had participated in the action that captured a frigate.

On an historical note, the Diamond Rock was commissioned and carried on the Royal Navy books as a sloop. It was surrendered to a French fleet in 1805 when the British crew on the rock ran out of water (see W. P. Gosset, "The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900").