Ramage's Diamond: Amazon.ca: Dudley Pope: Books

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Guardian

"All the verve and expertise of Forester." (The Observer) "Expert Knowledge of naval history." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dudley Pope was an experienced Naval officer, journalist and historian who delighted generations of readers with thrilling stories of high adventure at sea. He joined the Merchant Navy at 16 and was drawn to the sea throughout his life, serving in the Royal Navy during World War Two .He was widely acclaimed during his career, gaining the reputation of being 'the best of Hornblower's successors'. He is perhaps most loved for his Ramage series, which follows the exploits of Lord Nicholas Ramage during the Napoleonic Wars. The books feature a regular cast of characters and are set against a background of political intrigue and naval warfare. The stories are full of dramatic, swashbuckling action, set both at sea and at Ramage's home in Cornwall.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Almost too perfect, Aug 20 2001

By	tertius3 (MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramage's Diamond: The Lord Ramage Novels Vol.7 (Paperback)

In which newly made Capt. Ramage buys arms, commands a slovenly ship, blockades Martinique and sees a diamond, removes a frigate, climbs a hill, and plots to devour a French fleet single-handedly in 1804. Ramage, like Hornblower, has a depth of character best revealed in their moments of introspection. But while Hornblower doubts his own courage, Ramage knows courage is a facade put up for the encouragement of others. I found the most fascinating passages were on pp. 259-263, where we get an outsider's view of Ramage and feel the effect of the meticulous planning that is the essence of inspiring leadership. It is likely these passages embody the secret of Lord Cochrane's astonishing successes as a winner who, like Ramage, didn't do it over the dead bodies of his men (the historic Lord Cochrane [1775-1860] being the inspiration for much of British naval fiction). As always Pope's descriptions are clear and precise, but here supplemented with diagrams of a jackstay lift for the central hill-climbing business.

The reader might want to know that this is really the first of several books dealing continuously with Ramage's renewed adventures in the West Indies (but a separate cycle from his W. Indian adventures in vols 2-4). Although this is a pretty complete story unto itself, if you've already read this far in the series (you did, didn't you?) there's no way you won't want to move immediately after this to MUTINY. Proofing is a little sloppy in a series that is doing the McBooks imprint proud.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Fanciful Fiction, May 23 2001

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ramage's Diamond: The Lord Ramage Novels Vol.7 (Paperback)

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").

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Ramage's Diamond (Paperback)

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