Ramage & the Drumbeat: The Lord Ramage Novels Vol.2 (Paperback)

Ramage is a clever dog, and Pope smart enough to keep us in the dark about his hero's tricks until he's about to crash aboard an enemy ship. I love the atmospheric detail of antique things and actions, but Pope is also a bit talky, his factual asides occasionally breaking into the action, rather like a sprinkle of sand on plum duff. Often his asides serve to draw out an action to interminable, almost real-time, length. For example, Pope has Ramage engage in a monologue on the texture of deck wood while he makes a fateful decision during Adm. Jervis' great fleet battle off Cape St. Vincent in 1797 (NB: this is NOT Nelson's fatal battle at nearby Trafalgar, in 1805). In such ways Pope stretches a single-ship action to 80 agonizing pages, with hardly a page for the actual cut-and-thrust of boarding. Maybe Pope is trying to give us a study of the thought processes of successful leadership, at close to the last time leaders were wholly on their own. Good thing Ramage has the loyalty of his crew and the luck o' the divil for his thrilling but disobedient series of escapades here off Spain, or he'd've been flogged 'round the fleet. (If you want to try your own hand at sailing a radio-controlled model square-rigger, my search of the Web suggests it will cost us thou$ands vs several hundred$ for a fore-and-aft rig.)

I suspect many of the episodes are exciting fantasy, but set in solid historical contexts (easiest to write while the hero is still a minor officer unlikely to have been mentioned in dispatches). The jolly steadfastness of Ramage's tars could become tiresome; reminds me too much of Marryat. Kudos to McBooks for the typography that catches the insouciance of Ramage, and for the thrilling wrap-around cover art of Paul Wright.

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Review of the Ramage series of novels:

Don't read this until you have read the first book: Ramage, by Dudley Pope.

Book 1: Ramage

Book 2: Ramage and the Drumbeat

Book 3: Ramage and the Freebooters

Book 4: Governor Ramage RN

Book 5: Ramage's Prize

Book 6: Ramage and the Guillotine

Order them all, because you won't want to stop. The action is fast and furious.

This is second in a series of historical fiction by Dudley Pope. 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 your 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:

Ramage, in command of cutter Kathleen, is ordered to proceed to Gibralter to support Lord Nelson. On the way, he manages to find a unique way to capture a dismasted Spanish frigate and untold other adventures, that I won't give away.

This book describes Ramage's exicting activities immediately prior to and through the battle of Trafalgar where he plays a pivotal role. The actually battle of Trafalgar, aside from a few liberites take with respect to our hero, is not surprisingly accurate in the account of battle. The book is great fun and so is the next one!

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Conrad B. Senior