The Nicholas Renage Trilogy--Ramage and the Freebooters, Ramage and the Drum Beat, Ramage's Signal, the Ramage Touch, Ramage

Lord Ramage #3

by Dudley Pope

Ramage and the Freebooters (Ramage S.) Pope, Dudley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Nautical, War, Adventure, Maritime

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Dudley Pope was born in Ashford, Kent.

By concealing his age, Pope joined the Home Guard aged 14 and at age 16 joined the Merchant Navy as a cadet. His ship was torpedoed the next year (1942). Afterwards, he spent two weeks in a lifeboat with the few other survivors.

After he was invalided out of the Merchant Navy, the only obvious sign of the injuries Pope had suffered was a joint missing from one finger due to gangrene. Pope then went to work for a Kentish newspaper, then in 1944 moved to The Evening News in London, where he was the naval and defence correspondent. From there he turned to reading and writing naval history.

Pope's first book, "Flag 4", was published in 1954, followed by several other historical accounts. C. S. Forester, the creator of the famed Horatio Hornblower novels, encouraged Pope to add fiction to his repertoire. In 1965, "Ramage" appeared, the first of what was to become an 18-novel series.

Pope took to living on boats from 1953 on; when he married Kay Pope in 1954, they lived on a William Fife 8-meter named Concerto, then at Porto Santo Stefano, Italy in 1959 with a 42-foot ketch Tokay. In 1963 he and Kay moved to a 53-foot cutter Golden Dragon, on which they moved to Barbados in 1965. In 1968 they moved onto a 54-foot wooden yacht named Ramage, aboard which he wrote all of his stories until 1985.

Pope died April 25, 1997 in Marigot, St. Martin. Both his wife and his daughter, Jane Victoria survived him.

Reviews

[Eric_W]

Well, OK, 1'm sorry. I apologize to Dudley Pope. I had said some rather unkind things about one of his Ramage novels, based on an audiotape. To be fair I read another, Ramage and the Freebooters, and it's really quite entertaining.

As with the C.S. Forester, Alexander Kent, and O'Brian series, this one is also set at sea during the Napoleonic War. Lieutenant Ramage, son of the disgraced admiral, is under a cloud himself for having performed some rather unorthodox maneuvers during the Battle of St. Vincent. These maneuvers were much to the delight of Sir Jervis and Lord Nelson, but to the consternation and dismay of the more traditional officers, who actually believe in following orders to the letter.

Believing he is to be reprimanded, Ramage appears before Admiral Spencer, only to be given command of a small brig - ten guns the Triton. There's a catch, however. The brig is tied up at Spithead, and this is the year 1797. You will remember that was the year the British sailors mutinied at Spithead. Ramage's task is to find a crew and sail to the Caribbean to carry word of the mutiny to the rest of the British fleet command so they can take appropriate action. A tricky task. Should he succeed, the glory will go to the Board; should he fail, he becomes a convenient scapegoat.

The mutineers' demands were really quite reasonable. Aside from a request for slightly higher pay --they were paid much less than sailors in the merchant service-- they asked for leave when in port (always denied for rear of desertion) and that a pound be considered 16 ounces. Normally, it was the custom of the purser, who had to account for everything, to receipt fur 16 ounces, but supply the men with only 14 ounces, arguing the difference was spoilage or wastage. He usually pocketed the difference himself.

Another scam was to charge off all sorts of expenses to dead sailors, leaving little for the widow, but making himself wealthy. Pursers were not popular. Once Ramage arrives in the West Indies, he is assigned another tricky task. Schooners have been disappearing with regularity, and the Navy has been unable to discover what has happened to them Clearly they have been taken by privateers, yet a search of the entire region reveals no inlets or bays where they could be hiding and transhipping the cargoes. Pope has crafted a page-turning yardbracing mystery.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already shown his merit in the Mediterranean, Ramage is given a new command; that of the brig Triton. His new command comes with a catch, however: the Triton is caught up in the Spithead mutiny. I enjoyed seeing how Ramage navigates his way out of this precarious situation. As a reader, our sympathies are divided between Ramage (the likable protagonist) and the non-violent mutineers (whose demands are entirely reasonable). After wrangling his crew into shape, Ramage sets sail for the West Indies, where further adventure awaits. The first part of the book (the mutiny at Spithead, and the journey across the Atlantic) were interesting, but the real meat of the story is Ramage’s mission to hunt down privateers in the Caribbean.

Perhaps it was the old edition of the library book I read, but the Ramage and the Freebooters felt markedly different in style to the first two. The book was significantly longer than either of its predecessors, and the story was more slowly paced. That didn’t prevent this book from being a page-turner, however, as I very much enjoyed the development of the story in the West Indies and its action-packed finale. I must praise the author Dudley Pope for his vivid descriptions of the setting. He writes with eloquence and authority on the tropic environment and brings to life the time-period which the book is set in.

I thought the secondary characters were interesting and well-drawn (with one exception). The protagonist is an easy character to root for, but if there is one overarching criticism of these books it is that Ramage has practically no flaws. This point doesn’t really bother me – after all, these books aren’t high literature, but rather they’re meant to be entertaining stories; though, I don’t doubt that others will find this to be a greater issue than I do. There is one aspect about Ramage that troubles me a little. He seems to very casual in his interactions with many of his crew members – but perhaps that is just the contrast that comes from concurrently reading about Captain Hornblower’s frigid isolation.

With Ramage and the Freebooters, Dudley Pope delivers another swashbuckling story of adventure that kept me engrossed from start to finish.

[Reni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun, quick read. Sure, if you look for depth in your Age of Sail fiction, you should rather look to O'Brian or Forester. But if you're looking for a more swashbuckling approach to high adventure on the seas during the Napoleonic Wars, Ramage will deliver.

This time I wasn't quite as taken with the plot as with the first two novels, this one not featuring as many action sequences and therefore appearing a bit more slow paced. However, this is not to mean that Ramage & the Freebooters was by any means boring, or too long for its content. In fact, there is a lot going on, from suppressing a mutiny to a bit of spywork to fighting privateers while being trapped in lagoon and outnumbered (though we're never exactly told whether they're actually privateers or pirates, the book just switches from calling them freebooters to privateers at one point. What with killing civillians who have surrendered they're certainly not of the nice kind either way. None of them appear as actual characters however, which is a shame. It could have made the plot even more interesting.)

The Villain/Hero divide in general in this book is very black & white. All the villains are extremely cruel people so you don't feel to sorry for them when they are killed by our heroes. And those antagonists that are pretty and a bit sympathetic had of course been forced into committing crimes by the proper villains. On a related note, I could have done without the romance aspect. It seems like Claire only turned out to have been blackmailed instead of carrying out her spywork of her own free will, so it wouldn't spoil her affection for the hero. I would have actually have preferred her being a proper villain, seducing Ramage only to gain information. But she, like so many other characters, of course, admires Ramage for no good reason. They only knew each other for half a day, yet she considered killing herself because she could not bear betraying him. Once again, Ramage being too popular with too many characters for no good reason spoils this series a bit. It would certainly be more enjoyable without the hero worship.

One other character I had a problem with is the doctor. His alcoholism seemed just to exist so Ramage had something to brood about during the voyage to Barbados. Once he is magically cured the character disappears for the rest of the book. This is no way to treat a serious topic like alcoholism and I could understand if some readers felt a bit offended.

Compared to other classic Age of Sail fiction I was positively surprised at the treatment of the character of Maxton. The other, Christian characters, take his religious views seriously and he is never made fun of because of what they could have derided as superstitions.

Oh, and the throwing knife actually came in handy in one scene! Yes, I'm just as shocked as you are!

And while Ramage's speech impediment does seem to have disappeared in dialogue, at least it is referenced by other characters. Seriously, Pope. Please, don't get rid of that one. It's what makes him at least a bit charming!

The actual naval actions are once again a delight to read. Even though Pope, in this volume, bends history a little more than usual in this series to fit the plot. The mutiny of the Triton is not at all historically accurate (the mutiny didn't extend to the smaller vessels, as the men did not intend to cripple the fleet), and it's more than a little bit weird that a mutining brig would accept to have half its crew exchanged and accept new officers on board, even if they don't intend to follow their orders. However, that portion of the book is still an enjoyable read, so I'm not going to complain about it too much. It's just that I expected better from Pope, not to fall back onto such tricks to make his narrative more exciting.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was a bit slow to get going and I had forgotten how annoyingly fickle Ramage can be when it comes to attractive women. However it was still a fun read and the final confrontation with the ‘freebooters’ was all action, although I did think the book ended rather abruptly, as if there was a missing final chapter.

[Arlomisty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book in the Lord Ramage saga... book three! Ramage hunts down (by the Kings order) privateers who are plundering the Kings shipping lanes!

[Murat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the series very much and will read all the books I can put my hands on.
Also I am glad that Ramage does not get a promotion at the end of every book

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read Ramage the more I like it. I first read Ramage 40 years ago right after I finished Hornblower and looked for more historical fiction. I picked a Ramage at random and immediately ran into Ramage's cult of worshipers, whether friend or foe, superiors or inferiors and I was completely turned off. I think it was the line "more than you will ever know" on people worshiping him. Fast forward 40 years I ran out of books to read and decided to try Ramage again.

I still feel the Ramage worship cringeworthy but in my old age I'm a lot more tolerant about people than I was. I'm reading the Ramage series a bit out of order and this #3 book is about the 6th book I've read. I've been finding that Dudley Pope addresses different subjects in his books and it's a worthy cause. I learn something new and it's always good to learn something. (Other authors do as well. I was following Stockwin but unfortunately his later books became boring historical documentaries instead of naval fiction and I quit the series.)

Spoilers ahead:
In the first part Ramage is given command of Triton, a brig whose crew supports the mutiny which is going on. It's mainly the big ships which have mutinied and their crews have asked the smaller ships not to openly support it. Pope does write about the underlying causes and actually his treatment of the mutiny is less than others which I have read but more precise.

His task is made easier when he asks for and is given 20 old Kathleens (from his previous ship which he sank by ramming into a ship of the line) to switch into the crew. He gets rid of 2 of the ringleaders and persuades the crew to set sail when he cuts the anchor cable and the crew makes sail in order to prevent being driven into the shoals. (One of the ringleaders becomes a smuggler and Ramage meets him in a later book!)

In the second segment Pope deals with slavery. Ramage captures a slaver which has been damaged by a sudden squall. Pope gives a pretty detailed description of the process of obtaining the slaves from Africa, the trip, the slave ship and the selling process, courtesy of the slaver's captain who is happy to tell Ramage everything he wants to know. I had always read that the slaves were treated inhumanely, the speed of the voyage being paramount. But the slaver's captain says that the slavers tried to maintain a minimum level of care because they did not want to purchase slaves just to kill them during the voyage with bad treatment.

The third segment is the longest. Once he reaches his destination, his admiral gives him a task. Trading ships traveling between Grenada and Martinique have been captured and vanish without a trace and local merchants are raising a stink all the way up to England. The admiral put two frigates on the task but the 2 post captains were unintelligent men and neither of them were able to solve the case.

The admiral doesn't think Ramage with his little brig would be able to solve the case but he would make a convenient scapegoat. Ramage befriends the military commander on the station who helps him to try and figure out how the privateers are getting away with it. First he sails up and down the chain of islands but cannot find a base that would hide the privateers. Eventually using bait, he sets a trap and catches the spy in their midst. Then he uses himself and a detachment of his crew as decoy to be captured to find the privateers and the base.

The whole book was easy to read and follow and all 3 segments were interesting.

[Michael Smith]

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.

[Charles Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third sea adventure novel by the author of "Ramage" and "Drumbeat." This time, Lt. Lord Ramage is ordered to take command of a brig, Triton, sail to the West Indies (lower Antilles) and capture privateers who are raiding English shipping schooners. The mission is urgent (because several merchant schooners have been mysteriously taken), and from the beginning Lt. Ramage is faced with manifold dangers…for the crew of his ship had mutinied (at Spithead, England, 1797), the ship's surgeon suffers from alcoholism, a love interest & trouble in Grenada, and it takes all of Lt. Ramage’s courage and resourcefulness—and some spine-tingling moments of suspense—to weigh anchor and set the Triton Brig on its new course toward adventure. The time: the 18th century. The setting: Hampshire, England, and the West Indies, the lower Antilles of Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Dominica.
The story: as exciting as readers have come to expect from the author who has been hailed as the successor to C.S. Forester.

[Graeme Bourke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do like this genre of books, but as with all genres there are authors who excel and some that just drift along. I always know when I have a problem with a novel. I start skipping paragraphs and pages when the narrative gets out of control. I would like to make mention of Lord Ramage the key character who on sailing past the Lizard and Cornwall his thoughts turn to three pages on the history of Cornwall. To me this seems unnecessary as it does nothing to enhance the story. A small paragraph would have been ample. There are instances of this through out the book and it makes the novel rather tedious to read. The character of Lord Ramage is poorly displayed and there was just too much padding. Compare this novel with those of Dewey Lambdin and it is not in the same league. Disappointing.

[ExtremeBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading this author and although I can't say I have the same feeling of enchantment and enthrallment that I have when reading Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester, this is a pretty good effort. Ramage is presented not as some kind of demigod seagoing superhero but more of a flawed anti-hero in the mode of Horatio Hornblower. Pope has an excellent command of naval terminology as well as the details of early 19th-century history. A refreshing change of pace after reading a Borgia novel!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, what’s different about this book...first, kind of an inside look at the Royal Navy mutiny at Spithead ( mentioned by some of the other nautical authors, but not in depth). Second, a more in depth look at the inside of a slaver as it was captured as a prize in the book. Third, a good treatment of the illness of alcoholism, as Ramage’s surgeon was largely incapacitated and rehabilitated on the mission. The naval action near the end of the book was confusing, frankly, but of course turns out alright in the end.

[Alan Dechovitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot of pages to get to the story

Not as well done as his first two in the series. Lots of useless filler and a weak love interest. Seriously, Lord Ramage, son of an Admiral, with Nelson and the First Lord watching his career, and essentially engaged to a gorgeous Italian countess, is gonna fall in love with the mixed race English/ French secretary to an incompetent nabob governor. Not likely. Pope must spend 10 pages describing the flora and fauna of the Caribbean.
Still, a neck or nothing ending makes for a fun conclusion.

[Jack Sakalauskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder but I am inclined to think that it makes the heart wander. This is the synopsis of the latest "Ramage" novel. Away from his love, he finds that the presence of beauty can overwhelm fading beauty. This book also contains a sprinkling of humor as well as the expected violence of naval warfare.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time Lieutenant Ramage and his crew have another new ship, have to initially deal with a mutiny and then sail to the Caribbean delivering messages along the way. Once there he is given a new assignment to stop privateers who are wreaking havoc with the trade. Navy and island politics are also discussed so you get more of an idea about life on the high seas.

[Melanie Barbarito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific series with well-written characters and stories. Although the author clearly knows his British naval history and must be an expert in the ships of the day, I don't get as lost in nautical esoterica the way I sometimes do in the Patrick O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin series (which I also like a lot).

[Jason Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rip roaring adventure

Dudley Pope’s work is not as literate as the Aubrey/Maturin series, nor as purple as the Bolitho books - at least not yet. He manages to carve out a special niche in the “Age of Sail” canon. This volume provides high seas adventure with an ingenious little mystery to unravel. The introduction of a new love interest is a little jarring, overall pretty good.

[Gareth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracking third outing for Ramage who has to be more cunning than ever just to get his new command to sea. Plenty of action, strong characters who are becoming good friends to the reader and a satisfying twist or two. Dudley Pope makes excellent use of his deep nautical know how and imbues his tale with authentic detail that actually matters to the plot. Masterful.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book begins with the mutiny at Spithead (http://www.historytoday.com/alex-bark...), then proceeds to the Windward Islands. On the way there they encounter a slave ship, an excellent description is given. The story is exciting!

[DonLallier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope was an excellent author and it shows in this book.

Excellent action sea story. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one in the series
I was sorry to read that that the author had died years ago.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good Lord Ramage book. He is given command of a brig to deliver various dispatches around the various fleets. After his final one is dropped off he is tasked to find a bunch of free booters who are looting British Ships.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much slower than the previous two books.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Exlibris Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating sea adventure from an experienced sailor and historian Dudley Pope. There is a lot of action happening in the legendary Caribbean.

[Steven Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well paced

This is an excellent series. I am very glad to have discovered it. The writing is well paced and rarely invites boredom.

[wyllys terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun

Fun to follow Ramage’s career. The up close and personal moments of indecision and decision make for good suspense. Surprise works well.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Ramage adventure! I can’t stop now. It’s hard to remember he is barely 21! His brain gets ahead of him luckily. Things work out well.

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had known this was part of a series.
However, even at that, the story was well written and interesting.

[Michael Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books get better and better.

[Rich Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first. didn't matter that I'd missed the second - still fast paced, exciting, and unpredictable. looking forward to the next one