Ramage's Prize

By Dudley Pope

The West Indian bases are desperate: post vessels—a vital communications link between England and the West Indies in the war against France—are mysteriously disappearing and no packets have arrived with orders in months. Were the privateers out in full force again? Had Napoleon's navy a secret new weapon? Lieutenant Lord Nicholas Ramage sets out from Jamaica to discover what treachery is threatening to throw the British navy into chaos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RowmanLittlefield
• Release date: Oct 1, 2000
• ISBN: 9781590135525

Dudley Pope

Dudley Bernard Egerton Pope was born in 1925 into an ancient Cornish seafaring family. He joined the Merchant Navy at the age of sixteen and spent much of his early life at sea. He was torpedoed during the Second World War and resulting spinal injuries plagued him for the rest of his life. Towards the end of the war Pope turned to journalism, becoming the Naval and Defence Correspondent for the 'London Evening News'. At this time he also researched naval history and in time became an authority on the Napoleonic era and Nelson's exploits, resulting in several well received volumes, especially on the Battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar. Encouraged by Hornblower creator CS Forester, he also began writing fiction using his own experiences in the Navy and his extensive historical research as a basis. In 1965, he wrote 'Ramage', the first of his highly successful series of novels following the exploits of the heroic 'Lord Nicholas Ramage' during the Napoleonic Wars. Another renowned series is centred on 'Ned Yorke', a buccaneer in the seventeenth century Caribbean and then with a descendant following the 'Yorke' family naval tradition when involved in realistic secret operations during the Second World War. Dudley Pope lived aboard boats whenever possible, along with his wife and daughter, and this was where he wrote the majority of his novels. Most of his adult life was spent in the Caribbean and in addition to using the locale for fictional settings he also wrote authoritatively on naval history of the region, including a biography of the buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan. He died in 1997 aged seventy one. 'The first and still favourite rival to Hornblower' - Daily Mirror

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Reviews for Ramage's Prize

[delta61 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The only thing that kept my interest in this book was the information on the Packet Boats. Although it is based on true events, we have to take it with a grain of salt. I skimmed through pages of descriptions and conversations, like the discourse with the agent in Lisbon. Just a jumble of words. If the next book doesn't improve, I'll have to ditch this series.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Currently without a ship to command, Ramage is assigned to solve the mystery of the missing Postal packets. Less ship action but another interesting insight into the resource required to sustain Britain's far flung empire. Excellent series, sometimes based upon actual events. Always a good story with interesting characters, puzzling quandaries and sometimes quirky solutions. Age of sail tyros should read early in their literary questing for his knowledge and insights into fighting, sailing and British Navy life during these quite fascinating times. Many set in the Caribbean where Pope lived for most of his writing career enabling him to provide very helpful maps, not often found in fiction, for his scenarios.