Nicholas Ramage Books In Order

Publication Order of Nicholas Ramage Books

Nicholas, Lord Ramage is a fictional and the main character in a series of novels written by English author Dudley Pope. During the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Ramage served as an officer in the British Royal Navy. Nicholas is contemporaneous of Horatio Hornblower, who fought in both the Battle of Trafalgar and in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent; entirely different from the latter, who never took part in a large fleet battle. Even though published during the 20th century, Nicholas Ramage series is an historical series set during the 18th century.

Ramage was born and raised in 1775 at Blazey Hall in Cornwall. He was the firstborn son of the Earl of Blazey. Nicholas father was court-martialed by some of his corrupt colleagues, and through this, he has lived to protect his father’s legacy. His mother loved adventuring and touring the new place; she took Ramage to Tuscany when his father left to assume naval command in North America.

Ramage and his mother returned to England for his dad’s court-martial in 1782, and due to the notoriety relating to his father’s court-martial, they went back to Tuscany in 1783 where Ramage lived until he joined the navy in 1788 aged 13. Despite his father’s disgrace, Ramage maintained a positive image in the navy which saw him getting a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant at the age of 20 years.

Nicholas Ramage debuted into the publishing world in 1964 when Ramage, the first novel in the series was published.

Ramage

Being the third lieutenant on ship Sibella, Nicholas Lord Ramage assumes control when the captain of the vessel and the 1st and 2nd lieutenants are wiped out of the face of the earth by a fire that came from the French ship. Sibella had been badly destroyed by the French boat and half of her crew including the surgeon and the surgeons all killed. Being the new Captain Lord Ramage opts to abandon the sinking ship, and it is not just the ship that he leaves behind but also all the injured people.

He leaves them on deck to be taken as prisoners by the French and by luck they get treated by their surgeon. After retrieving some vital document from the ship and the last orders of the dead Captain, Lord Ramage and the remaining members of the crew boards the four available lifeboats and abandons the ship. The injured are transferred to the French boat, and Sibella is set on fire.

Ramage opens the orders to the late captain which had been issued by Sir John Jervis; he discovers that Sibella was on a rescue mission to free the Marchesa di Volterri alongside five other nobles and two of Marchesa’s cousins. Ramage opts to push through with the rescue mission. Ramage gets some top men headed to Monte Argentario where they find the Marchesa with the aid of a local charcoal maker.

About half of the nobles are not willing to take the risk of escaping in a small boat. The Marchesa and one of his cousins are rescued while the other one gets killed by Napoleon’s cavalry as they were fleeing. After saving the Marchesa, Ramage is tried for the loss of the Sibella in accordance with the articles of war, during the trial accusations of cowardice are brought forward by Captain Croucher who was a political adversary of Ramage’s father. The trial is interrupted and brought to a sudden end by Lord Nelson’s arrival. He commands Ramage to rescue the frigate HMS Belette crew from the wrath Napoleon’s troops. He saves them and heads back to Nelson, and on his arrival, he gets to know that Count Pitti who he had not been able to rescue had not been killed and he had managed to escape.

Ramage and the Drumbeat

“………… the Drumbeat” is the second book in the historical series by Dudley Pope. The novel continues the adventures of Nicholas Lord Ramage as the commander to the cutter HMS, Kathleen. Ramage is tasked with delivering messages to Gibraltar and also transporting refugees from Italy that had been rescued in Ramage, the first book in the Lord Ramage series.

Ramage and The Marchesa engage in a fake shooting where they exchange rings during the voyage. It is not long before the Ramage meets with the crippled Spanish warship, La Sabina. He decides that it would be unwise to abandon the ship drifting at sea, he, therefore, made the ship surrender forcefully to a far less armed ship by showing them that he has the requirements to blow the stern off the cripple ship. He tows La Sabina.

Not long after, the Kathleen is met by two frigates of British origin who free the prisoners held in the towed ship. One of the captains also takes the Marchesa despite the reluctance from Lord Ramage. Ramage passes himself off as an American sailor, with aid from Jackson and this is after the Kathleen is captured. Ramage then starts to spy on the Spanish admiral, Jose de Cordoba, and he also steals some official documents from his house. From the materials, he gets to know that the ship will set sail to the Atlantic soon. The situation is not right; he, therefore, steals a Xebec which he uses to go back to Gibraltar where the Kathleen is recaptured. Ramage is then sent to look for Sir Jon Jervis, by the commissioner of the port, and caution him of the impending battle. The fierce battle starts, eventually the British claim the victory and capture four ships. Ramage almost dies to a wound that knocks him into the sea. He is later found by some sailors, who rescue him, but he does not receive any credit for the role he played in the battle.

Lord Ramage novels are brilliantly woven, features a cast of wonderful characters, ranging from the main to the secondary characters. Nicholas Ramage is handsome, intelligent man who always makes the best choices for his crew. The author gives a vivid description of the how 19th-century naval battles were fought and what it took for a naval ship to survive the dangerous waters.