Poetry in Naval motion.

This book was the first 'Ramage' I read. I was thirteen and recovering from an illness which meant I was off school. I went delving into the huge amount and variety of fiction and none fiction. I picked this one as it had quite clearly been read repeatedly. The description of nautical terms and somewhat ashamed to say geography was poor and to this day I do not know what you do when you "Put a spring in your cable" means. That doesn't matter it is explained to you in almost laymen's terms.
Dudley Pope can spend three sentences describing a leather bucket, what it's for, why they had just used it, and who was cleaning it sound magical and that you were there. The crew around Ramage are very real and wonderful to read about them. They are often used as the comical or the tragical themes in the novel and most of them are extremely loyal.
Ramage himself is a young Captain, originally a Junior Lieutenant who always pushes the 'meaning' of his orders further than the letter of them. If you want an Aventure of daringdo and high octane battles and women in Nelson's Navy then this is for you. If you want the same thing but with one of the most sexy but human men on the fictional plane of existance you've got it. I could spend forever trying to describe Captain, the Lord, Nicholas Ramage RN but it won't do him justice. When intrigue and diplomacy fails he gives a damn good broadside.
Stephen Crossley narrates it beautifully and it's so wonderful to hear Ramage's voice again decades on from that fateful day when I was thirteen. Thank you Dudley Pope and his seventeen other Ramages.

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