Ramage & the Saracens

I have read all but one of Pope's Ramage series. The quality of the books has really been uneven, but this one is a home run. I really couldn't put it down. Although the title is about Ramage and the Saracens, the first half of the book, oddly, has him doing other adventures that have nothing to do with the Saracens. But they are eventful nonetheless. But it's when Ramage goes off to rescue Europeans captured by the Saracens that this book really takes off. There is almost non-stop action and adventure. The book really moves along and it's a lot of fun. If you want action in your naval hero, then this is the book for you. This one would be an excellent movie (in the likes of the Hornblower movies a few years back.)

I wish Dudley pope were still alive and publishing more tales of lord Ramage. I'm on book 17 of 18 and they've all been sleep-stoppers for me. These books follow the career of a bright young lieutenant as he rises in ranks of the English navy between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He's very hard on the french and Spanish navies. If you are French or Spanish, you might be offended. I'm not sure women will enjoy these books as much as men, since there are a few cliche seens involving the hero and beautiful women that make the novels seem somewhat chauvinistic. However, the writing is superb, the ideas are original, and the real joy is in trying to figure out how Ramage will accomplish unbelievable missions and then seeing how your ideas, never quite measure up to his performance. I can't do these books justice. Just see for yourself.