1796 - sea battles raging and an attack from the French has left third-lieutenant Ramage the sole officer in charge of his frigate. With orders from Nelson to be obeyed and a daring mission to be completed, young Nicholas Ramage must rise to the challenge. Despite the grave adversity of his situation, Ramage embarks upon an intrepid rescue with quite unforeseen consequences. This thrilling adventure is the first in Dudley Pope's popular and much-loved Ramage series.

This is Dudley Pope's 18th novel to feature Nicholas Ramage and it is set in the West Indies where Captain Lord Nicholas Ramage, the youngest captain of a ship of the line since Nelson, brings his old crew to a new command against the French in Martinique.

In the second book of the Nicholas Ramage series Lieutenant Lord Ramage is ordered to proceed to Gibraltar-with all possible dispatch - aboard His Majesty's ship Kathleen, to support Nelson in a battle with the Spanish off Cape Trafalgar.

In the third book of the Nicholas Ramage series Ramage is summoned by the Admiralty and given command of the brig Triton. But like the rest of the Navy, Triton's crew has mutinied. Sympathizing with some of their complaints, Ramage also knows that if he fails to deliver three sealed dispatches to admirals off Brest and Cadiz, and in the Caribbean, he will become a convenient scapegoat...

As France recovers from her bloody Revolution, Napoleon is amassing his armies for the Great Invasion. News in England is sketchy and the Navy must prepare to defend the land from foreign attack. Lieutenant Ramage is chosen to travel to France and embark upon the perilous quest of spying on the great Napoleon. His mission is to determine the strength of the French troops - but his discovery will mean the guillotine!

Setting off on a presumably predictable sweep for freebooters in the waters off Jamaica, Ramage and the crew of the Calypso stumble upon a scene of carnage: A sinking British ship, her crew and passengers, men and women alike, ruthlessly murdered at the hands of a French privateer. Supported by his men in a thirst for righteous vengeance, Ramage ferrets out the brigand's name and sets sail to bring him in.

With the Treaty of Amiens signed, hostilities have ceased — at least on paper. Nelson's crews are standing down and Ramage is on leave when he receives covert Admiralty orders to inspect the small island of Trinidade off the coast of Brazil. Reaching South American shores, Ramage and the crew of the Calypso fetch up in a battle to free several captive merchant ships — and a beautiful woman passenger — as they cross swords with bloodthirsty pirates. . . .

Ordered to Naples after the battle of Trafalgar, Ramage and the Calypso are given fresh orders. The Barbary Coast pirates, the Saracens, are active in Sicily again, and terrorizing fishing ports. Ramage and his crew are sent to Sicily to track done the Saracins before they can attack another town.

Lord Ramage returns to fight in the most famous of Britain's sea battles. Summoned by Admiral Nelson himself, Ramage is sent to join the British fleet off Cadiz where the largest battle in naval history is about to take place. Finding himself in the front line of battle, Lord Ramage must fight to save his own life as well as for his country. The result is a thrilling, hair-raising adventure from one of our best-loved naval writers

The Napoleonic Wars are raging and a group of eminent British citizens have been taken captive in the Mediterranean by French troops. The Admiralty traces their location and sends the valiant Lord Ramage to affect their release. As Ramage and his crew negotiate the hazardous waters off the Tuscan coast, they soon begin to doubt the accuracy of their instructions. Ramage comes to realize that in order for his mission to succeed he must embark upon a fearful and highly dangerous escapade where the stakes have never been higher. Ramage's Challenge is another action-packed naval adventure from the masterful Dudley Pope.  

On holiday, ashore with his new wife at a chateau in France, Captain Lord Ramage finds the honeymoon interrupted by an end to the Peace of Amiens — and a return to war which will last over a decade. Finding themselves on unfriendly soil just hours before hostilities commence, Ramage and Sarah elude the grasp of Napoleon's secret police, seeking to close upon all the Brits and French Royalists they can find. Even as they escape, their host is captured and deported to the notorious penal colony on Devil's Island. Ultimately, back at the helm of the Calypso and among old friends, Ramage finds himself heading in the same direction. But given the Island's impregnable reputation, can he pull off a rescue?

Ranked as a captain, the youngest in His Majesty's navy and one with a reputation for landing impossible assignments, Lord Ramage is dispatched to the Caribbean isle of Martinique and, off its southwest coast, Diamond Rock. His mission at first seems humdrum: to barricade the French within Fort Royal. But sent to sea in the Juno, with a crew turned restless and disgruntled under the prior command of a drunk, Ramage realizes that his vessel may not be up to confronting the French. Before he can shape up the Juno and her men, the ship is beset by desperate and dangerous privateers.

Eighth in Dudley Pope's celebrated series of novels, Ramage's Mutiny tells of Captain Ramage's reckless attempt to free the Jocasta, a British ship, from the Spanish Main stronghold of Santa Cruz. A vicious mutiny had left the Jocasta open to capture by Spain, but sailing the frigate Calypso, Ramage will stop at nothing to rescue the imprisoned vessel, even to inciting another 'mutiny' on board his own ship.

In Ramage’s Prize, his fifth recorded adventure, Lieutenant Nicholas Ramage sets out from Jamaica to track down the mysterious disappearance of the Post vessels – a vital communications link between Whitehall and the West Indies in the war against Bonaparte’s France.

With Bonaparte Napoleon at the height of his powers, the Mediterranean can be safely considered exclusive French territory. So when Captain Ramage and his crew are sent alone into Mediterranean waters, they can expect to be outnumbered. But it is the French who discover they have an enemy they had not bargained for...

Lord Ramage has made his name through numerous brave, daring and extremely perilous sea battles. He has been charged with impossible tasks and has succeeded time after time gaining honour and glory for king and country. He has undertaken his tasks loyally with skill and valour. So it is with some surprise that he finds that perhaps his greatest enemy of all comes from within the British Navy itself. He is forced to undergo a battle that will require his very all.

GVIDO FELZS

REIZ DZĪVOJA LAUPĪTĀJS LIPS TULIANS

Vēsturisks romāns desmit burtnīcās pēc klosteru, baznīcas un kriminālhroniku ziņām

Kas gan nepazīst bīstamo vīru, kura vārds kādreiz daudziem lika trūkties un drebēt bailēs? Elbas upes un Varkalnu apkaimē — Moldavas krastos, pat Prūsijas pilsētās ļaudis, vakaros gulēt ieda­mi, lūdza:

— Dievs, atpestī mūs no ļauna un Lipa Tuliana!

Vai tiešām viņš bija tik ļauns, šis varonis, par kura apbrīnojamo spēku vēl šo baltu dienu liecina biezās dzelzs durvis Glashites sakristejā, kuras viņš salocīja kā plānu dēļu šuvi?

Nē, briesmīgs un bīstams viņš bija vienīgi ļaunajiem! Tiem va­jadzēja bīties no laupītāju vadoņa, bet atņemto zeltu Lips Tulians ar devīgu roku šķieda un dalīja nabagajiem, nelaimīgajiem, dzīves pabērniem, kas Lipu Tulianu pieminēja ar gaviļu asarām acīs.

Tas, kas šeit rakstīts par mūsu varoni, nav tukši, izdomāti vārdi, bet dzīves īstenība. Lips Tulians dzīvoja, varonīgs un drošs, dziļi nelaimīgs, daiļš labāko aprindu jauneklis, kas kļuva par laupītāju neģēlīgas netaisnības dēļ.

Vēl šo baltu dienu Drēzdenē redzami melnie mūri, kuros šis «briesmonis» ķēdēs slēgts gaidījis tiesas spriedumu. Vēl šodien Antonštadtē rāda smilšu laukumu, kur viņa tiesātāji drūmi raudzīju­šies tālē.

Vēl šodien ceļotāji apmeklē Stolpenes pils mūrus un torņus, kuros vairāk nekā piecdesmit gadu ieslodzīta smaka daiļā grāfiene Kozela. Tur mira lepnā mīļākā, ko Fridrihs Augusts Stiprais tik ļoti mīlēja, mira, nekad vairs neredzējusi brīvības sauli, tā, kuru viņas laikabiedri ar sajūsmu dēvēja par skaistāko pasaulē.

Ko grāfiene Kozela bija nogrēkojusies, ka viņu dzīvu apraka Stolpenes pils mūros?

Uz šiem jautājumiem atbildēs mūsu romāns.

Laupītāju vadoņa Lipa Tuliana un daiļās grāfienes Kozelas starpā pastāvēja slepenas saites, un viņa sirsnīgā dedzībā pieķērās mūsu varonim. Ar savu neatlaidīgo mīlu viņa iedzina izmisumā viru, un viņu pašu mes redzesim meža biezokņos uzmeklejam daiļo lau­pītāju vadoni.

Arī vadoņa meža biedru — spītīgo vīru — liktenis te patiesi at­tēlots pēc hroniku ziņām.

Tā dzīvoja Lips Tulians, bagātajiem varmākām bīstams, naba­go, dzīves sērdieņu un bēdu cietēju dievināts, daiļāko sievu un mei­teņu mīlēts.

Viņu, mūžam neaizmirstamo, redzēsim trakā kautiņā ar vajātā­jiem un pavadīsim bīstamajās laupītāja gaitās, kas šķetināsies tik brīnišķīgi, ka šķitīs — Lips Tulians sabiedrojies ar pašu velnu.

Un to pašu «briesmoni» dzirdēsim mīļi un līksmi tērzējam vien­tuļās meža dzirnavās un sagruvušu piļu apakšzemes velvēs.

Ķas laupītāju virsnieks Silderfītincs vai Bavārijas Hizels pret Lipu Tulianu, kas kā neierobežots tirāns lēma par dzīvību un nāvi, valdīja pār saviem apakšniekiem un iebruka karaļa pilī?

Visi ar ziņkāri lasīs, kā reiz dzīvojis un mīlējis laupītāju virs­nieks Lips Tulians!