Ramage and the Drum Beat

Rating:
Summary: Ramage sequel storms back with Force 5
Review: Note: this review refers to the book version.

Ramage and the Drumbeat is the second installment of the Ramage saga. In Ramage, our hero was resuscitated in the middle of a sea battle to assume command, escaped from his ship, rescued the love of his life, and performed a heroic rescue under enemy fire. Drumbeat starts more slowly, summarizing the action from Ramage and then resuming where Ramage left off. Ramage is conveniently captured by the Spanish only to be released based on phony American papers. His capture allows him to acquire the plans of the Spanish navy; plans which he must take to Sir John Jervis. Along the way he must survive a violent storm and play a pivotal role in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.

When Ramage and the Drumbeat was first published in 1967, Dudley Pope was the legitimate heir to C.S. Forester and Ramage the legitimate heir to Hornblower. Forester had died the previous year and Kent and O'Brian had yet to publish. Clearly Pope was not resting on his laurels. Drumbeat is full of the action that filled Ramage and while not providing the tremendous detail that O'Brian would, it still reflects Pope's knowledge of sailing. It is also the reflection of a simpler time. The values are straightforward and traditional. Ramage is a hero of the old school with strong character. He might have is doubts but he has the ability to overcome them. His cause is just, the enemy deserving of defeat.

Pope has endowed Ramage with a forceful personality and Ramage's men want to follow him. It's not clear why, although Ramage is both firm and fair with the men. Pope is sending a message that people want to be led. Ramage realizes that the men in his command are like children and he has to act accordingly. Is Pope reflecting the English class system or is he merely referring to the lowest of the low who ended up being pressed for lack of any suitable alternative? Ramage, like all good commanders, does feel a great sense of responsibility for the lives of his men but carries out duties that inevitably result in some of their lives being lost. Pope endorses the paternalism of military systems and perhaps class systems.

A reviewer quoted on the cover of the edition that I read (1975) indicated that there was sex in the novel. If there was I didn't see it. There is a great deal of sexual tension between Ramage and Gianna but it is implied not overtly displayed. Pope realized at that point in his career that one didn't need to put graphic sexual content in a novel and that a good story would sell itself. Drumbeat can be read by a 12-year-old and thoroughly enjoyed or by an adult who might see additional depth. It is a shame that novels with such a broad range of appeal are no longer in vogue.

However, the story is first and foremost about action at sea. Drumbeat features one of the best storm descriptions since H.M.S. Ulysses and it wouldn't take a lot to be seasick reading it if one was so inclined. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent is described in some detail with Ramage assisting the redoubtable Nelson himself in defeating the Spanish. I did find the middle of the novel a little slow by the standard set in the first book but perhaps the gale and climactic battle exceeded the original.