Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2375 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
In Volume II of the Flashman Papers, Flashman tangles with femme fatale Lola Montez and the dastardly Otto Von Bismarck in a battle of wits which will decide the destiny of a continent. Did Flashman's adventures in the Duchy of Strackenz provide the inspiration for The Prisoner of Zenda? The similarities are certainly there as Flash Harry becomes embroiled in a desperate succession of escapes, disguises, amours and (when unavoidable) hand-to-hand combats in an epic adventure that takes him from the gaming-halls of London to the dungeons and throne-rooms of Europe. And for once Flashman's talents for deceit and treachery are matched by those of Otto von Bismarck and the beautiful but deadly Lola Montez.

Customer Reviews

Racy but not quite so pacy
The second outing for Flashy doesn't bowl along at quite the same frenetic pace as the first. The writing is a little more reflective and descriptive (i.e. better), but unfortunately the plot is not so engaging. The real appeal of the first book was how the anti-hero's adventures were interwoven with real historical events. Here the setting and most of the events feel just a bit too made-up. Still very readable though and some of the characters are fun; the young Bismarck and an apparently real-life femme fatale called Lola Montez. Looking forward to reading the next one.

Flashy at his best!
Royal Flash is the second in the Flahman Papers series by George MacDonald Fraser and it is the first Flash book I ever read (but certainly not the last). Set in the mid-nineteenth century, this novel tells the story of Harry Flashman's encounter with Germany's nation building future leader Otto Von Bismarck.

This story is great fun, Flashy gets himself in to all sorts of dangerous situations he would rather have avoided, resulting in tremendous action packed hilarity.

After reading this book, I fully intend to read the entire series and any other books by this author that I have the fortune to come across.

Good, but not great......
I've read all of the books in the Flashman series, and I've really enjoyed Rupert Penry-Jones' two narrations so far. This particular storyline is the weakest of the bunch in my view, with few of the characters really coming to life. Otto and the other "baddies" seem more like Bond villains than anything else. I'm looking forward to the next installment on Audio CD - they certainly make trans-Atlantic flights more enjoyable!