Product Description

Celebrated Victorian bounder, cad, and lecher, Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., joins John Brown and his gang at Harper's Ferry in the tenth volume of the critically acclaimed Flashman Papers. If only Flashman had got on with his dinner and ignored the handkerchief dropped by a flirtatious hussy in a Calcutta hotel ! Well, American history would have been different, a disastrous civil war might have been avoided, and Flashman himself would have been spared one of the most hair-raising adventures of his misspent life. If only ! But, alas, the arch-rotter of the Victorian age could never resist the lure of a pretty foot and this latest extract of the Flashman Papers soon finds him careering towards the little Virginian town of Harper's Ferry, where John Brown and his gang of rugged fanatics were to fire the first shot in the great war against slavery.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17011 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
'Thanks to Fraser's passion for history, his rare gift for rattling narrative and his infectious delight in robust, rollicking language, we can rejoice in a work of genius worthy of being ranked with -- there can be no higher accolade -- P.G. Wodehouse' Daily Telegraph 'Farcically outrageous and disgracefully entertaining' Sunday Times

About the Author
The author of the famous Flashman Papers and the Private McAuslan stories, George MacDonald Fraser has worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. In addition to his novels he has also written numerous screenplays, most notably The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and the James Bond film, Octopussy.

Customer Reviews

Prime entertainment, in the best Flashman tradition
The Angel of the Lord of this volume of the Flashman papers is none other than the (in?)famous John Brown, who with his raid on Harper's Ferry provided one of the major sparks to ignite the powder keg of the U.S. civil war.

It should come as no surprise to fellow-addicts that Flashman knew John Brown (and Jeb Stuart, and Lee, and a score of others), and was even present at Harper's Ferry. The how and why - needless to say: not at Flashy's own bidding - is dealt with at large in this novel, in Fraser's inimitable style: at times serious, but most of the time extremely laughable and humouristic.

Another Flashman-novel that both informs and entertains, what more could one ask for? Get it and enjoy.

Flashman Never fails to Entertain
Not one of the best Flashman novels but still well worth a read -
As always our hero gets himself in the usual brand of trouble as a result of his libido and plays his part in a seminal monent in History - I enjoy Flashmans adventures in India more than his American ones but I still throughly enjoyed this book.
If you have never read a Flashman I recommend starting this series from the start and working your way through all 12 that way you'll maximise your enjoyment and ensure this loveable rogue finds a permanent place on your bookshelf. BRAVO FLASHY!!

Peerless historical fiction as always
Judging by the relatively small number of reviews for this book and by the less than glowing comments in some of them, one can only conclude that Flashman and the Angel of the Lord is one of the less popular Flashman novels. If this is the case then it is a shame as the novel is at least as much fun as the others and without doubt one of the most interesting in terms of the period of history it explores. John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859 is an event little known outside the United States and yet it is widely agreed that this raid; incredibly daring or fantastically foolhardy depending on your perspective, was the key catalyst in bringing the States to Civil War which obviously had a huge impact on the future of that country and, by association the entire world. MacDonald Fraser brings events to life with his usual panache placing Flashy, through a series of adventures, two of which predictably involve his inability to turn down an offer of nubile female company, right at the heart of the dramatic events in Virginia 1859.

Flashman is, as usual, almost entirely driven by self-interest and yet his relationship with John Brown is particularly interesting in it reveals aspects of Flashman's personality which rarely come to the surface. The relationship is ambivalent throughout. At times he is utterly dismissive of the man, believing him to be little more than a crazed fanatic, whilst on other occasions he extols in glowing terms, his bravery, focus and particularly his skills as an orator. Moreover he ends up impulsively saving Brown's life, an act he does not quite understand himself. Clearly he has a tremendous amount of atypical respect and even fondness for him. MacDonald handles this with his usual skill and at no point does our hero become in the least sentimental or mawkish but it offers us just the merest hint that there is some compassion beneath that selfish exterior.

Another fascinating aspect of this book is the way MacDonald Fraser deals with the character of Joe, the double-agent slave who spends most of the book at Flashy's side. Readers of the previous eight Flashman novels will be used to his racism which whilst of course is par for the course in the mid-nineteenth century, still jars a little for the modern reader. Throughout the series MacDonald Fraser regularly gently challenges his hero's racist attitudes by introducing him to black characters who are able, intelligent and worthy. With Joe this is developed to an unprecedented extent. Flashman dislikes him with an intensity he usually reserves for arch-nemeses like Ignatieff and Bismarck and he does not hold back with the insults and general nastiness. However, he is acutely aware that Joe is incredibly smart and is possession of cunning and determination to rival his own. His racism is starkly exposed as the small-minded nonsense it is.

Ultimately though of course Flashman wins through in his own inimitable way and even manages one more gallop with the wonderful Mrs Popplewell on the train ride home.

A deeper book than some of the others which perhaps requires a little more work but one that is definitely worth the effort.