Product Description

Celebrated Victorian bounder, cad, and lecher, Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., returns in three new episodes, pitted against some of the greatest villains of the day, and observing two of Britain's most famous heroes. Eleventh volume of the critically acclaimed Flashman Papers. When Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., the celebrated Victorian soldier, scoundrel, amorist and self-confessed poltroon's memoirs first came to light thirty years ago, the world was finally illuminated about what became of the celebrated cowardly bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays. Now, in addition to the other famous adventures of Flash Harry contained in the Flashman Papers, come three new episodes in the career of this eminent if disreputable adventurer. The title piece touches on two of the most spectacular military actions of the century and sees Flashman pitted against one of the greatest villains of the day, and observing, with his usual jaundiced eye, two of its most famous heroes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8430 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
'Next to the coming of the new Messiah, the most welcome appearance one can imagine is the new Flashman book from George MacDonald Fraser' Time Out 'As well as providing a fine assortment of treats, George MacDonald Fraser is a marvellous reporter and a first-rate historical novelist' Kingsley Amis, Sunday Telegraph 'Flashman is one of the best comic fictional characters of our times' Listener

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 films, most notably The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and the James Bond film, Octopussy.

Customer Reviews

Flashman forever
'Flashman and the Tiger' actually contains three stories:

In 'The road to Charing Cross' (some 200 pages) Flashman meets the son of his old chum Rudi Starnberg (from 'Royal Flash') and is coerced into a cunning plot to assasinate the Emperor Franz-Jozef. 'The subleties of baccarat' (60 pages) has very little action but centers on a card game in which one of the participants cheated...or did he? There's a nice twist at the end with a starring role for Elspeth. And finally, in 'Flashman and the Tiger' (45 pages) our unlikely hero has to confront the (in)famous Jack 'Tiger' Moran.

Flashman himself is his usual cowardly self, and fires off one-liners that'll have you laughing no end, but I agree with earlier reviewers that this is perhaps one of the lesser Flashman-novels. Some characters (think of Sherlock Holmes) seem to thrive best in short stories, I find that Flashman doesn't.

However, I cannot help but repeat (ad nauseam, if I look at my reviews of other Flashman-novels) that this is still prime entertainment, and even if I live to Flashman's own ripe age (allegedly he died when he was over 90 years old) I will always remember him, galloping away - and not always on horseback, mind you - to boldly go where no poltroon has gone before!

Good, but not his best
I really love the Flashman novels, I own all of them including this one and was lucky enough to meet George MacDonald Fraser in 2005. However, I have to say this one is not one of his best.

The three stories in this volume are interesting enough but dont grab me, they do add a bit more to the character of Flashman but it was soo frustrating to have Flashman actually in the Zulu wars for the first time that I am aware of and yet we see so little of it. Normally in his other great books set in India or Afghanistan there is a lot of historical detail and a bigger context. This time it felt like just a glimpse of a great possibility.

Still a fan though, read it and see what you think.

Great Flashy book about an obscure historical event
Another hilariously irreverent adventure of the arch cad, Flashy, this time set during the Abyssinian crisis of 1868, a little known mission to free British hostages from an African tyrant. It has all the usual bombast, dissembling, sneering, lasciviousness, desperation, and cowardice we've all come to love the Imperial Army's biggest cad and bounder for. But this time out, why has Fraser chosen such an obscure historical setting for his novel? One doesn't get the wonted feeling that Flashy is unwittingly and reluctantly changing the course of history, as he did in Schleswig-Holstein or India back in the old '57. And also, Fraser himself doesn't seem to be that interested in the situation, as the plot seems a little more contrived and lacklustre than usual. Still great stuff though. And there is still reason to expect more Flashman papers to be deferred to the general judgement of the public.