Rating: 
Summary: You'd think Flash would have to repeat himself
Review: Fraser squeezed another Flashy episode into that brief human life and me, I'm glad. So will you be also.
The Flashman Papers continue to offer up new episodes in this series. In this one Flashy's reflections are more more mature, but his cynicism remains intact, his wisdom a human one recognizing our weaknesses as humans, none more than his own.
Rating:
Summary: You'd think Flash would have to repeat himself
Review: Fraser squeezed another Flashy episode into that brief human life and me, I'm glad. So will you be also.
Rating: 
Summary: Flashman times three
Review: George MacDonald Fraser has been writing a wonderful series of novels for about three decades now. Fraser had another career, as a screenwriter, first, and garnered an Oscar for the screenplay of The Three Musketeers. Since, he's garnered a small but obsessed band of followers here in the states. The following has gotten large enough that the books are all in print now (for many years they weren't, and you had to hunt for them, like Patrick O'Brian) and the release of a new Flashman book draws considerable interest among men here and (I would presume) around the world. Notice I say men. Flashman is a misogynist of the first order, rapes, betrays, robs, defrauds, and generally misuses most of the women who cross his path. Most women don't consider this too fun.In this volume, rather than one story with a (sort of) interconnecting theme, we have three. In the first, which runs to a little more than 200 pages and is almost a novel, Flashman encounters the son of a character from a previous book, and various other interesting characters, and thwarts the attempted assassination of Franz-Joseph, the Emporer of Austria. In the second, shorter story (about 50 pages) Flashman is mostly a spectator in a card-cheating scandal involving the Prince of Wales, whom Flashman despises. The third story, the same length as the second, has Flashman trying to kill an old nemesis, and running afoul of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who are after the same individual. As with everyone else, Holmes and Watson are presented in a slightly different light in Flashman's account. You have to get used to Fraser, and Flashman. Fraser adopts Flashman's voice to narrate the story, and it's a bit hard to take unless you're a devoted Anglophile and history buff. Every simile he utters is a reference to a historical figure or adventure Flashman was part of, usually. I have one friend who thought the premise of the series interesting, but couldn't take Flashy's cowardice and rapacity. He wound up passing his books onto me. Given that, I enjoyed this book. I would agree that this isn't perhaps the best of introductions to the series, but on the other hand, the stories are shorter, so you could perhaps try someone out on the series with one of the shorter ones, assuring them that there's more to the novels than these stories.
Rating:
Summary: Three Flashman Shorts
Review: George MacDonald Fraser has been writing Flashman stuff for about 25 years now. He's also an accomplished writer in other fields: his memoir of his own service in WW2, "Quartered Safe Out Here" is one of the best personal accounts to come out of that war, and he wrote the screenplay for "The Three Musketeers." In short, he's an accomplished guy. Flashman and the Tiger is only the second time, by my count, that the author has written something much out of order (the other time being Flashman and the Redskins, which contains a section from 1876). In this volume, Flashman recounts three adventures from his later life, one involving an attempt to assasinate the Emporer of Austria-Hungary, a second involving Flashy in a card-cheating scandal with the Prince of Wales entangled in it, and the third, the title piece, involving our hero deciding to kill a mortal enemy, and running into Sherlock Holmes in the process. The first of the stories is by far the longest, longer than 200 pages, and really almost a novel itself. It's a good story, even if it is a bit reminiscent of an earlier novel he wrote, and the characters are fun. The second story is a bit more mundane, though I'll confess the ending had me laughing for several minutes. The thirds story, which takes place partly in Africa during the Zulu War, is amusing, though I agree that this does somewhat preclude a full Zulu War novel. The Sherlock part is hilarious, and quite the best part of the book, to be honest. I'm a Sherlock buff of a kind (read all of the stories when I was in high school, twice) and I enjoyed it immensely. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this as an introductory book for the series, though you could have someone read one of the shorter stories and see if that's the sort of thing that interests them. I do know that some Americans find it hard to read a book written in the vernacular like this, and a short story would be a good way to figure things out. The first story's too long for this, but one of the other two might do. Given that, it's a worthwhile addition to the series, and fun.
Rating:
Summary: More Falshman!!
Review: George MacDonald Fraser relates a selection of Flashman's adventures. Rather than containing the standard book-length story that follows a single theme, Flashman and the Tiger is a collection of three distinct stories. As usual, there are references to the rest of Flashman's colorful career, historical context and, of course, the period setting and society is brought to life. The Flashman series is a great work of historical fiction. George MacDonald Fraser always uses Flashman to tell a great story. Integrating fictional characters and situations with thoroughly researched historical facts. A kind of "Boy's Own Adventures" for grown ups and history buffs. Flashman, the central character, is a kind of antihero, bringing a cynical, and in many ways modern, sensibility to the world of the 1900's. A self-confessed cad and coward, he often seems the most humane and reasonable character in the situations he gets himself involved in. In this collection, Flashman finds himself part of a political crisis, escaping from one of Britain's most notorious military defeats in Africa, immersed in a social scandal involving the Prince of Wales and a game of cards, and even meets Sherlock Holmes. This is an excellent book and essential reading for any Flashman fan. My rating of just 4 stars is not meant to imply any criticism, but is more of an indication of personal preference for the longer Flashman stories that, to my mind, really highlight the wonderful writing and story telling ability of George MacDonald Fraser.
Rating:
Summary: Different but still top class
Review: Having read the 'Tiger' episode when it was first published in the 'Daily Express' in Britain in the 70's (just prior to 'Flashman In The Great Game' coming out) I, like most other reviewers, was a little disappointed that it was three short stories and the not the Zulu odyssey I had hoped for. Nevertheless, it was good to see the story back in print again (I love the way Sherlock Holmes is involved) and I enjoyed the Tranby Croft tale - it was good to see Flash in a story which reflected on his slightly less colourful experiences, as opposed to battles and charges. I would have to say that I don't think we'll see a Zulu book now, although I would love it if GMF proved me wrong. All in all the book was different but still excellent - and I have already re-read it twice. The weakest story for me was 'Road To Charing Cross' - it seemed to me like GMF wanted to have Rudi Von Starnberg back and this was the only way. Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed every page, as I do with all Flashmans, and its style was a bit like my own personal favourite - Flashman & the Redskins - which is also really two distinct stories.
Rating:
Summary: Flashman at it again
Review: I really enjoy this series of books about Harry Flashman, coward, scoundrel, and unwitting hero of the glory days of the British Empire. This series, which has been ongoing for 30 years, always delights me with its wit, and also with instilling knowledge of many exotic places and events. The scholarship behind the tales is quite sound, for I have read about a lot of these incidents and what the author presents (with the exception of Flashman's participation, of course) is accurate. This latest work is a combination of three different incidents, each one different and entertaining. You know that our "hero" is always going to get out of the situations in which he finds himself, but the joy is in reading and discovering how he accomplishes it. May this series go on for another 30 years!
Rating:
Summary: Hip hip hooray another Flash Harry
Review: I thought I would also like Patrick O'Brien's naval stories given my love for the Flash man but I found O'Brien's characters to be precisely the sort of prigs that Flash roasted over the coals at Eton. Nothing can replace George MacDonald Fraser for a good read. The fact that this is a collection of shorter papers perhaps diminishes the headlong intensity of Flashman at the Charge, the best of the series but it is nonetheless good. Fraser is always skilled at sly topical references, and because the British army has recently done service in the Balkans, it is appropriate that the first paper takes place at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, which created the preconditions for the current mess. I was hoping for Flash Harry to be scuttling through Bosnia-Herzegovina, but we can't have everything. A psychologist for the British army has reassured me that Flashman as a character is alive and well in this army. It is only a pity that by no stretch of the imagination can Flash Harry survive long enough to meet Princess Diana: for one can only imagine him getting maudlin in his cups over Lady Di, proper little stunner that she was. Perhaps General Flashman has a great-great-grandson in the regiments who was pressed into the fearful work of clearing land mines (gibbering with terror) by the Princess' charms? Any way, keep it coming, George (I hope you don't mind me calling you George: it's an American habit to use the first name.)
Rating:
Summary: a good read, but some mixed feelings.
Review: I was very pleased to see another Flashman book in print - Flashy is certainly my choice for historical fiction! The current offering consists of three smaller adventures. The first concerns Flashman's involvement with the Congress of Berlin and a subsequent attempt to assassinate Franz-Joseph. I think this is the best of the three stories - it shows us an older Flashman, but one who is still true to his nature. And it does pick up some of the threads from "Royal Flash". The second tale concerns Flashman's involvement in the Tranby Croft scandal with the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). This one is pretty slow moving, but I enjoyed it because of the involvement of Elspeth, who is often reduced to a minor character in Flashy's adventures. I really do not like the last story. It seems to be forced - tying up a loose end from "Flash for Freedom" and with a cameo appearance of a distinguished detective. The brief description of Isandlwhana and Rorke's Drift is ok, but I would really like to see a longer treatment of Flashman in the Zulu war. Or Flashman in the U.S. Civil War. Or preferably both :-) This is probably not a good first book for those who have not read previous volumes of the Flashman Papers. I recommend reading the first five books in order before tackling any of the others.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back, Flashy!!
Review: I've been an avid Flashman fan since stumbling across the first book in the series waiting for the plane to take me home from Vietnam in 1970 and have eagerly awaited each new volume. This adventure gets 'only' four stars for two reasons: first of all, it is three seperate stories in one book, an unusual format for a Flashman book and two (and most damaging) the title story is just simply not up to the usual standards maintained by Fraser. Don't get me wrong, it is not bad, by any means, it is just that regular readers of Flashman get spoiled by Fraser's ability to keep you interested and this one just does not quite measure up.
The first two stories are very good without being particularly memorable, the first being the best of the book. Flashman deals with peace treaties, then in what is basically a repeat of the second Flashman book 'Royal Flash', finds himself kidnapped by the son of Count von Starnberg, (one of Flashy's more memorable villains)and is embroiled in a plot to assassinate the Kaiser. Telling more would give away to much of the plot, but it is worth reading. The second story involves a almost unknown in this country Victorian scandal, and you find that Flashman's wife, the beautiful Elspeth playing a central role. This is defintely enjoyable to Flashman regulars since Elspeth's usual roles are cameo's at best, but the scandal has little interst to Americans.
I defintely recommend any of the Flashman books, but you haven't read Flashman yet, I wouldn't suggest you start with this one...(perhaps "Flashman and the Great Game" or "Flashman and the Dragon" would be the best starting point, but I think you miss a lot of the flavor if you don't read them all in order...)But do yourself a favor and check out Flashman...you won't be disappointed...
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