Cheap Royal Flash (Book) (George MacDonald Fraser) Price

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Customer Reviews of Royal Flash

In this Flashman novel, G.M. Fraser takes a while to get Flashy, our cynical and salacious anti-hero, into motion. But once he does, the book zips along, giving us an adventure that Flashy claims Anthony Hope ripped off to write "The Prisoner of Zenda," as well as the scoundrel's view of the European revolutions in 1848.
As usual with the Flashman books, there are patches of wonderful descriptive writing. For example: "We were rolling slowly up a long avenue of trees towards a huge, bleak house, half mansion, half castle; in the fading light, with the wintry sky behind it, it looked in silhouette like the setting for some gothic novel, all towers and spires and rugged stonework. There were some lights in some of the windows, and a great lantern shone yellow above the pointed archway of its main door, but they served only to exaggerate the ancient gloom of the place. Childe Flashy to the Dark Tower came, thinks I, and tried not to imagine what lay within." A fast, light, fun read.

Hugely entertaining
First things first: if you don't already know Fraser's character, Harry Flashman, Victorian Britain's Ace of Cads, start with the first book, Flashman. For those in the know: in this entry, Flashman is lulled into a drama of espionage and political maneuverings by, of course, a woman. Said woman is Lola Montez, doxy about town and paramour to princes and poltiicos; and the political plotter is none other than Otto von Bismarck. This is one of the least realistic of the series, as the reader is given to understand that Flashman is the perfect double of Prince Carl Gustaf of Denmark. Fraser escapes trying his audience's credulity with this premise by, first and foremost, presenting it in as realistic and believable a manner as possible, including the preparations and skills required for such a scheme, as well as the reactions of the participants. Fraser's other coup, however, is intimating that this incredible tale is itself the "actual" inspiration for the (extant) fictional novel, Prisoner Of Zenda! That aside, Flashy is in fine mettle here, witty, profane and cowardly as ever. Well, maybe not as ever: it takes guts to hit a skilled swordsman with a bottle, even from behind; the young Flashy, who was willing to give the Union Jack to Afghan raiders in return for his life, might not have been so sneakily bold.

Another thoroughly enjoyable Flashman adventure
This is the second of the Flashman series (if you haven't already read the first in the series - titled simply "Flashman" - I'd start there first). In this adventure, Flashman encounters Lola Montez and a young Otto von Bismarck and rapidly becomes embroiled in the Schleswig-Holstein Affair in a plot stolen almost whole-cloth from "The Prisoner of Zenda." Flashman is still a complete scalawag throughout the book (I wouldn't have him any other way), but the tables are turned on him a bit and he is badly used and abused by Montez and Bismarck.

Don't read this book expecting deep insights into the human condition - it's an adventure novel featuring a fascinating and hilarious protagonist set loosely around 19th Century historical events. Fraser's history is well-researched and he's an excellent and entertaining writer. After all, how many authors could create a fun adventure that concerns the Schleswig-Holstein Affair?

I'd say that "Royal Flash" is probably a slightly weaker book than the original, but that still makes it far more entertaining than most of the books out there. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relatively light read and who enjoys his adventure mixed with a little history. While I've only read three Flashman books thus far, I definitely plan to continue on with the series.