Royal Flash [Hardcover]

George MacDonald Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 1970

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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Sparkling one-liners adorn every chapter!It is the verve of the story-telling, together with the verbal inventiveness, that lingers in the memory' Sunday Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Barrie & Jenkins (April 23, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0257651012
• ISBN-13: 978-0257651019
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,498,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun as Flashman strikes again!, June 20, 2000

By 

Tom Gillis (Kensington, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Royal Flash (Flashman) (Paperback)

What can I say? The second of the Flashman series of books, this is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through Germany and England in the late 1840s. This is not the best of the bunch (I found "Flashman and the Redskins" and "Flashman at the Charge" to be stronger), but great fun, nonetheless (as well as hard to put down). Difficult as it is to believe, there appears to be a greater emphasis on "rogering" here than in the other books.

If you've read (and enjoyed) other Flashman books, then you know what to expect: go ahead and read this, you won't be disappointed. If you haven't read "Flashman" yet -- what are you waiting for? This is great fun, you won't be sorry. [If you're really easily offended by bad behavior in novels, then you may want to look elsewhere.]

Oh, yes, and there are footnotes, so it must all be true.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just the man I want to follow out of danger...., September 17, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Royal Flash (Flashman) (Paperback)

I stumbled upon what looks to be an addictive series of
books following the rise, fall and sidestep of the ne'er do
well 19th Century Englishman named Flashman. A self-
professed coward and rake, he nevertheless finds himself
embroiled in some of the most significant events of his time.
This particular episode is basically Woody Allen meets the
Prisoner of Zenda, with a splash of Lady Chatterly thrown in
for good measure. Whether read for the ribald and entertaining takes on history, or just the humourous escapades, Royal
Flash is time well spent.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodnight, Prince Harry...I mean, Prince Carl, February 18, 2008

By 

H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Royal Flash (Flashman) (Paperback)

" 'I have every confidence in de Gautet,' says Bismarck. 'With a sabre he can split a fly on the wing.'

I was listening to them appalled; these two monsters calmly discussing the best means of giving me a slashed head. If there is one thing I can't endure, it is pain, and the thought of cold steel slicing into my skull nearly made me swoon." - Flashman commenting on a casual conversation between Otto von Bismarck and Rudi von Starnberg (ROYAL FLASH)

Once again, Harry finds himself at the mercy of his tormentors. Having been tricked by a vengeful Lola Montez to travel from England to Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Flashy finds himself the center of a plot by Prussian Count Otto von Bismarck to annex the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein, claimed by both Denmark and Germany, thus unifying a fragmented confederation of German states into what will eventually become modern day Germany. In order to do this, old nemesis Otto forces our cowardly and unwilling anti-hero to assume the identity of Danish Prince Carl Gustav, who bears an uncanny resemblance (sans capital hair and mustaches) to himself. The only things missing to make the disguise perfect are two "schlager" scars on his head. A schlager is a long sword with a large handguard that was used by German university students to inflict fashionable scars on each other's face or head when dueling. Anyway, our lovable rogue assumes the role of the imprisoned prince and through bluff and fear for his life weds the beautiful Irma, Duches of Strackenz, and...well, I won't give the good stuff away. If the plot of this, the second packet of the "Flashman Papers", sounds suspiciously like Anthony Hope's Victorian adventure novel THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, it's because Hope took the idea for his literary romance from Flashy's "real-life experiences."

This is a rollicking good adventure and one true Flashmaniacs will enjoy reading again and again. I highly recommend ROYAL FLASH, but suggest readers unfamiliar with the humorously faint-hearted exploits of Harry Flashman, Esq. first read FLASHMAN (Packet # 1 of the "Flashman Papers").