Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (Paperback)

by George MacDonald Fraser (Author) "As I sat by the lake at Gandamack t'other day, sipping my late afternoon brandy in the sun, damning the great-grandchildren for pestering the ducks,..." (more)
Key Phrases: armoury gates, rifle works, John Brown, Harper's Ferry, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Roving British Army colonel Sir Harry Flashman, roisterous scoundrel and witty cynic, was a reluctant hero in exploits ranging from the Crimean War (Flashman at the Charge) to China's Taiping Rebellion (Flashman and the Dragon) in nine previous volumes of Fraser's Flashman Papers. In this latest installment, a mesmerizing mix of high adventure, outrageous humor and audacious drama, the cowardly Flashman is kidnapped in Cape Town, South Africa, and sails to Baltimore before being conscripted into abolitionist John Brown's doomed, bloody 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Va. U.S. government agents enlist Flashman as a spy to dissuade or forcibly prevent Brown from carrying out the raid, fearing that it might trigger civil war. Meanwhile, a band of hooded white supremacists abduct Flashman and order him to abet John Brown's attack, which they believe will unite the South and divide the North. Combining wild imagination, sardonic commentary on American mores and meticulous historical research, Fraser tells a masterful historical tale and presents a magnificent portrait of John Brown as a fearless, autocratic, murderous iron-willed zealot-"a fanatic, yes; a man driven by one burning idea... but never a madman."
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Flashman, the magnificent, debauched English soldier of fortune and misfortune, turns agent provocateur for a U.S. government on the brink of the American Civil War in this tenth volume of the Flashman Papers. With a grace equal to his character's smooth talking when under the gun of a cuckolded husband, Fraser does some intricate maneuvering to transport his hero from the Far East to the New World. Shanghaied to America by a vengeful acquaintance, Flashman plans to return to his beloved English wife to celebrate his newly acclaimed knighthood, but his past misadventures and enemies keep catching up with him. He becomes entangled with John Brown, under pressure from the Underground Railroad, then, with the KKK, and, finally, with the U.S. government as represented by Pinkerton. For Flashman, mingling with the famous (or soon to be famous) is nothing new, and the name-dropping throughout lends vivacity to a riotous plunge through history. The terrified Flashman is a reluctant eyewitness to the events at Harper's Ferry, and once again, his escape afterwards owes more to his sexual charm than his soldiering skills. Denise Perry Donavin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Plume; First Plume Edition edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452274400
• ISBN-13: 978-0452274402
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,042 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A teasing return to some old themes..., March 12, 1998

By	D. Mark Blanchard "dmblanch" (southern california) - See all my reviews

This is not the first Flashman book to deal with a setting in America or the issues of slavery and the ante-bellum South. In fact, it's the third. Flash for Freedom and Flashman and the Redskins both touch on the subject. And if Mr. Fraser lives long enough, there are at least two others he has hinted at which will cover other aspects of the periods 1850-53 and 1861-65. However, its highly doubtful that the ingenious Mr. Fraser will live long enough (he's in his 70's) to "edit" the much awaited Civil War volume. Therefore, we Flashmaniacs must likely content ourselves with this fine, but hopefully not final, chapter. The novel brings back several old characters from Flash for Freedom, including the delightfully decadent Mrs. Mandeville. It is much much tighter in its focus than any of its predecessors, covering just a few months in 1859. However it is also more practiced in its character development and insights into the period. While this tenth Flashman novel (eleventh if you count the bland Mr. American) may only be for true afficionados, I think it's one of the best. So while Flashy developed some moral fiber in Mountain of Light, in Angel he shows some introspection. Once you read one, you'll read them all anyway, so this review is entirely unnecessary.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a first-time Flashman reader, June 26, 2002

By	doc peterson (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Flashman and the Angel of the Lord was my introduction to writer George Fraiser and "his" character, Harry Flashman. I was impressed and pleased. Impressed with Frasier's scholarship (the fictional Flashman's interactions with real historic persons and events is accurate, as his extensive endnotes demonstrate). Pleased with the irreverant, wholly unconventional and most certainly un-PC character of Harry Flashman.

In the Angel of the Lord, Flashman - a scandalous character "resurrected" from the 19th century novel Tom Brown's Schooldays and a self-described "bully, poltroon, cad, turncoat, lecher and toady" - finds himself aiding John Brown in his raid at Harper's Ferry. Conspiracies abound with several factions enlisting the "assistance" of Flashman to either foil the attempt or help pull it off. The misadventures of Harry Flashman as he navigates the intrigue and double-dealing combined with the Fraiser's rapier-like wit and irreverant style had me riveted to the story line while laughing out loud. I will certainly read the remainder of the "Flashman Chronicles" and I recommend this one highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely perfect, September 9, 2001

By A Customer

This is the third Flashman book I've read, Flashman and Royal Flash being the other two. After being disappointed with Royal Flash, I was overjoyed with this book, in which Mr. Fraser has reproduced the brilliance he showed in Flashman. The dialogue is wonderful, the plot tight and unpredictable, and the action breathtaking. The only blemish was the sloppy last few pages, which seems to have been slapped on with a deadline fast approaching. That's a small flaw in this gem though. Read it!