This solid installment in the Flashman saga ought to be used to teach history. One would, of course, be professionally lynched for political incorrectness, but still.

Flashman would like nothing better than to return to life's simple pleasures after harrowing adventures during the Sepoy Mutiny in India. The Victoria Cross and a probable knighthood await him in England, as well as his willing and wanton wife. But he is shanghaied instead to America, where he is wanted under a pseudonym for crimes committed (mostly against slavery in "Flash for Freedom") a decade before. And he is dragged into multiple conspiracies. Each, for completely different reasons, wants to insert him as a lieutenant into the entourage of abolitionist John Brown, who is plotting an unlikely slave uprising as the nation approaches civil war. (He buys a thousand pikes to arm escaped slaves. Pikes?)

Some conspirators have more than one game going, including the tiny, mean, delectable Annette Mandeville, who Flashman enjoyed in an earlier book; and Joe Simmons, slave to Annette's new husband, a pro-Southern conspirator and proto-Klansman. Flashman encounters Allan Pinkerton and William Seward as he reluctantly enlists with the mesmerizing but half-mad Brown. Brown can't admit the slave revolt is doomed, but history nevertheless proves him correct in adjudging its impact, even failed, as major.

Fraser's research makes this book, as it does the entire series, along with the strong writing and his great ear for period dialogue. He gives you a Twain-like sense of being there in 19th century America, amidst Americans seen by an Englishman as variously refreshing, backwoodsy, straightforward or racist. His passage on the women of New York owes something to Henry James.

Fraser is wise to allow even the craven Flashman to recognize the occasional noble moment, as Flashman does here in recounting the wounded Brown's dignified and inspirational demeanor after his capture. Despite the general thrust of the books - English imperialists were awful but the objects of it were often worse - slavery is one historical evil Fraser has no desire to minimize.

I did tire a bit, in this ninth novel, of the Flashman formula: he's caught in honey traps by seductive women and shanghaied, twice, taking more than half the book to get to John Brown. Still a good read.

Arrant coward and unrepentant womanizer Harry Flashman, in the seven books of his 'memoirs' that I've read so far, expresses sincere respect (and even that respect is edged with cynicism) for only two of the many "great" men he's encountered: Abraham Lincoln and... John Brown! Considering Flashman's unapologetic racism, that's an unexpected observation. Here's what he says in the early pages of the Angel of the Lord:

"Aye, if there's a company of saints up yonder, they'll be dressing by the right on J.B., for when the Recording Angel has racked up all his crimes and lies and thefts and follies and deceits and cold-blooded killings, he'll still be saved when better men are damned. Why? Cos if he wasn't, there'd be such an almighty roar of indiganation from the Heavenly Host it would bust the firmament; God would never live it down. That's the beauty of a martyr's crown, you see; it outshines everything, and they don't come any brighter than old J.B.'s."

Even more meaningfully than Flashman's words, which are always to be doubted, is Flashman's self-reported action. At the most critical moment of the battle at Harper's Ferry, Flashman claims to have saved Brown's life, and thus "launched him on the path to immortal glory."

And... Flashman's creator, George MacDonald Fraser, takes the unprecedented step of writing an appendix in his own authorial voice, saying of John Brown that "He is part of history and historic legend, and if what he tried to do was not heroic, then the word has no meaning." Wow! From Flash and Fraser, that's a testimonial.

After being disappointed by the historical flim-flam of Flashman and the Redskins, and somewhat bored by the disjointed and repetitive narrative of that book, I had not intended to read another of the series for the foreseeable future. The clear recrudescence of North-South animosity during the 2008 presidential campaign, however, got me thinking about John Brown again. I read an amazingly fine biography -- John Brown, Abolitionist, by David S. Reynolds -- and then found myself unable to resist reading this fictional account of Harper's Ferry, just to see what a curmudgeonly Brit would make of it. As usual, Fraser's fictional history is full of mind-torquing wing-nuts of solid fact, and also of utter nonsense. The central nonsense is the invention of a master spy-ring of secession-seeking Southerners, the Kuclos, obvious prototypes for the post-war Ku Klux Klan. They're as improbable as any James Bond fantasy, but just as much fun. Their antagonists on the abolitionist side - the tightly organized (and utterly non-existent) leadership of the Underground Railroad, and the beginnings of the Pinkertons - are delightfully droll. In fact, the villains in this fairly long novel are largely there for comic relief.

Flashman's "amorous" adventures in this novel are of a strange pattern, also. In three ludicrous encounters, Flashman displays his 'prowess' to his own immense satisfaction, only to discover that the woman involved has outsmarted and deceived him, set him up for trouble unscrupulously. The inveterate sexist hoisted on his own petard, as Shakespeare put it. The male spider witlessly copulating and being devoured.

People who read Flashman to revel in the "political incorrectness" of the sordid hero's rhetoric will find their usual items in "The Angel of the Lord" but wrapped up in even more ambiguity than in other books. I've begun to understand from Flashman what "political incorrectness" really amounts to: it's the smirking delight you take in saying out loud what you suppose others really believe but are too hypocritical to say, and the smug certainty that everyone agrees with you secretly. In short, "political incorrectness" is a chronic inability to credit another person's integrity. It's a character failure that even Flashman transcends in his admiration for John Brown, America's greatest hero.

Flashman is in cracking form again, this time avoiding the big campaigns, instead getting mixed up in a minor yet significant skirmish -- the attempt by abolitionist John Brown to launch a raid into the slave territory of the southern U.S.

As with the best Flashman tales, the narrative is perfectly convincing, historically meticulous, funny, bawdy and thoughtful in turn. With less action of the military kind in this instalment of the Flashman Papers, we are treated to rather more introspection, which works well, since the central theme of the book is the difficult one of slavery and exploitation. There is a slower pace, more intrigue, and less randy cavorting than in some other works in the canon, but that doesn't detract from another brilliantly written and absorbing tale.

When I first saw this book in the store, I thought it was about Flash Gordon. It wasn't until half-way through the book, that I realized this book had nothing to do with the eighties film I saw as a kid. So uh, I dunno, it's not that bad. Flashman is not very nice, but he scores a lot with the ladies, and that's pretty cool.

Wonderful story as usual. A 19th Century Forest Gump (a little brighter but more cowardly and more lecherous) finds himself at the center of history's most important events hobnobbing with the memorable charcters and real life men of greatness. Don't miss it!

For those of you who aren't familiar with his exploits, please allow me to introduce you to Sir Harry Flashman, literature's most unrepentant scoundrel. Flashman (whom some may remember as the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays), is the hero of twelve (as of 2007) novels by the literate and witty George MacDonald Fraser. The setting for these novels is the Nineteenth Century, a time filled with countless skirmishes and disasters, with Flashman seemingly involved in most of them. Fraser, in an explanatory note, says it best:

"From the day of his expulsion from Rugby School in the late 1830s, Flashman the man fulfilled the disgraceful promise of Flashman the boy; toadying bounder and bully matured into the cowardly profligate and scoundrel, who, by chance and shameless opportunism, became one of the most renowned heroes of the Victorian age, unwilling leader of the Light Brigade, fleeing survivor of Afghanistan and Little Big Horn, tarnished paladin of Crimea and the Mutiny, and cringing chronicler of many another conflict, disaster, and intrigue in which he bore an inglorious but seldom unprofitable part."

Flashman's memoirs were purportedly discovered in an attic in Leicestershire in 1965, half a century after his death at the age of 93. Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, the tenth packet of the "Flashman Papers" to have been edited and published by Fraser, chronicles Sir Harry's second trip to America. The last time around, he was sold as a slave, worked as a plantation foreman, met a young congressman named Abraham Lincoln and smuggled an escaped slave via the Underground Railroad. This time, through misadventure, coincidence, and the consequences of his own cowardice and womanizing, he is forced into acting as John Brown's right hand man, training Brown's followers for their disastrous 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry, the kickoff to the Civil War. Flashman, incidentally, served on both sides during that conflict, the details of which I can only hope will be revealed in a forthcoming volume.

In this age of political correctness, Flashman's bawdy adventures are a breath of fresh air. These books deserve every ounce of the praise they've received over the years---the only drawback of being a Flash-fan is enduring the long intervals between installments. Each novel stands by itself, but if you read one, you'll want to read them all. Sample one and join the ranks of rabid Flashmaniacs all around the world.

I enjoy this series and have had many enjoyable hours laughing at the 19th century's most outrageous cad. But this one is a bit thin and takes a lifetime to finally get to Harper's Ferry. When Harry and Co. finally make it there, even then it drags a bit. Not Flashman's best by any means.

I wanted to write a brief review about the twelfth packet of papers in the Sir Harry Paget Flashmen series, but it hasn't been printed in the US, as yet, so I'll write about them here. I purchased the latest novel FLASHMAN ON THE MARCH from amazon.co.uk a few weeks ago. I am very happy to say that the old Harry is back. This time he finds himself escaping the anger of his Austrian companions from aboard a ship after dallying with a 16-yr-old princess enroute to her wedding to a man she has never met. He stumbles into an old Rugby chum and right into plans to carry a large sum of money to Sir Robert Napier prior to the British Army's expedition into Abyssinia. This is the opportunity he was looking for to get out of Trieste asap.

It seems mad Emperor Theodore has imprisoned some of Her Majesty's subjects and Sir Robert needs Harry's "talents" to help locate and free the captives. Using the money, he must secure an alliance with rival Queen Masteeat of the Gallas. Harry is reluctant, of course, and tries to talk his way out of going until he discovers that he is to have a very beautiful guide to help him travel the treacherous and very dangerous landscape of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) during a civil war. True to form, Harry gets into all sorts of life-threatening situations. In one, he manages to save his own skin by kicking his lover guide over a waterfall as she clings to him for aid. He finally meets up with Queen Masteeat and her pet lions, gets drunk on tej the local alcoholic beverage, is seduced by her, kidnapped by some very bad fellows (friends of the ex-guide) intent on "unmanning" him, and rescued by the malevolent Emperor Theodore himself, all in less than 48 hours...and then the adventure really begins. Those of you out there who are true "Flashmaniacs" will be very happy to hear that our anti-hero is back...the same laughable liar, lecher, cad, poltroon, coward he has been for decades. Hurrah for Sir 'Arry!

This book was my ninth stage in a chronological survey of the life and times of Harry Flashman. While I do agree with fellow reviewers that this book my not offer the very best read in the series, I still liked it well enough for a full endorsement.

Living within an hour's drive from Harpers Ferry, I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite a while. It never ceases to amaze me how important a role this quaint little village with its antique and fudge shops played in the history of this great country.

It's often said that revolutions don't start with great deeds, but with small words. While this book in fact deals with John Brown's "small deed" it does indeed show its fractal butterfly effect on world history.

Apart from giving the reader a detailed and accurate description of the siege of Harpers Ferry and its build up, I considered this book most interesting because of the detailed character study of John Brown. As always Fraser has done his homework to the t's and provides a balanced description of "the Angel of the Lord". While the writer at no moment assumes the air of say an Ambrose -he has never been accused of plagiarism either!- what results is a wonderfully portrait that is made without the customary canonization that Brown receives for setting an important part of the stage of the Civil War.

Due to the seriousness of this portrait, which some dimwits have mistaken for being boring, some of Flashman's customary gallivanting and slapstick humor just seems a tad out of character. Nevertheless, I considered this an insightful and rewarding read that is a worthy part of the eminent Flashman saga.

This book was my ninth stage in a chronological survey of the life and times of Harry Flashman. While I do agree with fellow reviewers that this book my not offer the very best read in the series, I still liked it well enough for a full endorsement.

Living within an hour's drive from Harpers Ferry, I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite a while. It never ceases to amaze me how important a role this quaint little village with its antique and fudge shops played in the history of this great country.

It's often said that revolutions don't start with great deeds, but with small words. While this book in fact deals with John Brown's "small deed" it does indeed show its fractal butterfly effect on world history.

Apart from giving the reader a detailed and accurate description of the siege of Harpers Ferry and its build up, I considered this book most interesting because of the detailed character study of John Brown. As always Fraser has done his homework to the t's and provides a balanced description of "the Angel of the Lord". While the writer at no moment assumes the air of say an Ambrose -he has never been accused of plagiarism either!- what results is a wonderfully portrait that is made without the customary canonization that Brown receives for setting an important part of the stage of the Civil War.

Due to the seriousness of this portrait, which some dimwits have mistaken for being boring, some of Flashman's customary gallivanting and slapstick humor just seems a tad out of character. Nevertheless, I considered this an insightful and rewarding read that is a worthy part of the eminent Flashman saga.

I'm a big fan of this series, but I have to say it's in decline. The first book is good, the second is brilliant (yes, it's contrived. It's also a superb comic novel), the next two published: "Flash for Freedom" and "Flashman at the Charge" are both first-rate. The next one published, "Flashman's Lady" wasn't particularly good, and it's downhill from there, with signs of life in "Flashman and the Redskins" but not much else.

I tried to read this book some years ago, and gave it up. I only made it through this time because I was determined, and determination is what you need. There are no less than three plots to get Flashman to help John Brown, by three different groups, and explained, ad nauseum, in three different patois. Characters from previous Flashman books show up: a good thing in the case of John Charity Spring, but fairly pointless in the case of Annette Mandeville and Crixtus. The book has a truncated feel, as if it has been either heavily edited or padded. Or both.

It's still fun to spend time with ye olde Flash, shameless as he is. His lack of political correctness (this was one of things that rescued "Flashman and the Redskins") is still a joy. But Fraser appears a bit tired. The deadpan footnotes that made "Royal Flash" such a knee-slapper are long gone. Too bad.

None of it probably needed to be said. If you read one Flashman you'll read them all. Dig out your pocket book.

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.

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.

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!

One thing Fraser has never done in the Flashman Papers before is to play fast and loose with history, except to the smallest extent necessary to insert Flashy into the action. In this book he invents a pre-Civil War secret group of immense power and with no basis at all in fact. What a disappointment.

This book, while not as good as Flashman or Flash for Freedom!, is nevertheless another bawdy and irreverent episode in the life of Harry Flashman. Stranded in America by a slave- trading acquaintance, Flashy falls succesively into the hands of his old friends Crixus the abolitionist and the devilish Mrs. Mandeville. In a somewhat unlikely turn, both pro- and anti-slavery forces want Flash Harry to do the same thing: help John Brown in his attempt at a slave uprising in Virginia. The plot is clever and well-executed, and will leave the reader engrossed all the way to the end.

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.