Recommend Flashman style books

[Adrian (magicrat)]

I've read all of GMF's books and i'm looking for something similar to the Flashman series (annoyingly not available on UK Kindle!!).

I have discovered the Ethan Cage series by William Dietrich in the recent summer sale which have been great.
Napoleons Pyramids

Can anyone suggest anything similar?

Cheers

[Patti (baconater)]

Sorry, i dont know the books. Who is GMF?

But...

Have you looked at 'customers who bought also bought' on the product page, Adrian? Seems to show a few good ones.

That part of the page is always so expensive for me!

[Adrian (magicrat)]

Sorry Patti.

GMF = George MacDonald Fraser

I had a look but most of the books seem to be other Fraser novels, Sharpe novels or random choices (Eric & Ernie DVD :))

[[deleted user]]

I've haven't read Flashman but there is a good book that someone once likened to Sharpe in a floppy hat! It's set during the english civil war, roundheads and cavaliers! It's a very good swashbuckling adventure.

Traitor's Gate

:0)

[Adrian (magicrat)]

That sounds great.

Thanks Karen.

[Greg]

H. Rider Haggard' s Alan Quatermain series invented the genre. Read those?

[Mhairi]

I didn't realise there was a Quatermain series. Only read King Solomon's Mines.

[Greg]

She and a few more...

[Adrian (magicrat)]

Cheers for the Quatermain suggestion, Greg.

I read the first 2 years ago and just plain forgot about them :)

I've grabbed an omnibus of the full series rather than try and find them all.

Downloaded a sample of your novel too. Sounds right up my street :)

[Greg]

Thanks Adrian. Lemme know what you think. I'm in North Carolina but several parts of the book are set in UK ancient and modern.

[Adrian (magicrat)]

Will do - i'm off work for a long weekend so i'm going to give it a start tonight.

[Frederick]

Comrade Fox: Low-living in Revolutionary Russia, is quite like Flashman and very funny. It's even less PC, and I think it's cheap on kindle.

There is also a series called 'Coward' which tries to be like Flashman, set in World War II, but the reviews are mixed and I haven't read any so can't comment.

And someone wrote a book featuring an ancestor of Flashman's in Napoleonic times I think.

I'm a huge Flashman fan - read them all twice; Mutiny, Charge, Dragon and Redskins are my favourites. I miss the old rascal. Be happy to hear anyone else's suggestions?

[Adrian (magicrat)]

Hey Frederick

Great to see another Flashman fan. My favourites would probably be Dragon (first Flashy book I read) and Charge. Although I love them all.
Miss him too. I was really hoping unpublished memoirs from his exploits in Australia and Mexico would be found after GMFs death.

Thanks for the recommendation of Comrade Fox. I've just grabbed it. Looking forward to starting it later.

The Napoleonic Flashman is meant to be his father. I've not read it myself but it seems to have good reviews from GMF fans.

There is also a modern Flashman in Iraq which has good reviews but is not available on Kindle yet :(

Let me know of anything else you think is worth a read.

[Frederick]

Dragon and Charge - fine choices, no error, downy cove...

You've inspired me to start a discussion group on the Flashmans; a sort of appreciation society cum celebratory nitpicking about which ones are the best. There must be a fair number of us Flashman scholars out there.

Might also pick up ideas for what else Flashman fans could enjoy - we are a distinct tribe. I know three people who didn't get on with the Flashmans at all - damn their eyes!

Is the Napoleonic one The Carton Chronicles? I never really went for that, a game attempt at Flashman I suppose, but I couldn't quite buy into it and gave up.

Will track down the Iraq effort, never heard of that.

Would be curious to see what you think of Comrade Fox, I thought it was great - different from Flashman but still about a cad meeting momentous history when he's trying hard to avoid it.

Will start my group tomorrow. Do please come along and argue vociferoulsy for the Dragon, often said to be a lesser Flashman - deuced impertinence if you ask me.

On the historical mystery front, I recently read Name of the Rose, but you have probably read that given your predilections? I thought it was great.

[Adrian (magicrat)]

Thats a great idea about a Flashman group. There is already a Goodreads group - The Flashman Club - but there has been little discussion in the last year :(

Heres hoping your group will change that!! Let me know when and where and i'll pop along.

You're correct about Dragon - never gained the appreciation it deserved.

Yes the Carlton Chronicles was what it was called. I was unsure of it and so never gave it a shot. Probably won't now if you couldn't get in to it.

The Iraq book is called Harry Flashman and the Invasion of Iraq.
It's only available in hardback on Amazon.
Sounds right up our street though :)

I've never read Name of the Rose but more because of laziness since I could never find it for the Kindle. I'll have to start visiting the local library again.

I'd recommend the Ethan Gage series. Set in Napoleonic times. Not in the same league as Flashman but always nice to find another hero to follow.

[Patti (baconater)]

Right.

Simon, Gingerlily and I had a chat about Flashman earlier this evening and we've admitted to each other that we haven't a clue.

Please. Using words of no more than one syllable, tell us what Flashman is.

Simon is quite used to feeling ignorant. Gingerlily and I aren't...;)

[Adrian (magicrat)]

:)

Harry Paget Flashman was the fictional bully in Tom Browns Schooldays.

George Macdonald Fraser took the character and chronicled his life after he was expelled from school.

He lived through the 19th century and was involved in nearly all of the British colonial escapades.
A coward, cad and scoundrel he always came out smelling of roses.

I love the books and are historically accurate with a little artistic license thrown in.

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

I read Tom Browns Schooldays and was not impressed.

[Frederick]

Me neither Gingerlily. I suspect you 'had to be there' in Victorian times, when TBS was, allegedly, the first fun (!) book about school. Some good historical tidbits but lots of unfun lecturing.

Will now start Flashman group tomorrow - tis Mother's Day and parental/spousal duties beckon... even Flashman would be distracted.

Was thinking of a good question: What is the most shocking statement/event in the Flashmans? And what was his finest moment? I think I have an answer for the second question but not sure about the first - it's a competitive field...

Thanks for the suggestion Adrian. Will try an Ethan Gage this week. Had a quick look at an opening - perhaps trying too hard to be too Flashman, but not unintruiging.

[Fred]

I've been commenting on the Flashman group site for awhile, promising to pass on a verdict about Scoundrel, a new book being advertised as "an American Flashman. I got it Tuesday, am about 2/3rds the way finished, and can happily report that it is terrific. The author, Keith Thompson, is himself a big Flashman fan and it shows. The book is funny, cynical, the "hero" is a thorough rotter, and the history seems spot-on. An interesting twist is that this guy really lived--a man named James Wilkinson who was the commanding general in the US Army back in 1800 & at the same time a secret agent passing on military secrets to Spain (really--I looked him up on Wikipedia). I just finished a sex scene that could have written by GMF himself--funny & sexy & just really well done. I can't wait to finish it.

[Graeme]

James Delingpole's Dick Coward books are terrific. Set during Second World War but very Flashmanesque.

[Jim]

Caiphas Cain, the hero created by Sandy Mitchell is very much in the Flashman Mould, but it really depends whether you can cope with the Warhammer 40K universe. They aren't published on Kindle, but are out there on pdf and other formats, if only 'informally'