Flashman and the Tiger

By: George MacDonald Fraser

Narrated by: David Case

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The inimitable and appallingly appealing Flashy is back, in a long-awaited new installment of The Flashman Papers.

When the memoirs of Sir Harry Flashman, the notorious Victorian soldier and scoundrel, first came to light 30 years ago, it was finally revealed what had become of the infamous bully who had darkened Tom Brown's school days. Now, three new episodes in the career of this eminently disreputable adventurer place us at the center of pivotal historical events - the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Josef in the 1880s, the Prince of Wales's involvement in the Tranby Croft gambling scandal, and the military disaster at Rorke's Drift in South Africa - as the aging but agile Flashy is pitted against one of the greatest villains of his day.

Thrown into contact with assorted grand royalty and even grander tarts, he must test his wits against political heavyweights, including Bismarck, as he becomes eyewitness to the uncensored truth about two of the greatest heroes of his time.

Superb entertainment - all verve, dash, meticulous historical detail, and wildly infectious enthusiasm.

©1999 George MacDonald Fraser (P)2000 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This new book is light, clever, and comical." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Not only are the Flashman books extremely funny, but they give meticulous care to authenticity. You can, between the guffaws, learn from them." (The Washington Post)

more flashman!

this is a good book. not the best of flashman since he is older in it., but that's only an excuse for more.

But I hate Anti-heroes!?

A wondrous exception! An imaginative dash thru historical situations makes for an amazingly fast paced, humorous read. Took a few minutes to get used to the readers pace, and tone, but after that, really liked him, also. Not for the prudish, but sexual situations are well written, and in good fun, not some sort of thrown in appeal to teenage prurient interest. Check out Amazon for reviews of the author's other Flashman novels. Can only pray they will add his other Flashman books. Perhaps not Fraser's best, but excellent nonetheless. More humor than the O'Brian books, and as good, in their own way.

The voice of Flashman (& Elspeth)

This volume of the Flashman memoirs contains two superb stories (Baccarat & Tiger) and one that's much less captivating (the first and longest, about Franz Joseph). But all three stories are immensely enjoyable for one reason: the narrator has captured the voice of Flashman perfectly. He also does a very good Elspeth. I can only hope that David Case will some day narrate the best of the Flashman books: Flash for Freedom.

A sad finish to the series

What disappointed you about Flashman and the Tiger?

All of the charm that made up the series seems to have vanished in this installment. Its like GMF phoned it in. Unlike prior Flashman books, this was more like a collection of short stories. Even David Case's voice was off.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Day of the Jackal

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David Case?

I loved David Case in all of the prior books I have listened to. But there was just something a little off here. I think maybe there was a big gap between his recording of the earlier books in the series and this one.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Honestly, boredom. I felt like I had a duty to finish this book because I had gone through the rest of the books in the series. In that regard, it was like the last Seinfeld episode

Audio quality worse than previous books

Not sure what’s up but the audio quality was poor to those I’ve listened to to date

The Aged Flashman Rides Again

Flashie in his elder years is as much a poltroon and a coward as always, yet manages to be as engaging and audacious as ever. I loved these three stories (especially the one where his allegedly brainless wife manages to best all comers -- including Flashman). The narrator delivers a wicked take on the plummy dash-it-all tones of the old British General, yet has the versatility to do a sweet young thing, seductress, Oscar Wilde and others believably. Delicious!

Get more Flashman!

Not Fraser's best but awful good. I hope Audible gets more of Case's wonderful readings of Fraser's wonderful books.

Politically Incorrect

Flashman's jaundiced-eyed view of history is refreshing. If you are just plain tired of playing nice, Flashman's your man.

Case is the voice of my Flashman and Elsbeth.

Flashman stories cover Victorian and Edwardian England from 1820-1915. The historical research is accurate but your girlfriend might not like it.

love David Case

This features another interesting use of the Sherlock Holmes character Moran. Not unlike Royal Flash. Unfortunately, the audio quality of this recording is poor.

Another Fraser/David Case Success

Case was born to read the Flashman stories (and almost 700 others), as surely as George MacDonald Fraser was meant to write them.

This recording was made at the end of Case’s career and the timbre of his voice has deepened. (He was shortly to be diagnosed with throat cancer, which carried him off five years later.) But the verve of his reading continues and George MacDonald Fraser’s stories continue to entertain.