Flashman and the Mountain of Light

By: George MacDonald Fraser

Narrated by: David Case

This ninth volume of The Flashman Papers, faithfully edited and transcribed by Fraser, finds that Sir Harry Flashman is back in India, where his saga began.

This time, our hero is sent by Her Majesty's Secret Service to spy on the corrupt court of Lahore, on India's Northwest Frontier. Flashy's most challenging exploit yet is as politically shrewd and thoroughly lewd as ever.

©2010 Random House Audio; 1992 George MacDonald Fraser

Critic reviews

"Vain, lecherous Victorian soldier of fortune Harry Flashman goes to the Punjab for his ninth reprehensible yet shamelessly enjoyable adventure." (

Publishers Weekly)

Fantastic

Great story well told. Affected voice grows on. Great turns of phrase. But and listen.

Terrific reading by David Case

Any additional comments?

If you are a Flashman fan, rest assured that David Case delivers a perfect performance. There are lots of diificult accents and periods to cover, and he does it all effortlessly. His Flashman is exactly how you would expect a retired military man of that time to sound. I enjoyed this one enough to buy all the rest.

Delightful satire, thrilling action, naughty sex!

Where does Flashman and the Mountain of Light rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 2%

What other book might you compare Flashman and the Mountain of Light to and why?

The Aubrey-Maturin canon, Dickens, Collins. It's a satire on British grit. Flashy's no hero. Soul of a scamp. Damned good narrator for an action tale. For lovers of the English language.

What about David Case’s performance did you like?

David Case is always superb, but at his best when his material has color, depth, humor and life. He always elevates what he reads, but here he's starting with prime cuts of everything. Better than a movie.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Hardly!

Any additional comments?

This series is for people with an acid sense of humor and a joy in the English language. The better read you are to begin with, the more sense all of Flashy's topical allusions will make. But it's also a great historical starter series. Double check the facts, he's dead on in most cases. BTW, don't expect p.c. writing here, Flashy's a cad in pretty much every way and he don't care who knows it, now.

A great romp through British India

Flashy is back in the saddle providing a delicious backstory to an enjoyable history lesson. David Case does a marvelous job with the male characters (his women need a bit of work). Great fun.

As always

Flashy never fails to entertain!! Well read, great story etc. love this guy! A really good series Have read most all of them just starting to lister. Perfect narrator.

A man of his time

Others have written better reviews than I could ever create, so I'll only add a few cents worth here. Flashie considers himself a complete coward but. . .to us, he often seems to be doing the sensible thing. Or at least, the thing I'd be doing in that situation. I think the author has done an excellent job of capturing the standards of the time. A Victorian soldier must have felt incredible pressure to risk his life at the least opportunity, to live up to the standards he'd been taught. Flashie gives himself no credit for the many times he is brave or at least soldiers on despite his fear. So--for an anti-hero, he's often a pretty good guy. If you don't mind a little infidelity now and then. . .and now. . .and then. . .and now. . .and then.

One of my favourite in the series

Fantastic story, ends in a flourish, read with passion.

History at its best and altogether a seriously brilliant performance!

Flashman and the Mountain of Amazing!

I cannot say enough about David Case's narration of the Flashman books. I discovered my first one a few months ago and was intrigued and then completely addicted. I am a studio artist and Flashy is my 'ear candy' when I'm working on a project.

When I finish listening to one of these books, I have a hard time returning to the 21st century. I find myself reeling around Victorian England using obscure phrases and puzzling my friends. In this case, the mountain of light is the diamond Kohinoor and the story circles loosely around the stone. Case treats us to the voices of a seven year old maharajah, his amoral maharani mama, a flock of stiff upper lipped Englishmen, a few Irish and Scots soldiers, Indian nabobs and generals,Queen Victoria, and all the riff raff that were a part of the battles for India in the 1840s.

The descriptions and scene setting are superb and I cannot believe reading these would be half as much fun as listening to Case's drawling Flashy describe the world as he sees it.

For anyone who wants to experience military history up close and personal--and the Flashman's unique take on it, these books are wonderful. There is enough ridiculous hilarity and Flashman's scrapes to balance beautifully with the gore and horror of the wars in which Flashy seems to be constantly landing. Be warned, lots of sex but more the lusty Tom Jones joyful variety than your standard steamy bodice ripper. Flashy has a way with the ladies and trouble seems to find him on a regular basis.

For a self-described coward he does manage to land in the soup and cover himself with glory five minutes later by accident--and we are along for the ride every blazing step of the way. So much fun to listen to! I'll be downloading another one tonight!

Hilarious "Historical" Hijinks.

Capt. Flashman is the worst person you'll ever meet. He's dishonorable, a liar, a womanizer, a thief, a bigot, a coward and the luckiest man that ever lived. You'll come to love him, as he knows you will. Watch your wallet and your woman as historical fiction's greatest, most rakish rouge keeps you laughing, and perhaps grimacing a bit with the recognition of human folly and the distance between reality and the record left behind.

Flashman vs the Sikhs

Don't know why I had never heard of this series before reading about it in a Christopher Hitchens essay. Really and truly brilliant. Reading these is a twofer, you get a blood and guts history lesson while enjoying a comedic romp with the very callous and un p.c. Flashman.
Another home run from David Case the narrator, I don't know how he does all the different voices with such range.