Flashman on the March

By: George MacDonald Fraser

Narrated by: Toby Stephens

Harry Flashman: the unrepentant bully of Tom Brown’s schooldays, now with a Victoria Cross, has three main talents – horsemanship, facility with foreign languages and fornication. A reluctant military hero, Flashman plays a key part in most of the defining military campaigns of the 19th century, despite trying his utmost to escape them all.

Many have marvelled at General Napier's daring 1868 expedition through the treacherous peaks and bottomless chasms of Abyssinia to rescue a small group of British citizens held captive by the mad tyrant Emperor Theodore. But the vital role of Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., in the success of this campaign has hitherto gone unrecorded.

Flashman's undeserved reputation for heroism renders him the British Army's candidate of choice when it comes to skulking behind enemy lines in Ali Baba attire. After all, who but the great amorist could contemplate navigating a land populated by hostile tribes and the loveliest (and most savage) women in Africa, from leather-clad nymphs with a penchant for torture to a voluptuous barbarian queen with a reputation for throwing disobliging guests to her pet lions?

©2008 George MacDonald Fraser (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'The Flashman Papers do what all great sagas do – winning new admirers along the way but never, ever betraying old ones. It is an immense achievement.' Sunday Telegraph

‘Not so much a march as a full-blooded charge, fortified by the usual lashings of salty sex, meticulously choreographed battle scenes and hilariously spineless acts of self preservation by Flashman.’ Sunday Times

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

‘A first-rate historical novelist’ Kingsley Amis

Indianna Jones and The Temple of Doom

Indianna Jones and The Temple of Doom images where sparking in my minds eye.
This was my first Flashie . I can't wait to get more ....but which one ?

Just doesn't work as an abridged book.

What did you like best about Flashman on the March? What did you like least?
While this is not anywhere near my favorite narrator of the Flashman series, he does a serviceable job. But what kills this audiobook is the fact that it's abridged. The Flashman series relies on historical detail and plot twists -- the abridged version simply skims the important points of action. You lose so much of the period flavor and historical feel of the complete books. GMF is a talent writer who is an utter joy to read; if you want to abridge something, abridge those awful lawyer books by hacks like John Grisham. Leave the good books alone.

#UnlikelyHero #Funny #Satire #Colonial #Africa #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Quick Flashman adventure, good story

Not the usual narrator for the series, but Toby Stephens does a good job. Quick story but a good one nonetheless for fans of Flashman! If you're new to the series I'd recommend Flashman & the Mountain of Light for a starter rather than this book.

Flashman Hits the Dark Continent

I listen to a lot of nonfiction and this was a nice break from reality. A fun romp across Africa with Flashman's typical pitfalls and high jinks. The narration was excellent. The story was average.

I gave in.

I don't often give in on a book. This one, this time, I did. And about 80% of the way through! On the rare occassions when I abandon a book it is usually early on but this one took hours to grind me down.

I suspect that I kept giving it the benefit of the doubt because I have enjoyed other tiles in the Flashman series.It may be because the historical background to this one is little known to me. It may be because the narration didn't strike me as well fitted. It may be because even a great author (MacDonald Fraser is quite good but definitely not great) pushes out a dud every now and then. More realisically it is a mix of all of them.

I came to this after relistening to an old Flashman favourite (F in the Great Game) and a new addition (Flashman).

The first of these is narrated by Timothy West who is perfect for the part.

The second by Rupert Penry-Jones who was startlingly adequate at the role. I was wthin a whisker of abandoning that one when it finished.

But this title is narrated by Toby Stephens whose performance was as patchy as they come. The reason West is perfect is because these are the memoirs of a man being read in his later years relating his exploits as a young man. They should be read by an old duffer and Timothy West does old duffer about a hundred times better than either of the other two. I'll be willing to bet cash money that he costs more than either of the other two but the quality is there all the way through the recording. It just sounds very very wrong to have a 12 year olds voice reading an old man story.

So I'm left up a stump now. I had intended to build a listening career on this series but now find that unless they are narrated by West I am quite likely to abandon them.

My advice is probably to either only listen to the ones narrated by West or never listen to them. Without his performance they are pretty insipid stuff.

Another Great Flashman!

This is a great series "Flashman". The history of the British empire told by the rogue who always comes out smelling like a rose. I recommend this to anyone that likes history and has a sense of humor.

Switching Narrators in a series if rough

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I had a hard time engaging with this book. It is part of a larger series written by GMF. The prior books had the same narrator whose voice, tone, and tempo were familiar to me. I am not sure why Audible doesn't have the version the prior narrator performed, but this is a weaker version.

I expected a better story

This was... boring. I couldn't even finish it. The narrator did a great job, but I couldn't care about the main character at all, or stay focused on it enough to follow the plot. I gave up.

I liked the story not the reading

Would you try another book from George MacDonald Fraser and/or Toby Stephens?

yes ... by another reader

Who was your favorite character and why?

Flashman ofcoarse

Any additional comments?

I have Flashman & the Great Game ...it was far better in the reading

Not the same without David Case.

I admit, I am biased. David Case IS Harry Flashman. His performances in the Flashman series are the best. I was so disappointed when I discovered this book had a different narrator, but I love the books, so have tried several times to listen to this audiobook...and so far cannot get beyond chapter one. If you own and love the other audiobooks, I recommend you listen to the sample for this one before you buy.