Andrew
A satisfying send-up of The Prisoner of Zenda. Flashman, the cowardly rogue, claims that the story was flimsily based on his own real life experience, although he was far less chaste and noble than his counterpart, Rudolph Rassendyll. In Flashman's telling, he was kidnapped by Otto von Bismarck and forced to impersonate a minor Danish noble in a plot that would have jumpstarted the Unification of German. It's a fun tale on it's own and more so for those familiar with the Ruritanian romances that it parodies.
There is one single word in the book that bumped my review score up from 3 to 3.5 stars...at one point Flashman sarcastically refers to the events as a "clever little bandobast." The text doesn't explain what a bandobast is and I had to look it up as I was unfamiliar, as I imagine 9 out of 10 other readers would be. It's an Anglicization of an Indian word that means "a plot, plan, or conspiracy." It's such a minor and unnecessary detail on Fraser's part to have Flashman use that archaic term but lends so much to the continuity and grounding that Flashman, who was stationed in India as a cavalry officer in the first book, would be familiar with this word and use it in his internal narration. I loved it.
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My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.
A satisfying send-up of The Prisoner of Zenda. Flashman, the cowardly rogue, claims that the story was flimsily based on his own real life experience, although he was far less chaste and noble than his counterpart, Rudolph Rassendyll. In Flashman's telling, he was kidnapped by Otto von Bismarck and forced to impersonate a minor Danish noble in a plot that would have jumpstarted the Unification of German. It's a fun tale on it's own and more so for those familiar with the Ruritanian romances that it parodies.
There is one single word in the book that bumped my review score up from 3 to 3.5 stars...at one point Flashman sarcastically refers to the events as a "clever little bandobast." The text doesn't explain what a bandobast is and I had to look it up as I was unfamiliar, as I imagine 9 out of 10 other readers would be. It's an Anglicization of an Indian word that means "a plot, plan, or conspiracy." It's such a minor and unnecessary detail on Fraser's part to have Flashman use that archaic term but lends so much to the continuity and grounding that Flashman, who was stationed in India as a cavalry officer in the first book, would be familiar with this word and use it in his internal narration. I loved it.
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My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.