Flashman

Flashman rides forth.....

I'm a fan of the Flashman books, and loved the Timothy West-narrated versions that used to be available. Sadly, only a few titles were ever released, so I've had to wait until now to be able to hear the rest of the stories in their full unabridged versions, now with Colin Mace in the narrators chair. The story itself is classic Flashman, the cowardly bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays, charting his expulsion from school to joining the Army and his adventures in Afghanistan. It's a perfect place to start.

For the narration, Colin Mace does a good job, whilst not *quite* reaching the level of sheer caddishness that Timothy West managed to convey. Mace sounds a little "younger" when narrating, which does sit a little awkwardly to the "fact" that this is an elderly Flashie telling of his adventures. I'd also add that he has a habit of speaking a little quieterwhen not conveying speech, which can sometimes make you keep adjusting the volume to try to hear everything without it being too loud. That wouldn't be a problem for listeners at home, but if you're listening in a car like I do, it can be a bit niggly to have to do this. It's a minor thing, though.

I'll definitely be adding others from the mace-narrated collection to my library.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Spoilt by Poor Narration

Would you try another book written by George MacDonald Fraser or narrated by Colin Mace?

This is one of my favourite books, full of humour, history and excitement. This recording is spoilt by bland narration. The story is told by Flashman writing at the end of his life but we get neither the cynical and knowing old man nor the passionate, excitable, terrified young one. Instead it sounds like the vicar giving a geography lecture to the Women's Institute.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Colin Mace?

The Flashman books read by Timothy West seem to have disappeared from Audible. They were infinitely superior, a real joy to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Bring back Timothy West

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Rip roaring storytelling at its best.

This is storytelling of the highest quality. Wins no awards for political correctness but scores highly for pleasure, humour and amusement.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant Fantastic a real ripper of a story

A true great autobiography of one the bravest men who made our British empire great !

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

My inner flashman...

New to the world of the mercurial Mr flashman..where have I been all this time??? grinning to myself on lonely train journeys to work on his adventures and miscomings. I am A very new fan to his ecacapes and wonder who he might tumble with or escape from next.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brilliant!

excellent character, fantastic writing, great humour and you can't help but like the chap...scoundrel though he may be!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The first-person anti-Sharpe

The first hour almost stopped me listening to this before I really began. It takes a little time to get into both the story and the narrator speaks fairly swiftly.
Flashman is a bully, a coward, a racist (as is everyone in the story), a misogynist, a murderer and a rapist. He admits all these faults himself. He is certainly not a hero. He is, however, an excellent storyteller and a compelling character. The story is well-written, having the feel of an unvarnished truth told by a man who is utterly without scruple.
If you like Flashman as a person, I doubt I'd want to know you, but as an inversion of the heroic archetype he is magnificent.
It's certainly worth the listen, though you'll be uncomfortable at times. It's worth pressing on through those moments, as the whole is a well-written adventure story. But for pity's sake, wear headphones.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Almost

Having served in a British Cavalry regiment and loving the history of the empire, I have always been a big fan of GMF. I have read and listened to the Flashman books for a number of years and having fallen in love with the Narration by Timothy West, I found it difficult to listen to Colin Mace in this Book. He lacked the passion and energy we all loved about TW.
All I would say for those that agree is that he improves 100% in other books in the series. He eventually finds his inner Flashman and subsequently takes the listener on the amazing adventures we all love.

Flash man comes alive

Wonderful audiobook which brings the old rogue to life. Brilliantly read, having first read all the books it is a pleasure to revisit them with Audible.

Narration a let down

Read the books before and loved them. Really looking forward to the audio as a holiday treat. Unfortunately, the narration was merely a reading by someone who appeared never to have read the books and hadn't rehearsed. Sounded like a first run through. Publishers really missed a trick here. Could have been so much better. Thankfully the book stands up for itself.