The late author of the beloved Flashman Papers (Flashman on the March
, etc.) offers a 16th-century tale of swordplay and gleefully anachronistic wordplay along the Scottish borderlands. Fraser does a Highland fling with the English language as he unfolds a tortuous and torturous tale of four heroes: Gilderoy, dashing Scottish highwayman; Archie Noble, gallant Englishman and proud “double-nought operative, licensed to slay”; and a beauteous pair of ladies, the noble Lady Godiva Dacre and her randy companion, Kylie. Together the four must stop a Spanish plot to kidnap and replace James VI of Scotland with an impostor who will then gain the English throne on the death of Queen Elizabeth. They must overcome wizards, witches, warlocks and sundry other hazards while Archie and Gilderoy vie for Godiva's fickle affections. Readers must stay alert to keep up with the author's constant verbal sallies. Fraser died on January 2, 2008. (Apr.)
