The author of the famous Flashman Papers and the Private McAuslan stories, George MacDonald Fraser worked on newspapers in Britain and Canada. In addition to his novels he also wrote numerous screenplays, most notably The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and the James Bond film, Octopussy.

'There is a little of Flashman in all of us -- but not enough.' Evening Standard '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 'In our crass, humourless, anaemic, politically correct age, there could be no better tonic or treat than the outrageous Flashy's bold descriptions of action in battle or bedroom. To relish George MacDonald Fraser is to rediscover the joy of reading.' Daily Telegraph 'Everything we expect from a Flashman adventure is here: lechery, double-crossing, real people, the epic poltroonery from which Flashman emerges as saviour of the hour!my one complaint about the series -- surely the great mock-historical romp of the past half-century -- is that MacDonald Fraser does not add to it often enough.' Mail on Sunday 'The Abyssinian war of 1868 affords the irrepressible Flashman umpteen opportunities for salty sex and spineless acts of self-preservation.' The Sunday Times Culture Magazine 'Fraser is a master of historical research!his descriptions and analyses!serve as perfect backdrops for one of the most dishonourable, and most entertaining, characters in historical fiction.' The Historical Novels Review