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Elizabethan England, and a dastardly Spanish plot to take over the throne is uncovered. It's up to Agent Archie Noble to save Queen and country in this saucy and swashbuckling romp from the bestselling author of The Flashman Papers and The Pyrates.Spoiled, arrogant, filthy rich, and breathtakingly beautiful, the young Lady Godiva Dacre is exiled from the court of Good Queen Bess (who can't abide red-haired competition) to her lonely estate in distant Cumberland, where she looks forward to bullying the peasantry and getting her own imperious way. Little does she guess that the turbulent Scottish border is the last place for an Elizabethan heiress, beset by ruthless reivers (many of them unshaven), blackmailing ruffians, fiendish Spanish plotters intent on regime change and turning Merrie England into a ghastly European Union province.And no one to rely on but her half-witted blonde school chum, a rugged English superman with a knack for disaster, and a dashing highwayman who looks like Errol Flynn but has a Glasgow accent. To say nothing of warlocks, impersonators, taxi-drivers riding brooms, burlesque artists, the drunkest man in Scotland, and several quite normal characters – oh, yes, gossips, it's all happening in The Reavers, a moral tale obviously conceived in some kind of fit by Flashman author George MacDonald Fraser … well, he's getting on, and was bound to crack eventually. He admits (nay, insists) that it's a crazy story for readers who love fun for its own sake.
When a high-stakes Spanish conspiracy threatens the Elizabethan throne, the spoiled Lady Godiva Dacre finds herself thrust into the lawless Scottish borderlands. Exiled from court, Godiva must navigate a landscape teeming with ruthless reivers, political agitators, and supernatural oddities. She is forced to rely on an unlikely and chaotic ensemble of allies, including a disaster-prone English agent and a highwayman with a distinct Glasgow accent. The narrative unfolds as a fast-paced, irreverent romp that subverts traditional historical tropes through a lens of absurdity and wit.
This work is widely regarded as a departure from the author's more grounded historical series, leaning heavily into pure farce and stylistic playfulness. Readers often note the deliberate absurdity of the plot, which functions as a lighthearted parody of the swashbuckling genre. The narrative voice is consistently described as irreverent, reflecting the author's intent to prioritize entertainment and humor over historical accuracy. The reception highlights the book's status as a final, whimsical contribution to the author's bibliography, appealing to those who appreciate his signature wit applied to a more chaotic, fantastical setting.
Page Count:
240
Publication Date:
2008-06-02
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0007253842
ISBN-13:
9780007253845
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