Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel Paperback – September 30, 1989

This one hits on all cylinders.As one who studied British colonial history in college, including the great Sepoy rebellion of 1857, this was familiar territory for me, but I had never experienced the richness of detail which Fraser provides. I most particularly loved the notes at the end, which help to sort out the facts and the fiction, in a most clever and entertaining way. These are not the kind of dry notes which historians often include, I suppose for the purpose of defending their work against academics; they are a fun part of the reading. But you also know that Fraser has really done his homework. It's great history writing.You can read through the Flashman "diaries" to see a fine writing style, slightly disguised as that of a modestly educated soldier. Fraser appears to have done his homework on the vocabulary and attitudes of the persons in the narrative. He beautifully melds his own command of the language with the more limited writing skills of our supposed Flashman. There are some magnificently turned phrases -- often the kind that made me laugh out loud.Finally, Fraser is a fine story teller. While you are reading about real events, you have to race through the pages to see what will happen to our "Flashy" in the midst of it all. It does as well at fiction as it does at history.The Flashman books do not appear to have had as much commercial success in the United States as they have in England. This may be because Americans are less interested in history, especially when it is not their own? I note also note that Flashman is completely irreverent and often uses politically incorrect language. I easily forgive this because I am confident that it reflects the mores and language of the period in which the "diaries" were supposed to have been written. Has it offended anyone?All in, a great book. Read it!

Our intrepid hero, Harry Flashman, is back for volume five of the Flashman Papers, a narrative of the life and times of one of the most ne'er-do-well wastrels to ever grace the pages of a published autobiography.This installment picks up where the fourth volume left off; Flashman has returned to England following his adventures in the Crimean War and the Russian Steppes only to find himself confronted by a menacing figure from his recent past, the dastardly, cold bloodedly murderous Count Ignatieff. The Count is on a supposedly diplomatic mission, but is suspected of fomenting rebellion in the British Raj. Our man Flash is dispatched to the region, for the purpose of gathering intelligence and, if the situation presents itself, assassinating the troublesome Count. All of this, of course, horrifies Flashman, as it promises to be dangerous duty.As in the previous Flashman novels, our Harry is revealed as the premier coward and opportunist of his era; faults which he quite willingly admits and even boasts of. Much as a prior day Forrest Gump, he has a way of finding himself among the most powerful and famous personages of his era, as he takes part in the great events of the period, in this instance, the infamous Indian Mutiny of 1857.From the first embers of rebellion at Meerut and on to Jhansi and ultimately Cawnpore and Gwalior, Flash cheats death again and again, though taking great pains to avoid danger at every turn. Despite his best efforts, he only enhances his reputation as a fearless and honorable servant of the British Crown, ultimately receiving a Victoria's Cross and knighthood for his trouble.Aside from uproarious fun and games, the Flashman series is set against historical events and actually serves as an educational experience, as in this case, where the events of the Indian Mutiny were not previously known to me. On to volume six of the Flashman Papers.

The despicable liar, coward, cheat, arse-kisser, lecher, shirker, and bully Harry Flashman finds himself smack in the middle of the apocalyptic events of the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857 and barely escapes with his life (several times), but his devilish luck stays true, and in the end he winds up with his reputation not only unstained but enhanced, with a knighthood and a Victoria Cross thrown in for good measure. A ripping yarn with a fascinating view of the underside of accepted history and a sharp satirical bite. Harry shocks as always with his selfishness, but this time, he also shocks because the extreme horror and violence of the mutiny jolt him out of himself a time or two, and leads to a few sentimental acts and one genuinely altruistic one. Hoorah!