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Title: Flashman at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0-452-26413-8 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: October, 1986 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.82 (17 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: More of the best
Comment: To those who have never heard of Flashman, please go look up the book "Flashman" and buy it. If historical fiction is your cup of tea, you'll be hooked. In this entry: Flash signs on to munitions duty as the Crimean War begins to heat up, never suspecting that one day he will unwillingly take part in Colin Campbell's stand (The Thin Red Line) and Scarlett's charge uphill of the Heavy Brigade, not to mention the infamous charge of the Light Brigade... And then be captured, become an unwilling spy and resistance fighter, and of course bed a Russian noble's beautiful daughter... All in a day's work for old Flashy, of course, who would rather be at home. I have little to say about this entry into the Flashman series other than it offers up more of the same, and three cheers for it, and too bad there's not even more of it. Flashy's still a rogue, bluffing his way through horrors, rogering his way into the confidences of the enemy, and sniveling his way out of danger. The facts that Fraser re-creates historical characters and events with a scholar's eye for detail and a great novelist's flair for the story, that Flashman is neatly and unerringly made to be the impetus behind historical events, and the whole exciting yarn is awash in a heady dose of sly wit and knowing parody, all go without saying: this is Fraser, after all, the best historical novelist of all.
Rating: 5
Summary: If Forester had had a sense of humor
Comment: He'd have written Harry Flashman instead of Hornblower. Thank goodness he didn't. We get to have both.
Rating: 5
Summary: Another outstanding effort by Fraser.
Comment: While it is among the earliest batch of Flashman novels that Fraser wrote, I read it as number seven of a chronological survey of the life and times of Harry Flashman. Again the reader gets one of the best examples of bringing the (military) past to live by a combination of meticulous background research and extremely engaging story telling.
Unintentionally, Flashman gets involved in two battles and crosses a large stretch of the Asian continent in between. Especially, after the current doubt regarding the justification of the war on Iraq, Fraser's analysis of the political process preceding the Crimean war shows you that times and situations may change, but that Nietzsche's "eternal return of the same" still is history's greatest lesson. Undoubtedly due to Fraser's personal battle experience, his description of both battle scenes puts the reader in the middle of the action in a way few movies have been able to match.
To someone uninitiated to the history of the Asian continent during the 19th century it was really interesting to read to what extent current political skirmishes find their origin in British and Russian colonialism. Especially the final part of the book teaches some important lessons of how deeply rooted the idea of Jihad is in parts of central Asia.
Other reviewers have commented that the portrayal of Flashman as "the toad that shagged me" may help sell the book, but detracts from the excellent history writing. I beg to differ. By keeping his "hero" a flawed but very likable survivor and having him participate in and comment upon the British colonial wars, Fraser really turns history into a first person experience. Since I think it is unlikely to be included in any military history of post-second-world-war Europe, I may add that the largest brothel I ever saw in my life was in Wiesbaden, Germany, right next door to a major American military base. Thus, these "distracting" aspects of Flashman's personal life may also be dead on. Moreover, following the Flashman character chronologically, Fraser gives this larger than life character his own brand of character development into a fully three-dimensional person.
In all, another solid 5-star read, too bad there are only four more volumes left, but who knows, Fraser may still serve us with an encore
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Title: Flashman in the Great Game: From the Flashman Papers 1856-1858 by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0452263034 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: September, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Flash for Freedom by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0452260892 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: March, 1989 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Flashman: From the Flashman Papers, 1839-1842 by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0452259614 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: November, 1986 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Flashman and the Mountain of Light: From the Flashman Papers, 1845-46 by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0452267854 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: April, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser ISBN: 0452264871 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: September, 1983 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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