Flashman
Ratings17
Average rating3.6
The first instalment of the Flashman Papers sees the fag-roasting rotter from Tom Brown's Schooldays commence his military career as a reluctant secret agent in Afghanistan. Expelled from Rugby for drunkenness, and none too welcome at home after seducing his father's mistress, the young Flashman embarks on a military career with Lord Cardigan's Hussars. En route to Afghanistan, our hero hones his skills as a soldier, duellist, imposter, coward and amorist (mastering all 97 ways of Hindu love-making during a brief sojourn in Calcutta), before being pressed into reluctant service as a secret agent. His Afghan adventures culminate in a starring role in that great historic disaster, the Retreat from Kabul.
Series
Series
12 primary books14 released booksFlashman Papers
Flashman Papers is a 14-book series with 12 primary works first released in 1969 with contributions by George MacDonald Fraser.
Series
1 primary bookDie Flashman Manuskripte
Die Flashman Manuskripte is a 1-book series first released in 1969 with contributions by George MacDonald Fraser.
Series
12 primary booksFlashman
Flashman is a 12-book series with 12 primary works first released in 1969 with contributions by George MacDonald Fraser.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Not for the faint of heart or easily offended
This book was written to be offensive and uses some terms which we find unacceptable even for humors sake. It was a different time, that doesn't make it right, but it doesn't mean an adult can't look past it.
Horrid book. Couldn't even get half way. I'm surprised I got that far. Near the beginning, Flashman beats his father's mistress because she won't have sex with him. It doesn't get better after that. This was recommended to me by a woman acquaintance and now I wonder what I said to make her think I would like this.
It's tough to review this one because it wasn't quite what I expected. I definitely thought that the character Flashman would be more charming, witty, and hilarious than he turned out to be. Instead he turned out to be a (self-admitted) scoundrel and coward, a hypocrite, and an altogether mean and unlikeable scumbag. So that knocked the book down a few stars for me, even though I recognize the parody the author is going for.
The plot and historical fiction aspects brought a few stars back. While the first half focuses a tad heavily on military strategy, the rest focuses on stories of the British First Afghan War that I had never heard before. It's absolutely fascinating, and Fraser does a good job writing adventure. He clearly has learned a thing or two from his predecessors in the genre.
So in the end I landed somewhere in the middle between offended and invested, wondering if I should read the next one or not. We'll see.
