Flashman at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser
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Book Reviews of Flashman at the Charge
Book Review: That Scoundrelous Blackguard!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow, this one was hard to put down. I grew tired of Flashy by 'Flashman and the Mountain of Light' but this rivals the first story and is perhaps, dare I say, even better!Book Review: Possibly the best of the the series
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the flashman novels, and this is quite possibly the best of the series. If you have never read Flashman, read them all, but whatever you do, don't miss this one.Book Review: If Forester had had a sense of humor
Summary: 5 Stars
He'd have written Harry Flashman instead of Hornblower. Thank goodness he didn't. We get to have both.Book Review: The Adventures of Flashman Continue
Summary: 4 Stars
Our intrepid hero, Harry Flashman, is back for volume four 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 third volume left off; Flashman is comfortably ensconced in London society with his beautiful vacuous (and wealthy) wife Elspeth. He has structured a plan to avoid the increasing threat of hostilities between England and Russia by arranging for assignment in the Ordnance department, a largely administrative staffing.
Unfortunately, our intrepid hero has come to the attention of his superiors and largely on the strength of his Kabul fame (see the original Flashman) been assigned as military tutor to one of the Queen's own nephews, an assignment that requires his attendance in the Crimean theater, with predictably disastrous consequences.
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 Charge of the Light Brigade. From Flash:
"You know, the advantage to being a wicked bastard is that everyone pesters the Lord on your behalf; if volume of prayers from my saintly enemies means anything, I'll be saved when the Archbishop of Canterbury is damned. It's a comforting thought."
From the disaster at Balaclava, Flashy is propelled through seemingly nonstop adventure, first as a Russian prisoner of war, and then, upon escape, as a brother in arms among the barbarian hordes of the Russian steppes. Uproariously funny and entertaining, this installment is every bit the equal of its predecessors.
Book Review: Of Course, Flashman was there!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Charge of the Light Brigade, a memorable even when people are unsure what war it was part of (The Crimean War), is the event this time that Flashman is unlucky enough to be part of. Along the way he serves as a mentor to Queen Victoria's cousin, who does not have Flashman's luck in battle, is captured by, actually surrenders to, the Russians and then through a series of impossible circumstances ends up saving the British Raj from destruction by the Russians. In this final battle, Flashman shows an incredible reservoir of courage that is amazing to witness and as I am sure a regular reader of this character realizes, is impossible to believe. This one's classic Flashman with Fraser in fine form with solid history mixed in with some of the more ridiculous aspects that make these books enjoyable.