Flashman, Flash for Freedom!, Flashman in the Great Game

Flashman Papers #1, #3, #5

by George MacDonald Fraser, Michael Dirda (Introduction)

Three of George MacDonald Fraser’s incomparable and hilarious novels featuring the lovable rogue, soldier, cheat, and Harry Paget Flashman.

Praised by everyone from John Updike to Jane Smiley, Fraser was an acknowledged master of comedy and satire, an unrivaled storyteller, whose craft was matched only by his impeccable historical research. And his greatest creation was, of course, Flashman. The novels collected here find our hero in the midst of his usual swashbuckling adventures of fleeing adversaries in the First Anglo-Afghan War; meeting and nearly deceiving a young Abraham Lincoln in America; alternately impersonating a native Indian cavalry recruit and wooing women in India; and managing, whatever the circumstances, to keep his hero’s reputation unsullied.

A must-have treat for the legions of dedicated Flashman fans, and a delightful introduction for those lucky enough to be encountering him for the first time.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Literary Fiction, Literature

912 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

George MacDonald Fraser is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings and praise from critics. P.G. Wodehouse said of Flashman, “If ever there was a time when I felt that ‘watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet’ stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman.”

Reviews

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost rated this four stars rather than five because it's difficult for me to truly enjoy a book that features such a despicable example of humanity, especially as a first-person narrator. Flashman is a bully, coward, racist, liar, betrayer, and sexual predator. He's very good at taking credit and almost as skilled at avoiding consequences. He reminded me a bit of a recent former U.S. president, at first, but it soon becomes clear that Flashman has a few redeeming qualities. He has an astute understanding of human nature, for one thing, and the wisdom to see that he himself is far from the best example of the species. He's also fairly intelligent, and he has a gift for languages and a skill with words. He seems to instinctively know what to say to manipulate others as well as when to say nothing at all. He's not an admirable character by any means, and yet he almost invariably succeeds, which I think is the subtle social commentary being made in these books. Flashman's undeserved lofty reputation, and even his survival (when not blind luck) are due almost entirely to the the decisions, actions, and sacrifice of forgotten others. That's the point. Society sometimes bestows accolades on people who clearly don't deserve them. In Flashman's case, he himself knows how undeserving he is, but since he's not a good person, he accepts the praise, the medals, and the money without so much as a nod to those who may have actually earned them.

There are three novels in this collection: Flashman, Flash For Freedom, and Flashman In The Great Game. All are the ostensible memoirs of Harry Flashman, penned when he was in his eighties, about his activities in the middle of the 19th Century. The fist novel is mainly about his service in the British Army in Afghanistan. The second covers his time as an involuntary member of the crew of a slave ship and his subsequent time in America. The third covers an undercover mission in India during the Indian Rebellion. All three novels appear to be well researched and respectful of historical fact, and they are written in the voice of a person of the time. As a Victorian "gentleman," he doesn't think for a moment that women or people of other cultures are his equals. If there is a pejorative term for someone, he's sure to use it, and it's clear he thinks even less of Afghans, Africans, Indians, Spaniards, and Italians, than he does of his English peers (who he also doesn't think much of). The elderly Flashman is also someone who has nothing to lose by being completely honest. He admits his youthful indiscretions and his selfish motivations, but he doesn't apologize for them. He knows what he did, what he was, and what he still is, and he accepts that. He is what he is, and if that's a real SOB, well, so be it.

So, despite the truly despicable protagonist, these are exceptional well written, insightful, and entertaining stories. I wish I had come across them sooner.

[Jonathan Rimorin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprising the first, third and the fifth out of the twelve volumes of Sir Henry Paget Flashman's private memoirs, originally edited and published by George Fraser from 1969-1995, this attractive omnibus edition detail Flashman's adventures, first his expulsion from Rugby School (also mentioned in Thomas Hughes' "Tom Brown's Schooldays") and thence to his adventures in Afghanistan, Africa, the antebellum United States, and India during the Great Mutiny. The memoirs offer a great deal of novelistic detail -- an impressive amount of scholarly research, if these weren't, in fact, first-hand reports -- and an even more impressive amount of novelistic doings: Flashman led a very eventful life. What raises these private memoirs above the genre of soldiers' recollections is Flashman's unsupressed honesty, at least with the reader: he is a toady and a cad, an unreconstituted racist, cheat, coward, philanderer, molester, thief, backstabber and crybaby, in other words, the very model of a colonialist Briton. That he succeeds despite - and because - of these attributes is due to his rakishness and charm.

What's wonderful about the three volumes on offer here is that each one is even better than its amazing predecessor. "Flashman" briskly sets the stage, getting the the nineteen year old Flashman kicked out of school and immediately seducing his father's mistress on his arrival home, which gets him kicked into the Army and thereupon begins his whirlwind career of running away from danger and profiting from it. "Flash For Freedom!" has our hero trading slaves in Africa, and later becoming involved in the Underground Railroad, influencing Harriet Beecher Stowe at the same time. "Flashman In The Great Game" has our Flashy in India, during the events of Kipling's "Kim."

Heartbreaking, ribald, deftly styled, stingingly hilarious, I cannot recommend this book enough. I also cannot recommend it to those with delicate sympathies, the easily offended, or the self-righteous. Flashman is defiantly un-P.C.

[Andrew Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An omnibus volume of three Fraser's adventure stories about his hero Flashman. Written with accuracy of historical facts and reflecting the culture of the times could be considered a very politically incorrect in the twenty first century. Despite all this, Flashman appears to be very likeable, considered by many a great hero while being a self-confessed coward and womaniser.
Flashman-A story of adventures of the self-confessed rogue Harry Flashman. After being thrown out of Rugby school for drunkenness, he enlists in the army and embarks on a mission in war-torn Afghanistan, takes all the credit he can get and becomes a hero to be decorated by the Queen on his return.
Flash for Freedom- Flashman's attempts to become a politician are compromised by scandal and he is sent by his father in law to America. It turns out that the ship he is sent on is a slave ship, with slavery already abolished in America and Britain. On their approach to American shores they are spotted and boarded by the American Navy. Flashman, to avoid jail or even worse takes up an identity of one of the deceased crew members, who worked undercover to document the activities of his captain. Flashman becomes a major witness but attempts to run away to avoid being uncovered by the ship's crew. At he end he is forced to attend the trail, but being warned by the slavers party to reveal the truth, avoids directly accusing the crew and the whole case collapses.
Flashman in the Great Game- Flashman is sent by the British Government to India to investigate rumours of Russian attempts to destabilise situation in the country. He arrives just before the Indian mutiny of 1850s. He survives a number of misadventures to be almost blown up on the cannon and be saved at the last moment. He takes part in plundering of Indian princes palaces and at the end is granted a Victoria Cross and knighthood for his valour at the Indian campaign.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time being exposed to Flashman, and it became the first time in a long time where I found it difficult to put a book down. I'm almost glad to say that this work only contains three of the Flashman books because I wouldn't be able to stop reading until I had finished. Fraser wonderfully combines action and adventure, comedy and eroticism, with that historical flair, where you think "Yes, I'm just reading about a guy bumbling around but maybe I'll learn a thing or two!" And frankly, I ended up falling into a few Wikipedia rabbit holes trying to learn more about the events Flashman witnessed or rather, escaped from, firsthand. Really enjoyable read that I'd recommend to other readers.

[Matthew Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book of the villain (kind of). Everything that the woke people hate is the person in this book. Which is one reason I recommend one read it - to see true perspective haha.

That aside. I laughed my head off throughout, it really is 10/10. Feel like I went back in time. But it is utterly brilliant and hilarious. One of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

That bit at the end with Elspeth made me laugh so hard. I don’t think I’ve read a funnier ending to a book. The story about the fort and Hudson made me laugh/cry at the same time, brilliant. What an a hole Flashy is HAW HAW

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flash for Freedom is a solid story of the slave trade. Starting with a voyage to Dahomey where already enslaved Africans are sold by the local chief to a British slaver ship. Eventually the ship is captured by the American Navy and Flashman finds himself in New Orleans with evidence the implicates his despised Father-in-law.

Lots of annotated facts about the slave trade and the English nobility, and a conclusion that is terrific.

[Michael Baranowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Engagingly written and very witty, but the protagonist is a selfish, lying, mean-spirited, entitled ass. Early on, 'our hero', having had his sexual advances rejected, calls the object of his lust a bitch and hits her in the face as hard as he can. That was fairly indicative of his character, and I put the book down for good shortly thereafter.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Flash for Freedom" from this collection, the third in the series of adventures of the self-proclaimed poltroon and all around cad Harry Flashman. As these adventures progress, Fraser puts Flashman right in the middle of the great events of the 19th century meeting historcal figures and generally blundering from one incident to the next - much like Forrest Gump in the 20th. Unlike that nitwit, Flashy is a complete coward, bully and generally disreputable and what's great fun about these books is that Flashman is completely comfortable with who and what he is and his efforts to simply eat well, gamble, get laid, and laze about in comfort lead to so many complications. In this episode, it's 1848 and Flashman is on the run after a dust up with a fellow soldier during a weekend in the country. Packed off to America by his wealthy father-in-law in order to let the heat die down, Flashman soon discovers that his in-law's wealth comes from the slave trade and that he's aboard a ship bound for Africa to pick up slaves for sale in New Orleans. Fraser is very good in relating the brutality of the voyage and the detail of the inhuman conditions aboard a slave ship is heart rending. For Flashman this is just the beginning of an adventure that finds him at one time or another as crew on a slave ship, abolitionist secret agent, overseer, slave, Austrian nobleman, and inadvertently providing the inspiration for Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". He also meets a young Abraham Lincoln (Fraser does an outstanding job portraying a great man behaving greatly), who sees right through all of Flashman artifice and bluster.

Fans of this series include G.K Chesterton, Johnny Cash, Chrsistopher Hitchens, and Keith Richards.

[James Varney · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Flash for Freedom" is the most outrageous novel I've ever read. It is dynamite - indeed, if you submitted this today to any New York publisher they would treat it like dynamite and probably call the authorities. At a minimum, you would be cancelled.

This is the 3rd in the Flashman series, though the second for me, and it is even more incredible than "Flashman," the first. The author, George MacDonald Fraser, is a veteran of World War II in Burma (his memoir, "Quartered Safe Out Here" is also a fab book), and I suspect if you survived that hellish combat in the jungle you are more likely to throw caution to the wind later. Certainly Fraser held nothing back when he wrote the "Flashman" novels.

In "Flash for Freedom" we meet Abraham Lincoln, there are funny and accurate portraits of New Orleans and Washington D.C. But the breathtaking part of it all is Flash's time in Africa after being shanghaied on to a slaver, the Middle Passage, and parts where Flash and a slave, Cassy, are running for freedom (and, at times, their lives). Cassy even goes up for auction in Memphis, a scene I doubt any current white writer would be brave enough to tackle. The historical accuracy of the "Flashman" novels has been well documented and discussed, but the action here is like nothing I've ever read. The book is so politically incorrect I even got paranoid about owning it.

But those brave and curious readers who like historical fiction or humor are in for a huge treat. I'm delighted I have so many more Flashman novels left to read.