Rating: 
Summary: Another outstanding effort by Fraser.
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: That Scoundrelous Blackguard!
Review: 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!
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