Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel

In 1856, Flashy is once again dragooned - this time not as a direct result of some peccadillo on his part - by Palmerston himself to go to India and keep an eye on possibly mutiny brewing there, fomented by Flashy's old nemesis, Count Ignatieff. Like all the other Flash books, this is a thoroughly researched piece of historical fiction, from the personalities of the great (and not so great) commanders of the day, down to the details of the daring exploits of the (not so) common soldier. Like its predecessors, this book is rife with wit, debauchery, wry observations on war and empire, and a few laughs at our hero's expense. This volume does, however, depart from the other books in two ways, in my opinion. The first is tone: where before I got the sense that Flash was so selfish and sadistic he was removed from the carnage he witnesses, in the Mutiny I got the sense that Flash (or Fraser, unable to hide himself behind his character) was moved by the massacres. Flash lets emotion creep in to the point of not just leaping in to rescue (!) a British couple, but to ruminate on the morality of the British retribution. Secondly, in this book Flashman is more propelled along by events rather than(even unwillingly and unknowingly) influencing them, as he has before, goading Raglan into ordering the charge of the Light Brigade or managing to repel Russian invasion of India, for example. All this is simple observation, not criticism; the quality of Flashman's exploits here in no way disappoints.

It starts with a Royal invitation to visit the Queen ("Vicky") in gloomy Balmoral, Scotland. It quickly degenerates to attempted murder of Flashy by Ignatiev (a revenant from "Flashman at the Charge") during a hunting "accident", and thus seamlessly (crafty chap, Fraser!) to being sent off to India as political officer investigating rumors of mutiny. No matter what Flashy does to avoid active service (and what and how he does it defies description!) the Mutiny does happen and he is in the thick of it from all sides: in and out of besieged cities, in and out of disguise (from bazaar ruffian to British officer and gentleman, which he boasts as his longest-standing disguise!) in and out of prisons and palaces, even in (briefly) and out of love, an extreme rarity.The historical background is faultless, with all the detail expected of Fraser's merciless pen. Other readers appeared upset over the Mosstrooper incident, but it fits well - the times were quite terrible, and Flashy (and Fraser) does not try to hide them. Flashy always starts his musings with a promise of honesty and "at ninety, with money in the bank and booze in the house" he has no reason to do otherwise.This could serve as an introduction to Flashy's adventures for a beginner, but for the devoted fan it is a read-and-reread treat.

This is a SEVEN-STAR BOOK! The quality of the writing, the incredible characterization, and the marvelous story-telling make this the best book I've read in the past seven or eight years. If you have not read any Flashman books, this will be an incredible treat, although one note: this book (and the whole series) is not for the intellectually limited. The smarter you are and the more knowledge you have, the more you'll love this magnificent fiction. No one writes this well, not Jim or Jamie Harrison, not Jane Smiley, not John Irving, not Joyce Carol Oates; no one tells the story better. Please read these books; they are masterpieces of fiction, and are actually somewhat important, especially as a question concering the value and morality of self-knowledge. Just magnificent.

Wonderful, rousing, and educational - you have to read this with a bookmark in the footnotes section, and you'll probably enjoy doing so - the historical research Fraser does is astounding, and exposes much of the hypocrisy of John Company's stay in "Indja".