Appearance
Flashman and the Dragon
I hope Mr. Fraser lives a long life so he can continue chronicling the life of Harry Flashman. Once again Mr. Fraser's writng is crisp, witty and really draws you into the story. There is danger, romance (the tawdry sort of course),action and derring do (not by Flashman). His historical detail is unbelievable. If you love history, read this. If you don't, read this and you will.
Flashman and the Dragon
One of the benefits of reading George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman books is that, along with top-flight entertainment, you get a thorough grounding in odd bits of historical lore. Of the 10 books in the series thus far, Flashman and the Dragon offers one of the most intriguing settings: the Taiping Rebellion, in which a self-proclaimed messiah led an uprising against the Manchu rulers of China, a conflict that racked up more casualties than the First World War. Fraser's description of the British sacking of the Summer Palace (a punitive gesture that became an excuse for vandalism and plunder) is memorable
Flashman and the Dragon
Having been an avid reader of the Dand McNeil-stories and of the early Flashman novels, I lost touch with the series for a couple of years. Returning to it through the services of Amazon.com, the change in style I noticed is quite remarkable. The earlier books use historic fact loosely as a backdrop to great storytelling; now I find a Notes-section that would be a credit to any PhD-thesis on the subject. Mr. Fraser seems overly concerned that we might doubt the historic accuracy of any person, remark or fact he describes. In such a context the love/lust-story between Flashman and the First Concubine becomes almost irritating, being of course not only historically totally incorrect as well as utterly improbable to anyone with even a fleeting knowledge (or suspicion) of Chinese imperial court life and culture of that time.In my humble opinion one should either try to be an entertaining popular historian or an entertaining writer of historic fiction. Mr. Fraser now tries to be both at the same time and I find the result a mixed blessing. And instead of having to constantly refer to the back of the book to see what all those 1234 notes are about, I would rather have seen a short closing chapter containing the relevant historic facts.Of course hardcore Flashman-addicts will heartily disagree. But try re-reading "The general danced at dawn" or "Royal Flash" and maybe you will get my point.
Flashman and the Dragon
RIP George MacDonald Fraser, 1925 - 2008"We raised not a line, we carved not a stoneBut we left him alone with his glory"- Charles Wolfe: On The Burial of Sir John Moore: after Corunna"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away" - Douglas MacArthur"Come Bacchus' sons, be not dismay'dBut join with me each jovial bladeCome booze and sing and lend your aidTo help me with the chorus"- Garryowen"Sang Kolinsen! That woman and her child are under the protection of Her Majesty's government! I speak for Lord Elgin and the British army, so ... back off! You dirty dog, you!"This is just one gem from a rollicking tale of adventure, derring-do (and don't), lechery, boozing, twaddle, old China handery, scuttling for cover and disappearing over the sill.The British officer is a great admirer of your warlike "race" and he likes Mongols, Sikhs, Gurkhas and Boers as friends and enemies. But as your typical British officer, Flashy has no use for the philosophical Chinese.It's only a pity that Fraser will never contrive to have Flashy's angry ghost at the 1997 handover of Hong Kong rogering Princess Diana at a suite in the Peninsula, cadging a light for his cheroot from Chris Patten in the smoker's circle out back, breaking wind during Charles' stem-winder, or letting the air out of the tyres on PLA staff vehicles behind the Prince of Wales barracks.Nor shall his great-great grandson, Harry Paget-Morrison, at least in Fraser's inimitable tales, scuttle through Afghanistan, nor liaise with General David Petraeus in hopes of a soft billet while rolling his eyes as Yank officers above flag rank ignore the obvious, obfuscate the simple, simplify the complex, and get chaps killed, American officers below flag rank invite him to come to Jesus (an invitation which he of course declines), the sergeants booze with him in the Humvee, and the enlisted men wish to G-d that they were Quartered Safe Back There.In his last book, Fraser expresses mostly incomprehension at the modern world. But it is doing its damnedest to regress to Victorian times courtesy of pompous Yuppie thugs bawling Hosannahs in church while a working class generation deprived by the mad woman, Thatcher, of jobs in mines that are now returning thanks to the price of oil (showing the folly of the 1980s deindustrialization of the North of England) fights for the chance to join the Army and go to war as opposed to the more sensible choice, which would be to live in London upon the earnings of an whore.I shall miss the appearance of new adventures in the Flashman series in the shops, but I do hope that no Grub Street hack gets it in mind to continue the story as above. No one can tell the tale like Fraser could, and all we need is a Collected Works in the old style, on India paper, with small type.
Flashman and the Dragon
I began reading Flashman novels on the recommendation of a librarian in 1984. Flashman introduced me to history as enjoyable bedtime reading. This last month, in 2009, I began reading Flash again. I marvel at characters and incidents related so vivaciously and accurately. Making dragon ladies sexy, prime ministers klutzy, and generals comedic helps connect history to humanity. And Flash is funny, direct, and entertaining in some very dramatic settings and events of the 19th century. Rare are the opportunities to be successfully appealed to emotionally and intellectually. The sex is good, too. Long live Flashman!
Flashman and the Dragon
The title is unfair because all of the Flashman series is great but the character is always at his best when there is some type of war situation going on. The way in which the best anti hero of the Victorian age gets caught up in the Taiping rebellion and other such events in china is very true to form.At some points a tragedy and at other times a total laugh riot. The historiography as always is excellent.Overall-The only sad part is that with the death of the author we will now never know the exact route Flashy took from China to the American Civil War.