Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Haven’t read this since the 80s. This is a ’93 edition. Quite ordinary, but relevant.
When I threw my hat into the comic fantasy arena I knew that whatever I wrote was going to be compared to Terry Pratchett, even though our intended audiences are quite different.
I would prefer to be compared to George MacDonald Fraser, though I would still be found lacking. The impression his Flashman series left on me has been influential. So when I saw this on the shelf at a friend’s house I had to borrow it.
Do you know the story? It is the supposed memoirs of Flashman, the bully from Tom Brown’s Schooldays. It follows him from his expulsion from Rugby for drunkenness (as reported in Tom Brown’s Schooldays), into the military, and onto India and Afghanistan, being a devious coward and bastard throughout, but somehow always ending up looking heroic and successful. His life is a series of unmitigated disasters survived through dramatic escapes, which makes for a compelling read.
Given that Flashman was written 22 years after Britain left India, and that the historical events it incorporates are all grand failures (albeit in Afghanistan), perhaps Mr. Flashman is the embodiment of the incompetence that cost Britain its empire, and one of the paupered heirs is making sure everyone knows.
See Jimmy’s entry on Deliverance, and Will’s planetarium book.
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