Daren

Fraser's #4 Flashman - and we take in the Crimean War, some time in Russia and a sojourn in Kazakhstan / Uzbekistan where Yakub Beg was leading resistance to Russia pushing in to Central Asia, the book covering the period 1854-55.

As usual, we are treated to Flashman being woven into accurate historical events and mixing with some well known historical figures. The Battle at Balaclava is the key in this novel.

There are various spoilers below, so it this is a Flashman novel you plan on reading in the near future, give this review a miss!

Flashman is back in London, but aware of pending trouble between the Ottoman Empire and Russia secures himself a position on the Board or Ordnance, to avoid being mixed up in it. Events conspire however, and he is appointed by Prince Albert to look after a young German cousin, Wilhelm of Celle, eventually accompanying him to Bulgaria where the British troops were massing for the advance, and then across the Black Sea to Crimea.

When Flashman fails to protect Willy, who is young and reckless and charges out onto the field of battle prematurely, he is attached to Raglan's staff, where is falls in with Lew Nolan - the famed deliverer of the battle commands who is largely blamed for the miscommunication that led to the charge. As well as Raglan and Nolan, Flashman mixes with all the other well known figures at Balaclava - Cardigan, Scarlett, Lucan, Campbell. As it turns out, Flashman plays a larger part than anyone, taking part not only in the Charge of the Light (cavalry) Brigade, but also present at Campbell's Thin Red Line with the 93rd Regiment and Scarlett's uphill charge with the Heavy Cavalry in their attach on Russian Cavalry.

But it is the Charge of the Light Brigade that Flashman breaks the enemy line and while looking for escape is captured by the Russians. There is now a passage of the novel where Flashman is taken to an estate beyond Sevastopol where he is the prisoner of Count Pencherjevsky – a Cossack Hetman who is now the feudal Russian lord of the large estate. Supposedly waiting until he can be exchanged for a Russian prisoner of equal standing, Flashman is here reunited with an old schoolmate, Scud East, from Rugby School, also a prisoner. While Flashman is bedding the daughter of the Count, Scud East is spying on a meeting of important Russian officers and they discover the Russian Plot to invade British India through Central Asia. The escape from the estate, East's escape to Crimea, and Flashman's recapture by Russians ends this part of the story and we join Flashman in Central Asia for the third part to this novel.

With his recapture, Flashman meets Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatieff again, having briefly encountered him before his time in the estate, and Ignatieff is cast as the violent villain of this story. Taken on the Russian advance into Central Asia, on the way to the attack on British India, circumstances again conspire to place Flashman in a prison cell with Yakub Beg and Izzat Kutebar, the former being a Tajik leader of the resistance fighting against Russia's advances into their lands, the latter an aging guerilla leader working with Yakub Beg. In a daring rescue the three are thrown together and Flashman is forced into a role in attacking the Russian ships coming down the Syr Darya river to deliver the masses of ammunition for the attack on India - the destruction of this not only stops the Russian attack on India but sets the Russians back on their advance through Central Asia.

Again Fraser is masterful in wrapping historic events around Flashman and some fictional supporting characters. The historic characters come to life (accurately or not, who can say) as they interact with Flashman, as he looks to minimise his involvement in risky business, events conspire to have him in the thick of it.

This book along with the original are perhaps the strongest of those I have read so far.

4.5 stars, rounded down to the typical 4 I have awarded each Flashman novel so far.

McCann's novel is loosely based on the life of Romani poet Papsuza (1910-1987), with the titular character Zoli as the Romani singer, turned poet, set in Slovakia, either side of World War II.
McCann weaves a character with enough complexity and certainly enough interesting quirks. We jump around in time, there is a middle section of the book written in the view of Swann - an Englishman with a Slovakian father, who falls in love with Zoli. Then the Communists decide to use her as a postergirl for their resettlement policy.

The best parts of this novel are the descriptions of Romany culture and their interactions. It was not a surprise to read in the acknowledgements that McCann was heavily influenced by a book which iI read and enjoyed - Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca.

Between 3 and 4 stars, but ultimately short of 4.

The history of the Belgian Congo (known as Zaire, and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the systematic slavery and plunder and brutalization of its inhabitants.
This book is very detailed, highly researched and really covers everything from start to finish.
It is not a hard read, but in the edition I have the print is very small, and it took me a bit longer to get through than I expected.