Rob Thompson

A fun adventure; despite the racism and sexism
Presented as the discovery of the supposedly historical Flashman Papers, this book chronicles the subsequent career of the bully Flashman from Tom Brown's School Days.

The book begins with a fictional note explaining that the Flashman Papers were discovered in 1965 during a sale of household furniture in Ashby, Leicestershire. The papers are attributed to Harry Paget Flashman, the bully featured in Thomas Hughes' novel, who becomes a well-known Victorian military hero (in Fraser's fictional England). The papers were supposedly written between 1900 and 1905. The subsequent publishing of these papers, of which Flashman is the first instalment, contrasts the public image of a (fictional) hero with his own more scandalous account of his life as an amoral and cowardly bully.

Flashman begins with the eponymous hero's own account of his expulsion from Rugby and ends with his fame as “the Hector of Afghanistan”. It details his life from 1839 to 1842 and his travels to Scotland, India, and Afghanistan. It also contains a number of notes by the author, in the guise of a fictional editor, providing additional historical glosses on the events described. The history in these books is largely accurate; most of the prominent figures Flashman meets were real people.

The main strength of the books is Flashman himself. He's such a terrible but wonderful character. Despite the racism, misogyny and sexism. Recommended for the armchair adventurer or amateur historian.

The Three Hostages is the fourth of five Richard Hannay novels by the Scottish author John Buchan, first published in 1924 by Hodder & Stoughton, London.

Hannay had previously appeared in The Thirty Nine Steps (1915), his most famous adventure, in which he battles German spies across the United Kingdom, and in two books about his activities during the First World War, Greenmantle (1916) and Mr Standfast (1919).

Some years after his 39 Steps mission, Richard Hannay encounters a global criminal gang. Battling international kidnappers, agent Richard Hannay takes on a sinister adversary.

Wonderful escapist entertainment.

George MacDonald Fraser's “Flashman in the Great Game” is a rollicking adventure that once again showcases the author's masterful blend of historical fact and outrageous fiction. This fifth installment in the Flashman Papers series plunges our antihero, Harry Flashman, into the heart of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

Fraser's meticulous research shines through as he weaves Flashman's exploits into the complex tapestry of Anglo-Indian relations and the bloody uprising that followed. The author's ability to bring historical figures to life is on full display, with characters like Lord Palmerston and Nana Sahib stepping off the page in vivid detail.

Flashman himself remains as delightfully incorrigible as ever. His cowardice, lechery, and self-serving nature continue to land him in increasingly perilous situations, which he escapes through a combination of luck, cunning, and sheer audacity. Fraser's wit sparkles throughout, making even the darkest moments of the narrative palatable through Flashman's irreverent narration.

However, modern readers may find some of Flashman's attitudes and the book's depiction of colonial India problematic. While Fraser is often critiquing these views through satire, the line between commentary and endorsement can sometimes blur.

The pacing is generally excellent, though some readers might find the historical exposition occasionally slows the narrative. Nevertheless, Fraser's prose remains engaging throughout, balancing humor with moments of genuine tension and even pathos.

“Flashman in the Great Game” is a worthy addition to the series, offering a unique and entertaining perspective on a pivotal moment in history. It's a must-read for fans of historical fiction, though newcomers to the series might be better served starting with earlier installments.

In sum, this book is a testament to Fraser's skill as both a historian and a storyteller, providing a thrilling adventure that educates as much as it entertains.

Harry Flashman: the unrepentant bully of Tom Brown's schooldays, now with a Victoria Cross, has three main talents - horsemanship, facility with foreign languages and fornication. A reluctant hero, Flashman plays a key part in most of the defining military campaigns of the 19th century, despite trying his utmost to escape them all.

This fourth chronicle deals with the Crimea, Balaclava and Russian expansion into the East. As usual our anti-hero Flashman is right at the heart of events. Very politically incorrect, his desire for self-preservation, along with his usual amusing insights, make the book a pleasure to read. Definitely one of the stronger entries in the series.

SOE's weird and wonderful history
In this slightly uneven book, the author describes how as WW2 became a reality, new innovative and dirty ways of waging war were developed. The unit responsible for this new method of waging war was The Special Operations Executive (SOE). Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers. Its secondary objective was to help local resistance movements.

The SOE was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. One of the organisations from which SOE was created was also involved in the formation of the Auxiliary Units. This was a top secret “stay-behind” resistance organisation which would have been activated in the event of a German invasion of Britain.

Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it sometimes referred to as “the Baker Street Irregulars”, after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as “Churchill's Secret Army” or the “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”. Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the “Joint Technical Board” or the “Inter-Service Research Bureau”. Or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.

SOE operated in all countries or former countries occupied by or attacked by the Axis forces. The exception was where demarcation lines were agreed with Britain's principal Allies (the Soviet Union and the United States). It also made use of neutral territory on occasion, or made plans and preparations in case neutral countries were attacked by the Axis.

All of this and more is described in this book. It makes it very clear that contrary to the beliefs of the old-school leadership of the armed forces at that time, you cannot win a major conflict by fighting strictly under Marquis of Queensberry rules. The assorted characters of the people involved in the development of the sabotage work are brilliantly portrayed. Their hopes and frustrations are a particular strength of the book. Their often irregular habits were thorns in the side of those who valued conventional standards in military life. The SOE used new weapons such as: the castrator, a lavatory explosive and the magnetic limpet mine. England poisoned, gassed, knifed, used shrapnel bombs, used bio-weapons and killed, maimed and generally blew up civilians and civilian targets with abandon. Some of the ideas behind these were culled from guerrilla tactics including those used by T.E. Lawrence, and Al Capone.

What the book lacks is a strong narrative thread. While most of the content of the book is factual, its is strung together with the author's words, so there is an element of selection. Sure, we get thrilling examples of the exploits of the brave men involved. And we also get continuity of some of the characters involved. But for me it needed to progress in a liner way through the war and connect events to bigger, more recognizable milestones from WW2 itself. That way the exploits could be set into context. And the reader could understand how the successes of the unit contributed to the war efforts? The chapters, I am sure, must be laid out in some logic, but I was left wondering why we'd started where we started. And then suddenly found myself in a stream in flood, fascinated by my surroundings but convinced all the while that I was being shown just one thread and was missing what must surely have been a wider picture. The various departments and people herein simply can't have operated in such an apparent vacuum, surrounded on all sides by two-dimensional caricatures if surrounded by anything at all.

That said, this is an interesting, and unusual history of these unconventional soldiers and the missions they undertook. At one of the darkest times in British history. These brave soldiers proved their worth time and time again, in the face of conventional senior military commanders who believed them to be little better than ruffians. They fought with different rules than the rest of the army.

I highly recommend this book for anyone captivated by military history. Especially if you enjoy reading about unconventional warfare and marveling at the oddballs who dreamt them up.