A war in Afghanistan? What a flashback. (The Flashman Papers: Vol I - Flashman)

Member Name: thegoldencat

Product:	The Flashman Papers: Vol I - Flashman
Date:	08/11/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Darkly hilarious. Gleefully naughty. A rollicking adventure.

Disadvantages: Do we root for the rapist hero? I hope not.

Overview
The supposedly 'found' memoirs of the fictitious Lt. Harry Flashman. An officer of the British army in the full bloom of its Victorian era pomp. This, the first in a long running series details the caddish Flashman's exploits in the disastrous Afghanistan campaign (...Now where have I heard that before) of the 19th Century. The narrative is told from the perspective of an elderly Flashman looking back upon a debauched but very eventful life, occasionally opining on subjects as they arise, in his own unique, highly un-PC style.

Review
Right off the bat its does not take long to come to the conclusion that 'Flashman' by George McDonald Frasier is not an altogether serious affair. It may well be that upon glancing at the front cover we find the protoganist standing proud in his natty British Army uniform, eyes twinkling, moustache bristling, one eyebrow fully cocked in Roger Moore-like fashion as a scantily clad 'native girl' literally swoons at his feet. Or it may well be that this is an actual book, called 'FLASHMAN'. Honestly.

Obviously this cover description pertains to the currently published version, which I think this does a much better job of conveying the contents within than the rather more staid cover image shown above as we shall shortly see.

Flashman is essentially a spin-off from the classic Thomas Hughes novel Tom Brown's schooldays, with the premise of taking the bullying antagonist of that story and seeing what became of him after the events of that tale. To those who have read the aforementioned book it comes as little surprise to find Flashman shamefully expelled from Rugby School for drunkenness barely 10 pages into the book. To those that haven't, no matter, its not a pre-requisite to reading this at all.

From there we find Flashman travelling back to his father's London home; fairly unmoved by the ignominy of his expulsion, nor the imminent meeting with his father who surely will be moved. His father of course turns out to be just as bad as he is, if not worse. Flashman does his best to disprove this theory by sleeping with his father's live-in mistress shortly after arriving. Typical.

With the entirely reasonable justification of thinking he'll cut a dash in the uniform, and all the potential lady-action he believes that entails, Flashman joins the army. More specifically he coerces his father into buying him an officers commission. That was just how it worked back then. From here onwards it plays out essentially like a full-on Victorian Austin Powers adventure and quite literally embodies the notion of a literary romp. It comes as little suprise that this book was originally released in 1969.

As his infamous army career progresses Flashman, an abject coward, somehow manages to maintain the appearance of a distinguished, heroic officer through numerous bizarre twists of fate. Trying to do as little fighting, and as much..erm..fraternising as possible with the lady folk from England to Afghanistan.

As a character Flashman consists of a curious mixture of Rincewind the wizard from the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, what with his cowardice, talent for languages, and unerring ability to emerge from deadly scrapes unharmed. As well as a sizeable dose of Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale's deranged sociopath from American Psycho. Not the hooker-chain sawing, hobo-stamping part (although...) but more the cold detachment from humanity and pre-occupation with outward appearances and reputation.

One thing this book does brilliantly is recreating all the glorious trappings of the colonial, Victorian era, with the British empire resplendent in all its world conquering glory. Explaining somewhat the myopic cockiness of the officers Flashman encounters. This ingrained sense of British invincibility is very much the pride that cometh before the fall. The rigid archaic attitudes of the time are just as faithfully recreated. This causes regular jarring moments when issues such as racism and slavery arise. The thing to remember though is that however unpleasant it is to read, such details are important in conveying the full nature of the story, and are not at all anachronistic.

This real historical backdrop, with the involvement of people actually alive at the time, and apparently very realistically portrayed is a wholly brilliant way of making history come alive, and seem more interesting. Fiction in a non-fiction setting is certainly a very interesting and underused concept in literature. One that should become more popular now that a novel set in Henry VIII's court has won the Booker prize. And Flashman could certainly share the same praise as Wolf Hall in that;
"It appears a modern novel set in a historical setting".
Indeed, the brash freshness of the story, and the crisp wryness of the writing make this book seem almost contemporary.

This is also a very timely book to read because it details an all too familliar disastrous British occupation of Afghanistan. Its all there; monumental faliures of leadership, a popular rebellion, and a public outcry as the casualties ramp up. Its continuously amazing how many parallels it draws with recent times, imparting a suprisingly educational aspect to this book. One that allows you to nod sagely as you read, thinking to yourself. Ah, we don't learn from our past mistakes. History just keeps repeating itself. And so on.

My only real gripe is that its difficult to know exactly how we're meant to react to the protaganist. Traditionally they are the hero you root for from start to finish. Here though, when the hero is such an eminently dislikable character, its not so simple. Are we supposed to be fulfilling some bizzare sense of wish fulfillment in his merry romp across Asia or just be utterly replulsed at his callous self-seeking disregard for all but himself.

It could be argued though, that it doesn't really matter, because without exception the writing throughout is never less than superb, which in addition to the compelling, easy to follow narrative, makes for a classic thats alarmingly hard to put down. Often because you're laughing too hard.

Underlying this humourist take on history though is the uncompromisingly brutal realities of the actual events on which this book is based. Racism, rape, slavery, the blood and the wholescale slaughter in the latter stages can't help but be affecting when you realise that it all actually happend, lending a definite edge to the unfolding tragedy as you gasp at the dramatic incompetencies of those in charge. The fact that Flashman is never found out requires no suspicion of disbelief whatsoever. But, having Flashman's amusing antics amidst all this can lead to a rather uneven tone. When Flashman rapes an Afghan woman because she refuses to submit to him, one cannot simply say, "Oh Flashman you rougish scoundrel you". However realistic this is in the context of history it can certainly make for some uncomfortable reading.

Flashman is, I suppose, the literal defintion of an anti-hero in that he is the exact opposite of a hero. Not the modern definition of; slightly edgy hero. (See: Mr. V. Deisel in all his illustrious cinematic canon thus far.) And when It becomes increasingly apparent that the elderly Flashman narrating the story, has not changed his ways, and remains defiantly unrepentant of his many mis-deeds, one can be left with a rather bitter taste. However this is a satire and I suppose we're just meant to be laughing at the excess and absurdity of all.

And laugh you shall. This is, all in all a damn good read, managing that rare feat of being both interesting and exciting. Although be warned, if you tell people you're reading a book called Flashman, they will laugh at you.

And so they should.

Summary: Worth looking out for. You wont forget the name.