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Flash for Freedom! (The Flashman papers) by: George MacDonald Fraser

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Rating: - Let Freedom Reign

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two Flashman offerings I expected more of the same and I was not disappointed. In this tale we see Flashy run from the Amazon women of Dahomey (modern day Benin) to the free world of a pre-civil war United States.

A very funny book and no matter the situation Flashman's selfish streak wins out in the end. He plays at various times a slave trader, slave smuggler and slave himself. MacDonald Fraser is an inventive writer who combines fact with fiction effortlessly and introduces historical figures to add authenticity to these adventures; Benjamin Disraeli and Abraham Lincoln to name but two.

This book as well as being humorous also affected me in a different way. The descriptions of conditions aboard the slave ship en route to America are harrowing to say the least. The terrified slaves are treated as sub-human by the ship's white company. Branded and manacled in cramped quarters even Flashman seems moved by their plight.

"It's not that I'm an abolitionist by any means, but by the end of that day I'd had my bellyful of slaving. The reek of those musky bodies in that deck was abominable; the heat and stench grew by the hour, until you'd have wondered that anything could survive down there."

Rating: - A perfect comedy/adventure

This, the third Flashman book in order of publication - it is preceded by ROYAL FLAH and the first one, FLASHMAN - is the best yet. It is an extraordinary combination of wit, historical authenticity and a brilliance of writing that quite probably has no peer. Harry Flashman needs to get away from England, and finds himself on a slaving-ship bound for West Africa, where he has several frightening adventures. Then he is sailed across the Atlantic to pre- Civil War America, where the tension continues unabated. Indeed, there is no writer more adept at creating and handling tension than George MacDonald Fraser. There are moments of terror here that would do credit to the imagination of Edgar Allan Poe. Balancing this always is a feel for high comedy that recalls PG Wodehouse, and running through it all is the most consummate style: every word counts, and Fraser never falters in his flawless delivery. He is one of the major writers of the age, far too good to be amongst the Booker Prize winners. Read him!

Rating: - Lord Bennington

Another very fine read from GMF! Flashy continues to blag and romp his way through many life threatening situations (savage tribes, slave shipping and enraged husbands) and as per usual he uses his cowardice and upper class breeding to survive.

As with all Flashman's memoirs you have to read them in the context which they were set, i. e. in the early 1900s people were horrifically racist. Therefore, if you are of a sensitive nature towards such issues then approach this one with caution.

That being said I enjoyed this story immensely and have just purchased the next instalment of old Flashy's adventures. . .

Rating: - Slavery, derring-do and adventure - but Flashman's weakest yet?

This, the third installment of the Flashman series, is the weakest yet. Thematically based around the slave trade, Flashman travels across the Atlantic Ocean to America and sees first hand the many facets of the slave trade.

The problem with this novel, I found, was its incoherance and episodic nature. Built loosely around a theme rather than a situation, as in the first two books, Flashman's adventures are picaresque in nature, taking in vast swathes of the American south. Thankfully, despite highlighting in detail the repugnance of the slave trade, Flashman himself maintains an air of moral dubiousness, favouring only his own skin and his next lay over morality as his prime motive. This allows the story to be told without sermonising or critising slavery and allows the comedy to be brought to the front.

Of course, Flashman is best known for his cowardliness, moral turpitude and sexual appetite, and these can be found in abundance here. This book is as witty as the others and still remains an entertaining read. It's a shame that the story lacks the coherance and inventiveness of the previous two novels. You don't need to have read the others, but it certainly helps, and I would recommend Royal Flash instead to a first time reader. Long time fans will find much here to remind them of why they're fans in the first place.

Rating: - Great read!!

Have only recently started getting into the Flashman series but this is a cracker!! Great adventure and you will learn a lot about the 19th century along the way.

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