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Flashman Papers #12
Flashman on the March
It’s 1868 and Sir Harry Flashman, V.C., arch-cad, amorist, cold-headed soldier, and reluctant hero, is back! Fleeing a chain of vengeful pursuers that includes Mexican bandits, the French Foreign Legion, and the relatives of an infatuated Austrian beauty, Flashy is desperate for somewhere to take cover. So desperate, in fact, that he embarks on a perilous secret intelligence-gathering mission to help free a group of Britons being held captive by a tyrannical Abyssinian king. Along the way, of course, are nightmare castles, brigands, massacres, rebellions, orgies, and the loveliest and most lethal women in Africa, all of which will test the limits of the great bounder’s talents for knavery, amorous intrigue, and survival.
Flashman on the March—the twelfth book in George MacDonald Fraser’s ever-beloved, always scandalous Flashman Papers series--is Flashman and Fraser at their best.
Flashman on the March—the twelfth book in George MacDonald Fraser’s ever-beloved, always scandalous Flashman Papers series--is Flashman and Fraser at their best.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
About the author
George MacDonald Fraser
102 books707 followersGeorge MacDonald Fraser is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings and praise from critics. P.G. Wodehouse said of Flashman, “If ever there was a time when I felt that ‘watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet’ stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman.”
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February 8, 2023
“In the Abyssinian War of 1868, surely the strangest of all imperial campaigns, when a British Indian army invaded one of the least known and most dangerous countries on earth, and in the face of apparently insuperable hazards, and the predictions of certain failure, marched and fought their way across a trackless wilderness of rocky chasm and jagged mountain to their goal, did what they had come to do, and marched out again with hardly a casualty.
There has never perhaps been a success like it in the history of war. It took twelve thousand men, a mighty fleet, nine million pounds, a meticulous if extravagant organization and all to rescue a tiny group of British citizens held captive by a mad monster of an African king. Flashman was still the vital part on which success or failure hung, in a war torn land of mystery, treachery, intrigue, lonely castles, ghost cities, the most beautiful and savage women in Africa, and at last into the power of the demented tyrant in his stronghold at the back of beyond.
Flashman’s story is about a British army sent out in a good and honest cause by a government who knew what honour meant. It was not sent without initial follies and hesitations in high places, or until every hope of a peaceful outcome was gone. It went with the fear of disaster hanging over it, but with the British public in no doubt that it was right. It served no political vanity or interest. There were no false excuses, no deceits, no cover ups or lies, just a decent resolve to do a government’s first duty: to protect its people, whatever the cost. To quote Flashman, those were the days.”
- George MacDonald Fraser
************
This is George MacDonald Fraser’s 12th and final Flashman book in the series written over 36 years, published in 2005. It is an account of his adventures in Abyssinia, now named Ethiopia, in 1867. It picks up 7 years after his stint in the Taiping Rebellion and marks a return to an earlier, nastier Flash. He agrees to deliver silver to Africa for the Army, to rescue a handful of subjects of the British Empire held by a ‘mad cannibal king’. After returning from Mexico with the body of Maximilian and landing in Trieste it is discovered Flash was shagging the Admiral’s sixteen year old niece aboard the ship. Chased by the Austrian army he boards a steamship bound for Suez, then south along the Red Sea.
Two diplomats and several missionaries were imprisoned by the Abyssinian Christian King Theodore after he was refused military assistance against his Muslim enemies, the Ottoman Turks and Egyptians. Lord Napier embarked upon a punitive expedition, the most expensive in British colonial history. It involved building a port, railroad and telegraph lines into wild and barren mountains where every provision needed to be brought in. An army of Indians had prepared for months to go to the interior and when Flashman arrives he is roped in to join them. On the campaign is Capt. Tristram Speedy, who had explored Abyssinia earlier and trained Theodore’s troops. They march through the passes towards Magdala.
At the rendezvous with Napier Flash is manipulated into a desperate and daring scheme, to travel in Indian disguise and woo an Abyssinian queen to assist the British Army’s cause. On the scene is Henry Morton Stanley reporting for the New York Herald. With an Ethiopian guide, the tall and lovely noble woman Uliba, Flash reluctantly embarks on his quest to find the warrior queen Masteeat. Chased by slavers intent to capture Uliba, Flash is imprisoned and tortured by her sadistic suitor, but rescued by another admirer. Through the devastated land, burned down villages, corpses, vultures and hyenas they ride towards Lake Tana. Theodore has been battling rebels, crucifying and burning alive all his enemies.
Nearing the encampment of Masteeat, past the source of the Blue Nile, Uliba and Flash are chased by Theodore’s guards. In the course of their escape Flash plunges over the falls and is separated from Uliba. In audience with the queen he finds she survived the cataract, no thanks to Flash since he kicked her over to save himself. Uliba plots a terrible revenge and a coup against Masteeat, who has agreed to support a British attack on Theodore. Kidnapped and nearly castrated by Uliba, Flash is captured by Theodore, taken hostage to an impregnable fortress atop a mountain by Amazonian guard women. With Napier’s army on the march Flashman endures a week in the grip of a madman before the Battle of Magdala.
This fantastic enterprise ended in Theodore’s defeat and the Army’s retreat without colonization of Ethiopia. Aside from some loot now in the British Museum they brought back Theodore’s son by his father’s request to be raised in London under the wing of Queen Victoria. Unfortunately he died of disease at age 19. George MacDonald Fraser has a simple formula over decades of Flashman favorites; pick an imperial campaign, thrust Flash unwillingly in the middle of it, have Flash captured and escape a gruesome death, entangle Flash with a lusty lady and survive to undeserved acclaim. After several of these novels the reader can almost imagine what will likely occur next, but it doesn’t detract from the fun.
There has never perhaps been a success like it in the history of war. It took twelve thousand men, a mighty fleet, nine million pounds, a meticulous if extravagant organization and all to rescue a tiny group of British citizens held captive by a mad monster of an African king. Flashman was still the vital part on which success or failure hung, in a war torn land of mystery, treachery, intrigue, lonely castles, ghost cities, the most beautiful and savage women in Africa, and at last into the power of the demented tyrant in his stronghold at the back of beyond.
Flashman’s story is about a British army sent out in a good and honest cause by a government who knew what honour meant. It was not sent without initial follies and hesitations in high places, or until every hope of a peaceful outcome was gone. It went with the fear of disaster hanging over it, but with the British public in no doubt that it was right. It served no political vanity or interest. There were no false excuses, no deceits, no cover ups or lies, just a decent resolve to do a government’s first duty: to protect its people, whatever the cost. To quote Flashman, those were the days.”
- George MacDonald Fraser
************
This is George MacDonald Fraser’s 12th and final Flashman book in the series written over 36 years, published in 2005. It is an account of his adventures in Abyssinia, now named Ethiopia, in 1867. It picks up 7 years after his stint in the Taiping Rebellion and marks a return to an earlier, nastier Flash. He agrees to deliver silver to Africa for the Army, to rescue a handful of subjects of the British Empire held by a ‘mad cannibal king’. After returning from Mexico with the body of Maximilian and landing in Trieste it is discovered Flash was shagging the Admiral’s sixteen year old niece aboard the ship. Chased by the Austrian army he boards a steamship bound for Suez, then south along the Red Sea.
Two diplomats and several missionaries were imprisoned by the Abyssinian Christian King Theodore after he was refused military assistance against his Muslim enemies, the Ottoman Turks and Egyptians. Lord Napier embarked upon a punitive expedition, the most expensive in British colonial history. It involved building a port, railroad and telegraph lines into wild and barren mountains where every provision needed to be brought in. An army of Indians had prepared for months to go to the interior and when Flashman arrives he is roped in to join them. On the campaign is Capt. Tristram Speedy, who had explored Abyssinia earlier and trained Theodore’s troops. They march through the passes towards Magdala.
At the rendezvous with Napier Flash is manipulated into a desperate and daring scheme, to travel in Indian disguise and woo an Abyssinian queen to assist the British Army’s cause. On the scene is Henry Morton Stanley reporting for the New York Herald. With an Ethiopian guide, the tall and lovely noble woman Uliba, Flash reluctantly embarks on his quest to find the warrior queen Masteeat. Chased by slavers intent to capture Uliba, Flash is imprisoned and tortured by her sadistic suitor, but rescued by another admirer. Through the devastated land, burned down villages, corpses, vultures and hyenas they ride towards Lake Tana. Theodore has been battling rebels, crucifying and burning alive all his enemies.
Nearing the encampment of Masteeat, past the source of the Blue Nile, Uliba and Flash are chased by Theodore’s guards. In the course of their escape Flash plunges over the falls and is separated from Uliba. In audience with the queen he finds she survived the cataract, no thanks to Flash since he kicked her over to save himself. Uliba plots a terrible revenge and a coup against Masteeat, who has agreed to support a British attack on Theodore. Kidnapped and nearly castrated by Uliba, Flash is captured by Theodore, taken hostage to an impregnable fortress atop a mountain by Amazonian guard women. With Napier’s army on the march Flashman endures a week in the grip of a madman before the Battle of Magdala.
This fantastic enterprise ended in Theodore’s defeat and the Army’s retreat without colonization of Ethiopia. Aside from some loot now in the British Museum they brought back Theodore’s son by his father’s request to be raised in London under the wing of Queen Victoria. Unfortunately he died of disease at age 19. George MacDonald Fraser has a simple formula over decades of Flashman favorites; pick an imperial campaign, thrust Flash unwillingly in the middle of it, have Flash captured and escape a gruesome death, entangle Flash with a lusty lady and survive to undeserved acclaim. After several of these novels the reader can almost imagine what will likely occur next, but it doesn’t detract from the fun.
March 6, 2017
Four stars for the book itself, but an extra one just because, you know, damn.
Fraser wrote his first Flashman book way back in 1969...and continued writing them for the next 35 years, publishing the last one - the twelfth one, this one - in 2005. And I'll be darned if this last one isn't as good and fresh as the first one, and reads like it could have been written yesterday. To put that in perspective, Ian Fleming only wrote James Bond for 13 years, from 1953-1966. The nearest comparison (that I can think of anyway) is Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series, (aka Master and Commander), which lacks anything near the variety or education that Fraser offers us through Flashy's global adventures.
My last Fraser was the mid-series Flashman's Lady, which was good but a little all over the place compared to March. The first quarter of that book was a long slog about cricket, with the rest split awkwardly between adventures in Borneo and Madagascar. Still, I really enjoyed it, thanks to my existing interest in Singapore/Borneo and my non-existent knowledge of anything Madagascan (?), and so I found that latter section - in particular the historically accurate and completely Flash-worthy character of Queen Ranavalona - absolutely fascinating.
But March tells a more consistent story, i.e., England's "invasion" of Abyssinia (i.e., Ethiopia) in 1868. Having just read Alan Moorehead's excellent Blue Nile, I was interested to read the Flashmanized version of that bizarre episode, and March did not disappoint, (even if the book depended heavily on Moorehead for background and footnotes - and the footnotes are always highlights of any Flashman story). Interestingly - and I think wisely - Fraser does not send Flashman off with the main British invasion force, but has Colonel Napier (another fascinating figure little known to most Americans) assign him a secondary solo mission to help woo the anti-Emporer Galla tribes into supporting the British by blocking Emperor Theodore's sole escape route. This fact is touched on only lightly by Moorehouse, but Fraser cleverly saw this as the key to launching Flashy on his own parallel adventure while keeping him close enough to the main action to allow for a thorough and as-always historically accurate telling of the entire campaign.
To all my friends who enjoy historical fiction that is heavy in fact but light in tone - if you haven't read at least one Flashman story, you must do so immediately. Fraser covers so much ground - the Light Brigade, the Khyber Pass, the Taiping Rebellion, the Civil War, the Great Game - that there's bound to be at least one title in the series close to your hearts. Could not recommend more highly!
Fraser wrote his first Flashman book way back in 1969...and continued writing them for the next 35 years, publishing the last one - the twelfth one, this one - in 2005. And I'll be darned if this last one isn't as good and fresh as the first one, and reads like it could have been written yesterday. To put that in perspective, Ian Fleming only wrote James Bond for 13 years, from 1953-1966. The nearest comparison (that I can think of anyway) is Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series, (aka Master and Commander), which lacks anything near the variety or education that Fraser offers us through Flashy's global adventures.
My last Fraser was the mid-series Flashman's Lady, which was good but a little all over the place compared to March. The first quarter of that book was a long slog about cricket, with the rest split awkwardly between adventures in Borneo and Madagascar. Still, I really enjoyed it, thanks to my existing interest in Singapore/Borneo and my non-existent knowledge of anything Madagascan (?), and so I found that latter section - in particular the historically accurate and completely Flash-worthy character of Queen Ranavalona - absolutely fascinating.
But March tells a more consistent story, i.e., England's "invasion" of Abyssinia (i.e., Ethiopia) in 1868. Having just read Alan Moorehead's excellent Blue Nile, I was interested to read the Flashmanized version of that bizarre episode, and March did not disappoint, (even if the book depended heavily on Moorehead for background and footnotes - and the footnotes are always highlights of any Flashman story). Interestingly - and I think wisely - Fraser does not send Flashman off with the main British invasion force, but has Colonel Napier (another fascinating figure little known to most Americans) assign him a secondary solo mission to help woo the anti-Emporer Galla tribes into supporting the British by blocking Emperor Theodore's sole escape route. This fact is touched on only lightly by Moorehouse, but Fraser cleverly saw this as the key to launching Flashy on his own parallel adventure while keeping him close enough to the main action to allow for a thorough and as-always historically accurate telling of the entire campaign.
To all my friends who enjoy historical fiction that is heavy in fact but light in tone - if you haven't read at least one Flashman story, you must do so immediately. Fraser covers so much ground - the Light Brigade, the Khyber Pass, the Taiping Rebellion, the Civil War, the Great Game - that there's bound to be at least one title in the series close to your hearts. Could not recommend more highly!
July 27, 2015
Written in 2005, it is the last book of the series. I am mad at myself for not reading this series earlier. The Flashman is truly one of the great characters of literature. I can see the Flashman's influence in the works of Joe Abercrombie, whose character Jezal is a chip off the Flashy's block and Mark Lawrence's Jalan Kendeth is a direct descendent. Will there be another Flashman story ever? I hope so, after reading Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks it is possible to add to a beloved series. What George MacDonald Fraser did, taking a character first found in Tom Brown's School Days is akin to a writer a hundred years from now taking JK Rowling's Malfoy and made him the unseen player in George Bush's political and military misadventures. And do it with a comedic style. A grand total of 12 books in the series, each one follows a similar story arc set in some historical event. A great way to learn about the British Imperialist Age with a few side trips to America.
March 16, 2020
To the best of my knowledge, this is the publication of the last (twelfth) packet of the Flashman Papers, as George MacDonald Fraser passed away in 2008. Our favourite cad and bounder is off on a trek across Abyssinia in the late 1860s, ahead of the military rescue force led by General Robert "Bughunter Bob" Napier.
August 10, 2013
And so it ends. No more Flashman. A hole opens up before me.... But what a super book to end on. I'd never even heard of the Abyssinian Campaign before! How a mighty British force made an amazing march through the Horn of Africa to free a few British prisoners held by a madman (Theodorus) at great cost (nine million pounds! In 1867!! No mean sum!!!) and barely any loss of life (on the British part) and then went home again, job done. Amazing!
Naturally our hero, Flashman, plays a not insignificant role in this success (are we surprised) but, as I've mentioned before - he's not really a coward or blackguard, he's merely aware of the dangers of sticking your head above the parapet! And so often, once you have a reputation for derring-do, cunning and ruthlessness, then people are just prepared to build on that reputation - even if you swear blind you didn't do it!
The Flashman Papers really should be on the reading list of any budding historian interested in the Victorian era - there is so much to learn in them. I shall sadly miss that old devil!
Naturally our hero, Flashman, plays a not insignificant role in this success (are we surprised) but, as I've mentioned before - he's not really a coward or blackguard, he's merely aware of the dangers of sticking your head above the parapet! And so often, once you have a reputation for derring-do, cunning and ruthlessness, then people are just prepared to build on that reputation - even if you swear blind you didn't do it!
The Flashman Papers really should be on the reading list of any budding historian interested in the Victorian era - there is so much to learn in them. I shall sadly miss that old devil!
Did Not Finish
June 14, 2022I'm not providing a rating for Flashman on the March, the last book in the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. Unfortunately I didn't finish it. It wasn't as offensive as the last one I tried and also didn't finish. This one just started to bore me.
The plot had potential. Flash is tasked to go to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) to deliver funds to a British general who is building an army there to attack an Abyssinian general (ruler), Theodore. Theodore is crazy, an insane murderer. Flash is assigned a mission by the general. To go into Abyssinia and meet up with another ruler, a queen. He goes with her sister and gets involved in adventures along the way. But after reading half of the book, I just felt blah about continuing it. I have so many books to read and unfortunately for this series, I just don't see the need to continue with it. Sorry to Mr. Fraser.
I won't read any more books in this series. No rating.
The plot had potential. Flash is tasked to go to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) to deliver funds to a British general who is building an army there to attack an Abyssinian general (ruler), Theodore. Theodore is crazy, an insane murderer. Flash is assigned a mission by the general. To go into Abyssinia and meet up with another ruler, a queen. He goes with her sister and gets involved in adventures along the way. But after reading half of the book, I just felt blah about continuing it. I have so many books to read and unfortunately for this series, I just don't see the need to continue with it. Sorry to Mr. Fraser.
I won't read any more books in this series. No rating.
January 9, 2023
This is the twelfth and final installment of the Flashman Papers, and a fitting and satisfying finale.
Here Flashy gets pressed into working as a British spy of sorts during the Abyssinian Expedition of 1868, where Robert Napier led British and Indian troops through the otherworldly terrain of Ethiopia to rescue 200 hostages held captive by the monstrous and erratic Emperor Theodore (Tewodros II). Going in, I had almost zero knowledge of this particular military foray which made it all the more interesting.
I’m saddened that I have reached the last of Fraser’s books. He died in 2008, but he left a remarkable legacy. Overall the series has been a very entertaining way of learning about British military history of the Victorian era. Or is it a very educational way of enjoying bawdy adventure stories? Either way, it’s been a a great ride!
And thanks to Michael for the excellent recommendation!
Here Flashy gets pressed into working as a British spy of sorts during the Abyssinian Expedition of 1868, where Robert Napier led British and Indian troops through the otherworldly terrain of Ethiopia to rescue 200 hostages held captive by the monstrous and erratic Emperor Theodore (Tewodros II). Going in, I had almost zero knowledge of this particular military foray which made it all the more interesting.
I’m saddened that I have reached the last of Fraser’s books. He died in 2008, but he left a remarkable legacy. Overall the series has been a very entertaining way of learning about British military history of the Victorian era. Or is it a very educational way of enjoying bawdy adventure stories? Either way, it’s been a a great ride!
And thanks to Michael for the excellent recommendation!
September 26, 2016
Not the finest Flashman but still head and shoulders above most other roguish anti heroes. This time Flashy is caught up in the British invasion of Abyssinia to secure the release of hostages held by Emperor Tewodros II sometimes known as Theodore. There's all the usual stuff, sex, violence, cowardly behaviour, lots of fascinating historical fact with Flashy woven into it seamlessly. The only reason this isn't the usual 5 stars is that Flashman never feels like he's in the usual, constant terrifying peril.
As an aside throughout the Flashman novels the copious notes are as readable as the stories themselves.
I'm just sad that I've finished all of the novels now...
As an aside throughout the Flashman novels the copious notes are as readable as the stories themselves.
I'm just sad that I've finished all of the novels now...
October 11, 2012
In his last misadventure, Flashy matches wits with a psychotic King and a variety of scheming beauties during Britain’s 1868 invasion of Abyssinia. Fraser nicely returns to form with exciting battle scenes, vivid descriptions of Abyssinian barbarity and sharply drawn characters. Flashy himself engages in characteristic crudity, alleviating accusations of “going soft.” Demerits include several dodgy plot contrivances and crabby Iraq War commentary towards the end. Flaws aside, March is a fine sendoff for our favorite cad and bounder.
August 16, 2017
Yet Another Flashman adventure, this time to Abyssinia, 1868, on a British rescue/punitive mission against mad King Theodore (Toowodoros) at Magdala. Another fine outing for Flashy, and more entertaining reading for us: ". . a tawny young beauty remarking to my captors: 'If we feed him into the fire, little by little, he will speak. . . .' Aye, it's an interesting country, Abyssinia."
"Sir Harry Paget Flashman isn't just another eminent Victorian; he is also the stuff of legend and truly an inspiration to us all." -- Wash. Post review, 2005
"Sir Harry Paget Flashman isn't just another eminent Victorian; he is also the stuff of legend and truly an inspiration to us all." -- Wash. Post review, 2005
November 4, 2025
Creo que es el último libro de Flashman que han traducido al castellano y la verdad ya me estaba hartando. Muy monótonos aunque siempre trae alguna aventura del ejército inglés que no es muy conocida en España. En esta ocasión trata de un ataque contra el emperador Theodore II de Abisinia que había apresado al embajador británico y a otros europeos y querían que los liberara. Tiene un detalle que me ha fastidiado de este libro. Proclama que el descubridor del Nilo Azul fue el aventuirero escocés James Bruce en el siglo XVIII cuando es de sobra conocido que siglo y medio antes, estuvo allí el jesuita español Pedro Páez, en fin, cosas de los británicos....
May 30, 2022
Fantastic as always.
August 5, 2012
I found this rather a disappointment, coming as the last Flashman book. It's rather a retread of the previous full-length story, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, in that Flashman spends a while tootling about rather aimlessly before being present in the final days of a dangerously unstable historical figure whom he sees as deeply ambivalent. In both, the former part of the story is the more interesting.
While the society Flashman's visiting here is a fascinating one, there's little exploration of it, as our anti-hero travels incognito through various backwaters before falling into the murderous hands of the Emperor Theodore of Abyssinia. The military history is less interesting than usual (though there's more of it here than in The Angel of the Lord), and the fact that it's the British Empire's single most successful military campaign, and we know this from the beginning, rather defuses the potential for drama.
Flashman's narrative voice is as entertaining as ever, mind you, and while his outlook's mellowed enormously since the early novels (not entirely as a result of his getting older), he's still capable of being enough of a bastard to keep the story interesting. Not his greatest campaign, though, and as a swansong it's a bit hoarse.
While the society Flashman's visiting here is a fascinating one, there's little exploration of it, as our anti-hero travels incognito through various backwaters before falling into the murderous hands of the Emperor Theodore of Abyssinia. The military history is less interesting than usual (though there's more of it here than in The Angel of the Lord), and the fact that it's the British Empire's single most successful military campaign, and we know this from the beginning, rather defuses the potential for drama.
Flashman's narrative voice is as entertaining as ever, mind you, and while his outlook's mellowed enormously since the early novels (not entirely as a result of his getting older), he's still capable of being enough of a bastard to keep the story interesting. Not his greatest campaign, though, and as a swansong it's a bit hoarse.
April 19, 2018
Five years after starting the Flashman series, I end the series on a high. Last couple only got 3 stars from me, but this is classic Flashman, told by GMF with all the necessary ingredients.
Flashman is in Africa and getting involved in the 1868 Abyssinian Expedition, where British Troops had to rescue missionary hostages from the mad emperor Theodore.
If you've got to book 12, you'll know exactly what to expect. Flashman is here in all his glory, providing the laughs, looking after number 1 and being present (directly influencing) all the major actions in the incident.
A perfect way to learn history and possibly the best series of books in literature.
I'm going to miss him tremendously.
Flashman is in Africa and getting involved in the 1868 Abyssinian Expedition, where British Troops had to rescue missionary hostages from the mad emperor Theodore.
If you've got to book 12, you'll know exactly what to expect. Flashman is here in all his glory, providing the laughs, looking after number 1 and being present (directly influencing) all the major actions in the incident.
A perfect way to learn history and possibly the best series of books in literature.
I'm going to miss him tremendously.
January 6, 2020
The British Empire was (I understand) a great pile of thieves and brutes and sexual indulgence and drunkenness and killing. So it makes sense to me that one of its prime literary avatars is Sir Harry Flashman, rogue, coward, and hero of the British Empire. The adventures are delightful, the racism and sexism casual, and the whole thing is beautifully complicated by what a terrible person our hero Flashman is. Lots of sex, lots of betrayals, a certain amount of hero worship, and well written action.
May 11, 2021
"I'd be skulking behind enemy lines, figged out like Ali Baba, risking capture by a maniac who twisted his victims' limbs off, and playing travelling salesman to a demented bitch who thought it ever so jolly to throw visitors to the lions – and not a thing to be done about it except feign eagerness with a churning stomach and a grin of glad hurrah…" (pg. 57)
Flashman on the March is a fine end to the long-running series, representing any and all of the qualities which have made the Flashman Papers my number one all-time favourite read. There is a rollicking adventure, engrossing prose, moments of pathos and stomach-churning horror, lashings of humour, meticulous historical research, stirring battle scenes and, perhaps above all, well-drawn characters. Not least the titular anti-hero Harry Flashman, in my opinion the greatest comedic character in literature (though the only thing in March's minus column is that there is an absence of Flashy's dotty wife Elspeth – who in previous books proved to be the second greatest comedic character in literature). You just never tire of hearing Flashy's un-PC musings and sly turns-of-phrase.
I'll not talk much about Flashman on the March specifically in this review, because I'll just end up recycling stuff I've said in past reviews. That's not a criticism, because whilst there is often a Flashman 'formula' each book feels fresh and different. March sees us again with Flashy shanghaied into a British military campaign in Abyssinia (author George MacDonald Fraser makes a thought-provoking contrast to the then-current Iraq War in his foreword) and fleeing and fornicating his way to a happy ending, all the while commenting on the various scenarios and characters in his inimitable way. For example, the British general wants him, if worst comes to the worst, to kill the mad Abyssinian emperor Theodore – who had all the other mad monarchs he'd met beat "in the race to Alice's tea party" (pg. 203) – in order to avoid public embarrassment of a trial. We "can't have him hanging around Aldershot on a pension", you know (pg. 111).
I've already waxed lyrical about the various qualities of the Flashman novels in my reviews of the previous eleven books; on that note, I suppose all there is left to say in their credit is that I have often lamented that there are "only" twelve of the books. I could happily read another hundred. I can turn now to some of Fraser's other works – his reputedly-brilliant war memoir Quartered Safe Out Here and his self-admittedly "nonsense" novel The Reavers both sit on my shelf primed and ready to go – but to be honest I doubt there'll ever be anything else that ticks all of the criteria I look for in a good book. It's a terrible cliché, I know, but I've often got the feeling that these books could have been written just for me. I've read hundreds of books over the last few years alone and, no matter how often I reconsider it, the Flashman Papers come out top every time.
I should also (for the first time in my reviews of the Flashman books) credit where I first heard of the series. I fortuitously came across a glowing review/critique of this last book, Flashman on the March, in the Arguably compendium of writings by Christopher Hitchens and it was Hitchens' examples of Flashman's poltroonery and bastardry (not least the stuff with Uliba-Wark at the waterfall in March) which got me interested. I expected a good laugh in picking up the first Flashman book – and I got it – but never expected that I would also find such consistently incredible and engrossing adventure fiction, such dedicated historical research, so much pathos and cynicism and craft. And each book with an average of only about 300 pages, b'gad!
"You can always tell when something is coming to an end. You know, by the way events are shaping, that it can't last much longer, but you think there are still a few days or weeks to go… and that's the moment when it finishes with a sudden bang that you didn't expect. Come to think of it, that's probably true of life, or so it strikes me at the age of ninety – but I don't expect it to happen before tea. Yet one of these days the muffins will grow cold and the tea-cakes congeal as they summon the lads from belowstairs to cart the old cadaver up to the best bedroom. And if I've a moment before the light fades, I'll be able to cry, 'Sold, Starnberg and Ignatieff and Iron Eyes and Gul Shah and Charity Spring and all the rest of you bastards who tried to do for old Flashy, 'cos he's going out on his own, and be damned to you!'" (pg. 257)
Flashman on the March is a fine end to the long-running series, representing any and all of the qualities which have made the Flashman Papers my number one all-time favourite read. There is a rollicking adventure, engrossing prose, moments of pathos and stomach-churning horror, lashings of humour, meticulous historical research, stirring battle scenes and, perhaps above all, well-drawn characters. Not least the titular anti-hero Harry Flashman, in my opinion the greatest comedic character in literature (though the only thing in March's minus column is that there is an absence of Flashy's dotty wife Elspeth – who in previous books proved to be the second greatest comedic character in literature). You just never tire of hearing Flashy's un-PC musings and sly turns-of-phrase.
I'll not talk much about Flashman on the March specifically in this review, because I'll just end up recycling stuff I've said in past reviews. That's not a criticism, because whilst there is often a Flashman 'formula' each book feels fresh and different. March sees us again with Flashy shanghaied into a British military campaign in Abyssinia (author George MacDonald Fraser makes a thought-provoking contrast to the then-current Iraq War in his foreword) and fleeing and fornicating his way to a happy ending, all the while commenting on the various scenarios and characters in his inimitable way. For example, the British general wants him, if worst comes to the worst, to kill the mad Abyssinian emperor Theodore – who had all the other mad monarchs he'd met beat "in the race to Alice's tea party" (pg. 203) – in order to avoid public embarrassment of a trial. We "can't have him hanging around Aldershot on a pension", you know (pg. 111).
I've already waxed lyrical about the various qualities of the Flashman novels in my reviews of the previous eleven books; on that note, I suppose all there is left to say in their credit is that I have often lamented that there are "only" twelve of the books. I could happily read another hundred. I can turn now to some of Fraser's other works – his reputedly-brilliant war memoir Quartered Safe Out Here and his self-admittedly "nonsense" novel The Reavers both sit on my shelf primed and ready to go – but to be honest I doubt there'll ever be anything else that ticks all of the criteria I look for in a good book. It's a terrible cliché, I know, but I've often got the feeling that these books could have been written just for me. I've read hundreds of books over the last few years alone and, no matter how often I reconsider it, the Flashman Papers come out top every time.
I should also (for the first time in my reviews of the Flashman books) credit where I first heard of the series. I fortuitously came across a glowing review/critique of this last book, Flashman on the March, in the Arguably compendium of writings by Christopher Hitchens and it was Hitchens' examples of Flashman's poltroonery and bastardry (not least the stuff with Uliba-Wark at the waterfall in March) which got me interested. I expected a good laugh in picking up the first Flashman book – and I got it – but never expected that I would also find such consistently incredible and engrossing adventure fiction, such dedicated historical research, so much pathos and cynicism and craft. And each book with an average of only about 300 pages, b'gad!
"You can always tell when something is coming to an end. You know, by the way events are shaping, that it can't last much longer, but you think there are still a few days or weeks to go… and that's the moment when it finishes with a sudden bang that you didn't expect. Come to think of it, that's probably true of life, or so it strikes me at the age of ninety – but I don't expect it to happen before tea. Yet one of these days the muffins will grow cold and the tea-cakes congeal as they summon the lads from belowstairs to cart the old cadaver up to the best bedroom. And if I've a moment before the light fades, I'll be able to cry, 'Sold, Starnberg and Ignatieff and Iron Eyes and Gul Shah and Charity Spring and all the rest of you bastards who tried to do for old Flashy, 'cos he's going out on his own, and be damned to you!'" (pg. 257)
September 14, 2008
By virtue of being the last Flashman novel Fraser put to paper before passing away, it is the end of the series. Sadly, we shall never know the full story of Flashy's adventures during the American Civil War. Though they referred to for one last time here, this novel takes place during an 1867-68 military expedition to Ethiopia (called by its then-current name, Abyssinia, in the novel) by which Her Majesty's soldiers seek to free British captives of a local tyrant. As usual, our spineless, self-preserving antihero is thrust right into the middle of it all, only come out covered in the usual unearned glory at the end. As usual, the adventures are recounted as memoir in Flashman's bantering, snide, yet delightfully self-honest style.
Flashman enters the novel as a fugitive from Juarista forces in Mexico, seeking revenge for his service to the recently executed Maximilian. After botching his escape aboard the Austrian bearing Max's body home from Mexico by bedding a young Austrian noble girl whose family in turn wants revenge, Sir Harry flees to the greater safety (he thinks) of the Abyssinian invasion, where he is promptly drafted to become an undercover messenger to a warrior queen. It's a mission that eventually leads him to be captured by the mad monarch target of the expedition. Along the way Flashman finds himself trapped in the usual number of dungeons, and beds more than the usual number of women who then get him into deeper trouble. For those of you familiar with Sir Harry Flashman I would rate this novel among the better in the series. Very strong for all but the last couple of chapters, faltering only there where Flashy becomes less an actor than a spectator to the action. In a departure from earlier novels Sir Harry has moments of fatalism in the face of impending danger.
For those of you no familiar with Harry Flashman I must tell you that you are missing a real treat. The Flashman Papers are the fictional autobiography of Britain's greatest military hero of the 19th Century, by a man who survives almost every major battle (and almost every debacle) from the First Afghan War to the Zulu War. When he is not serving queen and country he is overseas participating in other nation's debacles, such as the Little Bighorn. But the joke is that our narrator is a dreadful human being, a liar, an abject coward, self-serving, and more than ready to bed any willing woman who comes along. He gets by on charisma, and by constantly polishing an accidentally earned reputation for bravery. He's not above an expedient murder when his life or reputation is in jeopardy Grand attention to historical detail is as much a feature of the stories, as is a caustic and irreverent wit by which very few of the historical figures featured ever come out looking well. If you have never read a Flashman novel I urge you to start with the first one, Flashman. You can read them out of order-they all stand alone well enough-but are probably best enjoyed in the order written.
Flashman enters the novel as a fugitive from Juarista forces in Mexico, seeking revenge for his service to the recently executed Maximilian. After botching his escape aboard the Austrian bearing Max's body home from Mexico by bedding a young Austrian noble girl whose family in turn wants revenge, Sir Harry flees to the greater safety (he thinks) of the Abyssinian invasion, where he is promptly drafted to become an undercover messenger to a warrior queen. It's a mission that eventually leads him to be captured by the mad monarch target of the expedition. Along the way Flashman finds himself trapped in the usual number of dungeons, and beds more than the usual number of women who then get him into deeper trouble. For those of you familiar with Sir Harry Flashman I would rate this novel among the better in the series. Very strong for all but the last couple of chapters, faltering only there where Flashy becomes less an actor than a spectator to the action. In a departure from earlier novels Sir Harry has moments of fatalism in the face of impending danger.
For those of you no familiar with Harry Flashman I must tell you that you are missing a real treat. The Flashman Papers are the fictional autobiography of Britain's greatest military hero of the 19th Century, by a man who survives almost every major battle (and almost every debacle) from the First Afghan War to the Zulu War. When he is not serving queen and country he is overseas participating in other nation's debacles, such as the Little Bighorn. But the joke is that our narrator is a dreadful human being, a liar, an abject coward, self-serving, and more than ready to bed any willing woman who comes along. He gets by on charisma, and by constantly polishing an accidentally earned reputation for bravery. He's not above an expedient murder when his life or reputation is in jeopardy Grand attention to historical detail is as much a feature of the stories, as is a caustic and irreverent wit by which very few of the historical figures featured ever come out looking well. If you have never read a Flashman novel I urge you to start with the first one, Flashman. You can read them out of order-they all stand alone well enough-but are probably best enjoyed in the order written.
June 13, 2009
Flashman finds himself on a secret mission in Abyssinia and tries his best to save his old skin while dealing with passionate queens and mad kings. Not the best of Flashman novels, as for large parts of it he just observes the events around him, rather than inadvertently influencing them with his poltroonery. Still, even an average Flashman novel is a vastly entertaining prospect.
George MacDonald Fraser's death last year means that this is the end of the road for Flashman, and we'll never know more about those adventures merely alluded to in the books – for instance, whatever skulduggery he was up to in Mexico, and how he served on both sides of the American Civil War. And the fact that readers are deprived of this makes me very sad.
(I've read pretty much all of the Flashman books while sat on long train journeys. Somewhere along the line I just fell into the habit of picking up one of these books before boarding a locomotive, and I've been pondering my reasons for this. I think it's largely because any reasonably long train journey in Britain is bound to involve a lot of waiting around and frustration, until you start to believe that it’s a karmic punishment for some unknown crime in a former life – today’s trip was a particularly poor example, thanks a lot Great Western Railways! As such, these tales of great – if accidental – adventure in far off places, of lusty and busty females, add a brighter hue to what is a terribly soul-numbng experience.
Cheers Harry! Give it a couple of years and I’ll start them all over again.)
George MacDonald Fraser's death last year means that this is the end of the road for Flashman, and we'll never know more about those adventures merely alluded to in the books – for instance, whatever skulduggery he was up to in Mexico, and how he served on both sides of the American Civil War. And the fact that readers are deprived of this makes me very sad.
(I've read pretty much all of the Flashman books while sat on long train journeys. Somewhere along the line I just fell into the habit of picking up one of these books before boarding a locomotive, and I've been pondering my reasons for this. I think it's largely because any reasonably long train journey in Britain is bound to involve a lot of waiting around and frustration, until you start to believe that it’s a karmic punishment for some unknown crime in a former life – today’s trip was a particularly poor example, thanks a lot Great Western Railways! As such, these tales of great – if accidental – adventure in far off places, of lusty and busty females, add a brighter hue to what is a terribly soul-numbng experience.
Cheers Harry! Give it a couple of years and I’ll start them all over again.)
October 20, 2015
Flashman is back. I mean, back in my reading list. The last but one made me think of the many things that make me like the stories very much. For all his cowardliness and faults, Flashman has such a charm to attract, it is becoming difficult to imagine that I've only one book left to read. But then such is life.
In the March, as always, Flashman finds himself running from a jealous uncle who is mad at him for 'teaching' his niece the ways of the flesh, he lands in the middle of Africa with the troops of Napier with a secret assignment to enlist the Galla queens for supporting the British. What happens next is a series of misadventures where Flashman lands with the different parties of the conflict and of course hell bent on his survival.
In the course of it, he also recounts the various situations which keep repeating in his every adventures. The Lusty queens, his prowess in bed, the killer kings, the crazy savages and the fancy customs of the new world that is being discovered. History has never been this sexier ever.
I was thinking of the parallels of Flashman with the other British spy, James Bond. In fact, at one place, Flashman calls himself 'Assassin Extraordinaire' which applies equally to Bond as well. May be Bond is not as cowardly as Flashman (at least outwardly) but all the other things fall in place. Strange but fascinating.
Overall, recommended if you like adventure, fun, wit and a little history while you are at it.
In the March, as always, Flashman finds himself running from a jealous uncle who is mad at him for 'teaching' his niece the ways of the flesh, he lands in the middle of Africa with the troops of Napier with a secret assignment to enlist the Galla queens for supporting the British. What happens next is a series of misadventures where Flashman lands with the different parties of the conflict and of course hell bent on his survival.
In the course of it, he also recounts the various situations which keep repeating in his every adventures. The Lusty queens, his prowess in bed, the killer kings, the crazy savages and the fancy customs of the new world that is being discovered. History has never been this sexier ever.
I was thinking of the parallels of Flashman with the other British spy, James Bond. In fact, at one place, Flashman calls himself 'Assassin Extraordinaire' which applies equally to Bond as well. May be Bond is not as cowardly as Flashman (at least outwardly) but all the other things fall in place. Strange but fascinating.
Overall, recommended if you like adventure, fun, wit and a little history while you are at it.
August 4, 2011
Splendid! And in true Flashman style, too. Fresh from his adventures in Mexico following the US Civil War, his sea passage back to Europe was not uneventful (in the amourous sense), but landed him in trouble with the Austrian authorities when he disembarked at Trieste. His subsequent attempt to escape the present troubles in turn landed him in Abbyssinia, right at the start of the campaign, and of course more trouble. His old Army acquaintance, General Sir Robert Napier talks Flashy into taking up a hush-hush mission to aid in the overall campaign, and Flashy (despite his attempts to do otherwise) simply finds himself swept into the eye of the storm. And of course, not without the infrequent sexual liaisons along the way, the hallmark of Flashman. Also, Flashman's incredible luck holds steady throughout (as always, I must add), allowing him to escape some of the most terrifying fates, and permitting the eminent Victorian figure to soldier on for the British Empire - unwittingly, of course!
June 15, 2019
Flashman started out as a subversive, satirical figure, but over the years author Fraser evolved into an enthusiast and apologist for the British Empire. Writers are entitled to change their minds. But because Fraser makes so much of his fidelity to history, with footnotes, appendices, etc., it is important to note that he commits a manor omission in this novel to serve his political agenda.
He writes in the Introduction: "For Flashman's story is about a British army sent out in a good and honest cause by a government who knew what honour meant....There were no false excuses, no deceits, no cover-ups or lies, just a decent resolve to do a government's first duty: to protect its people, whatever the cost. To quote Flashman again, those were the days."
Fraser makes no mention of what the British General Napier did, after defeating the Abyssinians. He ordered his army to thoroughly plunder their capital city. Some of the loot can still be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
He writes in the Introduction: "For Flashman's story is about a British army sent out in a good and honest cause by a government who knew what honour meant....There were no false excuses, no deceits, no cover-ups or lies, just a decent resolve to do a government's first duty: to protect its people, whatever the cost. To quote Flashman again, those were the days."
Fraser makes no mention of what the British General Napier did, after defeating the Abyssinians. He ordered his army to thoroughly plunder their capital city. Some of the loot can still be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
January 1, 2017
Flashman's contribution to Napier's Abyssinia campaign is detailed in this story. It starts with Flashy's escape from Mexico, and the usual reasons for his need for a sharp exit on landfall (a woman). Again, as usual, he ends up with a less than direct route back to Elspeth.
Which, while it sounds formulaic, is fine.
The trouble for me with this novel, is that the formula isn't stuck to all the way through. The first half of the novel is great, the usual Flashy hijinks, the usual scrapes with exotic women, the usual fights, flights and economies with he truth, and all very entertaining. Once Harry is captured by Theodore, it all becomes, well, boring.
Sadly at that point it becomes little more than a historical report, which is fine, but far drier than earlier novels, which for me, reflects the star rating. First half of the book, great, the second half, not so.
Which, while it sounds formulaic, is fine.
The trouble for me with this novel, is that the formula isn't stuck to all the way through. The first half of the novel is great, the usual Flashy hijinks, the usual scrapes with exotic women, the usual fights, flights and economies with he truth, and all very entertaining. Once Harry is captured by Theodore, it all becomes, well, boring.
Sadly at that point it becomes little more than a historical report, which is fine, but far drier than earlier novels, which for me, reflects the star rating. First half of the book, great, the second half, not so.
February 15, 2009
In hindsight, knowing this is the last Flashman book we're going to have from Fraser, this is a good entry in the series, and a fitting endnote for Flash Harry. I do wish we'd heard more about his exploits in the Zulu War, or found out what side he ultimately sided with in the American Civil War, or even heard about any of his adventures in Canada during the early days of the Northwest Mounted Police, but this is a satisfying entry in the series, and sees Flashy going out on a high note.
February 17, 2012
Flashy joins an expedition, led by Napier, to rescue British hostages of the mad Abyssinian king Theodore. This is one of the weakest entries in the series --- Flashman is almost nonchalant in his lack of fear, and rather than being placed right in the historical thick of things and given responsibility for important events, as in other books, here is merely an observer for the most part. So this is a bad Flashman book, which means it’s a fairly good historical fiction.
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June 3, 2012The twelfth installment of the Flashman papers continues the memoirs of Sir Harry Flashman*; famed hero, decorated officer of the British Army, one of the most outstanding figures of the Victorian era and a complete fraud.
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October 30, 2017A fitting, if premature, end to The Flashman Papers. Abyssinia in the late 1860s, and Flash Harry once more the inside agent of the Crown, funking everything, fornicating whenever possible, and emerging triumphant in the eyes of his peers at the story’s end. Great fun, if not approached from the perspective of political correctness.
September 17, 2018
This Flashman is rather brutal, but the warriors who decorate their lances with the courting-tackle of their enemies, the masskillings of mad emperor Theodore, and the horrible torture of prisoners is all for real.
MacDonald Fraser succeeds again to catch and show us a historic window to the past.
And good it is to close it again.
MacDonald Fraser succeeds again to catch and show us a historic window to the past.
And good it is to close it again.
March 21, 2017
Wonderful as ever. Can't believe this is the last one and that there never will be more. Time for a reread of the entire series I think. Maybe not the best one of the series but still so much better than everything else out there.
June 12, 2021
It is like Forest Gump but with a British army guy.
Warning: Not Politically Correct.
Warning: Not Politically Correct.
December 16, 2020
When I find myself at a loss about how to next proceed in my reading, I look to one of the Flashman novels to divert me, though sometimes I withhold from myself the pleasure... I’ve been going slowly through the 12-volume series over the past six years, husbanding them with care, doling them out as if they were a non-renewable resource. There’s always an abundance of humor and good (well-researched) history in these novels, and the Zelig-like appearance of Flashman at the center of these events is especially entertaining, as he is perhaps the worst possible “hero” to have garnered so many laurels.
The “official” record of the Expedition to Abyssinia in 1868 does not include mention of Sir Harry Flashman, for several reasons (ignoring the fact that he’s a fictional character). First, Flashman’s participation came about serendipitously, and his name never made any official manifest from England. Second, his mission, once attached to General Sir Robert Napier’s forces, was covert. Third, it was presumed by Napier and his second in command that Flashman had killed King Theodore, which regicide would not be condoned by Her Majesty (hence, the story was circulated that Theodore had killed himself).
From a historical perspective, the “Expedition” was small potatoes, a mission to rescue some British and other Europeans held captive by King Theodore for nearly two years. And despite being only a rescue mission, Napier’s forces were embedded with a notable coterie of international correspondents, including Henry Stanley. The whole affair came about because Theodore felt himself insulted by the Queen and the British Home Office, for when he sent a letter requesting help in 1865, he never received a response. In the midst of a largely Muslim population, Theodore was a Christian ruler, and he assumed that the British (and other Europeans) would help him ensure his sovereignty against rival Muslim contenders. Instead, out of pique and some sense that he might be able to leverage the hostages for aid, he took captive English missionaries and diplomats.
Flashman ended up going the long way back to England after escaping the Juaristas in Mexico who’d overcome Maximillian’s forces, and in so doing encountered Napier at the outset of his 400-mile trek from the Red Sea to Magdala. It was Napier’s boundless admiration for Flashman’s abilities (!) that suggested to him Flashman’s utility as a covert emissary to one of the rival Muslim factions, to urge their cooperation in hemming in Theodore at his redoubt. Whilst Napier and his 13,000 British and Indian soldiers, 26,000 camp followers, and over 40,000 animals, including the 39 elephants, marched overland, Flashman goes off separately with a female guide to enlist the aid of Queen Masteeat. Flashman has ample time to engage in some derring-do, conjure sexual fantasies, and participate in an orgy of sex and food.
A quixotic series of events bring Flashman to Theodore, and he becomes that mad king’s captive/companion, so that much of the latter third of the novel details his attempts to avoid that man’s moments of cruel wrath. From all accounts, Theodore was brilliant and charismatic, but prone to sudden bouts of fury and paranoia, only too eager to kill someone for a perceived slight. Whole villages had been razed and tens of thousands of people slaughtered to establish/maintain his rule. The actual battle between Napier and Theodore was anticlimactic, and while Napier’s forces lost only 20 men, Theodore lost over 1700. When Theodore’s great 5-ton cannon exploded, Theodore retreated to his fortress. Even though Theodore released all the captives, he would not surrender, and in the siege of Magdala, he took his life.
The English very quickly departed (taking away the European captives and many items that ended in the British Museum), and left the country to its own devices. The whole affair cost Britain over 9 million pounds, a fact that embarrassed the British government. The story of the “expedition” is a peculiar novelty, and Fraser recasts this largely forgotten episode in a generally positive light, conveying admiration for the men and their leaders (particularly Napier), casting opprobrium only on the British Home Office. Fraser’s research into the events is impeccable, and his 20 pages of endnotes highlight the many different sources (other than Flashman’s memoirs) that inform this tale of an affronted Empire exacting its due.
The “official” record of the Expedition to Abyssinia in 1868 does not include mention of Sir Harry Flashman, for several reasons (ignoring the fact that he’s a fictional character). First, Flashman’s participation came about serendipitously, and his name never made any official manifest from England. Second, his mission, once attached to General Sir Robert Napier’s forces, was covert. Third, it was presumed by Napier and his second in command that Flashman had killed King Theodore, which regicide would not be condoned by Her Majesty (hence, the story was circulated that Theodore had killed himself).
From a historical perspective, the “Expedition” was small potatoes, a mission to rescue some British and other Europeans held captive by King Theodore for nearly two years. And despite being only a rescue mission, Napier’s forces were embedded with a notable coterie of international correspondents, including Henry Stanley. The whole affair came about because Theodore felt himself insulted by the Queen and the British Home Office, for when he sent a letter requesting help in 1865, he never received a response. In the midst of a largely Muslim population, Theodore was a Christian ruler, and he assumed that the British (and other Europeans) would help him ensure his sovereignty against rival Muslim contenders. Instead, out of pique and some sense that he might be able to leverage the hostages for aid, he took captive English missionaries and diplomats.
Flashman ended up going the long way back to England after escaping the Juaristas in Mexico who’d overcome Maximillian’s forces, and in so doing encountered Napier at the outset of his 400-mile trek from the Red Sea to Magdala. It was Napier’s boundless admiration for Flashman’s abilities (!) that suggested to him Flashman’s utility as a covert emissary to one of the rival Muslim factions, to urge their cooperation in hemming in Theodore at his redoubt. Whilst Napier and his 13,000 British and Indian soldiers, 26,000 camp followers, and over 40,000 animals, including the 39 elephants, marched overland, Flashman goes off separately with a female guide to enlist the aid of Queen Masteeat. Flashman has ample time to engage in some derring-do, conjure sexual fantasies, and participate in an orgy of sex and food.
A quixotic series of events bring Flashman to Theodore, and he becomes that mad king’s captive/companion, so that much of the latter third of the novel details his attempts to avoid that man’s moments of cruel wrath. From all accounts, Theodore was brilliant and charismatic, but prone to sudden bouts of fury and paranoia, only too eager to kill someone for a perceived slight. Whole villages had been razed and tens of thousands of people slaughtered to establish/maintain his rule. The actual battle between Napier and Theodore was anticlimactic, and while Napier’s forces lost only 20 men, Theodore lost over 1700. When Theodore’s great 5-ton cannon exploded, Theodore retreated to his fortress. Even though Theodore released all the captives, he would not surrender, and in the siege of Magdala, he took his life.
The English very quickly departed (taking away the European captives and many items that ended in the British Museum), and left the country to its own devices. The whole affair cost Britain over 9 million pounds, a fact that embarrassed the British government. The story of the “expedition” is a peculiar novelty, and Fraser recasts this largely forgotten episode in a generally positive light, conveying admiration for the men and their leaders (particularly Napier), casting opprobrium only on the British Home Office. Fraser’s research into the events is impeccable, and his 20 pages of endnotes highlight the many different sources (other than Flashman’s memoirs) that inform this tale of an affronted Empire exacting its due.
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