Flashman on the March
George MacDonald Fraser
317 pages including notes
published in 2005

Flashman on the March is the latest novel to be published in the Flashman series, six years after Flashman and the Tiger. This long time between books is worrisome, especially as George MacDonald Fraser isn't getting any younger, having just turned 81... There are still quite a few blind spots in Flashie's career Fraser still needs to chronicle and it would be disappointing if he died without doing so.

But let's worry about that later; for the moment there's a new Flashman novel and all's well with the world. Ever since I first read Flashman and the Mountain of Light -- the one Flashman novel the local library had in stock after John Ostrander praised these novels in the last Suicide Squad letters page -- I've always looked forward in anticipation to any Flashman novel I could get my hands on. I've never been disappointed, nor was I this time. Flashman on the March is as good as any of the Flashman novels and old Flashie is at his caddest best again.

Now there are two reasons I like these novels. There's of course Flashman himself, cad, bounder, seducer of another man's wife, hero against his own wishes and nature, and the adventures he get himself into. But there's also the history, the time in which Flashman's adventures take place and the way in which Fraser uses this. In this case the history is that of the Abyssinian War of 1868, a punitive expedition undertaken by the British against emperor Theodore II, who had taken the British consul and his staff, as well as several other Europeans, hostage.

Flashie becomes entangled in the expedition when he's stranded in Trieste and runs into an old friend, who asks him to take control of a shipment of much needed funds to the expedition. Normally Flashman wouldnt have touched this with a bargepole, but unfortunately there are some people in Trieste who he's trying to avoid (having been a bit intimate with a daughter of the aristocracy) so he's happy to oblige this time. Besides, he reckons it will be an easy trip and once the money is delivered he can go home to Elspeth again.

But of course, things don't work out this way, as it turns out one of Flashy's old comrade in arms, Bob Napier, is in charge of the expedition, and he has a nice little job for which Flashman is eminently suitable... To ensure the succes of the expedition Napier needs allies, and he needs Flashman to secretly enlist the help of Queen Masteeat of the Wollo Gallas, who may not be unmoved by Flashy's manly charms. To get to Queen Masteeat however, Flashman has to trek through hundreds of miles of enemy territory, only helpd by a beautiful native guide, who is also not immune to his charms. Complications ensue as they always do and things get hot for Flashman, but in true Flashman style he sails true them almost unharmed.

It's interesting to note how resigned Flashman, arch coward as he's supposed to be, is here to yet another dangerous adventure. In earlier times he would've done his best to escape his predicament, here he just harrumphs a bit before accepting, having learned that it's easier just to go along with what's expected from him.

As always, Fraser teases us with glimpses of other, not yet published adventures of Flashman, so it's to hope he's up to transcribing more of the Flashman packets soon.

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George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman on the March, historical fiction, book review