Historical fiction book · Curated
Flashman
George MacDonald Fraser · historical fiction
Series: The Flashman Papers
In 1839 Harry Flashman is expelled from Rugby, commissioned into Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, and posted on through India to Afghanistan. George MacDonald Fraser's 1969 novel is Victorian military historical fiction of the years that follow—the Retreat from Kabul, the last stand at Gandamak, and the Siege of Jalalabad—told by a coward the army takes for a hero.
Why read it: A widely searched Victorian war novel—the Fraser title readers look up by name (The Flashman Papers, book one), and an 1842 Afghanistan counterpart to The Four Feathers already on the shelf (not Royal Flash).
About this historical novel
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser is historical fiction set around 1839–1842 in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including Rugby, London, Scotland, Calcutta. In 1839 Harry Flashman is expelled from Rugby, commissioned into Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, and posted on through India to Afghanistan. George MacDonald Fraser's 1969 novel is Victorian military historical fiction of the years that follow—the Retreat from Kabul, the last stand at Gandamak, and the Siege of Jalalabad—told by a coward the army takes for a hero.
On HisFic we tag it under 5. Military & war and 6. Adventure & epic so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include the Retreat from Kabul, cowardice, the British Army, empire, and the First Anglo-Afghan War. A widely searched Victorian war novel—the Fraser title readers look up by name (The Flashman Papers, book one), and an 1842 Afghanistan counterpart to The Four Feathers already on the shelf (not Royal Flash).
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Plot summary
In 1839 Harry Flashman is expelled from Rugby, commissioned into Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, and posted on through India to Afghanistan. George MacDonald Fraser's 1969 novel is Victorian military historical fiction of the years that follow—the Retreat from Kabul, the last stand at Gandamak, and the Siege of Jalalabad—told by a coward the army takes for a hero. A widely searched Victorian war novel—the Fraser title readers look up by name (The Flashman Papers, book one), and an 1842 Afghanistan counterpart to The Four Feathers already on the shelf (not Royal Flash).
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Eras
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Regions & places
Middle East · Asia · Britain & Ireland
Rugby · London · Scotland · Calcutta · Kabul · Gandamak · Jalalabad · Afghanistan · India
Themes
- the Retreat from Kabul
- cowardice
- the British Army
- empire
- the First Anglo-Afghan War
Tags
military · series · classic