![]() ![]() ![]() Fraser made Flashman a second survivor and explained his lack of recognition due to the fact he was behind enemy lines in native dress, thanks to a supreme facility for learning foreign languages quickly (which comes in handy many times in later books).įraser's genius was making Flashman an anti-hero, a protagonist whose first reaction to danger is to run away, hide, or, reluctantly, attempt some kind of sneaky ambush or use overwhelming firepower to make up for his own lack of personal courage. The novels begin in 1839 with the 17-year-old Flashman joining the British Army and getting caught up in the disastrous events of the First Afghan War, which ended with the British forces being routed from Kabul and being completely destroyed apart from a single survivor who made it back to friendly lines (and nine soldiers taken prisoner). Flashman is a minor character in Thomas Hughes's 1856 novel John Brown's School Days, a noted bully and coward expelled from Rugby School for drunkenness, and Fraser decided it would be amusing to see what happened to him next. The books chronicle the military career of the fictional Harry Flashman. Dominic West casually putting it out there that he'd be down for this.įraser published twelve Flashman books in his lifetime, before his death in 2008. ![]()
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