Of especial note is that the first non-Fraser Flashman has been written and released this month. Barry Tighe has picked up at the end of Flashman and the Dragon and continues into the American Civil War, probably the unwritten chapter of the Flashman Papers most lusted after by fans. The new book is titled Flashman and the War between the States. I’ve only skimmed an extract so far, so cannot comment on the complete work. It certainly starts off in fine style without any blasphemy to the canon, but whether the book manages to recapture the period, the setting and the personalities through Flashman’s unique lens will have to depend on the ongoing appraisal by the devoted Flashman community.
In other Flashman news, a Welsh 15 year old (Geraint Llyr Owen) has recently penned a musical which is to premiere at Rugby School’s arts festival. Named Flashman and inspired by Hughes’ Tom Brown’s Schooldays and Fraser’s Flashman books, it follows the story of the notorious Rugby School bully.
