Starts out more clever that interesting, though the prose is always charming (in it's particular foul mouthed way) and does a lot to carry the otherwi...moreStarts out more clever that interesting, though the prose is always charming (in it's particular foul mouthed way) and does a lot to carry the otherwise drab first half. Somewhat to my surprise, then the plot and characters start working together to tell a story and it actually gets good. Neat twistish bit at the end too.
What is it with Scottish near future SF and made-up, ex-USSRian quasi-states though? The literary equivelant of picking at the grotty scab of potential 21st century nationhood?(less)
Quick read. Flashman is an insufferable person, but in a rather neat trick, is self aware, witty and perceptive enough to make reading about him enjoy...moreQuick read. Flashman is an insufferable person, but in a rather neat trick, is self aware, witty and perceptive enough to make reading about him enjoyable. I'm not quite sure where the book fits in, historiographicaly speaking - is the joke on Flashman, for so failing as a human being, or on the whole enterprise of the British Empire, and Flashman merely a healthy and natural product of it? (less)
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