Flashman's Winter

Adventures of Thomas Flashman #11

by Robert Brightwell

This book fills in two gaps in Flashman’s career, hitherto uncovered by his memoirs. The bulk of this volume is taken up with Flashman’s adventures in what was then Prussia, but which now comprises Poland, Russia and the Baltic states. In 1806 Prussia declared war on France and in a disastrous campaign lost most of its territory. Russia was forced to come to its aid and Britain too sent observers to assess how to help. Flashman joins this mission in what should have been a safe diplomatic visit – but of course was anything but.

From bloody, frozen retreats to battles in blizzards, he is soon in the thick of the action as a country fights for its very survival. Diplomatic intrigues follow and, with the aid of a Russian countess, our hero uncovers the enemy’s plans – and works to frustrate them.

Also included is the short story Flashman’s Christmas, set in Paris a few months after the battle of Waterloo. As royalists conduct vindictive purges on former Bonapartists, Flashman is embroiled in a notorious eve of execution jail-break as he is reunited with old friends to outwit old enemies.

Genres: Historical Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

I am a firm believer in the maxim that history is stranger than fiction. There are countless times when I have come across a character or incident that has been so hard to believe that I have had to search out other sources for confirmation. Thomas Cochrane who features in my first book is one of those, his real life adventures seem ridiculously far fetched for a fictional character. The Begum of Samru from my second book is another: a fifteen-year-old nautch dancer who gained the confidence of an army, had a man literally kill himself over her and who led her soldiers with skill and courage, before becoming something of a Catholic saint.

History is full of amazing stories and in my books I try to do my bit to tell some of them. When I thought of a vehicle to do so, the Flashman series from George MacDonald Fraser came to mind. Most of what I know of the Victorian era was prompted by his books. The concept of a fictional character witnessing and participating in real historical events, while not unique, has rarely been done better.

George MacDonald Fraser was an exceptional writer and he developed a character that he took from Tom Brown's School Days into a truly legendary figure. While Harry Flashman might not have been a typical Victorian, he certainly brought the period to life. For me, the Regency/Napoleonic era was one of even greater colour and extremes and so I have created a new earlier member of the family: Thomas Flashman.

There are similarities between the generations in that they both have the uncanny knack of finding themselves in the hotspots of their time, often while endeavouring to avoid them. Thomas though is not exactly the same character as Harry Flashman, this is partly accidental and partly deliberate.

For example, Harry Flashman makes prolific use of the 'n' word which will never appear in my work. This is not just political correctness but reflects the different times the two fictional characters occupy. While Harry Flashman in India thrashed and abused the natives; in Thomas' time many British were in business with Indian partners or had Indian wives. The British Resident of Delhi went so far as to marry a harem of thirteen Indian women who used to parade around the city every evening on elephants.

As several reviewers have pointed out Thomas is not quite the vicious villainous rogue his nephew became, at least in the first book. But the character develops more in the subsequent books with increasing levels of skulduggery. The genius of George MacDonald Fraser was to create a spiteful bully that the reader could still relate to. I have tried to convey a character that lived in his time and who balanced cowardice, pride, lust etc with the need to bring the reader with him.

For more information, check out my website, www.robertbrightwell.com

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashman's Winter represents the 11th packet of Thomas Flashman's memoirs. It fills in the two gaps of his career, hitherto neglected by his previously published adventures. The bulk of this volume is taken up with Flashman’s adventures in what was then Prussia, but which now comprises Poland, Russia and the Baltic states.

In 1806 Prussia declared war on France and in a disastrous campaign lost most of its territory. Russia was forced to come to its aid and Britain too sent observers to assess how to help.

Flashman explains the situation and how he came to be involved:

The balance in Europe was shifting in favour of the French, and vital supplies that Britain needed from this region, such as tar and timber for the Navy, were in jeopardy. London decided to send an envoy who could report on this fast-changing situation and help shore up allied resistance against Paris. Their representative needed to be someone with military experience, but who also possessed immense tact and charm to deal with the humiliated Prussian king as well as defeated Prussian and Russian generals. The envoy had to persuade them to continue their resistance, while assessing what support Britain could provide. Quite how they alighted on Lord John Hely-Hutchinson for this role is beyond me, as someone less suitable is hard to imagine...

Hutchinson had all the charm and tact of a bear with its balls caught in a trap...

Acting as a diplomatic observer did not sound like an arduous task, which was why I had jumped at the opportunity. I imagined warm, comfortable beds, royal banquets and pretty ladies-in-waiting, while we earned recognition at home from our gathering of court gossip. It certainly seemed a lot safer than my earlier roles as soldier and sailor.

As always seems to be the case with Flashy, his pursuit of ease and pleasure usually leads to danger and hardship. This time it leads to him filling a gap in a Russian infantry square at the Battle of Eylau during a blinding snow storm. and nearly drowning in the Alle River under the stampede of a routed Russian army at the Battle of Friedland on a hot summer day.

When not dodging death in military disasters his boss Hutchison finds ways to risk Flashy's life through shoe-string espionage efforts such as infiltrating the French-Russian negotiations at Tilsit or pumping the Russian defense minister's wife for information on war plans: There were, however, a few aspects Flashy enjoyed:

I have never been a great believer in the adage ‘business before pleasure’. In this case it was business and pleasure and so I reached behind her to undo the back of her dress.

“Ooh yes,” she gasped before continuing, “Christoph is sure war is imminent… Can you get higher…but he won’t tell me anything in case I speak to you.”

“We think that too…move your leg a little…ah that’s it…but for some reason they are trying to keep it secret.”

“I overheard them talking…go harder… It has something to do with a Russian ship at a place called Port-mouth…ah, even harder… Constantine is involved...that’s perfect… He has sent a man to England with a message for the ship.”

“When did this man leave…? Ahhh…here, let me hold your other leg.”

“Yesterday…no not too high…he is travelling through Sweden… Ooh yes…”

“So when will they declare war…? God I love it when you do that.”

She giggled, “Not until next week… Will you miss me when you are gone?”

I must mention here that Robert Brightwell's skill at explaining the grand movements of massive armies and earth-shaking events while keeping the human, individual experience is remarkable.

Also included is the short story "Flashman’s Christmas", set in Paris a few months after the battle of Waterloo. As royalists conduct vindictive purges on former Bonapartists, Flashman is embroiled in a notorious eve of execution jail-break as he is reunited with old friends to outwit old enemies.

If you are looking for a bit of easy history wrapped up in an early nineteenth-century wartime romp, then this is a great choice. Flashman, as ever, is amusing and unscrupulous.

[Chris Wharton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this generally boring and confusing until it livened up in the last 50 pages or so. Although admirably researched and sourced in contemporary accounts of one campaign of the Napoleonic Wars—Bonaparte’s campaign against Prussia, with Russia initially supporting the latter, in the winter of 1806-07—the narration from the point of view of Thomas Flashman, one of four supposedly neutral British officers/diplomats there as “observers,” moves very slowly across the brutal winter months and into spring and summer, as perhaps the military campaign did, with great attention to detail, which true military history aficionados (I am not one) might eagerly take in, as some high scores on Goodreads suggest. After the military resolution of the campaign, the story moves to Russia and turns to diplomacy and espionage in St. Petersburg to carry the plot forward in a much more interesting and entertaining fashion as Flashman engages with a high-placed Russian noblewoman as an ally in Britain’s interests. I guess I was attracted to this on finding it at the library from my familiarity with the other Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser, of which I have read a few volumes, most many decades ago, but a couple in recent years, and wondered what the presumed connection was between Thomas Flashman here and Fraser’s Harry Paget Flashman III (uncle-nephew relationship, it turns out, and Thomas seems to be more involved with the late 18th-early 19th century wars among the European powers and nephew Harry more with mid- to later-19th century British Empire campaigns). And though I had some of the same complaints about the Fraser books (long-winded, dragging pace at times on the historical side), I found the younger Flashman, a comically cowardly cad and philandering rogue who shamelessly survives personal and political disasters and comes out smelling like roses, a very entertaining character (his hijinks were the main attraction to me, along with the Asian and African settings, of the Fraser books). Here, Thomas at least gets to employ and enjoy some Harry-like wiles in his diplomatic pursuits in St. Petersburg, but alas, still just 2 stars.

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One novella and a very short story brings Thomas Flashman (uncle of Sir Harry Flashman, of the George MacDonald Fraser Flashman series) into adventures during and after the Napoleonic wars. First up is a bit of change where Flashman is more of a diplomatically observer during the phase of the Baltic Wars, between Napoleon vs Prussia and Russia. Of course Flashman and his observers don't stay in the background for long.
The short story covers the aftermath of Waterloo, which begins with the execution of Marshal Ney and involves Flashman and Sir Richard Wilson in a plot to rescue a Bonapartists out of France which helps settle a score with the past French Police Minister.
Both fill gaps in the main series of these adventures, sort of like Fraser's Flashman and the Tiger.
I am hopeful that the author Robert Brightwell can find more of these gems in his Flashman series, for they have done well in keeping the Flashman family end up.

[Peter de la Cour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read

For me this was the best read of the entire series. Robert Brightwell has reinvented the Flashman genre. I look forward to the further adventures of Thomas Flashman.

[Al Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the short story at the end since it follows up on Thomas Flashman's experience with Marshall Ney. Then I read the first part which deals with an earlier part of the Napoleonic Wars. Both well done and very interesting.

[Deryk Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again a fantastic tale of Flashmans adventures, long may they continue.

[Barton Schindel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another action packed romp

I always look forward to another Flashman story and this one does not disappoint. Plenty of dangerous situations for our less than intrepid hero to slither out of and buffoonish characters to turn the tables on and, of course, beautiful ladies to try to seduce.