First, the positives: Flashy is always entertaining, even with how much of a scoundrel he can be and his... very of his era language, thoughts, and beliefs. The real star of the show, though, is the titular character, Elspeth Flashman. By gods, she has some of the funniest lines in the book. Both of the readers of this book in my house couldn't stop laughing at her deep woe and despair followed immediately by the mundanity of "The weather remains fine." The inclusion of her journal entries really help this book stand out. a b c Fox, Margalit (3 January 2008). "George MacDonald Fraser, Author of Flashman Novels, Dies at 82". The New York Times. New York. a b c d Reynolds, Stanley (4 January 2008). "Obituary: George MacDonald Fraser: He created Harry Flashman, tormentor of Tom Brown turned comical anti-hero". The Guardian. London. p.34. Fraser, George MacDonald (1996b). Flashman in the Great Game. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-617677-0.

While in Hong Kong, Flashman is reluctantly persuaded by an English vicar's wife to escort a shipment of opium into Canton; en route he discovers that instead of opium he is carrying guns to the Taiping rebels. He is subsequently put onto the British embassy intelligence staff in Shanghai. He then travels to the mouth of the Peiho to join Lord Elgin's staff for his march to Peking. During the course of the march he is captured by Qing imperial troops and becomes the prisoner and lover of Yehonala, the imperial concubine. He is finally freed when the British army arrives at Peking; he then witnesses the destruction of the imperial Summer Palace.William Gordon-Cumming - Central figure in the scandal. His similarities with Flashman are not lost on the latter, who eyes him with some jealousy as a younger version (and more authentic military hero) of himself. The Subtleties of Baccarat"—Flashman is an observer of the Tranby Croft affair, which he discovers was caused by his wife. Flashman and the Redskins". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 3 February 2013. Flashman, an insatiable lecher, has sex with many different women over the course of his fictional adventures. His size, good looks, winning manner, and especially his splendid cavalry-style whiskers win over women from low to high, and his dalliances include famous ladies along with numerous prostitutes. In Flashman and the Great Game, about halfway through his life, he counted up his sexual conquests while languishing in a dungeon at Gwalior, "not counting return engagements", reaching a total of 478 up to that date (similar—albeit not equal—to the tally made by Mozart's Don Giovanni in the famous aria of Giovanni's henchman, Leporello). Passages in Royal Flash, Flashman and the Mountain of Light, Flashman and the Dragon, Flashman and the Redskins, and Flashman and the Angel of the Lord suggest that Flashman was well endowed.

Crampton, Robert (2 July 2022). "Rereading Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser". The Times . Retrieved 12 August 2022.in between a pair of Chinese beauties who are willing to do anything and everything to close the gap between East and West? Flashman's son, Harry II, is used as a character in some of the short stories created for the " Tales of the Shadowmen" series. He first appeared in the eighth volume. His son has several of the characteristics of his father, but appears to be less a coward. Fraser, George MacDonald (1994a). Flash for Freedom!. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-617679-4. Whitman, Alden (29 July 1969). "Gen. Sir Harry Flashman and Aide Con the Experts". The New York Times. New York. p.26.