Cassy - A young female slave who helps Flashman escape from his imprisoners in Mississippi. Courageous and passionate she bemuses Flashman by her mixed judgments of his character. A run in with the US Navy after they unload most of the slaves at Honduras lands Flashman and the crew in the USA, but he has a scheme, and ends up on the side of the law, but not for long. The Underground Railroad engage his services to accompany a man up to Canada, but even then circumstances conspire against Flashy, and he must make an escape again. From here, the story is far from over.

Flash for Freedom- Flashman's attempts to become a politician are compromised by scandal and he is sent by his father in law to America. It turns out that the ship he is sent on is a slave ship, with slavery already abolished in America and Britain. On their approach to American shores they are spotted and boarded by the American Navy. Flashman, to avoid jail or even worse takes up an identity of one of the deceased crew members, who worked undercover to document the activities of his captain. Flashman becomes a major witness but attempts to run away to avoid being uncovered by the ship's crew. At he end he is forced to attend the trail, but being warned by the slavers party to reveal the truth, avoids directly accusing the crew and the whole case collapses. An omnibus volume of three Fraser's adventure stories about his hero Flashman. Written with accuracy of historical facts and reflecting the culture of the times could be considered a very politically incorrect in the twenty first century. Despite all this, Flashman appears to be very likeable, considered by many a great hero while being a self-confessed coward and womaniser. The Bad - Flashman can't be described as an anti-hero is an unabashed coward who will do anything to ensure his survival. He's a racist, an sexual misogynist. The portrait of the slave trade is dark, scary and very disturbing. The language gave me shudders and left me feeling cold. Flashman's attitude to the slaves and women he encounters is negative and he treats them as objects to be used.I wouldn’t have been surprised if Cassy had burst out laughing, or in a fit of raage, but she did something that horrified Mrs. Payne more than either could have done. She bent down and gave me a long, fierce kiss on the mouth, while her chaperone squawked and squeaked, and eventually bustled her away.

Flash for Freedom begins with Flashman considering an attempt at being made a Member of Parliament and continues through his involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, the Underground Railroad, and meeting a future president, detailing his life from 1848 to 1849. It also contains a number of notes by Fraser, in the guise of editor, giving additional historical information on the events described.

Discover

Another memory I have is of my mom and I going to an ATM to withdraw cash. Here in South Korea, many ATMs are equipped with an automated voice system that says things like, “Thank you for your transaction. Our bank will do its best to provide its customers with the best services.” On the way home, my mom whispered to me, “Seongmin, the person behind the machine must be really tired having to say the same message all day long to each person while sitting in such a small box.” It’s all tremendous stuff, full of the usual (on Fraser’s part) erudition and wit and (on Flashy’s part) lechery, as well as, of course, the historical tweaking: Flashman meets a young Disraeli, a young Lincoln, and even serves as the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous book. Superb historical parody, historical fiction, and pure entertainment all in one. Oh, a final thought: Flashy’s definitely gotten a lot braver since the first book. Scared or not, it takes guts to pull a gun on a killer, or even keep one’s wits enough to play-act in the face of danger. That’s most likely a good thing, of course; as a reader, one can take only so much helpless, quivering terror from the narrator.