I was saddened to read that George MacDonald Fraser had died, aged 82. Charting the adventures of the dastardly Flashman, Fraser created a character both loved and hated, who has invariably influenced a plethora of fictional (and likely real) cads and bounders ever since. Fraser charted Flashman’s career over twelve books, between 1969 to 2005, and attracted considerable acclaim for his writing talent, though he remained ever humble.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the books I have read so far – as Flashman sits on my ‘Stuff to Read before I go Gaga’ list. While I knew Fraser had a long career in writing – as author and journalist – I didn’t know he also wrote the screenplay for ‘Octopussy’. I freely admit to being both a Bond enthusiast and a fan of the Great Eyebrow, Roger Moore, so the pedigree of the screenplay simply adds to the experience now. Guilty pleasures and all that!

I look forward to many more years of reading pleasure in the hands of Flashman and will do all I can to spread the word.

I have taken more than four-and-a-half years to make this decision, but in the end I had to… I have a few blogs to juggle here and the old format made it difficult to handle. Now I can see what I’m not posting all over the place – and keep this journal up to date a little more simply. It might take a moment or two to shift some of the old material over here; I can’t possibly leave Metal Mickey and James Bond Jnr alone in the dark to fend for themselves. You’ll just have to hang on a moment…