Seldon's Blog

"MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING" (2005) Review

I have read several novels about the historic event known as the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-1858 (aka The Indian Mutiny, or aka the First War of Indian Independence). And the main characters in each novel have been British. I have not seen one movie about the event. And after seeing 2005’s "MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING", I still have not seen one movie about the Sepoy Rebellion. But this was the first movie I had seen that touched upon the subject. ( Read more... )

Below are images from "KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES", the 1953 adaptation of Talbot Munday's 1916 novel. Directed by Henry King, the movie starred Tyrone Power and Terry Moore: ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my favorite history documentaries: ( Read more... )

"FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE" (1973) Book Review

Serving as the fourth entry in George MacDonald Fraser’s The Flashman Papers, this 1973 novel continued the story of Harry Flashman, a character previously from the 1857 novel, "Tom Brown’s Schooldays" and now a British Army officer in Fraser’s novels. This particular novel, "FLASHMAN AT THE CHARGE", recalled Flashman’s experiences during the Crimean War (1854-1856) and Imperial Russia’s expansion into Central Asia. ( Read more... )

Below is my ranking of THE FLASHMAN PAPERS, the series of novels and short stories written by the late George MacDonald Fraser about a 19th century British Army officer named Harry Flashman. The novels and stories were published between 1969 and 2005: ( Read more... )