Written in My Own Heart's Blood / Diana Gabaldon / 825 pages

The 8th novel in Gabaldon's Outlander series continues the improbable troubles of the Frasers and friends.  It is beautifully written, as were the rest of the novels - often humorous - often giving far more information than you would ask of even your best friends.  In an interesting turn of events Clair marries John Grey, best friend of her husband and former fiance' of her daughter.  William learns of his true parentage and reacts a bit violently.  This novel ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next in the series.

An Echo in the Bone / Diana Gabaldon / 820 pages

Having almost caught up with the author of the Outlander series, I can safely say this has been the most enjoyable series to read.  I find it amazing that while describing time travel and more bad luck than any one family should ever have to contend with, the author keeps the characters themselves realistic.  Beware reading further for spoilers.


One thread that has been running through the last few books was whether young Ian would ever return home - in this book he finally does.  Relations between the Frasers and John Grey come to a head.  While resolving some cliffhangers from past books, this one opened up several new cliffhangers.  I can't wait to see how they are resolved.

Dragonfly in Amber / Diana Gabaldon / 743 pages

This is the second installment of Gabaldon's Outlander series.  The beginning of the book was a bit jarring; the end of the first book leaves our heroine Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser safely in Scotland with her 18th century love, but in the beginning of the 2nd book, she is driving with her daughter in 1963 Scotland.  After the first couple of chapters we get a flashback to explain how she ended up back in the present (or more recent past to us) and who her daughter's father is.  The series is Dr. Who meets Braveheart.  Fans of either who can appreciate a strong female character will love this book,

Outlander / Diana Gabaldon / 627 pages

In the foreword to this book, the author recounts that her publisher told her this book would have to be a word-of-mouth book because it was just too weird to describe.  While there is some truth to that, I shall do my best to describe it.  This is primarily a historical fiction with some time travel and a heap of romance thrown in.  Gabaldon doesn't shy away from describing any of the practices of 18th century Scotland in excruciating detail - whether it's the punishment of a young thief by nailing his ear to a post or the use of herbs and plants in both medicine and magic.


Gabaldon covers a slew of social issues throughout her fiction.  You'll find Elizabeth Beachamp's reactions to domestic violence, corporal punishment, homosexuality, relationships between husbands and wives, and fealty between lords and subjects expressed in a refreshingly honest way.  I personally liked the juxtaposition of religion, magic, and science in 18th century Scotland and the question that Gabaldon raises of whether we have progressed or regressed in our thinking about those subjects.


Overall, it is a great read, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber.