Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone has all the makings of what will surely become an epic–battles, revolution, life-changing experiences, death, treason, spies, sex, and more. This mighty tome continues the story of Jamie and Claire Fraser, soul mates who have a way of always getting into trouble.
The American Revolution is underway and Jamie and Claire are inadvertently drawn into the maelstrom. Continuing the story where A Breath of Snow and Ashes left off, fans of the series will be pleased to find that Jamie and Claire are not ready to settle down just yet. The same can be said for Bree and Roger, whose trip through the stones left more than memories of the past.
The story is rich and complex, introducing new characters and reintroducing others from earlier in the series. This being book 7, it’s quite a cast. As always, Gabaldon’s narrative is incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched, from descriptions of the harsh realities of life on the battlefront to eerily clinical specifics on the practice of field surgery.
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Outlander is one of my favorite series, so I was clamoring to read this book. Though I loved it in the end, it took me a few chapters to really get into it. Claire and Jamie are wonderful as ever, but there are a lot of characters in this book and the narrative shifts to present different points of view (more so than it does in most of the other books in the series). There are at least 5 major narratives in the novel–Jamie and Claire’s, Bree and Roger’s, Ian’s, William’s, and Lord John’s–and numerous subplots. I wasn’t very engaged in William’s story at first, I kept wanting to skip past it and move on, but it grew on me. My only peeve was that the ending felt like a tease. Snow and Ashes offered some sense of closure–it offered the possibility of more, but it had a definite end. Echo just leaves you wanting more. I finished it and thought, “This can’t be it? Author’s Notes? What do you mean Author’s Notes? What happened to Jem?!?!” Obviously, I can’t wait for the next book!
Tags: an echo in the bone, book review, books, diana gabaldon, historical fiction
Good review. I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this book.
Good review – thanks. So, I need your studied opinion – I’ve spent week asking Gabaldon fans what they think about this: Would you recommend the Outlander series for guys? Opinions seem widely varied, from “Yeah, if you like historical fiction, you’ll love Outlander” to “It’s basically romance, so, stay away”…What do you think?
Cool blog, too – I added you to my google reader.
Cheers,
Greg
http://thenewdorkreviewofbooks.blogspot.com
It’s not strictly a Romance novel, so I don’t think it would make a guy cringe to read it. I agree that you should have some interest in historical fiction, particularly involving political intrigue, science, and war… it’s definitely a book for an 18th century history buff. As the series progresses, the story focuses more on the history (and time travel) than the romance.
Thanks for the add!