A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)

Book Description

Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.

Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

So far as I know, this is the last in the series.......2007-09-22

I've seen some negative comments about The Fiery Cross - and there is an explanation for its being less than Gabaldon fans have come to expect. It's not my business to explain it and that's all I'm going to say. If you want more of Claire and Jamie, you'd better start over - I just did. AND, you can always buy The Outlandish Companion or the Lord John Grey novels.

Good ending to the series.......2007-09-14

Finally the last epic of Claire and Jamie, Diana G has compleded the series in a good way, I was satisfied with the completion, it was time for the end to come, after all how many war's could Jamie still conquer! Good read, recommend.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander).......2007-08-24

Another really good read from Diana Gabaldon. It turns out I had already read this book but all her books of this series are worth a second or third read. I have already re-read the other books from this series and wish she would get the next book done and quit keeping us in suspense.

love, love, love, Diana's writing.......2007-08-02

I have absolutely fallen in love with this series! I read all six books within one month. I can't get enough of Jamie and Claire; other historical romance novels pale in comparison. The whole series is in depth both historically and emotionally. I can't wait until the next two books come out! Please continue writing Diana!!!!!!!

Expect withdrawal symptoms ...... .......2007-07-28

Before I read this volume, I held it in my hands and gazed at it feeling a little sad that I had come to the end of the series (so far). Because of this, I took this one REAL slow. Corny I know - you dont have to tell me, but still, I tell you no lies.

If your looking at this review I am assuming you have read the other books in the series, so my final statement below will be something I guess you could possibly relate to:
****
My belly was full to the brim with hearty chunks left over from The Fiery Cross, therefore, Snow and Ashes finished me of nicely, like good Port after a satisfying meal. Since I'm comparing it to a flavoursome drop, like all good spirits, I was left wanting more.

Actually, I would have sold a kidney for just one more drop, but as usual, Mrs. Gabaldon knows when you've had enough and how to make you want more (much more).

My advice with this one tho is: Sip it. Take your time with it's pages and let the story tell itself to you, rather than raking your eyes over the words. After all, it takes a few years for Diana to write each volume for the series, so if you're up to this part .... why rush.

If you do decide to pump through the pages, you'll risk feeling high and dry at the end. And since there is not another volume to follow YET, you will be waiting anyway, so you might as well take your time.

In closing, I absolutely loved it, as I have loved them all, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it also.

Until next time - Cheers Jo

Average customer rating:

Fiery Cross is very Fiery
The Fiery Cross
Historically Brilliant
Wonderful Story - Can't Understand the Negative Reveiws?
you can't put these books down!!!

The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Drums of Autumn
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)
Voyager
Dragonfly in Amber
Outlander

ASIN: 0440221668
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Amazon.com

The fiery cross, once used to summon Highland clans to war, now beckons readers to take up Diana Gabaldon's fifth installment in the Outlander series featuring the time-traveling Frasers. Historical fiction fans who have waited four long years since the publication of Drums of Autumn will thrill to Gabaldon's trademark detail and sensuality, both displayed liberally throughout the nearly 1,000 pages of The Fiery Cross. In this pre-Revolutionary War period, Claire Fraser and her husband, Jamie, have crossed oceans and centuries to build a life together in the bucolic beauty of North Carolina. But tensions both ancient and recent threaten not only Claire and James, but their daughter, Brianna, her new husband, Roger, and their infant son, Jemmy, as well as members of their clan. Gabaldon delivers on what she does best: poignant storylines, empathetic characters, meticulous detail, and searing passion. Savor every carefully chosen word, readers; it may be a long time until the next installment! --Alison Trinkle

Book Description

Crossing the boundaries of genre with its unrivalled storytelling, Diana Gabaldon’s new novel is a gift both to her millions of loyal fans and to the lucky readers who have yet to discover her.

In the ten years since her extraordinary debut novel, Outlander, was published, beloved author Diana Gabaldon has entertained scores of readers with her heart-stirring stories and remarkable characters. The four volumes of her bestselling saga, featuring eighteenth-century Scotsman James Fraser and his twentieth-century, time-travelling wife, Claire Randall, boasts nearly 5 million copies in the U.S.

The story of Outlander begins just after the Second World War, when a British field nurse named Claire Randall walks through a cleft stone in the Scottish highlands and is transported back some two hundred years to 1743.

Here, now, is The Fiery Cross, the eagerly awaited fifth volume in this remarkable, award-winning series of historical novels. The year is 1771, and war is approaching. Jamie Fraser’s wife has told him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveller’s certain knowledge. To break his oath to the Crown will brand him a traitor; to keep it is certain doom. Jamie Fraser stands in the shadow of the fiery cross—a standard that leads nowhere but to the bloody brink of war.

Customer Reviews:

Fiery Cross is very Fiery .......2007-09-28

Loved this book. Just as I loved all her books.. I am anxiously awaiting the next one in the series. Sure hope there will be many more in this series. I feel like I know the characters so well. Excellent author.

The Fiery Cross.......2007-08-03

I am so disappointed. Trying to finish this book is like training for a marathon. Yes, I will be able to brag that I have finally finished it, but not without incredible pain. I am on page 560ish and I feel the book so far has been nothing more than monotonous wedding planning for a blind old aunt and her impotent fiance. Bet this wedding night is going to be exciting...NOT!!! Remember Jamie and Claire's first night together. Come on that is what got you hooked, isn't it? Yes, the historical backdrop gave us an out when asked "What is the book was about"?, but the passion and fire between these two characters is truly what made this series a success. Where has it gone? Even Claire's gorgeous daughter is a bore! This series, in my opinion, has become a case of "bait and switch". I hope this book is available on audio. Maybe then I can get through it and give book six a chance.

Historically Brilliant.......2007-07-28

Yep - this one is a HUGE read, but as I have stated in previous reviews, everything in it is necessary. Some whinge and whine that it drags on but personally I think it is superb - especially since I enjoy the historical element of these books not just the emotionally charged scenes.

When I read a Gabaldon book I want to see, hear, taste and smell everything Claire, Jamie, Bree and Roger do. I want to feel like I am sitting on their shoulder, becoming part of their Clan so to speak. And in the Fiery Cross, that is exactly what I got.

Take your time, read it at your own pace, and whatever you do DONT RUSH IT. The characters that become apparent in this one impact on A Breath of Snow and Ashes, so if you fly through this, you'll get lost in the next one.

As always I cant praise this series enough - but, at the end of the day, your opinion will be the only one that matters to you, however I hope what I say helps you make the plunge and embark on this amazing story with the same gusto you got reading Outlander aka. Cross Stitch

Wonderful Story - Can't Understand the Negative Reveiws?.......2007-07-27

I guess I'm in the minority here but I loved the Fiery Cross. Drums of Autumn had really slowed down the story with not a lot of action and a good bit of the focus on Roger and Brianna who I didn't really care for at that point in the story. I missed Jamie and Claire....but the story shifted back to them in Fiery Cross. I have to admit the first 150 pages or so were boring. I thought they would never leave that Gathering but once they got back to Fraser's Ridge, the story started to unfold in classic Gabaldon fashion. As much as I disliked Brianna in the beginning, she and Roger both found themselves in Fiery Cross and proved their worth. Since I'm around the age of Jamie and Claire in this book, I loved the maturity their relationship had evolved to and understood some of the issues and pain they were dealing with as they aged. This book is filled with beautiful prose, detailed and fascinating history, action, intrique, near-death scenes and of course the most endearing love story I've ever read.

you can't put these books down!!!.......2007-07-26

i have read all of diana gabaldon's books at least twice and that was from the one's i checked out from the library. when i finished i decided to buy every single one for my own collection and plan to read them all over again.
this is one of the best series in print!

Average customer rating:

Okay, so it's a "bodice-ripper" . . . but who cares!
Outlander - The WORST book I have read
I couldn't finish this book
Disappointed. read here to find out why...
Wow, this book has a lot of reviews, but I'll add one anyway

Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)

ASIN: 0440212561
Release Date: 1992-06-02

Amazon.com

In Outlander, a 600-page time-travel romance, strong-willed and sensual Claire Randall leads a double life with a husband in one century, and a lover in another. Torn between fidelity and desire, she struggles to understand the pure intent of her heart. But don't let the number of pages and the Scottish dialect scare you. It's one of the fastest reads you'll have in your library.

While on her second honeymoon in the British Isles, Claire touches a boulder that hurls her back in time to the forbidden Castle Leoch with the MacKenzie clan. Not understanding the forces that brought her there, she becomes ensnared in life-threatening situations with a Scots warrior named James Fraser. But it isn't all spies and drudgery that she must endure. For amid her new surroundings and the terrors she faces, she is lured into love and passion like she's never known before.

I was lame and sore in every muscle when I woke next morning. I shuffled to the privy closet, then to the wash basin. My innards felt like churned butter. It felt as though I had been beaten with a blunt object, I reflected, then thought that that was very near the truth. The blunt object in question was visible as I came back to bed, looking now relatively harmless. Its possessor [Jamie] woke as I sat next to him, and examined me with something that looked very much like male smugness."

Gabaldon creates characters that you'll remember, laugh with, cry with, and cheer for long after you've finished the book. --Candy Paape

Book Description

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Download Description

Diana Gabaldon holds a master's degree in marine biology and a Ph.D. in ecology, and spent a dozen years as a university professor before turning to write fiction full-time. Her previous publishing history includes scholarly articles and comic book stories for Walt Disney, as well as the award-winning novels Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband, three children, and a large number of animals.

From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Okay, so it's a "bodice-ripper" . . . but who cares!.......2007-10-10

I have resisted Gabaldon's time-travel romances for years---but on impulse, picked up OUTLANDER to read, being in the mood fora Scots-themed novel, and perhaps even some romance. I was delighted with what I found immediately and read it voraciously over a few days just to see what would happen next. It was certainly more full-blooded and earthy than I expected---with evolving characters who markedly grow and learn as the story progresses.
OUTLANDER has an interesting and lively plot-line---even though it fits comfortably into the "romance" genre---and Gabaldon's 20th century eye on 18th century Scottish civilization is highly entertaining. I especially liked that Claire, our heroine, a nurse during WWII, becomes a healer in her new environment as well---finding the origins of our medicine today in herbs and folklore. Even the main conceit of travelling through time is explained in terms of folklore having to do with the stone circles found throughout the British Isles.
Readers should be aware that OUTLANDER isn't encumbered by 18th century drawing room intriques, fops, or "Damn me"s, but the Scots dialect does get rather lush now and again. It helps that Claire, or heroine, is as baffled by it as we are, therfore we learn as she learns. I think perhaps Americans more than anyone will identify with the Highlanders' spirit and love of open spaces---ah, possibly that's why Gabaldon felt a such kinship with them to begin with.
I greatly look forward to the rest of the series, having just completed book one. Brava Ms. Gabaldon!

Outlander - The WORST book I have read .......2007-10-03

This book is a huge waste of time. The premise was good, but the story spirals downward to include sadistic heterosexual activity along with brutal sadistic homosexual rape and torture. A truly awful book. I can't imagine reading four more books along this storyline.

I couldn't finish this book.......2007-10-03

While I was travelling this summer, I found myself in a hostel in Europe wanting something to read. I picked up a beat-up old copy of this book from a shelf in the common room and started reading...and realized why I never wanted to pick up a romance novel again. Maybe it was because I didn't have time (or any desire whatsoever) to finish Outlander, but I don't understand why everyone says the characterization in this novel is so great. I found the main character's husband a particularly predictable, one-sided character. The main character herself irritated me, as did the author's complete inability to write a Scottish accent, and her insistance on using some form of the word "highland" on almost every page.

Disappointed. read here to find out why..........2007-09-25

Never having read a Diana Gabaldon, I was not sure what to expect. But according to the reviews, I decided with enthusiasm to read this book. I bought both this and the 2nd(Dragonfly in Amber) at the same time. The beginning and ending of this book are great. Same with the second novel. Had I skipped most of the middle, I would have given this book 5 stars. This book drags on and on...and on. I found myself skimming through and even skipping a page or 2.
I enjoyed the Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (similar story line and one of my favorite books) one hundred times more than Outlander. The characters in this particular story lacked substance for me. Claire got on my nerves after awhile(especially in the 2nd novel) and all her and Jamie seem to do is have sex,which is great but come on! This book is borderline "cheesey"- like one of the books in the romance section with Fabio on the cover. I did not cry,laugh,or feel compelled to recommend this book to my friends. Kite Runner,Memoirs of a Geisha,The Other Boleyn Girl..now THOSE are good,gripping books that one just CAN'T put down. I fell in love with the characters and thought about them even after I was done. The Outlander left no such impression on me...not a 5 star impression at least. Perhaps I'm comparing this to books that are in a different genre and that is the problem here? Or perhaps because I read the reviews before reading the book, my expectations were too high? This is certainly historical fiction but not what I'd consider an intelligent read. Its more of a bubblebath book,but even then, I'd recommend Teresa Medeiros or Amanda Quick before this particular book. We all have different opinions so it's only natural that some will like this book and others won't. I'm in the latter group. And its not even that I didn't necessarily LIKE the book, but it certainly wasn't what I expected after reading the reviews. Bottomline, it's cute but boring. Had I read other books by Diana Gabaldon prior to this,perhaps I would have known what to expect and would have enjoyed the book more. I don't mean to stray anyone from reading this book, but if you are expecting an "intelligent,gripping,riveting" read, I advise that you lower your expectations before reading this book to avoid disappointement. Maybe her other novels are better?

Wow, this book has a lot of reviews, but I'll add one anyway.......2007-09-21

I will say that I enjoyed this book and I'm not into romances whatsoever. In fact my husband recommended this to me of all people. It's really just a good period piece yarn---the romance stuff is just extra. Really if all romance books were this well-written I don't think they would have bad name.

Average customer rating:

Perfect service
Book #2 in this set
Very Fast!!
A Fantastic Story of Romance woven in history
Excellent voices.

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander)
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Time Travel | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

Voyager
Drums of Autumn
Outlander
The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0385302312
Release Date: 1992-07-01

Book Description

From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland...

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

Download Description

Diana Gabaldon holds a bachelor¿s degree in zoology, a master¿s degree in marine biology, and a Ph.D. in ecology, none of which has anything whatever to do with her novels. She spent a dozen years as a university professor before turning to writing full-time. Diana Gabaldon lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her family.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect service.......2007-09-05

Quick and efficient are the words to describe the service I received from my last purchase of Dragonfly in Amber...Thank you so much.

Book #2 in this set.......2007-08-21

You MUST read book #1 first. In fact this series needs to be read in order (you can skip Fiery Cross, though, it's very slow and uneventful).

After the way Outlander ended you'll want to jump right into this one.

Starts out with Claire back in present time, but now it's 1968--20 years later than when she went thru the stones the first time. She is no longer a nurse, but a doctor.

***I really enjoyed the medical treatment that was detailed in Outlander and the rest of this series. It was wonderful!

She and her daughter (yep) are researching in Scotland trying to learn what happened to Jamie at the Battle of Culloden.

Oh, this was a "burn the midnight oil" type of book with a box of kleenex!

Go ahead and get book #3 Voyager. It's wonderful, too. And the way this one ends, your going to want to read it.

Very Fast!!.......2007-08-03

This book arrived about 4 days after I placed the order. I was very surprised that I got it that quickly. Thanks!

A Fantastic Story of Romance woven in history .......2007-08-01

A friend gave this book to read. Four hours later I was still reading the book. I finished it over the next several days and I thought it was just a wonderful story. I understand that Dragon Fly is the second book in a series, so I won't hesitate to order the first book Outlander. Ms. Gabaldon is such a gifted writer that knows how to weave a story with history, romance and intrigue. I just love this novel and would recommend it to all my friends.

Excellent voices........2007-07-28

I love to listen to audio cd's. This one is great because the Davina Porter does a really great job of capturing the characters as she reads. I loved it.

Average customer rating:

Book #4 in this series
A Fantastic Story!
The necessary link
What a letdown!
Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Time Travel | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

Voyager
The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
Dragonfly in Amber
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)
Outlander

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0385311400
Release Date: 1996-12-30

Amazon.com

Set in pre-Revolutionary War America, readers finally have the much awaited fourth book in what will probably become a six book series (The Outlander series). The talented Diana Gabaldon continues Claire and Jamie's romantic love affair, and introduces Brianna and Roger's story. Eight hundred pages, and several wonderful new characters later, we wonder why we were waiting for a conclusion. It'll be a long wait for book five, so I recommend you go back and reread Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager to keep yourself sane.

Book Description

In her long awaited new novel, Drums of Autumn, Diana Gabaldon continues the remarkable story of Claire and Jamie Fraser that began with the classic Outlander, and its bestselling sequels, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager.

Cast ashore in the American colonies, the Frasers are faced with a bleak choice: return to a Scotland fallen into famine and poverty, or seize the risky chance of a new life in the New World—menaced by Claire's certain knowledge of the coming Revolution.

Still, a highlander is born to risk—and so is a time-traveler. Their daughter, Brianna, is safe—they think—on the other side of a dangerous future; their lives are their own to venture as they will. With faith in themselves and in each other, they seek a new beginning among the exiled Scottish Highlanders of the Cape Fear, in the fertile river valleys of the Colony of North Carolina.

Even in the New World, though, the Frasers find their hope of peace threatened from without and within; by the British Crown and by Jamie's aunt, Jocasta MacKenzie, last of the MacKenzies of Leoch.

A hunger for freedom drives Jamie to a Highlander's only true refuge: the mountains. And here at last, with no challenge to their peace—save wild animals, Indians, and the threat of starvation—the Frasers establish a precarious foothold in the wilderness, secure in the knowledge that even war cannot invade their mountain sanctuary.

But history spares no one, and when Brianna follows her mother into the past, not even the mountains can shelter a Highlander. For Brianna too has an urgent quest: not only to find the mother she has lost and the father she has never met, but to save them both from a future that only she can see.

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Customer Reviews:

Book #4 in this series.......2007-08-21

This series must be read in order!!!

This book kinda bombed out for me. Jamie and Claire are not the primary characters here. Brianna (daughter) and Roger (boyfriend later married) are.

I didn't care for Brianna and Roger. They seemed to be lacking in their brains cells a time or two....

They are in present time and find a news article that tells of a housefire killing Jamie and Claire. They plot to go back to that time period to prevent it.

I WAS SO dissappointed in the way Jamie meets his daughter for the first time--standing in the alley urinating off all things.

I didn't think this one was very well written or edited. But, if you really like this series (like I did) you will want to read it.

The next book (#5), "Fiery Cross," was...uh....emmmmmm...it was awful. Sorry. But, that's another review.

A Fantastic Story!.......2007-08-07

Diana Gabaldon takes us back in time into the lives of Jamie and Claire. The author as usual does her research on the topics and settings and when the story unfolds you can feel the detail descriptions she portrays to the scenes, the attire, and characters. I thought Drums of Autumn was a wonderful book and I look forward (I'm a little late to this author) to her next book in the series. I highly recommend this romantic and adventurous story.

The necessary link.......2007-07-28

As promised in previous reviews, I will also keep this one short, sweet and to the point.

Firstly, I must state that this volume HAS to exist.

Bree and Roger have appeared in the previous books, but their links to this tale have not been forged as strongly, simply because the story had not yet required it to do so.

Well .... in this one they bring it home and finally become important players in the Outlander series.

I adore Roger - and personally, without him, Bree would be too big'a chunk to swallow sometimes. (Another itty-bitty reason this volume needed)

Again, as I have said in previous reviews - this one cannot be missed if you are intending to follow the tale to the end.

Get into it people - there is plenty more to follow.

Cheers - Jo

What a letdown!.......2007-07-23

Once I started this series, I literally could not put these books down. I was telling all my friends about these books, staying up too late and going to work with circles under my eyes, but loving the characters, the period detail and the twists and turns of the plot.

Then I came to Drums of Autumn. This is the first book of Gabaldon's series that I thought was unconvincing and could have used more attention from her editor. And that's saying something, considering each previous book is 800-1000 pages at least.

Generally I've enjoyed the anticipation leading up to a major plot point (i.e. the first 350 pages of Voyager) because what's been in those pages has been well-paced, exciting and led to a deeper appreciation of the characters. But in this book, when I got to the part where Brianna has left to find her parents, I said aloud "It's about d**n time!" and by the end of the book I was skipping pages and pages just to find out what happened. And the characters started doing things that made no sense. Eventually between the absurd plot twists and the descriptive passages that just went on and on and on, I got to the point where found myself talking back to the book ("Arggh" and "You've gotta be kidding!" are prime, printable examples) and, alas, losing interest.

Don't get me wrong - there are very riveting and entertaining parts to the book but overall I thought that Gabaldon wasted too much prose on things that didn't further the plot or enhance the characters, only to gloss over areas rife with potential. What about Brianna's memories of Frank (we only learned that he taught her to shoot - what else did they share?), her time living alone since her mother's departure, her arrival/stay at Lallybroch, her observations of her mother's relationship with Jaime and how she finally resolves her issues regarding her mother's betrayal of Frank? We hear at the end of the book that she's seen one marriage with love and one marriage without, and would choose love instead of settling. Really!?! And what were her observations and thoughts that brought her to this conclusion, anyway??

My other gripe with this book is that that Gabaldon obviously thought up the scenario concerning Roger/Jamie/Steven Bonnet simply find a mechanism by which Brianna and Roger get stranded in the 18th century. Come on!! These ploys (mistaken identity, misinterpretation of overheard conversations) are shockingly unoriginal, used in TV sitcoms and by lazy writers who can't think of any other way to get the characters do what they want them to. I know by her previous examples that she's not lazy and has created characters and stories that while they require a little suspension of disbelief, still worked because they at least seemed plausible and in alignment with what we understood about the characters. It would have been much more interesting if Gabaldon had developed Brianna into a person whose decisions and actions actually made sense. Instead of taking stock of her situation and making a well thought out decision, Brianna instead had the decision forced upon her, so to speak, and was turned into a victim. I suppose my disappointment in this book is so much greater because the author had set the bar so high with her previous entries in the series.

I'll keep plowing ahead and read the remaining two books in the series, but seeing that The Fiery Cross has only a 3-star average rating, I'll continue with much less excitement, afraid that I'll be disappointed again.

Drums of Autumn.......2007-06-16

Loved it!!! These characters reach out and invite you into their lives, loves, hurts. I can get enough of this series!!!

Average customer rating:

Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
Manufacturer: Delocorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
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ASIN: B000N72EWM

Average customer rating:

Good but not Great
Outlander's Cosmic Adventure!

Closing The Cosmic Eye (Outlanders)
James Axler
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Skull Throne (Outlanders)
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Hydra's Ring (Outlanders)
Perdition Valley (Deathlands)
Lords Of The Deep (Oulanders)

ASIN: 0373638531

Book Description

The baronial civilization that ruled postapocalyptic America stands on the threshold of a much more sinister plot: the complete domination of Earth. These oppressors are determined to relegate humanity to the status of slavery, and crush the nascent force of freedom fighters who've dared to rebel against a powerful alien race.

Rumors of an ancient doomsday device come to the attention of the Cerberus rebels when it's stolen by an old enemy, Gilgamesh Bates. The preDark mogul who engineered his own survival has now set his sights on a controlling share of the cosmic pie. Kane, Grant, Brigid and Domi ally themselves with Bates's retired personal army, a time-trawled force of American commandos ready to take the battle back to Bates himself, wherever he's hiding in the galaxy, before the entire universe disappears in the blink of an eye.

Customer Reviews:

Good but not Great.......2007-03-13

This was a good book with a so so begining. Too much about how Bates got into the situation he was in, was left out. Where did he get a ship that could travel that far?

Outlander's Cosmic Adventure!.......2007-02-09

This latest Outlanders adventure - Closing the Cosmic Eye - is the most hardcore sci-fi-ish storyline to date.

Written by the illustrious co-author Victor Milan, Closing the Cosmic Eye has a fantastic start with explosive action/adventure with the ever cool Team Phoenix battling against two warring factions, now joined by their own version of little Domi, a dark-haired teen tribal girl who has been adopted by the team. Now beset by nearby marauders, as well as being betrayed by their newfound allies they had just freed in their last adventure a couple of books ago, they are soon rescued by their new friends of Cerberus in a climatic battle that was fun to read.

Then about 75 pages into this pretty much streamlined storyline, it all of the sudden goes into major cosmic hardcore science fiction proportions. Which is real cool on one hand, but much too rushed and sometimes hard to follow on the other. It all of the sudden turned into a Star Wars kind've story instead of Outlanders. Which is fine if things were more clearer and not seemingly rushed to a quick conclusion. This really needed to be a duology or trilogy to flesh it all out.

But, still in all, there were tidbits of greatness throughout this galactic adventure. Tons of alien species warring amongst one another. (Too many, perhaps...?) Like a couple of other Victor Milan's novels and storylines, the overall storyline ideas and concepts are awesome and triple cool, but some of the executions seemed either hard to follow or just plain rushed for completion.

Victor Milan's new book has created a new cosmic threat so large that it makes Mark Ellis's main alien bad guys - the overlords - look like mere pests that could be easily destroyed like stepping on a bug. Only the keenest of readers could detect these hints of this upcoming alien threat in his past books, starting with Uluru Destiny and Lords of the Deep.

I loved the teaming up of the Cerberus warriors with Team Phoenix. They clash sometimes, and have tensions, but still manage to show respect for one another in a number of ways. And the idea of having two groups of warriors coming from past and future earth is just very neat. I wish Team Phoenix would have their own series. Like in his past 80's postholocaust Guardian series, without aliens or muties, Victor Milan has grown as a writer, becoming more of a hardcore fantasy/sci-fi writer than a straightforward adventure writer. But when he does this, he seems to cram too much in one book to swallow. Therein lies the rub.

The main two alien warring factions were gigantic in size and scope, and was sometimes hard to follow and picture in my mind. Sometimes I was picturing something between a cross of Outlanders with Aliens movie and tie-in novels. Nothing wrong with that. Just needed some more cultivation, fleshing out and details.

As in a couple of other Outlander Milan novels, the ending was too abrupt and Closing the Cosmic Eye felt rather rushed. By the ideas of having the Cerberus crew and Team phoenix stuck in a far away galaxy, exiled from earth, made me want to continue turning the page. Having Lakesh and Philboyd finally finding a way to get the two groups to come back home to earth, with Team phoenix deciding to stay and fight in a bigger war for the galaxy, makes me wish Gold Eagle would develop a series of Team Phoenix battling alien overlords throughout the galaxy with these myriad mixed alien races. Now THAT would be a great, fresh and exciting series to read!

But giving this a 3.5 star review is just my personal chioce. Readers who love the more Star Wars and Star Trek type novels, will surely enjoy this even more than I. C'mon Milan, write another Deathlands novel. Give us a more hardy sci-fi-ish adventure in that series.

Or just another gem of raw survival with brains like you did in Deathlands: Vengeance Trail. It really needs it.

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!!!!
Another Winner
Skull Throne
One of the best novels in the history of the series!
A rousing adventure!

Skull Throne (Outlanders)
James Axler
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Sky Raider (Deathlands)
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Closing The Cosmic Eye (Outlanders)
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Hydra's Ring (Outlanders)

ASIN: 037363854X

Book Description

The calculated new bid for planet Earth by the Supreme Council has changed the face of war for the Cerberus rebels. As the enemy's avarice invokes total damnation of the human race, the battle plan now extends far beyond disarming a group of power-hungry god kings. Now it's a fight for survival against powerful interlopers—fully prepared to finish what they started eons ago….

Buried deep in the Mayan jungle amid a civilization of lost survivors and emissaries of the dead is an artifact that hides secrets to the prize—planet Earth. In sinister hands, it guarantees complete and absolute power. Kane and the rebels have just one chance to stop a rogue Overlord from his furtive grab for glory, but it means joining an unholy quest with an old enemy in a race to stop the skull throne from revealing answers to malevolent factions.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!!!!.......2007-09-25

All that we've come to love about Outlanders is in Skull Throne. Exotic peoples, places, enemies, and objects. I love how we're seeing that things aren't going as smoothly for the Cerberus group as most serial plots would have. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of the Cerberus crew decided to leave - possibly even as traitors. Things aren't going smoothly for the team and that can only leave room for new conflicts and adventures. I haven't been this excited about a series' next release in a long time.

Another Winner.......2007-09-17

How many ways can I explain the awesomeness that is Skull Throne? From the flash-bang opening with Cerberus Away Team Alpha in Pakistan (including a visit from our old friend Decard from Mask of the Sphinx), through the jungles of South America, and right up to a rousing climax within an ancient Mayan pyramid, this book crackles with energy at every turn.

The action throughout the book is varied and exciting. Giant battles against hopeless odds with high tech weaponry? Yup. Up close and personal battles with nothing but primative tools? Yeah, that too. Beautiful princesses, ancient civilization, high technology disguised as artifacts... it's all there.

I am being deliberately vague, because there are just too many fun surprises for me to spoil them here. Suffice to say, the book is high adventure at its finest and stands proudly with other classics of the series like Tomb of Time and Mad God's Wrath.

Skull Throne.......2007-09-11

Great book but I wish there was a way of getting this in a subscription.

One of the best novels in the history of the series!.......2007-06-11

Skull Throne is fast-paced, action-packed and in my opinion one of the best novels in the entire ten year history of the series...which is an accomplishment few writers today can boast and Mark Ellis should take a bow.

I love the "Cerberus crew" of Kane, Brigid and Grant and the entire supporting cast of Domi, Lakesh, Philboyd and now the Cerberus Away Teams. Being able to visit with old friends and be introduced to new ones makes Skull Throne an exceptionally enjoyable book.

The humor between the lead characters, the camaradrie and the fact that they get on each other's nerves lifts them from being one dimensional cut-outs to fully realized portraits---larger than life of course, because they're so heroic but they still have ordinary concerns.

The explanation put forth by Mark Ellis about the true nature of the mysterious crystal skulls as well as the fate of Colonel Fawcett all those years ago in the Amazonian jungle is both original and amusing.

I also was gratified by the return of Sindri, who we haven't seen in several years...and he's just as cunning and entertaining as ever.

The trek through the jungles was vividly described and I particulary liked the scene at the waterfall with Kane and the high priestess, Ixchel.

The only criticism I have with Skull Throne is that it wasn't twice as long!

A rousing adventure!.......2007-05-28

Skull Throne is another rousing adventure tale in this decade long series of them.

The Cerberus warriors team up with an old enemy to face down Overlord Nergal. In the process the reader is introduced to the newly formed Cerberus Away Teams and goes on a vivid and colorful trek through the Amazon rain forest.

As always, Mark Ellis mixes myth with real history with sharp characterization to make a very memorable book. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Colorful and exotic adventure
Vivid and rich!
Evil Abyss is not Ellis's greatest
Not what I expected
A tip of the hat to an old friend

Evil Abyss (Outlanders)
James Axler
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: 0373638450

Book Description

Guardians of Power
Shrouded in manipulation and mystery, a deadly order grips the treacherous post-nuclear world, one that conspires to weaken and subjugate humanity as it has for eons. Yet the oligarchy of hybrid barons is slowly losng its power over insurrectionist forces, led by rebels willing to lead mankind out of its yoke of slavery. Though the timeless secrets of Earth and its oppressors remain locked, the sheer fortitude of the human soul remains strong. . .

Sacred Nexus
In the heart of Cambodia, a portal to the eternal mysteries of space and time lures both good and evil to its promise. Now, a deadly imbalance has not only brought havoc to the region, but also threatens the efforts of the Cerberus warriors. To have control of the secrets locked deep within the sacred city is to possess the power to manipulate Earth's vast energies. . .and in the wrong hands, to alter the past, present and future in unfathomable ways. . .

Customer Reviews:

Colorful and exotic adventure.......2005-11-21

Evil Abyss is a very colorful novel in the Outlanders series, featuring a number of fascinating characters and concepts. I was very much drawn to General Zhou Tzu. I'm not familiar with the "Warlord" character from the I Spy episode that inspired him, but I still I found him completely compelling...almost like an older, wiser and more Asian version of Kane himself.

I also was intrigued by the opening chapters set in Ragnarville and the introduction of the Millennial Consortium, potential new enemies of Cerberus.

Evil Abyss wasn't the best OL novel by Mark Ellis, but it was head, shoulders and hips above Uluru Destiny and at least it features all the characters the way they're supposed to be written.

Brigid was presented as the exact opposite of the simpering libriarian the way Milan mis-writes her.

By combining on-model characterization with high adventure in exotic lands with a touch of mysticism and science-fiction, Mark Ellis has produced another very memorable book in the Outlanders series.

I've said this before--Outlanders is a very unique series and it's a terrible shame that Gold Eagle doesn't appreciate the gem it has here.

I want to thank Eric The Red, One Eye Chills and Ghost In The Machine for motivating me to post these reviews!

Vivid and rich!.......2005-08-14

Evil Abyss is different than a lot of OL books even by Mark Ellis, but at least it feels right. There are a lot of traditional sequences, like shootouts in the Tartarus Pits and face-downs with slaggers, but like the best of the OL series, the development of the plot is well drawn and set into motion in the prologue.

Evil Abyss has a tie-in to Asian religous mystery and mythology and the material about the ancient Khmer empire and the Nagas is fascinating. All the action was solid, well paced and placed throughout. The battle scenes and Kane's relentless drive to find the missing party from Cerberus in the Cambodian jungle was riveting.

The probing of the mysteries of Angor Wat was excellent. Call me strange, but I really enjoyed the scene with an imprisoned Philboyd and the lice!

But more than anything, it was the vivid characters in Evil Abyss that brought it to life...Boss Klaw, Colonel Puyang, the Magickers and the beautiful Devi-Naga.

Brigid's own adventures in Cambodia, separated from everyone, was a welcome change since she had gotten so little attention in the previous book. Here she shines like she's supposed to-brilliant, brave, caring and honorable...and even sexy!

The warlord Zhou Tzu was a great, rich character, especially the mystical bond he shares with Kane whose arrival in his country helps him pay off a karmic debt. His karmic connection with Kane was very interesting, since Kane feels guilt for an action of his early on in the story. The theme of the book seemed to explore the human experience from a number of different perspectives-loss, duty, war, self-sacrifice and the struggle against evil.

The connections and continuity to other OL books was a great part of this one, with the tie-in between the Nagas and the Annunaki. I credit the fast-paced and intelligent writing style of Mark Ellis for keeping this series fresh and exciting with the introduction of interesting new concepts and characters.

Enjoy, Evil Abyss is a great read!

Evil Abyss is not Ellis's greatest.......2005-08-06

I've read all of the Outlanders saga, and found this one not up to par with the previous novel - Uluru Run. Even though that novel had its problems too, I found it more enthralling to read.

Victor Milan is getting better and better with each successive novel he writes in BOTH series.

Ellis, this was good, but not all that and a bucket of chicken. C'mon, you've done better than this!!

The recent Successors, for example, was far more exciting to read than this one. Milan is rising up!

Not what I expected.......2005-03-05

This was my first book in the Outlanders series, recommended to me by a friend who is a fan of the series. It wasn't what I exepced at all--it was much, much better!

I enjoyed all the characters and the setting of Cambodia and Anghor Wat, particularly the mystical aspects of the plot. This is a book I would recommend to anyone who is curious about the Outlanders science-fiction series.

A tip of the hat to an old friend.......2005-02-22

The latest Outlanders offering is a bit of a switch from Mark's usual fare, as I will describe later in the review.

It's good to see him back at the helm, after the less than adequate offerings we've had over the past year, with the exception of Mask of the Sphinx.

Instead of the usual save the world from a dreaded evil, it's quite a simple story. It starts out with Brigid Baptiste, Philboyd and a woman named Nora testing out the latest Interphaser device. They end up arriving in a small temple in Cambodia, where they're separated and each person ends up in a different faction's camp.

Of course, each faction has its own agenda, with only Philboyd being the one threatened with death.

Grant and Domi both wish to come with Kane on the rescue mission to help the three of them, but Kane pulls off a fast one, taking one of the Mantas without letting either of them know of his plans. It's a one-man rescue mission this time.

Upon arrival, the Manta crash lands after all the power is knocked from it, and he meets up with some of the locals.

With their help, he joins forces with a General named Zhou Tzu and agrees, albeit reluctantly, to help him fulfill his destiny, as well as to rescue his friends. It turns out that Nora has fallen for the general, and he for her in return, and clearly has no interest in returning to Cerberus.

Working together, they are able to locate Brigid Baptiste and Philboyd, and rescue the latter.

During the rescue attempt, they inadvertently get involved in yet another revolt, and reunite the General with his daughter, the ruler of the city-state.

For anyone who happens to be a fan of the old I Spy TV series from the 60's, they will find that this novel is very similar to one of the episodes called "Warlord". The book is even dedicated to Robert Culp, who was the star of this series. I found the General had a great deal in common with the character that Mr. Culp portrayed in the episode.

What also sets this novel apart from the rest of the series is that instead of having the usual pattern of Kane, Grant and Brigid heading out on a mission together, they are all separated. Hell, even Domi and Grant have less a role to play than usual in the novel.

This might put off some people, but I personally found it to be a refreshing change from the usual method we've all become so used to over the years the series has been running.

Also, it's nice to have a novel once in a while that isn't earth shattering in it's scope, like we've been given time and again.

That is coming in the next novel.

Finally, as you would expect, with the novel having been written by Mark Ellis, the characters are dead on target once again.

Unlike previous novels we've been subjected to.

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Hydra's Ring (Outlanders)
Full of action
Hydra's Ring is fantastic!
Hydra's Rehash

Hydra's Ring (Outlanders)
James Axler
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Men's Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Closing The Cosmic Eye (Outlanders)
Lords Of The Deep (Oulanders)
Perdition Valley (Deathlands)
Skull Throne (Outlanders)
Cannibal Moon (Deathlands)

ASIN: 0373638523

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-09-11

Action, adventure, suspense, and - my personal favorite - conspiracies twisting themselves through time. Mr. Ellis does a fantastic job pulling more mythology into his creation and continues to thrill, surprise, and entertain.

Hydra's Ring (Outlanders).......2007-01-12

Good story line as all the Outlanders and deathlands Book series. I have a large collection of both and enjoy reading them and will continue to collect and read.

Full of action.......2006-11-19

Hydra's Ring is a great action adventure story set in the future, but it deals with the archelogical relics of ancient China!

All the characters were interesting and the plot moved very fast, full of action and interesting places and details.

Very pleased with this book!

Hydra's Ring is fantastic!.......2006-11-15

This was my first James Axler book. Hydra's Ring was an engrossing, page-turning read. I love the mix of ancient history and mythology in this book. Fast-paced, great characters, rich background.

Don't miss this one! It has it all -- action, suspense, exotic background,superb characters that are unforgettable.

I can't wait to go discover all the other Outlanders books that Mark Ellis/James Axler created!

Hydra's Rehash.......2006-11-12

Mark Ellis's latest offering should be titled 'Hydra's Rings' - since there were nine rings in all, not just one. Or better yet, Hydra's Rehash, since that what was contained in about 1/3 of this book.

I'm glad I'm not paying for pages and pages of stuff I've already read in the last 30 books or so. I like that Victor Milan doesn't rip off his readers in such a way.

But, all in all, Hydras Ring is a decent read, if not pretty much formulaic in storyline and characterization. The only thing that stands out differently in terms of characterization here is the return of Erica Van Sloan.

The problems I have in this once great series is the fact that Mark Ellis wrote himself into a corner. He created the nine barons into being some larger-than-life alien beings with a mothership more than capable of destroying the Cerberus mountain base, along with its mostly untrained and unblooded moon base emigres. I guess a mere 3 people can take on nine large aliens with bigger and better advanced weaponry of alien design, along with a sentient mothership with seemingly unstoppable power, and an army of alien nephilm, (or however you may spell it), with near indesrtructable armor. Yeah, right.

The characterization of the main 3 hasn't budged nor changed in many a book. Kane and Brigid never talk about continuing their 'anam-chara', (grown stale and written verbatim in each novel, having being pasted and posted over and over by Ellis so obviously), makes one perceptive reader/writer wonder why he decides to rip off his readers like this...?

But aside from all of this rehashing, and numerous blunders in editing, Hydra's Rehash...er, Ring, has a bad guy that looks and acts just like Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials of yesteryear. Been done.

The tale here being so asian in setting, I was wondering why all the ten or dozen or so fans here didn't comment on why Shizuka was not presented in this story...?! I like how she either isn't even mentioned, nor doesn't locate and find Grant,(her supposed love), and find out what's going on. Only in these books that proclaim such strong women characerizations can one find a woman who doesn't complain when her man is away too long. Or even write a letter or e-mail...

I find it laughable that Grant almost left the Cerberus redoubt for this woman and her small empire. Now he almost never sees nor mentions her. Why have her at all...? And why so conviently have the all-powerful barons and their mothership fighting over in Europe or something? Oh, because they have to get back their homeland back, instead of easily uniting and easily blast Cerberus and its inhabitants to smithereens!

But if you are in the mood to read a pretty typical Outlanders adventure, without anything of huge consequence happening, whether in terms of characterization or world changing, then this one's for you.

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