01.26.10
Review: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have long been a fan of this series by Diana Gabaldon so having another chance to visit with Jamie and Claire and Brianna and Roger was wonderful. I was, however, rather disappointed that my visit was continually interrupted by Lord John Gray, his son, and numerous new characters introduced in this book as well as characters brought into the Outlander series from the Lord John books. If you haven’t read the Lord John books, you might want to consider doing so before reading this one. I would have been completely confused by who and what Percy was all about had I not read them prior to An Echo in the Bone.
If you are a big fan of continuity you will find yourself in a great deal of discomfort with An Echo in the Bone. Gabaldon jumps all over the place! One minute you are in 1777 Fort Ticonderoga with Jamie and Claire, the next chapter you could be in 1980 Scotland with Briana and Roger followed by a chapter in 1777 with William. Then just when you get used to that, the book just stops! No ending, no resolution to half a dozen story threads she had going, no hint of what’s to continue on in the next book it just stops like hitting a brick wall. For these reasons I have rated it the lowest of all seven Outlander books. I will still continue to read this series because I have so much already invested in these characters, but I really hope the quality of writing in future books goes back up to Gabaldon’s previous standards.