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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I listened to this on CD in the car on a long drive. It's not as good as the outlanders, but was very enjoyable.
Lord John and the Hellfire Club: Set after the closing of Ardsmuir, this extremely short story involves the murder of a cousin of Harry Quarry, the guy that Lord John took over from as governor of Ardsmuir. The murder seems to be related to a gay/magic/murder club that exists in London at the time, and Quarry and Lord John seek to unravel the mystery. The story feels rushed and there's no real...depth. The ending isn't shocking or relieving because there's just not enough time to get invested in any of these characters.
Lord John and the Succubus: Lord John's off on campaign fighting the French, and there's a succubus loose in the camp, killing soldiers! This one seems much longer and more fleshed out than The Hellfire Club. Lord John's falling into a pattern though, of thinking over the mystery to himself constantly: "But if blah, then blah. But then, why did blah? Of course, then blah would blah. But then we must assume blah did blah!" Pages upon pages of that. It's getting tiring.
Lord John and the Haunted Soldier: Lord John's under investigation because of the cannon that blew up in Brotherhood of the Blade. And it's complete crap. I really, really hated this one. Actually I seem to not really like any the novellas in this series, but this one was just really awful. Just, so many random people thrown at me, none of whom I cared about, a pointless but coincidentally related side story about a missing baby, basically NOTHING about the haunting, and UGH. I didn't even care who the criminal mastermind was by the end. By the way, this is about as long as both other novellas combined.
Lord John and the Succubus: Lord John's off on campaign fighting the French, and there's a succubus loose in the camp, killing soldiers! This one seems much longer and more fleshed out than The Hellfire Club. Lord John's falling into a pattern though, of thinking over the mystery to himself constantly: "But if blah, then blah. But then, why did blah? Of course, then blah would blah. But then we must assume blah did blah!" Pages upon pages of that. It's getting tiring.
Lord John and the Haunted Soldier: Lord John's under investigation because of the cannon that blew up in Brotherhood of the Blade. And it's complete crap. I really, really hated this one. Actually I seem to not really like any the novellas in this series, but this one was just really awful. Just, so many random people thrown at me, none of whom I cared about, a pointless but coincidentally related side story about a missing baby, basically NOTHING about the haunting, and UGH. I didn't even care who the criminal mastermind was by the end. By the way, this is about as long as both other novellas combined.
I'm sorry to say, it's happened again. :( Once again, I'm off of Diana Gabaldon's books. She's a good story teller, I worship her research abilities, and she has wonderful ideas for plots. And I think Lord John is a damn interesting character, in his own right! But Jamie Frasier is dragged into each of these stories, and that's all a little too emo for me. I'm simply not a Jamie fan, I guess.
The first story was 2 stars at best, but the 2 novellas were better. I love 18th century English novels, but I've already read all the good ones written from the period, so All I have left are novels with 18th century settings. Finding well-written ones is a challenge. Her Outlander series isn't appealing to me at all (romantic crap) but I like the Lord John Series in small doses.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It wasn't super awesome, but enough to while away and afternoon.
I adore Lord John. He is intellegent, handsome, and such a sympathetic character that you can't help but like him. This collection of short stories weren't my favorite. As the author herself admits, they were a sort of mish-mash and written to fulfill certain requirements of anthologies and publisher's wishes, and I feel the collected works suffer a bit for it. Also, I was intrigued with the "sodomite conspiracy" thread in the first two books featuring Lord John, but seeing another one pop up just feels like we are repeating the whole -WOW 18th century soliders REALLY thought gays were villians- trope.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories and the overall action, but felt it was a bit poorly exectured.
Still can't hate on a bit of Succubus and Gypsy mystery :)
Oh, and Reading story 1.5 after reading 'Brotherhood of the Blade" Stephen's wife is a crazy birch. That's all.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories and the overall action, but felt it was a bit poorly exectured.
Still can't hate on a bit of Succubus and Gypsy mystery :)
Oh, and Reading story 1.5 after reading 'Brotherhood of the Blade" Stephen's wife is a crazy birch. That's all.
Three separate novellas about John Grey. I do admire him for his forthright pursuit of honor. Gabaldon writes him with such a keen eye toward the inner turmoil he suffers, making it clear for the reader his ultimate cost for living his dual life.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gabaldon continues to weave the Lord John tales with another novella, set months after Brotherhood in the Blade ended. The gun crew to which Lord John belongs is brought before a board of inquiry to answer for their actions and a cannon mishap that has cost Lt. Philip Lister his life. The cannon burst injured many, including Grey, who possesses the shrapnel carved out by surgeons. When the remains of the cannon goes missing, Grey ends up with the only remaining evidence to substantiate poorly constructed weaponry, which could exonerate Grey and the rest of the crew. While certain members of the board seek to discredit Grey, going so far as to order a secondment, Grey perseveres in order to get to the bottom of the investigation and clear his name. As with any Lord John story, our protagonist engages in numerous sleuthing activities, looking for Lt. Lister's fiancee and child and investigating a blackmarket distribution of gun powder. Gabaldon also peppers the story with some Grey sentiments surrounding the ever-elusive Jamie Fraser, sure to thicken future storylines. Building on some of the storylines developed in the preceding novel, Gabaldon entertains the reader with every page and keeps them wanting more.
As part of my listening pleasure, I stumbled upon a note by Gabaldon after the novella, which puts the entire LJG series into perspective. As the Gabaldon fan will know, many of the OUTLANDER novels came to be long before Lord John received more than passing mention. However, the divergence of Lord John and his development as a stand-alone character has led to some very curious denouement in the larger Outlander series. Grey's ties to Jamie Fraser and the fact that the entire collection to date takes place in that two-decade period when Claire was gone weaves interesting storylines and leaves Grey (especially) with an interesting outlook into what might come to pass should the two renew their acquaintance. Much to come should create even more interesting options.
Kudos, Madam Gabaldon for this addition to the series. I see many interesting developments on the horizon.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Merged review:
Lord John continues his adventures as a soldier and highfalutin sleuth. Away from the busy streets of London, Grey finds himself in Prussia, acting as an English liaison officer and settling disputes for some of the locals in the town of Gundwitz. Local lore professes to the existence of a succubus, who is said to have visited a number of townsfolk and is blamed for the death of a Prussian soldier. Skeptical, yet curious, Grey goes to the graveyard to investigate and stumbles upon an English soldier with whom he is acquainted. While trying to quell another round of superstitious behaviour and solve the murder, Grey finds himself fighting his attraction to Hanoverian Captain Stephan von Namtzen, an elusive 'agreement' with Jamie Fraser the main impediment. Grey must also dodge advances by the beautiful young widow Louisa, Princess von Lowenstein, who seeks to lessen Grey's daily tensions. While Grey seeks to solve the case logically, something sinister keeps him from presenting a quick. All around him the battle is raging on and the Seven Years War has only just begun. Gabaldon is wonderful in her storytelling and keeps Grey fans wanting more.
Gabaldon offers another gem in her Lord John series, which hones in on Grey's sleuthing capabilities as well as his past with one Jamie Fraser. The attentive reader will tease out nuggets to add to the Outlander series, in which the entire LJG series serves as a bridge in time during the Jamie-Claire hiatus. Lord John is sure to continue playing a key role in this series (obviously) and the larger Outlander one, in the books to come. While I have read this novella before, new crumbs as they relate to the larger double series emerged, making this an all-around enjoyable feat. Not to be missed as part of the larger reading experience known as Gabaldon's Outlander mega-series.
Kudos, Madam Gabaldon for adding to your already interesting character. How can I not love Grey and his dry wit as he solves crimes in what seems to be his spare time?
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
As part of my listening pleasure, I stumbled upon a note by Gabaldon after the novella, which puts the entire LJG series into perspective. As the Gabaldon fan will know, many of the OUTLANDER novels came to be long before Lord John received more than passing mention. However, the divergence of Lord John and his development as a stand-alone character has led to some very curious denouement in the larger Outlander series. Grey's ties to Jamie Fraser and the fact that the entire collection to date takes place in that two-decade period when Claire was gone weaves interesting storylines and leaves Grey (especially) with an interesting outlook into what might come to pass should the two renew their acquaintance. Much to come should create even more interesting options.
Kudos, Madam Gabaldon for this addition to the series. I see many interesting developments on the horizon.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Merged review:
Lord John continues his adventures as a soldier and highfalutin sleuth. Away from the busy streets of London, Grey finds himself in Prussia, acting as an English liaison officer and settling disputes for some of the locals in the town of Gundwitz. Local lore professes to the existence of a succubus, who is said to have visited a number of townsfolk and is blamed for the death of a Prussian soldier. Skeptical, yet curious, Grey goes to the graveyard to investigate and stumbles upon an English soldier with whom he is acquainted. While trying to quell another round of superstitious behaviour and solve the murder, Grey finds himself fighting his attraction to Hanoverian Captain Stephan von Namtzen, an elusive 'agreement' with Jamie Fraser the main impediment. Grey must also dodge advances by the beautiful young widow Louisa, Princess von Lowenstein, who seeks to lessen Grey's daily tensions. While Grey seeks to solve the case logically, something sinister keeps him from presenting a quick. All around him the battle is raging on and the Seven Years War has only just begun. Gabaldon is wonderful in her storytelling and keeps Grey fans wanting more.
Gabaldon offers another gem in her Lord John series, which hones in on Grey's sleuthing capabilities as well as his past with one Jamie Fraser. The attentive reader will tease out nuggets to add to the Outlander series, in which the entire LJG series serves as a bridge in time during the Jamie-Claire hiatus. Lord John is sure to continue playing a key role in this series (obviously) and the larger Outlander one, in the books to come. While I have read this novella before, new crumbs as they relate to the larger double series emerged, making this an all-around enjoyable feat. Not to be missed as part of the larger reading experience known as Gabaldon's Outlander mega-series.
Kudos, Madam Gabaldon for adding to your already interesting character. How can I not love Grey and his dry wit as he solves crimes in what seems to be his spare time?
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The actual writing of these stories was good - really good. (Except I didn't like the fact that she was Germany when Germany didn't exist and acknowledged this fact in a note before the second story.) -- I haven't yet decided if the acknowledgment helps or hinders it.
But ... these stories fell a bit flat for me and I think I know exactly why - which makes me appreciate the Outlander books even more. These were the first Lord John stories I read outside of Outlander and it made me realize that one of the things that I love about the Lord John Grey character so much was his demeanor and interactions with Jamie and Claire and Brianna. He was that family friend that everyone loves having around and looks forward to his visits. It's like the "Cool Uncle" as kids that you always want there. But we don't get any of that in this collection - I understand why, because these take place outside of those relations. But it made me miss that Lord John Grey and it made this one feel like a whole different character.
But don't get me wrong- I'm going to read all of the others, because I still love Lord John Grey and Gabaldon's writing is still so good.... So it was a 3 star read for me, GOOD but not as GOOD as I expected but also not BAD.
But ... these stories fell a bit flat for me and I think I know exactly why - which makes me appreciate the Outlander books even more. These were the first Lord John stories I read outside of Outlander and it made me realize that one of the things that I love about the Lord John Grey character so much was his demeanor and interactions with Jamie and Claire and Brianna. He was that family friend that everyone loves having around and looks forward to his visits. It's like the "Cool Uncle" as kids that you always want there. But we don't get any of that in this collection - I understand why, because these take place outside of those relations. But it made me miss that Lord John Grey and it made this one feel like a whole different character.
But don't get me wrong- I'm going to read all of the others, because I still love Lord John Grey and Gabaldon's writing is still so good.... So it was a 3 star read for me, GOOD but not as GOOD as I expected but also not BAD.