Reviews

The Custom of the Army by Jeff Woodman, Diana Gabaldon

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debbiecollectsbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Wonderful story. Read between the "Outlander" books.

cclift1114's review

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adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

gabmc's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed this novella much more than the last one in the series. It starts with Lord John Grey attending an electric eel party in London (apparently there really were such things!) and ends with him voyaging to Canada to appear as a character witness in support of an old friend who was being court marshalled. Lots of historical research went into this short book as many of the events are based on real events.

chelseasofia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I dived anew into LJG with this one a few months back (the audiobook), loved being back in LJGs world, hearing his voice, and then decided to read all the LJG books in order. Now I’m back at this one, and having re-read it, it doesn’t feel as well thought out as some of the other short stories. It makes more sense read in order with the main LJG novels and short stories, but even then, it’s a bit of a wonky read. It’s like a small unrelated series of events that happen, and we’re just following over his shoulder. We also get some thoughts and resolutions from the prior stories (even referring to something small From the main outlander novels, which now I’m confused about and have to go refresh my memory). It still is a cozy and illuminating read if you arrive with little expectations. And it’s short! It is still fun to be over LJGs shoulder.

amyreading2024's review against another edition

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1.0

More information about LJG I did not find worthwhile.

Honorable mention goes to Simon Fraser and his fluency in French.
Also Dottie, Hal's infant daughter and his affection towards her.

lisawreading's review against another edition

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5.0

Lord John Grey has a small role as a supporting character in the early Outlander books, but then gets the chance to take center stage in Diana Gabaldon's spin-off novels. In this novella, Lord John encounters an electric eel, participates in an ill-advised duel, and goes off to the wilds of Canada to serve as a witness in a court-martial proceeding... and ends up right in the thick of things in the 1759 battle of Quebec.

Short but action-packed, The Custom of the Army has some classic John moments, filled with his trademark humor and intelligence, and is a wonderful addition to the Outlander world.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of this (and all) Lord John books. Jeff Woodman's narration is spot-on perfect and truly makes the characters come alive.