Take a photo of a barcode or cover
canada_matt 's review for:
Lord John and the Hand of Devils
by Diana Gabaldon
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/