A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte - Oct 2005)

Series: Outlander (Book 6)

It is 1772, the eve of the American Revolution, and the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Governor Josiah Martin calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But there is one problem: Jamie Fraser's wife, Claire, is a time-traveler, as are his daughter and son-in-law. And Jamie knows that three years hence, the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the end of it all will be independence--with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. Beyond everything else, though, looms the threat of a tiny clipping from the Wilmington Gazette dated 1776, which reports the destruction of the house on Fraser's Ridge and the death by fire of James Fraser and all his family. For once, Jamie Fraser hopes the time-travelers in his family are wrong about the future--but only time will tell.

The saga continues, with war on the horizon, Jamie and Claire trying to find a way to weather the storm safely. The book is full of the details of day to day life, broken up by events that are traumatic, life changing, funny, heartbreaking, and overall satisfying.

As is usual in these books, various characters are really put through the wringer. In this one, it seems to be Claire's turn for the worst of it. The Browns make a reappearance, this time determined to enact vengeance. Claire is kidnapped and raped. I thought she did a great job of keeping it together, and loved her certainty that Jamie would find her. It was fun to see her playing with the minds of her kidnappers. Absolutely loved the rescue scene, with the use of the drum and ye olde Highland yell. They definitely got what was coming to them. There was an interesting twist with the appearance of another traveler and the sharing of his experiences.

The Loyalist Scots are pulling out all the stops in their attempts to bolster support of the Crown, including what is basically a fundraising tour by Flora MacDonald, the woman who saved Prince Charlie after Culloden. Jamie knows the truth of what will happen, but tries to remain neutral for as long as possible.

Claire continues her work as a healer, while trying to find a way to bring in some modern medicine. Her experiments with ether have some pretty amusing moments, and also some lasting consequences. Jamie's conflict is real as he tries to reconcile his knowledge of the future with his honor and the oaths he has made. Throughout it all, the love that he and Claire share give them each the strength they need to weather the storms.

Roger and Brianna continue with their adjustments to this time period, some being more successful than others. Brianna brings her engineering expertise to the Ridge with her attempts at indoor plumbing, a better kiln, and the "invention" of matches. Roger has finally found his place, calling upon his background with the Reverend Wakefield, and becomes a preacher. There are some pretty funny moments as he settles into the job, including the presence of a snake at his first sermon.

Various secondary characters play parts that add some interesting complications. Lizzie's engagement to Manfred ends for an unexpected reason. As a single young woman she draws the interest of multiple young men, but who she ends up with and why is quite a surprise. 

Young Malva Christie has become a devoted apprentice of Claire's, but I have to say that there has always been something about her that didn't set right. This proves true later in the book, as she takes an action that divides residents of the Ridge. It only gets worse when Claire and Jamie are accused of murder, bringing them into further peril. The final resolution of that storyline was sad and creepy.

Stephen Bonnet is still making his presence known. The Frasers and MacKenzies continue their attempts to find  him and bring him to justice, but he proves as slippery as ever. With assistance from someone with a grudge against Jamie, Bonnet once again gets his hands on Brianna. I quite enjoyed Brianna's strength of will as she does her best to protect herself. Bonnet continues in his amoral actions, but also reveals an unexpected vulnerability. This proves to be important at the end of the book.

Lord John's presence is there throughout the book, as he and Jamie continue their friendship through their letters. This allows Jamie some chance of keeping up with William's life. With Jamie's choice of sides in the coming conflict, he wishes to protect John from association with a known traitor and breaks off communication. But the fates aren't done with them, and bring John and brand new lieutenant Lord Ellesmere to North Carolina, along with troops meant to quell rebellion. Brianna gets quite a shock when she goes to see John to ask for help and encounters William.

A health problem with Brianna and Roger's new daughter Amanda creates the need for an important decision on their part. What are the risks versus the benefits, and is it even possible? I loved Jamie's comment to Jem about a mouse named Michael. The epilogue with Roger and Brianna gives a hint of their plans and reveals a surprising gift.

At the end, the story of the newspaper clipping is revealed, with an interesting reason why. What really happens to the big house is the result of the reappearance of that other traveler. It is intense and nervewracking, and in the end satisfying. There's an amusing bit with the white sow, which seems to drive Jamie's decision on what to do next.

Now on to An Echo in the Bone!

The Fiery Cross - Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte - Sept 2005)

Series: Outlander (Book 5)

The year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser's wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy -- a time-traveler's certain knowledge.

Born in the year of Our Lord 1918, Claire Randall served England as a nurse on the battlefields of World War II, and in the aftermath of peace found fresh conflicts when she walked through a cleftstone on the Scottish Highlands and found herself an outlander, an English lady in a place where no lady should be, in a time -- 1743 -- when the only English in Scotland were the officers and men of King George's army.

Now wife, mother, and surgeon, Claire is still an outlander, out of place, and out of time, but now, by choice, linked by love to her only anchor -- Jamie Fraser. Her unique view of the future has brought him both danger and deliverance in the past; her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through the perilous years ahead -- or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes....

The story of Jamie and Claire continues, October 1770 through October 1772. Jamie and Claire, along with Brianna, Roger, Fergus, Marsali and assorted other Scottish immigrants, have established their settlement at Fraser's Ridge. The book opens with a Gathering of the region's Scottish folks, where marriages are celebrated, children baptized, and news of the wider world exchanged and discussed. Tensions are growing between the colonists and the English government as shown by some of the things that happen at the Gathering. Jamie's continued possession of his land is dependent on remaining in the good graces of the governor, so he finds himself responsible for leading local militia if it is needed.

Major events for the book: A trip to River Run for his aunt Jocasta's wedding finds Jamie and Claire involved in a murder mystery where Claire's medical expertise discovers the how but not the why. Jamie's leadership is called on when the militia is required to stop a rebel group called the Regulators. Jamie attempts to stop the battle before it can happen, instead Roger ends up in a traumatic situation that nearly kills him, and alters his life as he knows it. A hunting trip nearly turns deadly for Jamie. Jamie and Roger continue their attempts to track down Stephen Bonnet, and Ian returns to the Ridge.

Interspersed with the major events are the details of daily life in Colonial America. The descriptions are vivid enough that I could easily picture the scenes as I was reading. Some of them were pretty funny, such as almost anything dealing with pigs.

In this book, the relationship between Brianna and Roger continues to strengthen and grow. Their wedding is both funny and very emotional. Both of them are still adjusting to life in the eighteenth century, though Roger sometimes seems to have a harder time of it. Though the true paternity of Brianna's son Jemmy is still not known, Roger works his way through his own feelings about it. After the events of the battle with the Regulators, Roger has to find his way through his depression to find his new reality. I really enjoyed seeing he and Jamie grow closer. Roger is moved by Jamie's confidence in him at various critical points in the book, which does good things for his confidence.

As always, the love that Jamie and Claire have for each other burns bright and strong throughout the book. They have settled into their lives on the Ridge, with each one contributing their individual strengths to the process. I loved their support of each other, even when they didn't agree. Jamie's protectiveness is always foremost in his mind, but he knows when it is a losing battle to argue with her. Likewise, Claire knows that asking Jamie to be anything but the Highland warrior he is would be asking him not to be himself. But for all his toughness, there is the romantic in him that he expresses so beautifully: “When the day shall come, that we do part," he said softly, and turned to look at me, "if my last words are not 'I love you'—ye'll ken it was because I didna have time.”  It is that love that brings him back from the edge in the frightening episode with the snakebite. There are also times when the things he says are laugh out loud funny, such as when he sees his sperm in Claire's microscope: 

“He bent and kissed me briefly, then headed for the door. Just short of it, though, he turned back.

"The, um, sperms ..." he said, a little awkwardly.

"Yes?"

"Can ye not take them out and give them decent burial or something?"

I hid my smile in my teacup.

"I'll take good care of them," I promised. "I always do, don't I?”

Also running through the book is the continuing search for Stephen Bonnet. The grief that he has already caused for the family, plus the threat of his continued existence, makes it vital for him to be dealt with. As they learn more about his activities, it becomes obvious that he is a far larger threat than they had previously thought. Jamie holds himself responsible for Bonnet's freedom, and he and Roger have a plan to resolve it. Claire says it best when she states “While the Lord might insist that vengeance was His, no male Highlander of my acquaintance had ever thought it right that the Lord should be left to handle such things without assistance.”  A scary encounter between Bonnet and Claire, Brianna, and Marsali has an unexpected ending, but leaves the issue hanging to be continued in the next book.

The issue of time-travel comes up when Ian returns to the Ridge at the end of the book, bearing a gift for Claire from the old Mohawk woman. It is a notebook that had belonged to the one known as "Otter-Tooth". Its revelations are eye-opening and frightening and give the family quite a lot to think about.  Out of it all, my favorite part is "Mmphmm," Ian said, and his face lighted with an expression of profound satisfaction. "I knew ye weren't a fairy,  Auntie Claire!"

As frequently happens with Gabaldon's books, what appear to be minor characters move in and out of the story, often for little apparent reason. But it is a rare occurrence when one of these characters doesn't have a purpose, even though it may not be known for another book or two. I have learned not to dismiss anyone as unimportant.