Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Curiously, this novel brings to mind Laclos' superb Dangerous Liaisons--the surface veneer and manners of the 18th century gentility, and the much seamier interior beneath the surface. Gabaldon is definitely NOT your traditional historical romance writer: you are not going to get a nice drawing-room novel of heterosexual romantic love. There is a romance, but I doubt it will appeal to the Rosemary Rogers crowd. There's a lot of historical flavor and detail, some mystery, some battlefield action in the Seven Years' War. The novel is also not gay fiction. There are a few sex scenes, but the main element is the life of the gentry in London and in the regiments, the manners and the underside of life. You don't see the heroines in Jane Austen's books doing the laundry: here, the faithful manservant Tom always seems to be concerned about the stains on Lord Grey's clothes--London was not a place where you could stay clean for long. Gabaldon's novels are an acquired taste. Here, you'll find elements reminiscent of Austen, Dickens, and Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. If you want a hard-core mystery, this isn't it. If you want pure battles, try Sharpe or Hornblower. Gabaldon can draw from different genres successfully. I remember buying a used paperback in the Outlander series: the previous owner had carefully inked out all of the sex scenes (heterosexual in that series). The owner had liked the historical romance aspects, but not the rather explicit sex. Gabaldon is not going to sugar-coat her work to please a particular group--that's a rare ethic nowadays, and a highly commendable one. An enjoyable read!