An Echo in the Bone [Mass Market Paperback]

I'll start by saying I LOVE the Outlander series of novels. Claire and Jaime, Roger and Bree, Ian, Jenny... they're all wonderful characters who have been given depth and complexity over the course of the first 6 novels. Then we hit this one. It's my least favorite of the 7.

For the first time ever, I had trouble "getting into" the novel. I felt like too much time was being spent on new characters - John Grey (not a new character by any means, but a minor one in the past novels) was given chapter after chapter of story line, most of which referred back to his own spinoff book which I didn't read because I don't really care about him that much. Characters were mentioned that I couldn't possibly make the connections between, having only read the Outlander series. The result of this was much re-reading, trying to spin the web of connections and make out the proper relationships from the past. Like the French spy who comes looking for Fergus for what reason? Fergus is the illegitimate son of who now??

The Jaime and Claire story took a backseat for the first time. The plot was more about John and his son William (Jamie's son actually, but you know what I mean) and their past. I feel like Gabaldon spent more time developing a way to introduce some famous players into the book than she did developing the original storyline. The story of Roger and Bree in the future was nicely worked in, but was constantly interrupted by descriptions of war and random appearances by Ben Franklin and Benedict Arnold. I realize that she was trying to be accurate in her plot lines, but honestly, I'm not reading it for the accurate historical value. I don't need that many details.

The last few chapters of the book were shockingly different in pace. Some MAJOR life changes and lapses in time were written in under 2 pages, when earlier in the novel, a single battle or trouble at sea would be described in 15+ pages. I was so baffled, I had to read the last part of the book twice. I just didn't get it. Everyone was acting crazy and then the book just stopped. No final thoughts, no ending to speak of, just a conversation between Ian and his Quaker girlfriend (who also became a main character by the way) and then nothing. I flipped through the Author's Notes at the end of the book, desperate for more novel but was disappointed to discover there wasn't any.

I'm not a great one for being patient, so I wish I had not read this book at this time. I should have waited to read this until the next book was written, so I could read them back to back. Too bad I didn't know that until after it was too late. If I didn't think it was an important "connector" book, I would have skipped it altogether.

It's a sad day for me - I truly love the series and have gotten a number of friends and relatives hooked on the books as well. I feel let down. Hopefully the next book will bring everything back to where it should be, with the main characters still being the main characters, and acting like themselves.

Echo picks up where A Breath of Snow and Ashes left off as Claire and Jamie Fraser and Jamie's nephew Ian leave life at Fraser's Ridge behind them, head for Scotland to pick up Jamie's printing press and return to America. Of course this _is_ Jamie and Claire we're talking about so there is no smooth sailing and the *road* to Scotland is mired with many side-trips and detours as well. Roger and Bree have returned to the present and settled into life at Lallybroch, although they're also in for a few twists and turns and bumps in the night as well. William is now an adult and an officer in the British army and we see quite a bit more of him - will he and Jamie ever meet face to face? Who is the mysterious man searching for Fergus and what secrets might he reveal about his birth parents?

You'll find new friends among the old from the previous books (and a couple of very surprising returns), although IMHO there are waaaaay too many new friends as well as waaaay too much of Lord John and characters from his books. I'm not that fond of Lord John as a major character and that's why I didn't read the books to begin with and consider it dirty pool to muck up Jamie and Claire's story with Lord John's, particularly that little plot twist at the end. Eww ewww ewww ewww ewww. Diana, how could you?

In the end, I'm wondering if I've changed as a reader, or has Gabaldon changed and/or got a bit sloppy? I've heard many complain about her going on in too much detail in the other books but I was so enraptured with them I wouldn't have wanted to have seen one word edited out. Not so here, the story just rambles on and on with needless plot twists and characters that go nowhere (for shame what she did with Benjamin Franklin), and as for the overly verbose details - I did not need to know every minute detail of every medical procedure performed by Claire and most especially not the removal of Jamie's finger.

Worst of all, was the constantly switching point of views (I believe there are seven) leading to a very uneven, choppy flow and I was always able to put this down and walk away from it - frankly half way through I started another book and finished that before coming back to Echo. Cut a good chunk of the first 2/3 of the book out and flesh out the last and keep it moving a bit more instead of ending it as she did with those maddening cliff-hangers this would be a solid five star read. As it is and I can't believe I'm saying it but - three stars.

I am a great admirer of DG but I think that with this book she did her characters and her readers a huge disservice. The first five hundred pages have people wandering all over various places -- mostly people like William, Lord Ellesmere; Lord John Grey; a number of new characters with similar names to previous characters and possible relations, and the reader feels the same way. One is hard pressed to even see a connection between many of the storylines. In the last third of the book she settles down to five or six storylines and leaves every single one hanging. The writing is excellent of course, but for the first time in a DG book I found a number of typos.

It just doesn't read like a book about Jamie and Claire as much as it does a lot of new or minor characters. I personally am not as enamored of John Grey as DG is; and I must say that I found the last few chapters completely out of character for everyone involved.

After this one, she owes her readers another book!