Voyager [Mass Market Paperback]

Third in the phenomenally best selling Outlander Series, "Voyager" picks up where "Dragonfly in Amber" left off. Claire is shocked to learn that Jamie Fraser did not die at the battle of Culloden as he had said he would. After he forced Claire through the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, he went back to the battle but did not die as he had hoped. Instead, much to Claire's surprise, he survived the battle.

Claire and her daughter Brianna search with the help of Roger Wakefield through prison records and files in order to find out where Jamie may have gone after the battle. They learn that his life was spared and that he lived on after the battle under the assumed name of Alex MacKenzie.

Claire is torn between two worlds. Jamie sent her back to her husband Frank twenty years ago so that the baby that Claire carried would live. Now, those twenty years have passed and Frank is dead. There was no love between them, as Claire loves Jamie with all her heart. There is nothing holding her to the present except for her beloved daughter Brianna.

She makes the heart wrenching decision to travel back in time again, though it may kill her. Her love for Jamie is all the keeps her going. She leaves Brianna with Roger, and they begin to get closer to each other, a romance budding between them.

Claire hurtles herself back in time and finds Jamie with little to no problem. Their reunion is brief, as Jamie faints away at the sight of her. When he is roused, they have a proper reunion, though Jamie warns Claire that she may not love the man he has become. Apart from still being wanted by the red coats, Jamie lives under disguises as a merchant and printer. However, he also supplements his income as a smuggler. Claire assures him that she wants nothing more than to be with him.

Their adventures take them all over and they are soon on the run again from the English. It's quite a journey! While chasing a ship that has kidnapped Jamie's nephew Ian, the two love birds encounter pirates, battle with a witch (who readers will recognize from "Outlander"), survive sword fights and brushes with typhoid and violent storms at sea. Good will prevail in the end however, if only our two travelers can live long enough to get there.

I enjoyed "Voyager" much more than "Dragonfly in Amber". There was more adventure in this novel, more love, more romance, and more sex. This novel had everything possible to make it an excellent read and then some; it also kept me wanting more.

The story in "Voyager" seems to just hum along, much different than "Dragonfly in Amber" which was a far denser book. Jamie and Claire are also older now, by twenty years. I loved the idea that a hero and a heroine could be older than twenty five and still be able to kick butt.

There is a new character here that added spice to the novel as well. Lord John Grey makes his first appearance in the "Outlander" series (from "Lord John and the Private Matter") and his character adds something to the novel. We also get treated to appearances from all the other characters that have appeared in the previous two books, so that "Voyager" is a character smorgasbord.

I loved every blessed moment of "Voyager" and I am very glad that I have my copy of "Drums of Autumn", fourth in the "Outlander" series, ready to go. Though "Voyager" is 870 pages long, it is a well drawn, deftly told voyage that just keeps getting better and better. Thank you, Diana, for another amazing read.

If you haven't started the "Outlander" series yet, what are you waiting for?

Perhaps what I loved best was the portrayal of middle-aged passion as Claire and Jamie are reunited again. What a rare romance novel to feature a heroine in her late 40s(?) or early 50s(?). Obviously I need the "Outlandish Companion" since I can't remember these little details.

I was surprised to see that other readers thought this was a little slow paced, took too long to get started, and that the years apart were "too sad." Although I was anxious for Claire and Jamie to reunite, I felt that the bittersweet years apart heightened the joy of their return, and the sense that Claire and Jamie truly are the greatest loves of each other's lives. I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Jamie more, and see things through his eyes for a change, instead of mostly getting Claire's perspective.

The chapters focusing on how Claire's disappearance and return affected her marriage to Frank satisfied questions that remained unsettled after "Dragonfly in Amber." I had found Frank's apparent acceptance of Claire back into his life in "Dragonfly" somewhat unbelievable. (Yes, for some reason, despite a book premised on the ability to time travel, I still expect believability in the other aspects.) Frank's attitude in "Voyager" seemed much more what I would have expected.

I'm notorious for reading ahead, especially if the plot is dragging, but I was rarely tempted in "Voyager." I couldn't put the darn book down. I felt that the plot moved along much faster than "Dragonfly."

Some of the coincidences at the end became a little much for me, hence my decision to give only four stars. I don't want to give away the plot, but I did feel that the likelihood of Claire, Jamie and Fergus & Co. all ending up in the same spot following "challenges" at sea a little unlikely. If I could write like Mark Twain, I would skewer those scenes as savagely as he did James Fenimore Cooper's unbelievable twists. Since I can't, I'll just note that it's hard enough sometimes for me to find my fiance when we get separated in the supermarket, and yet, in all the Carribean, they manage to reconnect pretty quickly. (Just read through it, roll your eyes, and move on.)

On the other hand, the connection that Claire discovers between a friend in her time with someone whom she meets in the past didn't bother me, the more I thought about it. For me, that just seemed part of the "pull" that connects her to the two time periods. At the end of "Voyager," I was left with a sense that her time traveling could be connected with some deeper type of mystery.

If I weren't so broke, I'd be ordering "Drums of Autumn" this second rather than writing this review.

What can I say! An awesome read!! I am so looking forward to reading the next book. Diana Gabaldon is an amazing story teller!!