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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Where's the pod? From Hijacking to Woodchopping, Jan 30 1998
Who wrote this book???? It is interesting to see that I am not alone in my disappointment. As others have said, the first three books in this series are fantastic. In fact, they are probably among the most entertaining books I have ever read. Gabaldon has an airtight writing style that is easy to follow, and yet doesn't insult the reader's intelligence. Her plots are fantastic as she twists a virtually seamless storyline between past and 'present'. The first three books of this series are overflowing with mind-blowing adventure and plenty of detail.
My question is... WHAT HAPPENED?
Picking up Drums of Autumn after having read its predecessors is a gargantuan let-down. You expect a riveting frolic of a read and get 'Walden' instead. How could an author who fueled the break-neck, gut-wrenching speed of her plots with things like murder, vicious animal attacks, necromancy, male rape, ancient Celtic religion, piracy, voodoo, abduction, war, torture....how could this same author give us the 'horror' of pulled back muscles and expect us to be content? After the Parisian underworld and the Scottish Highlands, the backwoods of the colonial US ain't cuttin' it, so to speak. Gabaldon gave time travel a realistic feel in her first three books, yet in Drums of Autumn you feel there should be a baggage check behind one of the megaliths, since the whole process is demystified, first by Brianna's sojourn to the 18th century, and then by Roger,who, hot on Brianna's heels, decides to jump in too. Almost everything about this book falls short of the mark, ESPECIALLY when you know what a fantastic tale Gabaldon can write.
To be fair, I have to say certain parts were interesting. The depiction of the hardships of plantation life in the rural South were captivating. The bear attack was graphic, vivid, and a glimmer of the old Gabaldon adventure I love. Claire's method of debriding Roger's gangrenous wound also hearkened back to the style of the other books. Brianna and Roger's courtship at the Scots festival was very convincingly and tenderly written,without being sappy. Unfortunately, after the aforementioned courtship scenes, all we here about Brianna is how tall she is, and how red her hair is, and we are reminded of this ad nauseam. Very little character development...just tall/statuesque/towering/intimidating/impressive with red/flaming/auburn/copper/sun-lit/firey hair/tresses/locks/mane. Pick a permutation.
It is an interesting concept, having Jamie and Claire age with the series, but does that mean we have to forget about nail-biting entertainment? I hope Gabaldon returns to her old style. I will buy her next book, but since I was burnt on this one, I will wait for the paperback. Drums of Autumn, hardcover, was an enormous and expensive disappointment.
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by Diana Gabaldon
by Diana Gabaldon
by Diana Gabaldon
by Diana Gabaldon
by Diana Gabaldon
