This is Gabaldon’s first book in a new trilogy following her highly successful Outlander series. The “Lord John” series is based on the relatively minor character from the Outlander books Lord John Grey, who is a young and fiercely patriotic military officer and second son of a wealthy and prestigious family. Lord John is also a secret homosexual, a practice which was seen as akin to treason in these tumultuous days of the Seven Years War between England and France, and which causes him no […]
Wars, treason and homosexuality in 18th century England
An offshoot of the original Outlander series, the Lord John novels deal with Lord John Grey, a British nobleman, a soldier and a patriot in the time of the Seven Years War in 18th century Europe. He is also a secret homosexual, at a time when coming out would not only destroy his career, his reputation and that of his family, but would very likely lead to his exile, jailing, or possibly even execution. Despite the fact that homosexuality is pervasive during these times, and […]
Baldacci finally gives us a Puller worth respecting
I’ve done what I had promised myself I wouldn’t do again, which is to read another Baldacci novel about Jack Reacher knock-off John Puller. I hated the first Puller novel and disliked the second. And so I was pleasantly surprised that Baldacci brought his “Camel Club” game to this latest novel, a political thriller with high stakes, fascinating characters and a surprisingly subdued and more human Puller revealing less of the super-hero and more of the grit and angst of a real person. Baldacci, a […]