Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them 20 years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.

It is 1779, and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible.

Yet, even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great, and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split, and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.

Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the 20th century might catch up to them. Sometimes, they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s - among them disease, starvation, and an impending war - was indeed the safer choice for their family.

Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity - and thus his own - and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet...on his son’s behalf and his own.

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have more at stake than ever before.

Listening Length

49 hours and 27 minutes
Author

Diana Gabaldon
Narrator

Davina Porter
Audible release date

November 23, 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books Inc.
ASIN

B09392HMGN
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Unabridged
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Product details

Listening Length	49 hours and 27 minutes
Author	Diana Gabaldon
Narrator	Davina Porter
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	November 23, 2021
Publisher	Recorded Books Inc.
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09392HMGN
Best Sellers Rank	#715 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #6 in Historical Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #7 in Time Travel Romances #39 in Historical Fantasy (Books)

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Susan Frank

Loved it

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 9, 2021

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Loved it. After such a long wait, "Bees" arrived on my kindle. With a trans-Atlantic flight ahead of me, I waited to start until I was on the plane. I've never had a flight pass so quickly as that one did. Of course, I came nowhere near finishing the book, and in a great test of willpower, spread the reading over the next week. This allowed me to savor what I'd read before moving on to the following chapters. The book never disappointed me, though I admit to a few bouts of frustration while reading. One of the biggest things I noticed about this book is that it doesn't move from one crisis to another as many earlier books did. It is more character-driven, with time spent watching those characters grow, change, adjust, and generally deal with day-to-day life and life-changing situations.

The story picks up where the previous book left off, with the return of the MacKenzies to Fraser's Ridge. Claire and Jamie's happiness is evident, but so is their concern over what the future holds. Though Jamie resigned his commission in the Continental Army after Claire's injury in MOBY, they know that the war will eventually spread to their area. Jamie already sees the writing on the wall, as residents of the Ridge are split between Rebels and Loyalists. One particular resident, Captain Cunningham, will prove to be especially troublesome. It falls to Jamie to ensure the protection of his people, and he forms a militia company to do so. I loved the descriptions of his efforts to train them, including a hilarious riding lesson.

I've seen complaints from other readers that the relationship between Jamie and Claire is lacking in this book. I'm afraid I have to disagree. It is perhaps a little quieter but no less intense. Claire knows him well enough to understand when she needs to worry about him and when she can write his actions off as business as usual. At the same time, Jamie knows when to stay out of the way of Claire's medical work and when he can offer a bit of guidance. Jamie certainly knows that leaving her behind when he goes to fight is not an option. Both are haunted by the ghost of Frank Randall, thanks to his book that Brianna brought with her from the future. Knowledge of the upcoming battle at King's Mountain hangs over their heads.

Other happenings involving friends and family:

With the return of the MacKenzies, Brianna, Roger, Jem, and Mandy must readjust to life in the 18th century. Roger found his calling with the ministry and finally pursued his ordination as a Presbyterian minister. Religious life on the Ridge is as much entertainment as spiritual, and nearly everyone attends all services, including the Quaker meeting led by Ian's wife. Some of those scenes are pretty funny and go a long way toward encouraging tolerance of others' views. Brianna continues her work as an engineer helping her father and as an artist. Thanks to Lord John, she receives a commission to do a portrait in Savannah. I enjoyed the descriptions of her subject and the challenges she faced. It also put Brianna in the right place for an unexpected and frankly somewhat creepy portrait request. The descriptions of that event were so vivid that I felt as though I was there.

While in Savannah, Brianna had the opportunity to spend time with her half-brother, William. I liked his protectiveness toward his sister and his support during that weird portrait session. Brianna is aware of the strain between William and Jamie and uses the time to talk about Jamie. I laughed out loud when she told William about that particular sound he makes ("mmphm").

William matures a fair amount in this book. While he still hasn't quite come to terms with the truth about his parentage, he is getting closer. He is still just as determined to renounce his title and corrects anyone who refers to him by it. Since resigning from the British army, he's been at loose ends, so he takes on the investigation into his cousin Ben's reported death. This includes dealing with Ben's widow, Amaranthus. I freely admit that I do not like her or her hold on William. The shocking information he discovers about Ben could destroy the family, and her part in it made me dislike her even more.

I liked William's friendship with John Cinnamon, the half-Indian, half-white man he met while visiting the family's Virginia property. John was an interesting character, and his connection to Lord John made for some tense moments until the whole story came out. I loved Brianna's part in John's story and its effect on him.

During Roger and Brianna's trip to Savannah, they stopped briefly in Charles Town, South Carolina. The visit served a dual purpose. First, they returned Germaine to his parents, Fergus and Marsali. He lived on the Ridge while they all recovered from Henri-Christian's death. Fergus and Marsali run a successful printing business, working solidly on the side of the Americans. Fergus's connections make him the perfect person to help Roger and Bree acquire rifles for Jamie's militia. The descriptions of everything involved in this undertaking were, at times, scary and hilarious. There were some intense moments when Loyalists made their unhappiness with Fergus and his views plain. The danger motivates Fergus and family to relocate. Fergus also has another encounter with someone claiming to know the truth of his birth.

Other residents of the Ridge also have their challenges. Frances (Fanny), the girl William rescued in the previous book, lives with Jamie and Claire. It takes a long time for her to believe that she is safe with them and doesn't have to worry about her future. Her grief for her sister profoundly affects her life, and I ached for everything she experienced in her short life. She is an interesting mixture of innocence and experience, and some of the things she says are both funny and heartbreaking. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her.

Life in the backwoods can be hazardous, and tragedy can strike without warning. The gruesome death of a young woman brought that danger home in a memorable scene. I ached for Bobby over the loss of his wife. In another scene, attending a difficult birth brings Claire closer to the manifestation of her full healing powers. It also brings another girl to the attention and guardianship of the Frasers.

Young Ian and Rachel have settled on the Ridge, along with Ian's mother, Jenny. Their love was as surprising as it was intense, and I enjoyed seeing their continuing adjustments to life together as Mohawk and Quaker. When Ian receives word that his first wife is now a widow and could be in danger, nothing will stop him from checking up on her. I loved that Rachel insisted on going with him, along with their baby and Jenny. I wasn't sure how that encounter would go, and I admit to being pleasantly surprised. The scene between Emily and Rachel was incredibly emotional, and I loved every moment of it. There was an interesting twist involving Jenny, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

I also enjoyed seeing some minor characters from previous books make appearances. The Quaker woman and her daughters who helped Jamie in the last book are on his mind when Ian heads north. When Jamie asks Ian to check on her during his trip, Ian is shocked by what he finds. I loved his honor-fueled protectiveness and the actions it led to. It did somewhat complicate his life and journey. An unexpected twist ended with Mrs. Hardiman and her daughters traveling back to the Ridge. Ulysses (from River Run) was a less welcome visitor in a British uniform and bearing ill intentions toward Jamie.

Lord John and his brother Hal, Duke of Pardloe, have several appearances in this book. Hal's seniority in the army put him at the center of the action. His views on the war don't necessarily match those of his compatriots. I liked his devotion to his family and ached over the effect of Ben's actions on him. John's relationship with William continues to be strained over the revelations of his parenthood. The same goes for his friendship with Jamie, thanks to John's brief marriage to Claire. Strained or not, John is there for William when he's needed, and there is never a doubt about how much he cares for William. John's past comes back to bite him when he's kidnapped in an attempt to influence Hal's plans for a trip to England.

Double agent (but for whom?) Richardson makes another appearance. This time he has an agenda of his own that he will do anything to advance. William is especially disturbed by Richardson's statement that he knows Brianna and the hint of an underlying threat. A rough sketch done by William and shown to Brianna makes the unthinkable not only possible but terrifyingly real.

The book ended in a cliffhanger with Lord John still a captive and William searching for help to save him. I hope that the next book doesn't take as long as this one did. I need to know what happens!

44 people found this helpful

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"Outlander" Is My Bookish Guilty Pleasure: And No. 9 in This Monumental Series Is Fabulous!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 29, 2022

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The "Outlander" series is my bookish guilty pleasure. What a delight! Although each of these nine books is very well written by master storyteller Diana Gabaldon, there is minimal literary value. It's all about suspending your sense of reality and just going with the impossible, coincidence-laden, very romantic, and very sexy time travel storyline. Oh, and enjoy every minute!

This is the ninth in the series, and the books must be read in order for two reasons. If you skip around, you won't understand the continuing plot developments, which build on what happened previously. Worse, there will be spoilers. Begin with "Outlander: A Novel" and proceed from there.

The basic premise is that in 1945, war nurse Claire Randall was wandering in the Scottish Highlands and accidentally traveled through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles and ended up marooned in 1743 with nothing but her wits to survive. She meets and falls passionately in love with Jamie Fraser. And the story moves on from there…

In book No. 9, it's 1779 and Claire and Jamie have returned from Philadelphia to Fraser's Ridge, North Carolina. Much to their surprise and delight, Claire and Jamie's daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their two children, Jem and Mandy, travel back in time and join them with a harrowing story to tell. Life is unsettled as the Revolutionary War comes to the Southern states, and all residents must choose sides to back the rebels or the king. This naturally pits neighbor against neighbor, and Fraser's Ridge is no exception. There are multiple plotlines in this novel—so many it's a little dizzying. Bri and Roger head south to Charles Town and Savannah at Lord John's request and decide to do something dangerous and illegal on the way. Ian and Rachel head north to New York state to check on Ian's first wife, a Mohawk Indian. William Ransom, Jamie's son and Brianna's half-brother, shows up in Savannah, with dire news. Of course, the plot points all come together in the end, leaving a nice cliffhanger for the next novel in the series. (And presumably there will be one, as Diana Gabaldon has repeatedly promised to make the story come full circle with an important scene that happened very early in the first "Outlander" book in which Frank Randall sees the specter of Jamie Fraser dressed in full Scottish regalia.)

This book has it all—heroes and villains, and one villain who will knock your socks off (so pay attention!), extraordinary plot twists that keep you reading late into the night, colorful descriptions that place you in the middle of the action, complex and interesting characters, and sex. Lots of sex.

The "Outlander" series of books is the ultimate reality escape. They are long books with convoluted, not-quite-believable but ingenious plots, and are an absolute delight to read.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

snowzz

Needed a stronger editor and more attention to Jamie and Claire’s story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 25, 2021

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No doubt diehard fans will have a great time with this book (and I did enjoy it) but I was very disappointed after such a long wait. There were so many separate plot lines in the book that it felt like there was no real arc or climax to Claire and Jamie’s story. I think it’s a thing that happens with authors when a series becomes a smash hit and the balance of power shifts away from the editors and lies totally with the writer – It happened with Harry Potter and the Game of Thrones books - Harry Potter books kept getting longer because they were stuffed with self indulgent detail that was not necessary for the story, and on GoT so many additional plots crept in and were given so much page time that they diluted the time and attention from the main storylines and characters. I do love the other characters Gabaldon has created, but constantly leaving Jamie and Claire to deal with the others at the same level of detail, and having to create endless coincidences (you can suspend disbelief once or twice, but too often becomes tiresome) to link the many sub plots to the main characters, distracts from enjoying Claire and Jamie’s story which didn’t progress much at all and was the weakest part of this book. Personally I think it would have been better for the author to stick with Lord John and Hal’s story in the separate series and give us a whole lot less of Bree and Roger apart from the aspects of their story that add to Jamie and Claire’s story. No wonder each book takes so long to write when the author is writing 3 novels worth of characters at the same time and trying to string them all together. I’ll be really disappointed if the series ends with a book like this.

105 people found this helpful

Kallie Harris

Asked when the story starts in previous review. Around chapter 120 for the curious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 24, 2021

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I wrote a previous review on this a few days ago asking when the story starts and I was then at chapter 47. Over 60 chapters later some traction was finally gained and things actually started to happen. This book is very, very well written and the attention to detail is incredible (a staple in any of this author’s works) but there’s an awful lot of it for the very small amount the overall story arcs of anyone or anything seems to be moved forward. Detailed descriptions of clothing or cooking or the comparatively primitive domestic set ups are not needed more than once or twice through the book, not every other chapter. The reader knows where we are and what we signed up for, please stop drilling it home every chance that arises. I did like that the characters are flawed and not perfect all the time and the language used very effectively demonstrates the attitudes and feel of the time period and thankfully does not bow to using the more politically correct and sensitive language of the current climate. It’s important to remember how things were and just why it was so wrong and must never be supported again and this is done remarkably well and with a deft and light touch throughout. I will get the next in series just because I have to know how it ends but I must admit to being ready to bid farewell to the characters and the story to be over with this book. I have both the audio and kindle version of the book but won’t be revisiting the world of Jamie & Claire for sometime as I’ve been left surprisingly uninterested in their journey through this particular book and need a break. I have absolutely no issue with the massive cast of characters at all, in fact I’ll say that they were needed to shore up the story as it unfolded because precious little of importance really seems to happen to Claire and Jamie. Again, very well written but a good three quarters of the book could have been sloughed away and had very little impact on the end result as it stands.

79 people found this helpful

Mrs M A Hoy

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 24, 2021

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I was greatly anticipating the ninth book in the series yet sadly found myself bored at times with the feeling I had read some of the plotlines in earlier books. The ending came as no surprise - I will not include a spoiler but it was obvious the two characters had to meet again one, predictably, needing the help of the other. Perhaps the final book will tie up all the loose ends and provide a decent resolution for these incredible characters. I just hope the author has enough interest to see the saga finished.

58 people found this helpful

So dissapointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 14, 2021

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There seemed to be no Ryhme or reason to this book I love all the others InThe series and have eagerly waited two years for this one at some points I thought I was reDing a John grey book not enough Jamie and Claire too much other rubbish ..,,,, ok so I’ve had time now to get over my initial disapointment and given it a long hard think and I still think it’s rubbish! Too long winded half of it should have been a John grey book and the other half should have been more filled out with stories and details of I am and RAcheal and their lives so far! Jenny is barely mentioned aside from minor side events and as to Rodger and Bree returning what? No details apart from a few bits about rough seas and storms. Pah I think I read more in the daily lines online than in the book and to be totally honest I preferred them! Let’s hope the final instalment is better in however many years that wil be!!

22 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

At last

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 25, 2021

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I impatiently waited for this to come to print and now we begin the wait again for what I believe will be the final installment. Sigh. The nature of reading for me is to become deeply absorbed into the created world so much so that you laugh with them, cry with them, feel the joy and grief and everything in between. Diana Gabaldon is a master at it. I had to take breaks while reads to try to settle from the wealth of emotions this storytelling evoked and yet at the same time needed to know what came next. This series started out life I believe as a creating of cross stitch and without doubt all the threads are coming together. A wonderful book I'm sorry to have finished.

18 people found this helpful

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