Monday, March 7, 2011

Blog Tour: Outlander





About the Book:

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another…

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon–when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire’s destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life …and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire…and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

About Diana Gabaldon:

Diana Gabaldon photo

Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling OUTLANDER novels, described by Salon magazine as “the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting “Scrooge McDuck” comics.”

The adventure began in 1991 with the classic OUTLANDER (“historical fiction with a Moebius twist”), has continued through six more New York Times-bestselling novels–DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, VOYAGER, DRUMS OF AUTUMN, THE FIERY CROSS, A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES, and AN ECHO IN THE BONE, with nineteen million copies in print worldwide

The series is published in 26 countries and 23 languages, and includes a nonfiction (well, relatively) companion volume, THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, which provides details on the settings, background, characters, research, and writing of the novels. Gabaldon (it’s pronounced “GAA-bull-dohn”—rhymes with “stone”) has also written several books in a sub-series featuring Lord John Grey (a major minor character from the main series): LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER, LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE, and LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. Another Lord John book, LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, will probably be published in 2011).

She and her husband, Douglas Watkins, have three adult children and live mostly in Scottsdale, Arizona.

My Review:
Good grief! This book! *sigh* This is a MASSIVE book! It's huge! I have to admit to being a bit apprehensive at cracking it open. I had thought about it in the past but never did finish. I am SO Glad I was giving the opportunity this time! This book is amazing! It's complicated, romantic, and actiony. It's got sci fi, romantic, fantasy and a dash of historical fiction thrown in. This book has multiple personalties, but I like it!

I liked the main characters. Claire especially. I thought she was a pretty tough chick and I enjoy reading about how she handles herself in some seriously screwed up situations. I mean really, I would go insane if I just blinked and time went wacko on me! I like how she just kind of went with it and still maintained her sanity.

I definitely have to give major applause to Diana Gabaldon for writing this one. I am amazed at how well this worked! The characters are all wonderfully written, the settings, and also all the yummy things that combine to make this a good story, are all EXCELLENTLY done! This book shouldn't rock as hard as it does, but I love it. I am definitely a fan now!

Blog Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, March 8th

Book reviewed at Books, Bags & Bon Jovi

Book reviewed at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Wednesday, March 9th

Book reviewed at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, March 10th

Book spotlighted at Outlandish Dreaming

Friday, March 11th

Book reviewed and giveaway at A Cozy Reader’s Corner Reviews

7 comments:

  1. You can join her legion of fans because she has a huge following. Thanks for the great review. I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

    Cheryl

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  2. Yes and thank you muchly for giving me the chance to jump on the "Yay Outlander!" bandwagon! :)

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  3. Good to find another Outlander fan! I hope you continue with the series, as it just gets better and better!

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  4. I'm glad you enjoyed OUTLANDER! Do take the time to read the rest of the series. But keep in mind that the books only get longer from here :-) That's actually a good thing, if you ask me. Due to the immense amount of detail in each book, they can be re-read many times.

    If you're a fan of the OUTLANDER series, please visit my blog, Outlandish Observations, for the latest news and information about Diana Gabaldon's books. I try to keep it as up to date as possible.

    And for those of you who haven't yet read the OUTLANDER books, I highly recommend them!

    Karen

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  5. Hope you dive in to the rest of the series - it's consistently big, fat and wonderful [g] Hmm, sound like I'm talking about a doughnut or something...

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  6. Oh, I love, love, love Jamie Fraser. He is just my perfect man. These books are awesome, all of them. One of my favourite series. I have also read some of the Lord Grey Books. OH, did I mention how much I love Jamie Fraser :-)

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  7. I read this novel based upon the recommendation of a group of avid Diana Gabaldon fans. I didn't expect to like it, so I bought a used copy. When it arrived, the book looked like it would take too much of my time, so it languished on a shelf for a year. When I finally got around to reading it, the pages flew by; and when I finished it, I wanted more. Since then I've devoured the series through A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which I pre-ordered. I will pre-order the next one, too.

    I can't believe how long it took me to discover this wonderful series. Take my advice and order this book; in fact, order the whole series. I envy the readers who are just starting their journey with Claire and Jamie.

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