Rating: 
Summary: LACKING MAGIC, BUT ENTERTAINING
Review: When I read the first 3 books in the series I became so entrenched in the story that it stayed with me for days. "Drums" doesn't have the same pull, there is no passion between Claire and Jamie. They say the right words but we don't feel the internal flip flops, the gut wrenching emotion that kept us desperately seeking more, more! A lot of missed opportunity too: it's a major scene when Brianna finally finds Jamie but did she have to find him relieving himself under a tree?! Could have been a great moment in the book but it fell flat.Unfortunately too, Brianna comes across as spoiled and churlish, having rages against Jamie and Roger while she, herself, made the bad decisions that had nasty consequences.John Gray steals the story...hope to see a lot more of him. I say to Ms. Gabaldon. "You are a phenomenally talented writer who has delivered us from the mundane and we are eternally grateful...bring back the magic!! Can't wait for Book # 5 but I DREAD reaching the end of the series."
Rating: 
Summary: YOU CAN'T PUT THESE BOOKS DOWN ONCE YOU PICK THEM UP!!!
Review: I was fortunate enough to luck into this series right from the beginning. The first time I read OUTLANDER I was hooked by page 10 and have eagerly awaited each book as it has been published. The combination of history, captivating characters and depth of emotions portrayed in these stories keeps you total involved, and makes you feel like these are people you wish you had real life contact with. Everyone who reads these books, awaits anxiously to see what the next stage in Jamie and Claire's life will bring. Drums of Autumn was just as riveting as the other books in this series and was especially fun because it was like running into an old friend and discovering what had been going on in their life while you were away! I applaud Diana Gabaldon's thorough research and dedication to spending the time it takes to let the story evolve and unfold. This type of writing is rare, and is cherished by all who read this series! I would HIGHLY recommend that you go out and get the first book, then, plan on spending many happy hours immersed in another world!!
Rating: 
Summary: ghost of a book
Review: in the prologue-the author writes about ghosts. and that is what his book is. if you have enjoyed the first three books then don't read this one. it is long and winding and not half fun as the first three.
the parts told in third person are paticularly painful-bree is not half interesting as her mother and roger is no jamie.
if the auhtor had stuck to her first person accounts then this would have not been half as bad as it turnd out to be.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling read, you'll hate to put it down.
Review: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon is the fourth in a series; the story around the mysterious disappearance and intriguing reappearance of Claire Randall. In this, the fourth book, Claire and her Highland Scot husband have landed on the coast of the Carolinas after a shipwreck. They are now almost destitute and without a definite destination for their future. This wonderful story continues the fine tradition of the first three books; it contains heartbreak, love, tragedy, mystery, betrayal and more. Gabaldon twists the plot with the entrance of Claire and Jamie's daughter Brianna - from the 20th century. The author keeps us looking on as she switches back and forth between the events of Brianna's trek to pre-Revolution America to find and warn her parents of their impending death, and Claire and Jamie's trip up the east coast of the colonies and their subsequent settlement in the mountains. With disease, wild Indians, treacherous pirates, lust, greed and just plain survival, the story never slows. From one minute to the next you are compelled to read on. The events are told with a realism that makes you hear and see the sights and sounds of an America we won't see again. The colorful descriptions of everyday life and people make us feel as if we could reach out and touch them. We understand the pain, love and desires that drive the characters that are now almost a part of our own family
Rating: 
Summary: A good read, but not up to Gabaldon's usual standard.
Review: Swept away by her delightful first novel, Voyageur,I lost several weeks of my life devouring thesecond and third in Gabaldon's series. I lost further time to Drums of Autumn, the latest (but alas not greatest) installment. Gabaldon is a highly gifted writer, able to present a marvellously deep and textured world. Unfortunately, this book lacks the depth and rich layering of the previous novels. For this, I must indict Gabaldon's editors. What is here is vintage "Jamie and Claire", but the narrative seems rushed, breathless; hardly more than an outline. The introduction of Brianna and Roger is perfect, but their story is given short shrift, and one longs for more detail, more exploration. Ditto for brief vignettes depicting the plight of native Americans, Jesuit priests, early American society, and pirates, politics,and sociology of the era. Dear Diana, don't let them let you get away with that again!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: Truly beyond expectation and Diana has raised the bar of what you can expect from her! She is a true artist. Love, adventure, history, family, loyalty, betrayal......and the greatest of these is love. Men really love this series. It speaks to men and women alike. You feel like you are actually a part of the lives of Jamie and Claire!
Rating:
Summary: Just as riveting as the first three!
Review: After approx. 3600 pages of Gabaldon's books I am still yearning for more. Drums of Autumn is yet another fantastic addition to this series. This book is just as pleasing as the previous three, rich with imagery, historically interesting, along with the comfortable presence of Claire and Jamie that I have grown quite fond of throughout this series. Gabaldon continues to keep the story interesting by introducing new characters and saying good-bye to some, creating new drama, but also bringing back and reminding us of some characters from the previous books. This leaves you wanting more, knowing there is more to be told about all of these characters and how their lives will weave into the web of Jamie and Claire's.The pace is a bit slower in this book (but by no means boring), this helped me slow down a bit, enjoy the language(s), revel in the imagery and prepare myself for the break I am now forced to take waiting for the next installment of Jamie and Claire, Brianna and Roger. I am left feeling "what will I read now?" I highly recommend all of the books in this series to everyone. Gabaldon is a wonderful writer!
Rating:
Summary: Great, but not as great as the other three in the series
Review: Once again, Diana Gabaldon has transported readers back into the rich historical background of the 18th century. The setting has switched abruptly from Scotland in the midst of a rising to the American colonies on the brink of revolution. With the change of setting, though, the style of this fourth book in the series has also changed. Outlander, Dragonfly, and Voyager all had huge complex plots filled with feeling, excitement, and grandeur, and they were written with intelligence; altogether, they left me awed. Drums, though, seems more like a novel composed of random ideas thrown together and hastily shaped into some semblance of a complete story, without the necessary links between each new idea. Also, the characters aren't as well developed and aren't as easily likable--Brianna seems spoilt and unforgiving, Jamie overprotective and stern, without much in common with the boyish, perceptive openly-honest man he was before. It's still written with the same humor and distinct "Gabaldon voice," though, so it's anything but a flop. Just one piece of advice for prospective Outlandish readers--don't let Drums be the first book in this series that you read
Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent
Review: I liked this much better than Voyager and even Dragonfly, but not as much as Outlander. This one I felt was good because it gave Jamie and Claire a bit of a break and let them settle into their life together. I can see where Gabaldon has matured some in her writing, especially in her descriptions of setting and some of the ghostly stories she tells. However, I found some of the characters were just inconsistent and about as flat as cardboard - while others remain heartwarmingly real (Jamie, Claire, Ian, Fergus, etc.) Brianna was just completely annoying and I didn't care for her or "get" her at all! It is quite clear the author herself didn't have a very good grasp of this character. Also, since Brianna was stupid enough to walk onto a lecherous man's ship alone (duh!) along with numerous other aspects of general stupidity and immaturity in her character - I couldn't really feel much sympathy for the girl. I say she should give the grandchild over to Jamie and Claire and just step right back through those stones and disappear from this series! As to Roger, I feel indifferent to his character. I would rather have Ian around. Another inconsistency I felt - the dialogue and relationship between Lord John and Brianna was a just a little too "pat." It just didn't seem to hold much weight and seemed stilted. I can't believe Lord John would reveal so much to Jamie's clearly immature daughter (and especially that after she threatened blackmail???). The interesting thing about this book was the fact that I actually LIKED Stephen Bonnet's character. Now, I didn't like the things he DID, I just thought he was well written and sometimes he put a smile on my face with the things he said. I could just visualize him so well. There should have been much more of him in this book, he was one of the best ones! I think he could be redeemable (UNLIKE Jack Randall, in my opinion!). The only thing holding me to this series of books is the relationship between Jamie and Claire. It is wonderful to see them maturing and still loving each other the way they do. Jamie is just awesome (for the most part)!
Rating:
Summary: The Frasers Build A New Life In America - Outstanding Drama!
Review: "Drums Of Autumn" is the fourth book in Diana Gabaldon's extraordinary "Outlander" series. It amazes me that Ms. Gabaldon has been able to continue to delight readers with her consistently good writing, excellent plots, superb characters and meticulous historic research for thousands of pages and four novels. "Drums Of Autumn" most certainly will not disappoint fans of the series. If you have not read the three preceding novels, I strongly urge you to do so before beginning this book. "Drums of Autumn" may be able to stand as a novel in its own right, but I think it would be too confusing to enjoy it thoroughly without having read the historic and personal drama that Ms. Gabaldon details so well in her previous books. To label the "Outlander" series as merely historical romance fiction would be to do it a terrible injustice. This is an epic historical romance, yes...and so much more. The relationship between Claire and Jamie is one of the most caring and intimate I have ever encountered - in fiction or real life. This is a couple who are solidly committed to a life together for better or worse. Theirs is a love that truly transcends the boundaries of time. More than twenty years before this novel begins, Claire Beauchamps Randall, vacationing in post WWII Scotland, stepped through the ancient stone circle known as Craigh na Dun - and was suddenly sucked back in time to 1743 and war-torn Scotland. It was here that she met and married her own true love, highlander James Fraser. Before the tragic battle of Culloden Moor she was forced to return to the 20th century to protect herself and her unborn daughter, abandoning Jamie in the process. Two decades later Claire made the journey back through the stones to reunite with James in the 18th century, leaving their grown daughter, Brianna, behind. James and Claire both agreed that there was no possibility to build a life for themselves in Scotland. The clans had been forced to disband, the people were starving and living in abject poverty, most of the men were dead, crippled, imprisoned and or jobless as a result of the doomed Jacobite uprising. The Frasers along with a few friends and James' nephew, Ian, cross the Atlantic and make their way to North Carolina where Jamie's aunt has a plantation. At the same parallel time, 20th century Brianna and her beloved Scottish boyfriend Roger discover some terrifying information about Claire's and Jamie's fate. Brianna is determined to reach her parents somehow and warn them of coming events, hoping to change the future. The inevitability of these events and the frustration and inability to change the future continue to be strong themes. This is a phenomenal novel! Ms. Gabaldon details frontier life in beautiful 18th century North Carolina so clearly and accurately that one literally feels swept back in time. Claire and James have grown tremendously as characters, as have the love and intimacy between them. I have never experienced a couple as unique as these two in modern fiction. New characters are introduced, as well as a marvelously vile villain, and in typical Gabaldon style, these new folks are portrayed with realism, complexity and humor as are many of the old favorites. This is also Brianna's story. She finally meets her father in "Drums Of Autumn" and becomes a woman with a woman's responsibilities. The books in this series are among my favorites novels, not just because the plots are so fascinating that I am unable to stop reading once I begin...although this is true. The characters are so palpably real that the reader actually bonds with them, at least with Jamie and Claire, in a way that is most unusual and very moving. We follow their lives and observe them as they grow as human beings, experience joy, suffer, and just interact with each other on a day to day basis, as well as in the midst of high adventure. We watch as they make history and as history tears away at them. I cannot recommend this book and series highly enough.
JANA
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