Rating: 
Summary: Another good visit with old friends
Review: This latest edition in the saga of Jamie and Claire is well worth the read. It is not as farfetched as Voyager and returns to its spellbinding storytelling origins. By far, the best book in this series was Outlander, but Drums manages to recapture much of the enchantment. Bravo Ms Gabaldon. I look forward to the next edition with much anticipation.
Rating: 
Summary: Still not up to Outlander, but better than mystic Voyager
Review: This story was much more consuming than Voyager, which tended to lag in spots. Outlander was by far the best, not surprising. (I even got my Husband to read it). The stone hopping seems to be getting a bit out of hand. If it were really that easy, there would have been many more "fairy" tales. The weak ending explaining the gravestone is a bit far fetched and I look to the Frasers/MacKenzies to return to Scotland in the future. As to a mini-series (Outlander would be way out of movie league), if I hear of Jane Seymour as Claire one more time I think I'll puke. She's not nearly earthy enough. Adrian Paul is waaaay too short. You may have to do a real search of nobodies to do these characters justice. Please don't sell out for the latest popularity. I can picture Jonathan Frakes as Frank/Black Jack and, if you ever get past the first book, David Hyde Pierce would be a good John Grey. For future books, please leave them in the century they are currently in. Any more time travel may kill us all. (PS, you still haven't explained why Jamie was haunting Claire in Outlander if they found one another later in life)
Rating:
Summary: Number 4 a struggle for me
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed Gabaldon's first 3 in this series I found Drums of Autumn a struggle. I appreciate the fact that she continues to reduce the amount of excessive sex and violence in each volume but I think she fell below her former excellent standards of historical story telling. I suspect she didn't find American history as interesting as Scottish and therefore focused too much on an overabundance of adjectives and personality. Lots of skimming required to just "get on with the story." Ending also a bit flat compared to last issues but no doubt sets her up well for number 5.
Rating:
Summary: good, but not the best of the bunch
Review: A friend turned me on to "Outlander" three years ago, and by the time I finished reading "Voyager", I still had a 2 1/2 year wait for "Drums of Autumn". In some ways, it was worth the wait--I like the fact that a couple in my age group (i.e. "aging baby-boomers"!!) could be so passionately in love with each other, yet have arguments which are semi-realistic. (Let's remember that we're dealing with time travel here!) And, having Brianna and Jamie meet each other was something I was hoping for after reading "Voyager". Yet, the story line in "Drums of Autumn" was not one which I thought worked as well as it could have. It seems as though this book is one very long lead-up towards Jamie and Claire returning to Scotland--hope that happens in the next book! I notice that another reviewer thinks that Liam Neeson and his wife would be good as Jamie and Claire should these stories ever be brought to the screen (large or small). All I can say to that is--Liam Neeson for an older Jamie: yes, yes, yes--Natasha Richardson as Claire: are you serious? Totally wrong physical type and you might want to check out the movie Nell. They may be married in real life but no chemistry on screen!
Rating:
Summary: could we get a "good parts" version?
Review: This was the first book by Gabaldon that I have read. I did not realize that it was part of a series until halfway through the book (I was expecting major flashbacks to explain references to past events), however, I was able to get a decent grasp of Claire and Jamie's stories. Drums of Autumn was good enough in parts that I want to read the first 3 books of the series, but only in parts. Maybe Gabaldon should put out an abridged version! I actually skipped a good chunk after Roger was shipped off to the Indians because I was disgusted by how the author was manipulating the story in such an artificial way. I mean, if Roger had just said "but I love your daughter" or something in that vein, the book would have been maybe 200 pages shorter, and better. I got the feeling that Gabaldon might have been going more for quantity than overall quality. However, when she hits her writing stride, she is very good, and that made me pick up the book again, skim it until Jamie and Ian realize that the man they pummeled was Roger, and continue reading from there. Overall, I felt that the characters of Brianna and Roger were not developed well, and as a consequence, far less engaging than Claire and Jamie. They were downright annoying at times, and I'm not sure if I would continue reading the series if they became the main characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the pod? From Hijacking to Woodchopping
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: time travelling romance perfect for valentine's day
Review: AHHHHH, I read this one just in time for valentine's day. None of that male menopausal BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY nonsense, or the silliness of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS, just real romance for real people. Well,real people who go time travelling, but enough of these minor details. Diana Gabaldon has a new story in her series about Claire Randall and Jamie fraser, 20th century American woman and 18th century Highlander. He's sweet, red headed, built, glorious in a kilt, not quite as bright as Claire (but let's not quibble!) and they have been cast ashore in North Carolina at the beginning of the American Revolution. Gabaldon makes the convoluted plot believable, the characters are all delights (Jamie and Claire's daugher Bree figures more prominently in this episode), and if you haven't read this series yet, you have a major treat in store.
Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS! THREE THUMBS UP! PLATINUM! 110%! ABSOLUTELY A MUST!
Review: ...defies the 1-10 scale!!! Am at a loss of worthy adjectives. Read the series...it's indescribably delicious! No matter what category of book you enjoy, you'll find something here that will touch your life forever.....
Rating:
Summary: BREATH-TAKING
Review: I've read the other three books and "Drums of Autunm" is just as good as them. Once you pick it up, you cannot put it down. I read it and I read it again. Gabaldon had a way with words that really touchs the heart. This book and the others in the series have a way of drawing you in and itching to know what is going to happen next. You feel as if you are a part of the story line. WELL DONE DIANA GABALDON. TWO THUMBS UP
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. I didn't read the previous books in this series, but had no trouble following the story. I found the historical descriptions and the Scottish connection fascinating. I've always thought of time-travel stories as a little hokey, but Ms. Gabaldon is such a good story teller she makes it work. This was a good and comfortable read. A very long book, but it still seemed over too soon.
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