Rating: 
Summary: Plotless, sprawling mess
Review: Well for sure this is a bohemoth book. You can really settle in and enjoy Diana Gabaldon's writing that immerses you totally in the 1700's and what life was like back then. My only complaint: Nothing happens! Nothing! There seems to be no actual plot driving the book forward. We know that the revolution is on the horizon, I only wish we would get there so something would happen. By the end of the book it is still years away. This book walks, talks and is a filler until that war arrives and gives the series some narrative drive again.We are instead treated to the minute of day to day wilderness life, which is interesting in itself - but without any go forward it is we the reader who is left stranded in the wilderness. The characters are as enjoyable as ever and they feel like old friends, but I felt with 'Drums of Autumn' that the series was losing some steam. This book confirms it. The magic of life in the Scottish highlands is long gone and I think that is what is really missing from this book. I assume there will be another book, I can only hope it actually covers the war where the plot and interest may pick up again.
Rating: 
Summary: What a letdown!
Review: Incredible. I didn't even finish this book. Like so many other reviewers here, OUTLANDER grabbed me from the first page and never let go. Great characters, historical detail, headlong storytelling drive--and WHAT a story!--had me hooked. The world and people Gabaldon created were so fascinating I was sure nothing dampen my curiosity about "what happens next". I was licking my reader's chops, prepared to lose sleep and let routine chores hang while I caught up with Jamie, Claire and their world. I was wrong. Didn't happen. FIERY CROSS started slowly then went straight down the tubes from there. I finally gave up on when I realized reading it had become a chore rather than a joy. I dove in, gradually got stuck, put it down, tried again--and again-- then finally accepted it just plain wasn't working. Make no mistake, *good* series and characters NEED to evolve to stay vital and true. Gabaldon's creation deserves more than morphing into OUTLANDER V. But certain essentials need to remain consistent. The missing essentials? Plot and character development, for starters. FIERY CROSS is a bridge book, the eye between conflicts. Look at the set-up: a volatile time in history, complex characters with foreknowledge of historical outcomes, complicated loyalties, definitions of honor, personal allegiences, *survival*. Three of the main characters are time transplants, surely a rich storytelling vein right there. They know the "facts" of what's looming on the horizon but must figure out how to LIVE it with loved, equally fallible people of the time. Grand questions, and such grand characters to consider them. I expected a similar heady, human mix set down in OUTLANDER. Great (ordinary) people have been set to great tasks. And what does FIERY CROSS deliver? Leaden chunks of unrelated historical trivia supposedly livened up with endless accounts of baby poop, chafed nipples and by-the-numbers sex. What's missing from the equation is what Gabaldon did so well at first: humanity in context. (How did a character of Briana's potential become little more than a whiney, milk-leaking annoyance, for example?) I hate panning an individual title, especially in context of truly exceptional achievement. From a reader's standpoint I just wish Gabaldon would learn to keep her eye firmly on essentials or trust a skilled, ruthless editor to do it for her. I haven't given up on the author or the series. FIERY CROSS tanked, but I hope it's no more than a slip. Maybe high expectations are unrealistic, book by book, but too many excellent authors founder by losing sight of essentials.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: If you're hoping to learn whether or not Jamie and Claire die in the fire--you'll be disappointed. This nearly 1,000-page book only covers about 1 1/2 years and doesn't get anywhere near that 1776 fire. In fact, the first 160+ pages cover only one day. And not a particularly dramatic day either, just busy. One must wonder where the editor was during publication. If an editor had weeded out all the superfluous detail and scenes that fail to advance the plot, this might have been a 200-page book. To add insult, the binding broke when I was only about 3/4 of the way through (and I'm careful with books). And the pages are printed on a much thinner, cheaper paper than the last book. I guess that's what it takes to "fit the Whole Thing between two covers" as Ms. Gabaldon says in the acknowledgements. I've been an ardent fan all along and bought the hardback as soon as it came out. But I think maybe I'll get the next one at the library. It's bad enough to waste my time--I'm not willing to waste my money.
Rating: 
Summary: The Longest Story ever Told
Review: After three weeks I was still reading about the same Day! It took me over two months to read this book because it kept putting me to sleep. I adored the other four books and have read them three times (The only books I have ever re-read). I was disappointed Brianna did not use more of her 20th century MIT education to improve life in the 1770's. I would have expected her to have at least figured out how to provide indoor plumbing to the cabin or how about solar heating? There are so many more interesting things she could have been doing besides breast feeding through an entire book. I don't have to worry about waiting for the next edition to this story. It will take me five years to forget the torture of this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Going through withdrawal now that I've read it!
Review: This much-anticipated book lived up to all of my expectations. It was a riveting read! I found myself struggling to keep from saying things like, "Ah, Dinna Fash yerself" and slipping into Gaelic. After reading this book, the past felt like the present. Woven into the intricate fast-paced time travel plots were amazing tidbits of history from ancient herbology to weaponry. The only minor flaws I found were a 2 page span where one of the primary characters, Claire, slipped from referring herself in first person to third person and one seemingly contrived plot twist to get the other main character, Jaime's, nemesis to go to a deadly rendezvous. All-in-all, I could overlook these "flaws" because the characters were so well fleshed out and enjoyable! Thanks Ms. Gabaldon!
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful addition to the series
Review: I have no idea why so many of the reviews of this book have been so negative - I found it to be a wonderful read, full of excitement, historical detail and beautiful writing. It is a long book - perhaps some readers are used to a fast fix when looking for good books? If you are a fan of this series, do not hesitate to purchase this book. It deserves a place of honor on your bookshelves, right next to the first four.
Rating:
Summary: A Visit With Friends
Review: The Fiery Cross is too long and it doesn't have much in the way of a climatic solution, but as an avid reader and fan, I still enjoyed my visit with Jamie and Claire. It's like seeing old friends again after a long absence. I hope that Diana, who is so very talented a storyteller, will allow her editor to become more involved in the next two books if only to keep her wonderful story lines on track. Claire's voice is strong in the novel and you will love getting inside her head as the number of people who know about her ability to travel through the stones grows. Of course, we are all still madly in love with Jamie!
Rating:
Summary: Not quite as good as the previous books
Review: If you've read the rest of the Outlander series, of course you have to read this one. But, lemme warn you, it's not quite as good as the first few. I think the problem was the pacing. For some reason, the first 1/3 of the book takes place in only a day or two and spells out the most mundane details. It's almost as if Ms. Gabaldon is giving the reader too much of what he wants - the plot is just "too perfect" for real life, and, therefore, boring. Overall, the book was good - and like I said, if your an Outlander series reader, you've got to read it.
Rating:
Summary: A real STINKER!!! Geraldine James was great though.
Review: I own all the books in the series on hardback, paperback & Abridged audiobook. (Outlandish Companion not on audio) This by far is the worst abridgement I have had the displeasure to listen to. (Either in this series or other series) The script writer should be ashamed to put their name on this one. I originally bought the audio because I did not have time to read the book. I found that the audio book did not even flow well & that I did not care for the story at all. I felt cheated out of my $... dollars. I also found myself thinking that Diane had lost her touch if the book was anything like this audio book -It TRULY IS TERRIBLE! BUY the book and read it. I sat down and read the book (after listening to the book on tape) for the same reason people stop and stare at train wrecks. I was relieved when I found that the book itself was pretty good. Okay, I really enjoyed it despite the fact that the story has lacked bite since Drums of Autumn. (I found Drums disappointing as I could not bring myself to care as much about Roger & Brianne)I found comfort in Diane's story telling ability and who she made a rather boring story interesting with her numerous minor characters. A good TRANSITION book. Again, I want to stress that G. James did an excellent job reading this story but not even she could breath life into this abridgement. Okay, now I am ready for the Tar & Feathers :-)
Rating:
Summary: Enough already!
Review: Someone said that a pessimist is never disappointed. I waited for Diana Gabaldon's "The Firery Cross" with great optimism based on my pleasure in reading all privious "Outlander" stories. "The Firey Cross" is a great disappointment. Perhaps if I longed for the sensation of burping a baby or changing diapers I might find some pleasure in this book. Or, if I didn't mind that the main protagonist, Jamie Fraser, is almost a minor character my enjoyment might have escalated some. Basically, the book is about 600 pages too long with a story plot that plods laborously. Gabaldon reports that the writing of this book involved taking chunks of writing, separated by lengthy periods of time, and pasting them together. That is exactly the feel of the book. I will await the next in the Outlander series with a greater degree of pessimism.
| 
