Rating: 
Summary: A series of short moments joined together into a noval
Review: This is an odd book -- with almost 1,000 pages and history to play with you would expect sweeping events, enormous charactor growth and drama. Yet there is very little of that. Yes there are little dramatic moments, but they are brief punctuations in such broad smooth seas. In the end not much really has happened, not worthy of 1,000 pages of prelude at least.Instead it's a series of very short stories, short moments, usually 2-5 pages long, all stitched together, almost like a diary being written over a few years from a group of people (or a quilt.) Many of the entries could have gone anywhere in the book -- they are suspended days and moments in time not terribly related to plot. And, because this is Gabaldon, they are exceptionally resonant, well written and often moving. Plus they are the charactors you fell in love with before (BTW: this is NOT a book for someone who's never read the prior ones. You'll miss much of the flavor.) So, on one hand, buy the book. Although it's not her best plotwise, it may be her best thinking-about-life-wise. Be forewarned though, it's not an extra-long weekend read that will sweep you off your feet and pull you into an exciting plot. It's more of a dip into read, dip in read a few pages and come away satisfied read. You can put this book down and get back to it later.
Rating: 
Summary: Weakest Link in the Series
Review: Having been hooked by Outlander, I anxiously awaited each sequel, and despite my vow not to purchase The Fiery Cross when it came out after waiting 2 years and suffering through Diana's Outlandish Cookbook, I broke down and purchased the new novel. I should have trusted my first instincts and waited for paperback! I finished the book in three days and not because it was a page-turner...I was just waiting for SOMETHING to happen! This book is about 700 pages too long and the reader is forced to suffer through the menses of each character, more breast-feeding passages than a baby-rearing text, and countless (and I DO mean COUNTLESS) descriptions of Jamie's "flowing molten tresses." Although the central theme of the novels is the love story between Jamie and Claire, it seems as though the first 300 pages of this book was simply there to re-establish just HOW MUCH they STILL love one another. Ditto Roger & Brianna. There's a vague plot about the Revolutionary War coming on, also some other secondary plot involving Stephen Bonnet where Claire turns into Miss Marple...but mostly the author resorts to flogging the reader with vignettes of Jamie & Claire and Roger & Bree's homelife. This novel made me wonder if Diana is being paid per written word. So -- if you're a rabid fan of the series, invest the (money) for the book. Or if (like me) you're tired of the author trying to turn spoiled Brianna and dull Roger into the exciting Jamie & Claire of Outlander just to stretch out the series, wait for the paperback. Overall, a disappointing entry in an otherwise decent series.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip ahead?
Review: This book begins where the previous one left off, at the Highland Gathering in the Carolinas. And then it sits there for about 200 pages which I thought were leisurely and atmospheric, but which one of my friends is getting seriously bogged down in and is planning to skip out of boredom. Truthfully, not a whole lot of important things happen at the Gathering; they could probably be summarized in a single paragraph. Once the Gathering breaks up and everyone goes home, the action picks up. Vivid, exciting scenes pop out; old friends from previous books briefly reappear by correspondence; old (and new) enemies return. However, in retrospect, I'm not left with a strong sense of narrative focus. The central political conflict has to do with the Regulators, I suppose; if I'd realized that when they were first mentioned, I'd've paid more attention to who they were and what/why they were regulating. (I'll try harder when I re-read the book.) The Jacobites were pretty easy to understand, but I'm pretty hazy about these guys. Also, unlike previous books, whose personal focuses were centered on Claire's yearning for her missing husband du jour, or Roger and Brianna's tag-team chase of Claire and Jamie, the main personal quest this time seemed to be about Roger coming to terms with changes in his own life. It's described just as dimensionally as all the previous quests have been, but since it's naturally more introspective, it's less action-packed and exciting. In a way, I wish the first 200 pp could be lopped off the front and added to the back; the book felt as if it ended just as lots of new things were *about* to happen. I did enjoy it, but as a previous reviewer said, if you're bored by the first few pages or chapters, you might want to skip ahead to section #3 (look for the full-page section dividers every few chapters) and start there. I have a feeling that once the next book comes out, it may be possible for an extremely impatient reader to skip this book entirely, as Gabaldon generally does include enough background material near the start of each book to remind you what happened last time.
Rating:
Summary: She's run out of steam
Review: I was really looking forward to this book as I have read and re-read the others so many times, but now that the time travel aspect is just about used up all we have left is just another "bodice ripper" with some medical details to pad it out. What a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed so far ...
Review: I was so excited to get this book and so far I am disappointed. I've read the first 150 pages and we are still on the first day. I seriously hope all of this detail will be important later in the book. At this point I am debating whethter this book was ever edited. The descriptions seem a bit more romance novelly than I remember. I hope this gets better....
Rating: 
Summary: Spending Time With Old Friends
Review: I am an avid reader of the Outlander novels. Like many people, I've read and re-read the previous 4 books and have waited breathlessly for the continuing adventures of Claire and Jamie Fraser and their remarkable family. I finished The Fiery Cross in three days and was sad to see it end. The book was wonderful and magnificent and absolutely heart-wrenching. The looming threat of the American Revolution is the main focus of the story along with the search for the elusive Stephen Bonnet. I especially liked reading about Claire's trials and tribulations of being a 20th century doctor practicing in the 18th centry. The characters are familier but their adventures are completely fresh and imaginative. You will not be bored or disappointed in The Fiery Cross, I promise you that. This is a little off the record but I went to one of Diana's book signings in California a few days ago and she said that there will definitly be two (maybe even three) more books in the series. Yippeee!
Rating:
Summary: They just keep getting better...
Review: I spent my weekend with Claire & Jamie. Diana Gabaldon, if possible, improves with each volume. The inner and outer battles fought in this installment bring more depth to and knowledge of Claire, Jamie, and all the other family members. If anything, it will make the wait for the sixth story even harder! Ms. Gabaldon does a fine job with the story-telling, but I don't think it would have mattered what happened as long as we are able to share in Jamie & Claire's lives again.
Rating:
Summary: Snoozy
Review: I'm about halfway through the book and I'm having to force myself to struggle through it. Maybe it's the lack of a compelling villain (so far), maybe it's the fact the characters are as comfortable as worn in shoe leather, maybe it's the fact that I just can't get excited about that period in American history. The thrill of the story, "1940s nurse ends up in 1700 Scottish highlands" is just not there. The first 100 pages or so is a description of a morning in Claire's life. Yes, yes, I get it, Claire is a busy person, but the minutia is endless. Add a HUGE list of characters that you don't care that much about (barring Jamie, Briana and Roger, of course) and it's just painful to slog through. I remember when I bought Outlander, I was sick and had to stop by the pharmacy for some medicine. It was one of the books at the checkout and I grabbed it, who thinks they'll pick up one of their favorite books of all time in a drugstore pharmacy? Outlander, with its relationship between Claire and Jamie and the delightfully sinister Black Jack, was an incredible book. The attention to detail, the historical setting, the passionate love affair...a book you just couldn't put down. The Firey Cross is so-so, beautifully researched but souless.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Epic Novel
Review: In this fifth installment in the Outlander Series, Ms. Gabaldon once again wows readers and fans alike as they come face to face with the eighteenth century world of Jamie and Claire Fraser. Time-traveler Claire is now firmly ensconced in the year of 1770, after making her last trip through the stones in the 1960's. Claire is now a physician and living on Fraser's Ridge in North Carolina with Jamie, their daughter Brianna, her husband Roger, and their son Jemmy. But colonial tempers are on the rise as the governor calls Jamie to lead a militia against possible insurrection. As Claire and Roger accompany Jamie and his troops, Brianna, Jemmy, and the other inhabitants of Fraser's Ridge are left to care for the land. Ms. Gabaldon pulls no punches as she expertly relays the tragedies and triumphs of the times, from the realism of death and disease to the love between Jamie and Claire, which transcends space and time. Intricately woven into the plot line are such adventures, the impact of which will occur later in the reading of the novel. For instance, the importance of a slave's demise at Aunt Jocasta's wedding celebration or the discovery of an abandoned baby at Claire and Jamie's campfire are seemingly minor events, which will become important as the journey unfolds. A born story-teller, Ms. Gabaldon has the unique ability to transport the reader to another place and time, as if they are, too, living in the eighteenth century. The only disappointment occurs when the novel is finished, and the reader is forced to part with the enigmatic Jamie and his resilient wife Claire only to eagerly anticipate the next chapter of their life-long journey together.
Rating:
Summary: Good Love Story, Needs More action
Review: Enthralled with the first 4 books, I read this book voraciously over the weekend. As the contining story of Jamie and Claire's love and life together, this is book is satisfying. If nothing else, the last line of the book is a keeper. If you liked the first books, definitely read this one. However, I've come away from it thinking that this storyline could have been done in about 200 pages. I wish there had been more action, less angst on the Brianna/Roger issues. This book lacked the one or two turning point moments that were in the first books (e.g, in Voyager, Claire showing up in the print shop). I still liked it, I'll definitely pick up the 6th book, but I don't think this was the best one.
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