Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by KathleenQ)

This is one of those books that I just felt I should read because it's super-popular and in a genre I love (speculative fiction). I just thought I ought to give it a try, you know? It's a real genre mashup, with elements of fantasy/science fiction (time travel), historical fiction (it mostly takes place in a very realistic and heavily-researched 18th-century Scotland), and romance (LOTS of steamy sex). It has action and adventure, gory violence, and even a prison heist. Every major character almost dies (of public execution, battle wounds, torture, starvation, etc) multiple times. It has... a lot. Just a lot.

I have very mixed feelings about it. It has some seriously impressive qualities as well as some serious problems; elements that I loved and elements that I hated.

One important feature -- and a major flaw, in my opinion -- it that's it just way too long. I don't object to long novels as a rule; but this book is just hugely overstuffed. I felt like it was an entire series of itself -- it was over 32 hours on Audible! -- with like twelve separate major heart-stopping adventures. Also long sections where they're just living a peaceful life, and we hear all about their chores on the farm or whatever. And just So. Many. Sex scenes. So so many. This couple just cannot stop boning. And the author has to tell us about it every singe time.

But also? I'm damn impressed with Gabaldon's writing. Her prose is impeccable, her attention to historical detail and language is astonishing, and I can't deny that it's a page-turner. She impressively fuses genres together, and boldly steps into male-dominated genres with a fresh female perspective. I'm sure these books would be considered high literature if they'd been written by a man and from a male protagonist's perspective.

So yeah. I don't think I'll be reading the other seven (!!!???) books in this enormous series, but I'm glad I finally checked out this one.