Can't I give more than 5 stars? The entire series is an annual re-read for me (but may need to become bi-annual for me to get anything else read LOL!); therefore, I eagerly awaited this volume. It certainly did not fail me--the many cliffhangers will make it hard to await the next book in the series, but I now believe (personal opinion only) that there will be at least two more books and I say "keep them coming"!

This is no longer Jamie and Claire alone, but as I have grown to love many of the other characters, I want them to appear each volume as appropriate. William is now grown and needs his tale told, as does Young Ian. I didn't stop caring for and wondering about Brianna, Roger and the kids simply because they are no longer at Fraser's Ridge. John's British perspective on the Revolution is invaluable in helping us understand Loyalist versus Patriot philosophy. Fergus and Marsali deserve to remain as active characters, again because we have loved him since he was rescued by Jamie from the brothel all those long years ago.

This is an epic saga full of historical accuracy and enough daily living that I can retreat away--not into a fantasy, never-extant world, but into human history told by a master. She has covered the Stuart Uprising and now much of the American Revolution...please Ms. Gabaldon, let Jamie, Claire, Michael, Jared, Fergus and the rest take us through the French Revolution as well (that should guarantee your fans at least three more volumes in the tale).

Long live Jamie and Claire and their family!

An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in the popular Outlander saga. By this time in the series, Jamie and Claire Fraser are in their 50's and early 60's - and still as much in love as they ever were. (May I say how refreshing it is to read about an older couple in love and - dare I say it? - still enjoying an active sex life?) The Outlander series is a blend of adventure, historical fiction, romance and time travel. I think that in Echo there is more historical fiction than anything else, but plenty of the other three also. Echo is set in America and Scotland from 1776-1778, so the historical setting in this case is the Revolutionary War - one of my favorite time periods. And there are major characters on both the American and the Britsh sides, so we get to view the war from both sides.

In the first few books in the series (Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber), the story was told in first-person by Claire. And even though Claire and Jamie's story will always be the main theme of these books, by now there are several other major characters and storylines. So in addition to Claire's narrative in this book, we also have three other main POV's (points of view): young Ian's, Roger and Brianna's family, and Lord John and William (the British contingent). I have read some comments that other readers thought there was too many changes in the POV's, but I had absolutely no problem and thought that those other stories needed to be told.

My only critique is that this book ends with a big cliff-hanger. The last 40-50 pages of the book are a roller-coaster ride and then...Boom! (That's a figurative boom, not a literal one). I really wish that the author had wrapped up a few more things and fleshed out those last few pages a little more. And it's probably going to be at least three years until the next book comes out. Argghhhhhhh!

But even having said that, this book still gets a 4.5* rating from me. There simply is no other series (or even a single book) that has ever "pulled me down the rabbit hole" like the Outlander books do - and this book was no exception. It's now two days after I finished Echo, and I'm still suffering from an Outlander hangover and unable to start any other book. I guess that the good thing about a three year wait is that it will give me plenty of time to re-read the entire series again before the next book comes out. Given the fact that they are all big books (700 to 1000 pages), I'll need the entire three years LOL.

Another page turner from Diana Gabaldon! Jamie and Claire along with Ian and Rollo continue to have their travel plans continually interrupted by the Redcoats, war, pirates, and other adventures as they try to get back to Scotland. Readers will meet new characters, experience more history, and see how Will (Jamie's son) is now a Brittish officer. Once again, Claire must leave Jamie in Scotland and travel ahead with Ian to America to perform surgery on wee Henri-Christian. Of course, Jamie is to follow but his travel plans are changed at the last minute, leaving his friend Lord John to come to Claire's aid. The ending? Will this come in another two or three more books?

*****SPOILERS POSSIBLE********

I'm sorry as a HUGE fan of Diana and her Outlander series I was extremely disapointed and quite frankly angry once I started to read this book. I read these books because I love the Characters, Jamie, Claire, Brianna and Roger NOT William or John Grey.. if I wanted to read about either of them I would buy and read THOSE books. I have NO interest in those characters what so ever and to push them on us, your very LOYAL readers of this series, is a very BAD call..I am sadly only half way through and I don't suspect I will get much furhter as honeslty I dont' want to.. I don't give a crap about William or John Grey so why are they here messing with the series I have grown to cherish and re-read multiple times??? . While I was sitting there reading and getting more and more annoyed and asking myself where's Jamie and Claire, Where's Brianna and Roger, I found myself skipping whole chapters about characters I didn't care about. I finally went to see what others were saying about the book. When I saw they were on the same page as I was and that there was even worse to come, with an ending that does nothing to tie up any loose ends it is said' I am even more convinced the book is going to sit on the shelf and never get finished. It feels like Diana forgot who these books were even about.. You remember don't you? Jamie Fraser, Claire, their daughter Brianna and her husband Roger??? remember them... perhaps she was advised by her publisher to try to incorporate her "other" stories into this to try to push them on the Jamie and Claire fans. For me it has back fired and basically pissed me off. It was a long long wait for this book and this is what I got.. disapointment and a "Lord John and his guest stars the Frasiers" book

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Very good book but OMG the cliffhangers are going to kill me waiting for the next one.

Read All Book Reviews of "An Echo in the Bone"