The Space Between

I'm still not precisely sure what to think of The Space Between, having just finished it last night. Definitely raises a lot of questions, and gives us glimpses into some side characters of the Outlander Universe; a page turner in some ways and a bit of a slow burn in others. We're quickly introduced to recent widower Michael Murray, son of Jenny and Ian Murray, who is accompanying Joan McKimmie, daughter of Laoghaire and step-daughter of Jamie, to Paris in order to become a nun. Joan is a sweet girl with a big secret:  spoiler ahead..........she hears voices that compel her to do things, and she sees a sort of mist around those who are fated to die soon. She's hopeful that becoming a nun will help her find peace with her "gifts", while Michael is just hoping to survive without his wife.

There's so much more going on, and much of it involves the Comte de St. Germain and Master Raymond, characters we first met in Dragonfly in Amber. There's also some mistaken identity problems, some mystical stuff, and references to La Dame Blanche (Claire).All of this aligns into an interesting story, but if you are looking for great answers about anyone, you are going to be disappointed. Instead, you are going to get engaging characters with Outlander ties and a story that will leave you unsettled (in a good way).  Michael is thoroughly lovely, with his determination to do the right thing and his heartbreak over the wife he lost; Joan is sweet but unsure of herself. Of course it's wonderful to see the Comte and Master Raymond but there are no big clues here, just confirmation of what we've suspected that neither redeems nor demeans either. Mostly my appetite is whetted for more stories and more information. Gabaldon never disappoints in her writing, and this novella is a good way to tide you over the spaces between full novels.

~taminator40

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon is the second entry in the series featuring one of the minor characters from Gabaldon's Outlander series. In this one, Lord John is striving to find out the secret behind his father's "suicide"--which Lord John knows for a fact was a murder. His quest to discover the truth takes a roundabout journey through friends, family, and the military and along the way, a romance develops for John despite the fact that his heart belongs to another.

Lord John is a fascinating character. He's complex, he has integrity, and he's deliberately deceitful when the circumstances warrant. He is also a homosexual in a time when just the thought of such unnatural love would banish a man into exile and possibly even cost him his life. Gabaldon gives Lord John a well-rounded personality so that his homosexuality is not what defines him; it's what complicates him. Well-written and intriguing, this is a good addition to the series and a nice companion to the Outlander stories.

The reviews at Amazon range from the gushing to the digusted, and many of those who are disgusted seem to be most offended by the graphic sex scenes. I tend to believe that if the sex was heterosexual rather than homosexual, there would be more praise for the novel as a whole than cries of depravity. I admit to feeling as though I didn't really need all the information I was given, but I do feel it made me understand Lord John the person better and it did make a gut-wrenching betrayal even more poignant. As I state in my own review, more puzzling to me was a scene between Jamie Fraser and Lord John late in the book; I'm still unclear why Lord John felt the need to say what he did, though I do understand his need to speak frankly and honestly to someone who could be objective.

My own amazon review can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2mprlx. I hope you'll take a look and decide for yourself if you like it. I can recommend this one, but I'd advise anyone who is at all squeamish when dealing with homosexuality to take a pass.

~taminator40