Sassenachs and Gilbertines and pixie dust

[hedda62]

So… tell me, those of you with opinions, should I read the Outlander series? This comes up again because two of my friends mentioned it in emails in response to my book announcement. I read the first one lo many years ago, and frankly hated it; I mean, it was a gripping read and I tore through it, but then I felt kind of sick, between the beating and the homophobia and not really liking any of the characters (except the one I think I was supposed to despise). But people seem to love them, and perhaps there are redeeming qualities in the sequels?

I'm not sure I have the time, actually, and when I do I'd rather (thank you yunitsa) have a nice angsty Lymond reread, but I thought I'd ask.

Speaking of books, I filled in the most recent of the holes I'd left in Louise Penny's series, The Beautiful Mystery, and ah, if I thought the others were good this one was transcendent. Okay, it takes place in a monastery full of Gregorian chants, but that does not a lovely book make on its own. What does is being able to describe what music does to people, in ways both sublime and ridiculous (Gamache gets into a conversation about chickens, thinks of Foghorn Leghorn, and gets "Camptown Races" stuck in his head, amongst men with gorgeous voices singing the most beautiful music in the world). Also, having read the books before and after, it was good to finally witness the horrible yawning abyss that had swallowed a major character in between. In a way, I mean.

Also have watched the latest OUAT (see my tumblr post about epiphytes) and aha, the secret: it really truly IS commedia dell'arte, at least in having one of those plots where everyone's related to each other. (This is a comment many OUAT viewers have made after many different episodes, thinking each time that finally the family tree has acquired so many twisted branches it can't possibly survive any longer. And somehow it keeps on getting worse.)

(A family tree with epiphytes. I am tempted to expand on the metaphor, but I have better things to do.)

Comments

[raven]

I can't manage the Outlander books - I've tried to read the first many, many times and just never got through it - but oddly I'm a big fan of her other, same-universe series about Lord John Grey. I have a fandom tag for it, but briefly, they're enormously fun mysteries, Lord John is a lovely, charming queer protagonist, and they're stuffed full of humour and nice family dynamics.

[hedda62]

Well, that sounds more my style, so maybe I'll try those. Thanks!

[isis]

I second this rec!

I liked some of the Outlander books, to varying degrees, but some of them are awful. (The one that was mostly their Atlantic voyage? UGH UGH UGH.) The Lord John books are straight(heh) historical mystery (that is, no time-travel element, although I think a few of them have a little hint of what could be, but isn't necessarily, mystical) with a homosexual protagonist. There are relationships, but they are not romances.

Also, raven wrote me a lovely story in this fandom (Lord John) for Yuletide one year!

Also, Diana Gabaldon's cousin is an acquaintance of mine.

[philomytha]

I skim-read the first Outlander book on the strength of various recs, but like you I felt a bit queasy afterwards. Lord John was more fun, but not what I'd call a must-read, and I haven't sought out any other books by the author since.

My go-to books for Sassenaching and Scottish sentiment are DK Broster's Flight of the Heron series. The eponymous first book is a gorgeous enemies-to-friends story full of things I eat up with a spoon, like conflicts of loyalty and duty, and slow-burn friendship, and enemies taking care of each other. No time travel, though.

[hedda62]

Thank you for the rec! I'm not into Scottish things by default or anything, but I do like the title. :)

[mmegaera]

I liked Outlander back when I first read it, but that was before the term "homophobia" showed up on my radar, and even then I was pretty appalled at the beating and the part where Randall tortures Jamie (no more so than I was at the part of Mirror Dance where Ryoval tortures Mark, but still).

I went on to read Dragonfly in Amber, with which I was deeply unimpressed, and, in spite of that dislike, I went on to read Voyager, which I liked better than Outlander. I made it through Drums of Autumn, once. And I started The Fiery Cross, but never got more than a quarter way through it. That's where I stopped.

I can forgive the series a lot because, well, Jamie Fraser. He is an amazing character. But I think she fired her editor after Voyager, because the books basically became unreadable from that point.

So if that's any help, it's my more than two pence worth.

[hedda62]

Ha, well, thank you - and I'd probably have the same opinion, so no need to travel the same ground.

[mmegaera]

I wouldn't go that far. You really would be missing out on one of the great romantic heroes written in the 20th century, IMHO. But other than that...

[veronamay]

I was a die-hard Outlander fan in my early twenties, mostly for the time-travel element to begin with, but I haven't picked up the latest instalment nor re-read the others in years. I am curious about the upcoming TV show, though, because Jamie Fraser is an amazing character, as mentioned above. I'm keen to see how it turns out.

Diana Gabaldon can bite me, though. Your work is not sacred, lady. Deal with it.

[hedda62]

Ha! I'm kind of glad to be ignorant about her and the fandom, then.

It does seem like it would translate well to TV. Do we know who's in it?

[veronamay]

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are the leads. I don't recognise either of them, but Heughan definitely appears to tick all the boxes (Scottish, red (ish) hair, cheekbones you could cut yourself on).

I will say in the first book's defence that the violent rape and torture aspects are clearly foreshadowed and also perpetrated by a man who is very, very mentally disturbed. And the resulting homophobia in the aftermath of that is totally understandable, IMO. Also not permanent.

Claire Randall is a Mary Sue, but I don't mind a Mary Sue if she's well written. If you want to give the books a go, I'd say try getting through the first four, but don't bother with The Fiery Cross or An Echo In The Bone.

Oh, and just to be contrary, I'll confess I didn't really like the spin-off Lord John series. Hes a good character but not interesting enough to drive a story, for me anyway.