So today started out rotten, with a HUGE storm that must have started up early in the morning, because I ended up being woken (as usual, way too early and me still being tired) by BANG BANG WHOOOOOOSH BANG BANG SPLASH noises on my window. It was LOUD, folks. Try sleeping through something that sounds like a hurricane's coming to take you off to Oz and see how you do. I couldn't even really see out the window when I finally got up, it was so wet and blurry out. The wind apparently took out a big mass of branches, too, which are now piled out on the street.

Predictably, the power went out at 7:30 a.m., thus foiling my plans to work on the novel until after 11. I ended up finishing The Fiery Cross during the off hours, and for your edification, I shall go into it in great detail here for awhile.

I gotta say that this is the weakest of the novels, but mainly that's because by now Jamie and Claire aren't (a) involved in CONSTANT war issues a la books 1 and 2, (b) cavorting all over the sea in and out of trouble a la book 3, or (c) dealing with the integration of Brianna and Roger into the time and the whole rape thing a la book 4. It's more of a "things are brewing" novel that is most likely a set up for book 6 than a book all in itself, plotwise. Mostly, they're all settled down in one area and living daily lives in somewhat peace, with sometimes chaotic events going on. So, let's face it, that does slow stuff down. Though in all honesty, I know Diana Gabaldon writes long, but this one could have used some editing (over 900 pages, folks, and there's not a lot of action for like the first 12 chapters).

There are, however, several interesting plots that do come up in the book and are covered for awhile, then dropped to move on to something else. None are quite resolved, which gives me the impression that they'll be carried on into the next book when the Revolutionary War kicks off.

Plots include: (Yup, this is SPOILING SPOILING SPOILING in this section)

(a) Jamie is forced to start up a militia by the Governor who gave him his land to go up against some rebels known as the Regulators. Eventually, said Regulators are put down.

(b) Jamie and Claire discover the tragic tale of the Beardsleys. He was a fat, abusive wife-murderer, while his fifth wife Fanny could see the ghost of wife #4. The husband had a stroke up in the attic while chasing Fanny one day, and she tortured him with neglect and some abuse for quite awhile. Jamie eventually just shoots the bastard. Fanny gives birth to a black child (surprise) and then runs off, leaving Jamie and Claire to give the child to another family to raise. Fanny turns up later with her runaway boyfriend.

(c) Jamie's rich aunt Jocasta and his old jail buddy Duncan get married, but surprise, surprise, there's a plot in motion to off Duncan and swipe Jocasta, which results in the accidental death of a slave who liked to tipple. Turns out some of the Frenchman's gold mentioned earlier went off with Jocasta's third husband.

(d) Roger runs into his old ancestor (well, young and cute now) Morag from book 4 and looks a little too friendly with her for his ancestor (and her husband) William Buccleigh, who turns out to be a jealous bastard. WB frames Roger to be hanged, and he does get hanged and nearly dies. He eventually recovers, but his voice will never be the same, and so much for singing, and he's more depressed from there on in. Sigh. I like Roger, dammit.

(e) Speaking of the injury toll, Jamie gets a snakebite and has his requisite near-death experience for the book. I dunno, this is getting kinda old. Can't we leave the near-death experiences for when he's in battles or fighting a human? At any rate, we all know he's not really going to die from that.

(f) Jamie makes inquiries into the whereabouts of Brianna's rapist, Stephen Bonnet, and he and Roger plot to kill the guy. Alas, they get foiled in that, as Bonnet instead goes after Brianna and Jem. He ends up getting shot somewhere and runs off, which of course we all know means that he will live to show up in book 6 and be the villain there, a la Jonathan Randall in book 2.

(g) Speaking of Jem, while they don't try to officially confirm anything, it is determined in this book that (a) Jem could go through the stones if he wanted to, and (b) like his parents, he can't curl his tongue. So basically, he's Roger's, and the good sperm won out over evil! Hurrah!

(h) Jenny eventually forgives Jamie for losing her son, and mentions that she overheard his ex-whatever Laoghaire happily fornicating with somebody. Jamie's manly pride is hurt, since she'd always HATED sex with her previous husbands.

(i) Ian returns at the end to stay with them for good, minus his wife and child (who presumably are dead, though he doesn't actually say). Lizzie, who used to have a crush on him years ago and is now engaged to a guy she doesn't love but is a good practical match, sounds like she's still interested. Uh-oh.

(j) Oh, and people still have sex. Lotsa nipples and stuff. But I'm sure you figured out that happened.

And there you go.

I'm feeling like people calling me at home is becoming a very bad idea. Mom called me today to nag me to check the mail for health insurance papers (oh joy, dealing with that again), then proceeded to keep me on the phone for a long period of time asking me to tell her the answers to her crossword puzzle. Which, let's face it, is bloody hard to do when you can't SEE the puzzle itself or what letters she's got already or how long the word's supposed to be. I ended up saying "I don't know, I don't know" and getting all bitchy at her again. Sigh. The bitchiness just won't end for me today. I can't relax again.

At least I did do some novel writing. Almost 43,000 words now.

previous entry - next entry
archives - current entry