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2018/46: The Scottish Prisoner -- Diana Gabaldon
2018/46: The Scottish Prisoner -- Diana Gabaldon
Following the discovery of a poem written in Erse, Lord John's brother Hal recruits Jamie Fraser (the eponymous Scottish prisoner) to accompany Lord John on a mission to Ireland, where they hope to uncover a treasonous plot -- and possibly the seeds of another Jacobite uprising. Accompanied by the disreputable, and likely murderous, Irishman Tobias Quinn, Lord John and Jamie Fraser discover more about the situation -- and one another -- than they might reasonably have expected. Even on their return to London, the consequences multiply.
There's a bittersweet note to this novel, even for those who haven't read Voyager (the timespan of which encompasses The Scottish Prisoner -- indeed, this whole novel occurs during section V, chapter 16). While I very much enjoyed the growing respect and friendship between John and Jamie, I already knew that nothing about their respective positions would have changed at the end of the novel. (Actually, that feels improbable: their friendship does deepen, with each making sacrifices and taking risks for the other: how can this have so little impact on later interactions in Voyager?)
An enjoyable tale with its own resolution, and with some intriguing revelations about both protagonists. I especially enjoyed the London scenes towards the end of The Scottish Prisoner: Lord John being thoroughly competent, even when it becomes clear that a mistake has been made. But I still feel that the events of this novel should have had more visible impact on the 'main' (e.g. Jamie-centric) canon.
And now I have run out of Lord John novels to read. Boo.
Jamie had the obscure feeling that cliché on top of treasonous insanity was more than anyone should be obliged to put up with. [p. 313]
Following the discovery of a poem written in Erse, Lord John's brother Hal recruits Jamie Fraser (the eponymous Scottish prisoner) to accompany Lord John on a mission to Ireland, where they hope to uncover a treasonous plot -- and possibly the seeds of another Jacobite uprising. Accompanied by the disreputable, and likely murderous, Irishman Tobias Quinn, Lord John and Jamie Fraser discover more about the situation -- and one another -- than they might reasonably have expected. Even on their return to London, the consequences multiply.
There's a bittersweet note to this novel, even for those who haven't read Voyager (the timespan of which encompasses The Scottish Prisoner -- indeed, this whole novel occurs during section V, chapter 16). While I very much enjoyed the growing respect and friendship between John and Jamie, I already knew that nothing about their respective positions would have changed at the end of the novel. (Actually, that feels improbable: their friendship does deepen, with each making sacrifices and taking risks for the other: how can this have so little impact on later interactions in Voyager?)
An enjoyable tale with its own resolution, and with some intriguing revelations about both protagonists. I especially enjoyed the London scenes towards the end of The Scottish Prisoner: Lord John being thoroughly competent, even when it becomes clear that a mistake has been made. But I still feel that the events of this novel should have had more visible impact on the 'main' (e.g. Jamie-centric) canon.
And now I have run out of Lord John novels to read. Boo.