Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

First of all let me say I am on my fourth listen to this book. Jeff Woodman voices Lord John Grey with tremendous wit and style, he does a fine job with the other characters as well (although Davina Porter fans may find fault with his Jamie Fraser). The story is intriguing on it's own (ahem, yes he's gay, yes there is sex, it doesn't get graphic until 4 or 5 hours into the book with plenty of foreshadowing - those who claim to be shocked at this remind me of Claude Rains in "Casablanca"). Beyond that there is social and political intrigue, great battle scenes and a family mystery.

If you are a Gabaldon fan and plan to read/listen to "Echo in the Bone" this is a must for many reasons. Chacters and story lines come back to haunt us, but most critically this book shows us Lord John Grey in depth. He's no longer a 'minor character' in Echo, and I for one am glad.

If you want more detail into Voyager (Oulander series) this is Lord John's story during some of those years. The other Lord John books remembers Jamie but does not interact with him. The other LJ books have NOTHING to do with Outlander. Keep in mind this book is about Lord John and his military career and Jamie is a small part of it. It does give a little more insight into their relationship where the others do not.

I really enjoyed this book. Even having read An Echo In The Bone, I hadn't experienced Lord John as a fully realized character. Here, he is complex, commanding, sexy and sexual, and the narrator is fantastic. My only complaint was with the plot complexities, which left me baffled at the end. I couldn't remember who some characters were, and didn't understand their motivations. I also didn't care about the storyline involving John's father much. I was far more interested in Percy and John. Really liked Jamie's cameos and John's perspective on Hellwater and Geneva, which were far different than Jamie's in the Outlander series. In my opinion, the Outlander series has gotten better and better as the books have continued, with the characters gaining depth and shadows. This Lord John tome adds to the mix. Gabaldon has created a world I love dipping into vicariously!!

I hurt myself trying to finish this book. The characters are believable. Lord John is a great character. I think she really gave us a lot about his family, the era and what motivates him.

Lord John is a soldier, a brother and a son. He is also gay and he becomes involved with another man. This is NOT a homosexual love story. Over simplifying it by saying it is, does it a great injustice. I respect many people are bothered by that. As good as I think this book is, I would recommend skipping this book if it will bother you.

I enjoyed this book, but, not as well as other Gabaldon books. I do enjoy the Lord John character. However, I had trouble with the graphical male to male sex. If you are comfortable with that then I expect this would be a good listen. At 63 years old I still have trouble fully embracing the idea that homosexuality is OK.

As always the period facts and history are educational. Excellent job of intertwining several story lines. The limited inclusion of Jamie was fun.

I did think the story ended abruptly and left something more that should have been told. Perhaps I just did not want it to end?

I rate it lower than "Lord John and the Private Matter" (4 stars) and the "Outlander" series which are five stars plus.

If you are a big Gabaldon fan and are as frustrated as I am with the wait for new releases from her then I would definitely listen to it.

The book is good, but It would have been great without the repeditive, graphical, sex scenes.

I have always enjoyed the character of Lord John and Diana Gabaldon does not disappoint in this newest, for me, story of him.

Really enjoyed this one. I felt for Lord John and his misadventures in love and war. I liked the narrator too, I could imagine Lord John having that voice.

I love Lord John. I think he is a wonderful character. I've listened to all the books and wish there were more. It was interesting to hear his perspective on Jamie Frasier but he can definitely carry his own story.

This was a much better book than the Lord John, private matter book. Admittedly the male sex scenes were a little to much for me but that is why you can forward the book ahead. I enjoyed it but much prefer the voyager series.