Diana Gabaldon and Davina Porter - The Fiery Cross

Pros: Good writing, great story
Cons: Probably better to read the rest of the series first

A friend of mine turned me on to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series a few years ago. I whipped through the first three books and then had to wait for the fourth to come out, and then wait again for the fifth book, The Fiery Cross to...

Pros: Great book, extremely well researched and brings the era to life
Cons: Now I have to reread the previous books to remember what was happening before!

Diana Gabaldon has written an outstanding, immense series that seems to have no end in sight. And trust me, that's not a bad thing! Though it appears she has caught the Robert Jordan Virus of writing the neverending story, luckily she didn't fall prey...

Pros: Accurate history, great characters, wonderful storytelling - something for everyone
Cons: some frustrating loose ends

The release of this book has been the topic of conversation where I work for several weeks - there are quite a few of us who have been waiting impatiently for it's appearance. While I was reading it, I could hardly stand to put it down, and now that I...

Pros: Captivating, exciting, a very good read. Diana does it again.
Cons: Can't put it down.

"The Fiery Cross" is the fifth book in the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. One might think that by the fifth book of a series containing books that top over six hundred pages each the story line might be lacking in vitality, but not so with this...

Pros: Vibrant, historically accurate, and fun
Cons: hefty

Diana Gabaldon's recently completed "Fiery Cross" is the fifth in her "Outlander" series and fulfills every expectation I had and then some.
These books are set in 18th century Scotland, America, and the Carribean; they are an ecclectic mix of...

Pros: Update on the Fraser clan
Cons: Very slow start

This is the fifth installment in the continuing saga of Jamie and Clair Fraser. If you have not followed the story before, you will be highly disappointed, and probably not get past the first 100 pages.

For new followers, I would highly...

Pros: Great characters,continuing storyline, history, action, adventure
Cons: A bit too focused on the more intimate relations

This is another in the continuing adventures of Clair and Jamie Fraser.Clair being an Englishwoman from the 1940s and Jamie being a Highland Scot from the 1740s. In the initial book, Outlander, Clair ends up back in time (go read the book, its great! I...

Pros: More exciting plot twists and turns for your favorite characters
Cons: slow paced at times

If you have fallen in love with Jamie and Claire from the previous books in Dianna Gabaldon time travel romance series, then you will savor this book.
Clair and Jamie have aged, but their love is as strong as ever. The plot interweaves their story...

Pros: Provides more character depth and detail and moves the story further along in time.
Cons: Slow movement of main plotline and loss of time travel mystique leaves "filler" book feeling.

Although this books skillful writing kept me involved through to the end, it left me less satisfied than did the previous volumes in the series. It moves too slowly in its time frame, the action sequences aren't as tightly written as the earlier works,...

Pros: Compelling read, great cliffhanger
Cons: Poor quality construction of hardbound edition

I enjoyed reading The Fiery Cross, but decline commenting on its content because I am acquainted with Author Diana Gabaldon. The point I want to raise has nothing to do with her part of producing it, but that of the publisher, Delacorte Press. The star rating reflects its production quality. The binding of hardbound copies takes short cuts that are inexcusable. I am slow reader and struggled finding time to finish. It took me a month and my signed first edition fell apart as I toted it around. Thick books like this are more sensitive to general use and one of the endsheets--the folded pages that adhere the contents of the book to the cover--split at the crease when the spine was struck. The guts separated from the front cover. It was missing its cheesecloth liner, which would have given it the reinforcement it needed to avoid this damage. Cheesecloth liners are glued onto the spines of hardbound books to reinforce the strength of the binding. This was a book that warranted extra consideration when it was produced, yet Delacorte was too cheap to give its consumers adequate sturdiness. Higher prices don't always equate with high quality.