#26 Seven Stones
to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon
The most recent release by Diana Gabaldon is a series of short stories written during various periods of her writing career. For those of you familiar with her Outlander series, each story in this compilation is based on the characters from her larger novels; each story revealing a little more background on the characters and their life and times. On page xiii of the Introduction, the author provides a detailed listing showing the sequence of each short story, novel or novella not in terms of when they were written but from the perspective of the story line. If I ever get around to re-reading all of them, it would be great to read them in this order.
If you are new to the series, know that the short stories in Seven Stones are designed as stand-alone stories and are not dependant on having read the rest of the larger novels. And because they are short stories, you can read one before bed and not be kept up wondering what happens next. The first story Virgins is set in 1740 which actually predates the first novel Outlander. You may want to begin with this story then move into the first novel followed by the stories, novels and novellas as listed in the Introduction mentioned above.
For those of you who have not taken the time to read the Outlander series I ask you this one simple question: What are you waiting for? I know they are rather large (weighing in around 3lbs each) so I understand how the sheer size of the books may have put you off reading them. If this is the case, you are missing out on the wonderful story of Jamie and Claire Fraser, born in different centuries, brought together through the boundaries of time. You will be taken on a wild journey through the wilds of 18th century Scotland and France as well as post WWII. It is history wrapped up in an amazing love story complete with sword fights, brothels and men in kilts. What’s not to like? Until next time…have you read a book today?
Julie
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