The Lord John Series

[Regina]

I LOVE the Outlander series-just everything about it. So I tried some of the Lord John books. I was wondering what this group thought about them? To me, I couldn't fall in love with them the way I did with Jamie and Claire's story. Thoughts?

[Jessica]

I've heard the exact same thing from a few of my friends who love J & C's story like we do. :) I've thought about trying them, but I have a feeling I won't like them!

[Ms. Vicki]

I dearly love the Outlander series. I tried the first two books in the Lord John books, but I just couldn't get into them either. They were well written, but Lord John's story just didn't grab me. Maybe because I've never really liked him, and not because he was gay. I don't think I would have liked any character male or female that was after Jamie. He was meant for Claire ONLY. :)
Personally the books had TMI on Lord John's lovelife for me...and no I don't have anything against gays. I just don't want detailed information about their sexual thoughts and activites. Hope I haven't offended anyone, but these are my personal feelings.

[Regina]

Well, the storytelling is much the same-vivid-lots of historical detail. However, Lord John just didn't capture my heart the way the Outlander characters did. By the way, have any of you read the books by Sara Donati? "Into the Wilderness" has a cameo appearance of Claire. I liked those books for many of the same reasons I liked the Outlander series.

[Melissa]

I like them but not in the same way I like the Outlander books. With the Outlander books it's OMG there's another one coming out?!?! Quick, preorder it and block out a couple of days to read it!!!! With the Lord John books it's ..oh hey yeah those are good I should put them on my paperback swap list..oh cool..pbs has them..good I'll order it and read it when I get done with *insert current reading material here*. The style is great, the plots are intriguing, but I don't have the same character love.

[Kathy]

I actually read Lord John and the Private Matter (another library book sale find) before I picked up the Outlander series. I thought it was actually an interesting group of books, but the Outlander series really put all of the events together for me. I actually thought that the fact that Lord John is gay put a very interesting twist on an otherwise ho hum historical fiction work. If you put yourself in his shoes at that point in time, you can understand some of the choices he made in his life.

[Jamie]

LJ and the Private Matter wasn't great, but Brotherhood of the Blade was much better. I really like Lord John, and I'm looking forward to her proposed next book in the series, Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner. I want to know how Jamie and John become such good friends after the state of their relationship at the end of Brotherhood.

[Ms. Vicki]

I agree the LJ books are well written, like the Outlander series, but I just couldn't get into them. I've always been kind of mad at LJ for loving Jamie. He belongs to Claire!! :)

[Michelle]

This topic has been moved to the spoiler section.

[Erika]

I love Outlander series, and I took the advice from the book to read Sara Donati (read three of them can't wait for the rest), and I would have to agree the Lord John books are just okay, they didn't grab me, and I didn't have to read them like the Outlander books but I its kind of interesting to read more about one of the minor characters.

[Barbara ★]

I read all the LJ books and other than The Private Matter (which I found rather boring) I enjoyed them. Granted when I read them, I didn't know his part in the Outlander series. Knowing it now, I can still say that I enjoyed his story. I am anxiously awaiting Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner (hopefully it won't be Jamie).

[Sarah]

Jamie wrote: "LJ and the Private Matter wasn't great, but Brotherhood of the Blade was much better. I really like Lord John, and I'm looking forward to her proposed next book in the series, Lord John and the Sco..."

I'm also looking forward to the next one!

I have to say, I don't really enjoy mysteries, which is what they seem to be - historical mystery fiction (LOL). However, I do really like LJ as a character and even though the series isn't nearly as good as Outlander, I really like reading more about him and his life. If you don't particularly care of Lord John, I wouldn't recommend them. Otherwise, they're a nice little "fix" when you're waiting anxiously for the newest Outlander installment!

[Barbara ★]

As I've gotten further along in DOA, I find myself really liking Lord John. Once he meets up with Brianna, you see a whole other side to him. Now I'm really glad that I've read his books and will certainly continue to do so.

[Teryl]

I just started listening to this series on cd. Private Matter is pretty boring so far. Good thing I am listening to it in the car or else I wouldn't be able to get over what I hope is 'the hump.'

[Barbara ★]

Private Matter is the worst of the lot. Lucky for me I got the order confused and read the other two first. They were interesting and I really connected with Lord John. Then I read Private Matter. It was ok but if I had read it first, I don't think I would have continued with the series. Just something about it that I can't pin down.

[Teryl]

Thankfully this thread is here and all of you have said the other 2 are better because that will keep me going with the series.

[Fiona]

I liked the Lord John series. I think it was really clever how Dianna has twisted some parts of the two series together & putting another angle on the whole Jamie, Claire & Lord John triangle. Sure they are not in the same legue as the outlander series but still good all the same, in my opinion.

[Mary]

I'm glad to hear good things about the other Lord John books. As I've said elsewhere in this thread, LJ and the Private Matter was not well written and almost seemed to have a different author than Outlander books. But it seems to be consensus that LJ & Private Matter is lousy but other books in series are better. I'll have to give them a chance, I guess. I really do like Lord John....

[Mary]

Teryl wrote: "I just started listening to this series on cd. Private Matter is pretty boring so far. Good thing I am listening to it in the car or else I wouldn't be able to get over what I hope is 'the hump.'"

TERYL -- The whole BOOK is the hump.

[EvaS]

I just finished DOA, and before I start the FC, I am toying with the idea of reading the LJG books. I've been told that they are a bit out of order, and this is the reading order that has been recommended.... just looking for your suggestions if you've read them.....

1 - Lord John and the Hellfire Club (short story in Hand of Devils)
2 - Lord John and the Private Matter (novel)
3 - Lord John and the Succubus (in Hand of Devils)
4 - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel)
5 - Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (in Hand of Devils)

THANKS!

[Carolyn F.]

I've listened to Lord John and the Private Matter and am listening to Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade right now. They are actually pretty good.

[EvaS]

I have a feeling I will enjoy them, but I was warned about reading them in order(?).

[Samantha]

I read the Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (not sure how I thought it was the first one but I did) and really did not like it.

I guess if I hadn't been expecting something even remotely close to the awesomeness of Outlander I would feel differently...

[Carolyn F.]

I just finished the short story about Lord John in the Warriors anthology. This story has some of the same characters that were in Echo so would actually be a prequel. In the other Warrior Woman book, there was a short story about Jamie and Claire about when she amputated his finger. This was incorporated in Echo and I'm wondering if the same will be done for this story in the next Lord John book. The story is the normal Lord John murder mystery with a very sad death and that is only touched upon and a sweet romance between Lord John and the Indian Manoke. I would recommend reading this story for any Lord John fan.

[Ellen W-S]

I clicked on link for Warrior Woman and didn't see anything resembling Jamie and Claire story. Is this the correct name? Warriors is already in my TBR...thanks for the heads up to read before Echo.

[Carolyn F.]

Warrior Woman, yep it's in there. It seems to be exactly the same story as the one where she cut off his finger, starting when the battle ended and she went looking for Jamie and the mother and her son were scavanging. The book is full of short stories by various authors.

[Brunhilde]

I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize those names. Were they men he met at Lavender House in the Private Matter or is there some other significance to them?

[Marietta]

Samantha wrote: "I read the Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (not sure how I thought it was the first one but I did) and really did not like it.

I guess if I hadn't been expecting something even remote..."

Frankly, I thought Diana had taken on another persona when she wrote Lord John and the Private Matter. That was the first one I read---because it was so not like the Outlander novels. As I read the rest of the Lord John novels tho, I got to really like him and I LOVED The Scottish Prisoner. Probably because it had Jamie in it. I'm sure because it had Jamie in it!!!! I felt like that was a Lord John w/Jamie novel.

[Lori McD]

Brunhilde wrote: "I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize those names. Were they men he met at Lavender House in the Private Ma..."

Brunhilde, yep - they're the same guys. They'll figure more and more in the LJ stories. In fact, I'm expecting them to be behind a lot more of LJ's life between that time and "Echo in the Bone".

[Brunhilde]

Lori wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize those names. Were they men he met at Lavender House..."

Thank you, Lori. Also, van Namtzeen keeps popping his head up to. And I have to try keep them all straight. I love that she never wastes a single character, but it is hard to keep them all straight. I wish we had an index for them all.

[Brunhilde]

Brunhilde wrote: "Lori wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize those names. Were they men he met at L..."

So Lori, is von Namtzen gay too? It seemed like Lord John wasn't quite sure in Succubus but did we ever find out for sure?

[Lori McD]

Brunhilde wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "Lori wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize those names. Were th..."

Brunhilde, that's the million dollar question! ;-)

But DG does address it in a later LJ book, so keep reading!

[Brunhilde]

Lori wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "Lori wrote: "Brunhilde wrote: "I am reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and they mention Hubert Bowles and Neil Stapleton. I know I recognize tho..."

AHHHHH! I am reading The Scottish Prisoner now. I think I have the answer to my question. Thanks!

[Kimberly]

I have a question in LJ and the Plague of Zombies...LJ tells Nancy that he isn't married, but he was married to Isobel at the time, right??

[Carren]

I believe Isobel was on her way to the Island, but died in route. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Kimberly]

That's also what I recall, but LJ and her would already have been married. I believe they married when William was 6.

[Emily]

I think what I love most about the LJ books is seeing him on his home turf, with his family relationships and his wonderful valet, Tom.

I thought Private Matter was fine, not awesome, and I devoured Brotherhood of the Blade, which I thought was quite good. It's nice to see how tough and relentless he is, which isn't emphasized in the Outlander books so much.

[Lori McD]

Kimberly wrote: "I have a question in LJ and the Plague of Zombies...LJ tells Nancy that he isn't married, but he was married to Isobel at the time, right??"

Kimberly - the Zombie story takes place before Lord John marries Isobel and before "The Scottish Prisoner". After Ardsmuir (the prison) closed, Lord John was put back into regular duty by the military. That's when he ventured to Jamaica for the "Plague of Zombies". So no, at this point, he's not married to Isobel. That decision takes place much later. I believe DG has a timeline on her web site that might help... You have to read a bit to find it, but the year is 1761.

Here's the timeline link: http://www.dgabaldon.de/html/timeline...

[Carolyn F.]

Thanks for the timeline Lori - I've e-mailed myself it to use for future reference. :)

[Kimberly]

Thanks for the timeline, Lori! I don't see anywhere on the timeline what year LJ marries Isobel.

[Lori McD]

Kimberly, no, that doesn't show up, does it? I think that DG said that she's still working out the details of the marriage. After The Scottish Prisoner was released last Nov, many asked about LJ's and Isobel's marriage; it sounded like DG wasn't quite sure of the story herself yet. It amazes me how she can write the way that she does and still have lots to explore!

[Kimberly]

That sounds like DG, haha! It would drive me bonkers to write the way she does, but I actually think it's a good thing most of the time because I think it allows her to add more layers to the stories since it's more fluid. I could see her writing an LG novella that covers the time he and Isobel were married.

[Brunhilde]

Allow me to make preface, I love Outlander and Jamie for who and what they are. But I think I am falling in love with Lord John! I know it is crazy. But the whole British Mystery novel with the extremely logical main character has been a love of most of my friends for years. I have never really gotten into them before. I am so glad I read all the Lord John books before Echo. Thank you, Lori, for recommending it. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend any other mystery novels with a character like Lord John.
I love his icy politeness, his complete control over his own mind, to think logically and not be distracted by insignificant details. But I also love the passion that boils secretly under the surface. If he were straight and in love with me, he would be perfect!

[Susan]

I read Lord John and the Private Matter and enjoyed it. I wasn't familiar with Lord John because I have only read the first two books in the Outlander series. But I enjoyed it. I have the other two Lord John books to read, and I still need to get my hands on the third Outlander book.

[Peggy]

Susan wrote: "I read Lord John and the Private Matter and enjoyed it. I wasn't familiar with Lord John because I have only read the first two books in the Outlander series. But I enjoyed it. I have the other ..."

Susan, think that you'll really appreciate Lord John as you read Voyager and the other books in the series. He is definitely a "supporting" character (except in his own series) but very important to the storyline.

[Susan]

Peggy Z wrote: "Susan wrote: "I read Lord John and the Private Matter and enjoyed it. I wasn't familiar with Lord John because I have only read the first two books in the Outlander series. But I enjoyed it. I h..."

Thank you. That is good to know.

[April]

Just finished reading the Scottish Prisoner after finishing all of the Outlander books...I realize now that there is an order to LJ books and I read the last one first! OOps! Are the other ones as good as SP? I am now re-reading Outlander (#1) after getting it back from a friend I loaned it to....who...didn't....like...it! How could she?! Loving the re-read! Don't understand how anyone couldn't like it?! To each his own!

[Vanessa]

I read the first three or four in the Outlander series before stumbling upen the Lord John books in the library. I did enjoy them quite a bit, but I had already developed a liking for John before I read the books, so that influenced how I felt. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed them as much had I read them cold. That said, I liked the level of detail DG provides in terms of what it might have been like to be a gay male in that place and time, as well as a well-born, intelligent person in that time/place. I also like the fact that DG treats him as a complex being with strengths and weaknesses, rather than indulging in stereotypes. To me, that's one of the big pluses of the Lord John books.

As for the sex scenes, I did not find them at all offensive, nor do I feel like Jamie is Claire's personal property, so no one else gets to have lustful toughts about him. From the way DG describes him, it would be odd if some of the other characters didn't find him attractive! But perhaps that's just me. I'm a straight, married, middle-aged woman, and have seen enough in my time that such things don't bother me.

[Lori McD]

April wrote: "Just finished reading the Scottish Prisoner after finishing all of the Outlander books...I realize now that there is an order to LJ books and I read the last one first! OOps! Are the other ones a..."

Check out DG's timeline here: http://www.dgabaldon.de/html/timeline

That gives the correct order of the books. Just be patient and scroll through the time line on the left side.

[Peggy]

April wrote: "Just finished reading the Scottish Prisoner after finishing all of the Outlander books...I realize now that there is an order to LJ books and I read the last one first! OOps! Are the other ones a..."

lol! A few years back I was chatting with a clerk at Barnes & Noble and she said she tried but just couldn't understand all of the fuss over The Outlander series!

Just my opinion but I liked best of the LJ series.