Practically every famous writer in history has distinguished him or herself from their peers in one way or another, whether it is the amount of thought they put in their descriptions, the length of their stories, recurring peculiarities among characters, etc…etc…
In recent years, Diana Gabaldon has become one of the most popular writers in North America, and she mainly distinguishes herself by writing long books, often over 600 and 700 pages, all while managing to make them very fast and entertaining reads. One of her most widely-acclaimed books which demonstrates this quality the best is Outlander.
Outlander tells the story of Claire Randall, a time-traveling romancer, if there ever was one. While in one century she is leading a double life among her husband, in another she is doing the same thing with a lover; in both cases, Claire remains a cunning, sensual, and very entertaining lady to follow around.
Naturally, the story is a bit more complicated than that as it begins while Claire is on her honeymoon in the British Isles where she comes into contact with a boulder that sends her back into time of the Mackenzie clan and Castle Leok. Naturally, she is far from being at home among Scots from hundreds of years ago, although fortunately a warrior by the name of James Fraser becomes her ally as you can guess, they face their fair share of brutality, violence, and life-threatening situations in general. However, there is more on Claire’s mind as slowly but surely she starts to discover love and passion unlike those she had ever known before.
As was mentioned earlier, Diana Gabaldon may write long books (600 pages in this case), but that doesn’t mean her literature is very heavy or complicated; chances are it will be one of your fastest reads so far.
The plot steadily progresses at somewhat of a hurried pace, although there are a few short moments where the action is slowed to a crawl. The characters in that universe are all intriguing, peculiar, each with their own idiosyncrasies and ideas about the world. Not to mention, Diana Gabaldon’s take on magic may be a bit familiar, but still manages to make the concept feel fresh and interesting.
All in all, if what you are looking for is a thorough and satisfying read with elements of fantasy, romance, magic and humor, you can’t possible go wrong with Outlander.
 | Diana GabaldonPersonal site Diana Gabaldon is an American author focusing on romance, historical fiction, mystery and adventure, best known for her Outlander and Lord John series. She was the recipient of numerous awards, not to mention that some of her works ended up as #1 on The New York Times best-seller list. |
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