Play Book Tag discussion

Echo is the 7th book in the Outlander saga. For those following the TV series, the first part of the 7th season (7A - which was shown OVER A YEAR AGO) covered roughly 2/3 of this book. The second part of the 7th season (7B) will finally be shown starting November 22 and will cover the rest of Echo and much of the 8th book also.

Echo is not most reader's favorite book. I think that is primarily because the storyline now follows many more characters than just the main couple Jamie and Claire - their extended family and friends group. We are also introduced to several new characters: Jamie's now grown illegitimate son William (who doesn't know he is Jamie's son - shhhhhh, it's a secret), the utterly adorable Quaker brother and sister Denzel and Rachel Hunter - and even Benedict Arnold (Yes, THAT Benedict Arnold - and I actually liked him ... at first).

And frankly I may have felt the same way the first time that I read Echo, but have come to really appreciate the larger cast, the story, history and passion in this book. But even for an Outlander superfan like me, the rating does get knocked down a little thanks to several major cliffhangers and one very over plotted sea battle. (Seriously, if you plan to read this book, stop when you get to Ch 30. Just send me a message and I'll send you a four-paragraph summary of the next two chapters and you can just skip those 37 pages.)

As for the travel ... there is quite a lot of it in this book, as the main characters travel from the mountains of North Carolina to Ticonderoga to Saratoga to the Scottish Highlands and back to Philadelphia. Others time travel from Scotland in 1980 to Scotland .... somewhere in the past. Jamie's son William even spends time wandering around - and getting lost in - the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. The perils of travel on both land and sea and through time play a major part in this book's storylines.

I will leave you with one of my favorite funny passages from the book, as Jamie and Claire are packing to leave Fraser's Ridge after their home has burned down:

"One thing that had in abundance, though, was alcohol. The corncrib had been spared from the flames, and so had the still. Since there was more than enough grain for both animals and household, Jamie had thriftily transformed the rest into a very raw but potent liquor, which we would take to trade for necessary goods along the way. One small cash had been kept for my especial (medical) use though. I'd carefully painted the legend Sauerkraut on the side, to discourage theft on the road.

"And what if we should be set upon by illiterate banditti?" Jamie had asked.

"Thought of that," I informed him, displaying a small corked bottle full of cloudy liquid. "Eau de sauerkraut>. I'll pour it on the cask at first sight of anyone suspicious."

"I suppose we'd best hope they're not German bandits, then."

Going to start book 7 January 1!

Amy wrote: "Going to start book 7 January 1!"

Awesome! If you haven't already watched Season 7 of the show (Part A or the upcoming Part B), I recommend waiting. There are some major spoilers.

I look forward to your thoughts.