Drums of Autumn

Title: Drums of Autumn
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander, book 4
Genre: Historical romance
Published: 1997

Rating: 7/10
Recommendation: A worthwhile read for those following the series, though not as strong as the previous books.

Summary: Jamie and Claire are pulling their life together in North Carolina. With some adventures, they meet Jamie's aunt, start their own homestead, and deal with surrounding Indian tribes. Two centuries in the future, Brianna and Roger are learning what they can about what has happened to Claire and Jamie. The research will cause them leap back to the dangerous past.

Reactions: In many ways Drums of Autumn is what the reader expects from the next Outlander volume. There are pirates, adventures, 18th century society, parties, Indians, and much more. We also get to follow Claire and Jamie struggling together to make new life for themselves in the New World. However, Brianna and Roger take up a much larger portion of the book than they have previously. I have not necessarily enjoyed following Brianna's story line as much. Claire is a more interesting character, combining strength, smarts, and femininity. Brianna tends to annoy me a bit with her lack of intuition for what's going on around her.

While the book flowed smoothly and held my interest throughout I found some of the plot devices a bit over the top. In several places the coincidences of people and places and misunderstanding just make it feel too unlikely. Also given the relationships of the characters, the amount of trouble they have communicating seems a bit strange. And everyone involved could save themselves a lot of trouble by just talking.

Still, it was an enjoyable read. I will be continuing with the series and looking forward to see what's in store for the characters.