REVIEW: Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone is the 9th book in the outlander series. I have been waiting for this book for over 3 years and I am finally glad that it is out and in a gorgeous edition that matches the rest of the editions that I have and it has stencilled edges!
The year is 1779 and we find Claire and Jamie still living in North Carolina whilst Brianna and Roger headed back to the 20th Century in the previous book. However, when Brianna and Roger find themselves coming back to 1779, it is a shock to everybody, including themselves. They explain what happened to them in the previous book to Claire and Jamie and explain that they had gone even further into the past by meeting a young Jenny Fraser. When Jenny Fraser eventually comes to the Ridge, Jamie has to explain to his younger sister what really happened and how the man that is before them as Roger Mckenzie, is the same Roger Mckenzie that she saw as a teenager looking for his young boy Jeremiah.
In the previous book, it was presumed that Jamie was dead and as such Lord John Grey married Claire and though he is clearly not dead, Jamie still holds resentment against Lord John Grey because of this transgression and so the pair are not on speaking terms. Despite all of this, upon hearing of Brianna’s return, Lord John Grey asks that he will ride out to see him and also paint a colleague of his for some money. Both Roger and Brianna accept this kind offer and along the way, they stop to see Fergus and Marsali and their brood of kids. Whilst they are in Wilmington, Brianna and Marsali are attacked and even though she tries to get them off her and fights back, she starts to feel helpless as she cannot always be the strong one. They also have other business in Wilmington so it’s not just a friendly visit. Roger Mckenzie becomes ordained as a minister.
As they ride on to see Lord John Grey in Savannah, they start to find themselves in the middle of the American Revolution and though they know what side they are on, they must keep that to themselves until asked otherwise. They eventually meet up with William Ransom who has now decided to stop calling himself the Earl as he believes he no longer feels like he has a right to that title given his true parentage. Brianna and William get on pretty well as brother and sister though William does not see Jamie as his father rather he sees Lord John as his father.
As tensions rise in the American Revolution, Jamie and Claire now find it right at their doorsteps with the ridge dividing into two. Jamie is injured on the battlefield and Claire will not give up finding him. She eventually spots him and sees that he might not make it through so she stays by his side and does not give up. Through some miracle he makes it through and survives.
Lord John Grey is taken by Captain Ezekiel Richardson who actually turns out to be a time traveller himself aka Mike Callahan. Ezekiel Richardson is trying to not stop the war but try to get England to win. You see his family are slaves in America and he is trying to stop that horrible future from happening. England criminalised owning slaves way before America did and so he is trying to keep America in England’s hands. He has taken Lord John Grey to try and force John’s brother’s hand and stop the surrender to the colonies. William finds out that Lord John has been taken and so turns to the only man he could think of to help him, Jamie Fraser.
This book is a lengthy one let me tell you that. I actually listened to the audiobook at two times the speed and it was still over 24 hours long so that just tells you how long it is. Like I previously mentioned, I have been waiting for this book for years and it did not disappoint me. Claire and Jamie Fraser are two characters that will always have my heart and if Diana Gabaldon wants to make them zombies so that the characters live on, I would totally be okay with that (though I do not hope that happens) It will be a long wait for the next book but in the meantime, I’ll just stick to rewatching the show.
5 out of 5 stars.