After patiently awaiting Diana Gabaldon's newest book I was incredibly disappointed by this large, plotless monster. The writing remains good and the characters true but it doesn't take 1000 pages to tell this particular tale. I kept hoping that something was going to happen but by page 800 I had that sinking feeling that we being led around the countryside with nothing to feel satisfied by, not even the death of a certain evil sailor. I can't believe that a loved one or even a trusted editor couldn't have persuaded Diana that there were too many details and not enough plot to pull this off. I guess she thought that 1000 pages would cover up the fact that there really wasn't a story. I won't be buying the next installment.