Outlander Book Club: A Plague of Zombies Section 21 breakdown

Lord John Grey heads to a cave with Ishmael and others in A Plague of Zombies Section 21. He needs to prove that he is honest.

Captain Accompong wanted John to prove his honesty, and that’s what this chapter was all about. John agreed to go through with the way the maroons did things, but only to a point. He wasn’t going to put his own life on the line.

We get to see how fast John can think on his feet again. We also see how brave he is.

Breaking down A Plague of Zombies Section 21

The section starts with John heading to a cave with Ishmael and some of the maroons. Before entering the cave, Ishmael gives John a canteen to drink. It has rum, but there is something else within in. As he enters the cave, he starts to feel a little woozy. There was something in that canteen, but it didn’t affect Ishmael.

Ishmael places a snake on John’s shoulders. At first, John is calm because he knows there are no poisonous snakes in Jamaica. However, Ishmael shares that this particular snake came from Africa. John knew that this snake was likely deadly, and he wasn’t going to risk his own life. He grabs the snake and throws it away.

This leads to a commotion with someone screaming and then the smell of blood. We can assume that the snake reacted out of anger and bit someone. I’m glad John was brave enough to just act quickly instead of panicking that a deadly snake was on his neck.

John turns to Ishmael and makes it clear that he tells the truth and he will have his men back. He is not leaving without them, and he is done with the maroon way of life. We’ve seen him be respectful so far, but now his own life has been put on the line.

Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?

We would need to see this chapter be used if A Plague of Zombies was ever adapted. This chapter continues the life of the maroons and gives us a look at what they do and don’t do. We get this look at their primitive way of life, although I’m not sure the English have the room to judge considering some of their primitive nature at this point in time.

We also get to see John act on his feet to survive. It’s important to show us the type of man that he is, and this is a big moment for that. He can remain calm in the middle of danger.

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