We’ve come to the end of another Lord John Grey book. There is one more in the series, but when will we start it in our Outlander Book Club?
The next book is Besieged. This is the last of the books in the series about the British Army officer. It doesn’t seem like it should be, but it is! This doesn’t mean it will be the last ever. We do know that Diana Gabaldon still has interest in writing about the character, but her focus is on the 10th and final Outlander book first.
What is Besieged about?
The novella picks up about a year after the events of A Plague of Zombies. John is still in Jamaica, where he has taken on the role of governor after the events of the previous book. He is excited to head back home, though.
However, the journey home is halted when the British Navy gets ready to lay siege to Havana. So, John has to head to Cuba instead. There is a family member there he needs to protect. The Dowager Duchess of Pardloe is a guest and potential hostage of Governor Juan de Prado.
Yes, the Dowager Duchess is none other than his mother, Benedicta. She is also there with John’s cousin Olivia and her husband Malcolm Stubbs.
There are some connections back to A Plague of Zombies, and we will get to see where some of the characters are. This book is definitely needed after the abrupt ending to the previous one.
When will we start Besieged in the Outlander Book Club?
We’re not going to start this book right away. There are a few reasons for this.
The first is that Outlander season 7B premieres on Friday, Nov. 22. We want to put the focus on the TV show during that time, and it means little time for reading. Rather than make people choose, it’s best just to hold off. This is what we did when Outlander Season 7A premiered after realizing that there was a little too much going on.
I’ll also be away at The Gathering 2024 this weekend—and I hope to see a few of you there! So, that makes it a little harder to get started with the book.
So, we’ll hold off until 2025. As soon as we have a finale date for Outlander season 7B, I’ll be able to set a specific date to start this read-through.
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