Drums of Autumn: International Edition

Outlander, Book 4

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Diana Gabaldon's fans will be delighted to find Jamie and Claire as spirited and endearing as ever in this fourth installment of this magnificent saga. Romance, history, and time travel blend once again as the couple builds a new life together in the wilderness of pre-Revolutionary America.

Twice Claire has used an ancient stone circle to travel back to the 18th century. The first time she found love with a Scottish warrior but had to return to the 1940s to save their unborn child. The second time, 20 years later, she reunited with her lost love but had to leave behind the daughter that he would never see. Now Brianna, from her 1960s vantage point, has found a disturbing obituary and will risk everything in an attempt to change history.

Davina Porter's narrative talent adds a special vibrance and resonance to Gabaldon's complex, colorful characters. If you've experienced Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, or Voyager, you already know the length of the book is deceptive. None of them is nearly long enough.

©2004 Diana Gabaldon (P)2020 Recorded Books, Inc.

A Welcome Addition

This was a satisfying installment in the saga of Jamie and Claire I hope Audible will add Gabaldon's Fiery Cross and Breath of Snow and Ashes in the unabridged versions SOON. Narrator Davina Porter does such an extraordinary job with both male and female voices that good books are rendered great with her performances. Audible notes in her profile that she won a 2006 recording award for A Breath of Snow and Ashes, but it is not yet available here.

Ready for series to end but I'm in too deep!

Claire is annoying but skilled and resourceful even though she is a nympho. What is Brianna other than a big brat who treats sweet Roger like crap and holds an unnecessarily long grudge against him even after he jumps through time, chases her from Scotland to America 200 years out of his own time and suffers enslavement? Even when he miraculously returns she holds stupid grudges against him until the end. She just likes to be mad at people and a person of very poor character. I haven't seen Bree use one of her modern skills as an engineer. She just uses her size to stomp around in pants as soon as she arrives back in time and make demands. I wish the writer would have tried humbling these two 21st century women. Gillis Duncan was a self serving witch but at least she didn't throw tantrums. I would have enjoyed hearing more about her regardless if she was a villain. I would have liked to see Gillis not actually dead but come back and cross paths with them again. I want to know what compels Claire to get horney when Jamie's back is thrown out and they are stuck out in the cold hiding under a ridge. Claire is 50 years old! Her constant need for sex with Jaime exercises my 3x reading speed button. Why is the writer obsessed with nipples? I swear the writer never hesitates to talk about nipples.

I have invested too many hours in 4 unabridged books because I like the history and adventure. The writing is spectacular and so is Davinia Porter's reading (although Brianna should be speaking in American accent not English). I dived into this series while waiting for Robert McCammon to write the next Matthew Corbett series novel. Plenty of adventures in that historical fiction although no time travel. I am ready for the next read but hear that Fiery Cross is super boring and long. May have to get a different book in between and take a break form these two super annoying characters.

Wonderful Story Need rest of series in unabridged

Great story. I can't wait for the next two books to be made available by Audible in the unabridged version.

Loved it - Drums really brings it!

This is the 4th book in the Outlander series, and this is definitely my favorite next to Oultander itself. A few "secondary" characters become really interesting (Ian, Brianna, Roger), and the change of scenery to the American colonies is excellent. I bought a hard-copy of the book as well.

Fantastic. Keep them coming!

Being a fan of the Outlander series, I too was thrilled to see the latest edition to the unabridged series. PLEASE keep up the great work and give Davina Porter a rise! She makes all the characters come to life. An excellent addition to any audiobook library! I will be waiting, as many others I'm sure, for the next instalment!

Another Success!

I have loved this entire series! Some think it is to long but I enjoy the narrators voice and expressions so much that I find I never get bored.
The way that the story is written is brilliant and show the love and dedication it takes to maintain a healthy marrige.

Drums of Autumn was a fresh start in the New World

Would you listen to Drums of Autumn again? Why?

I would, it was a little slow for me in the beginning, but I loved that this story had a lot more of Brianna and Roger and their love story too. I also love to hate Stephen Bonnett.

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

Her descriptions are very vivid... she keeps things very interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I had a hard time stopping during the last 20 chapters.

Any additional comments?

This book was not my favorite in the series by any means, but it is a necessary part of the story where many questions are answered and this was something that needed to be done. Although most of this story could have been cleared up if all of the characters were open and honest it was done well with the way she decided to have things unfold. My Only frustration with this book was that I felt things were dragged out too long, but in the end I look forward to book 5 and seeing the story continue.

Life in the colonies

This is the fourth book in the Outlander series.

I love the Outlander series for the intricate historical detail. It gives such a feel for what life must have been like in the eighteenth century. Even the more fantastical time travel elements are so well thought out that they appear to be almost believable.

This time Jamie and Claire Fraser and the group of people traveling with them are in the American colonies. After some traveling around, they found a small settlement in the mountains of North Carolina. Meanwhile, their daughter, Brianna, travels back in time to join them, and Claire and Brianna’s friend, Roger Wakefield, rushes to join Brianna.

But the road is not smooth for any of them as they encounter disease, pirates, and not always friendly Indians as well as the usual misunderstandings of family in their efforts to get everyone together in one place.

As usual, Davina Porter gives an excellent performance. I believe she is one of the best female audiobook narrators – not too shrill with the female characters but also giving a good rendition of the male characters with good representations of all the characters’ various accents.

WOW, REALLY GREAT!

I listen to an average of 100 books a year, and the Outlander books are some of my most favorite! I find myself going back and listening (they have to be fantastic for me to want to re-listen) time and again. Davina Porter does a brilliant job with the narration!

Narrator makes me grind my teeth

If I hadn't paid so much for this audible and so much wanted to listen (during my work hours while I mindlessly design stuff) rather than read the book for the umpteenth time... I'd want a refund. No disrespect, but the voice doesn't match what I heard in my head for Clare (I picture the narrator as a 70 year old teacher), narrator's accents and "voices" set my teeth on edge and her pronunciation of sassenach sounds like she's expectorating phlegm from the back of her throat. I truly grind my teeth, cringe and stiffen every time I hear it and it's said so much... ugh.