Anything by Diana Gabaldon is worth a read and although I have already read this series of novellas before, I am always keen to revisit the world she creates so well. So much so that when i leave it, i find myself thinking about the characters long after I've put her books down, the story come to and end all too soon - again.

Another fine Diana Galbaldon book, even though I like Lord John I found myself not as interested without Clare and Jamie there. But still good.

Loved it. Diana can't go wrong with any story she writes long or short.

I enjoyed these stories quite a bit - a little less than Brotherhood of the Blade, but definitely more than A Private Matter (which is my least favorite Gabaldon book of all). I think Gabaldon's greatest strength lies in continued development of her characters, which I think she also knows on some level since she keeps writing long series. The more I read of her cast of characters, the more I enjoy and appreciate them. And the characters in this series are no exception, and I'm finding them increasingly interesting as I read more about them.

Lord John himself is, of course, the most intriguing of the characters. It struck me just as I was finishing this book that his speech patterns and certain mannerisms remind me a little of Dumbledore (who really needs no explanation, but just in case you are one of the six people left on Earth who aren't aware, he is the headmaster in the Harry Potter series). He has the same slightly irreverent wit as Dumbledore -- lightly humorous, while avoiding any hint of scorn or derision and, in fact, maintaining a deep respect for the listener. I just love his dialogue, as I did when I read him in the Outlander books.

Upon reflection, I wish his mother were in these stories a bit more, but only because I really like her. She wouldn't really have fit in them at all. She just makes me chuckle.

Anyway, I don't have a lot else to say about whether other people should read this book. If you liked the other Lord John books, you will like these stories, and if you didn't, you won't. But I wouldn't recommend reading this out of sequence -- a lot of the information you get from the first two novels (Brotherhood and A Private Matter) was hinted at but not recounted in these stories, so you really should read those two first.

I still don't like mysteries. I was hoping that this would be the book where Percy Wainwright's backstory was explained, but no.

Three novellas, widely uneven in quality.

Since this is a collection of three novellas, my individual ratings for each one are: The Hellfire Club - 3 stars; The Succubus - 4 stars; The Haunted Soldier - 3 stars, making the overall rating for this book 3. Again, it's a solid adventure book and the writing is great for the genre. But the plot of the first and last stories had me clueless. I did like the middle story, and I do still love Lord John. I would welcome another book in his series, maybe involving a good romance for him. I liked him and Percy in the Brotherhood of the Blade, but I'd be interested to see him interact more with Stephan von Namtzen. Of course, Percy showed up again in Go Tell the Bees, so there might be more for Lord John in the next and final Outlander book. But I still would love it if DG wrote a sweeping romance for John Grey (I know he loves Jamie, and that's supposed to be the epic tragedy, but I really like how he is with Stephan, and I want more for John. As romantic as pining over Jamie for the rest of his life may be, it would be nice to see him grow and move on as best he can.)