The Exile
Ratings9
Average rating2.8
Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in her first-ever graphic novel, Gabaldon gives readers a fresh look at the events of the original Outlander: Jamie Fraser’s side of the story, gorgeously rendered by artist Hoang Nguyen. After too long an absence, Jamie Fraser is coming home to Scotland—but not without great trepidation. Though his beloved godfather, Murtagh, promised Jamie’s late parents he’d watch over their brash son, making good on that vow will be no easy task. There’s already a fat bounty on the young exile’s head, courtesy of Captain Black Jack Randall, the sadistic British officer who’s crossed paths—and swords—with Jamie in the past. And in the court of the mighty MacKenzie clan, Jamie is a pawn in the power struggle between his uncles: aging chieftain Colum, who demands his nephew’s loyalty—or his life—and Dougal, war chieftain of Clan MacKenzie, who’d sooner see Jamie put to the sword than anointed Colum’s heir. And then there is Claire Randall—mysterious, beautiful, and strong-willed, who appears in Jamie’s life to stir his compassion . . . and arouse his desire. But even as Jamie’s heart draws him to Claire, Murtagh is certain she’s been sent by the Old Ones, and Captain Randall accuses her of being a spy. Claire clearly has something to hide, though Jamie can’t believe she could pose him any danger. Still, he knows she is torn between two choices—a life with him, and whatever it is that draws her thoughts so often elsewhere. Step into the captivating, passionate, and suspenseful world of The Exile, and experience the storytelling magic of Diana Gabaldon as never before.
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UGH! Sorry, Diana, but this completely cheapened the story. What is with Claire constantly falling out of her dress? I mean, really? Granted, that was mentioned in the author's note as being an undesirable of the artist/format, but damn.
Three stars feels a tad generous, but two stars feels like a discredit to all the hard work that undoubtedly went into this, so three stars it is! That being said, several things bothered or even irritated me. The artwork was inconsistent; most of the male characters were indistinguishable; Claire's boobs???? (This is nitpicky, I know, but Scotland is cold, and Claire is not going to be walking about the countryside in so little clothing. Most of the time her clothing is not all that different from the dress that had the Scotsmen debating her virtue.) And who the heck was Kenneth, and why was he even included???? He really didn't add anything to the plot but confusion and irritation because I felt like I was missing something, even though I've read the book and seen the show.
Also, the portrayal of both Geillis and Laoghaire felt off - the first for being too manipulative (isn't that supposed to be a surprise? I much prefer her character in the book/show; I also really like the friendship between her and Claire in the show, and this completely tossed that out the window) and the second for not being manipulative enough. (If we're getting the truth about Geillie then why not Laoghaire? Who, by the way, comes across as innocent in this, which makes me want to slap somebody. Also, I just like Geillis better. Justice for Geillis! She may have had it coming in Voyager, but I really like her character in book 1.)
Finally, this was supposed to be from Jamie's point of view? Right? It honestly was more from Murtagh's. I like Murtagh - don't get me wrong (especially the version from the series), but I didn't need the story from his POV. Actually getting the story from Jamie's perspective could have been really interesting.
Also, the graphic novel felt really, in some cases oddly, abbreviated, though I know, in order to do the full story justice, it would have had to be nearly quadruple the length... though I wouldn't have minded if that were the case, especially if we had gotten some of the scenes that were cut from the series (“Fretful porpentine” anyone?) If anything, this made me want to go back and read book 1 again.
