Drums of Autumn

Name: Drums of Autumn
Rating: 4.6 (48891 reviews)

by Diana Gabaldon Book 4 in the Outlander series.

First published 1996

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4.6(48,891)

Claire and Jamie begin a new life in colonial North Carolina, where they establish Fraser’s Ridge on land granted by the Crown. In the twentieth century, their daughter Brianna discovers evidence that her parents may die in a fire and travels into the past to warn them. Roger follows her, but misunderstandings, violence and the dangers of the backcountry separate the family and force each of them to decide where they belong.

Fraser’s Ridge places Jamie and Claire inside the expansion of British settlement into Native lands, where grants made by colonial governors carry consequences for communities already living there. Brianna’s arrival adds another layer of historical knowledge but does not give the family control over events. The novel contrasts the hope of building a permanent home with the violence and displacement embedded in the colonial frontier.