The Exile by Diana Gabaldon

I've never read the Outlander series, though I know they have quite a following. Maybe the core audience for The Exile, fans of the source material, would like it better than I did.

The Exile is a graphic novel retelling the plot of Outlander from a modified point of view. The main effect of this seems to be that the action is always going on somewhere else. Scenes seem barely connected to one another, and the motivations of characters are not adequately explained.

As with many graphic novels based on other media, and many graphic novels by authors new to the format, the reading experience feels rushed and slight. I read The Exile in one sitting, and when I finished felt like I had barely read at all. I'm not sure if it covers the whole of the first novel, but the disjointed sce
nes and incomplete characterization gave more than a little of the impression that this was more of a cash-in than anything else. Though I can't vouch for how well it accompanies the original novel, as a standalone I can't recommend it.




Something else that bothered me, and maybe the biggest crime a romance novel can commit, is that I didn't find myself caring for any of the characters. Claire Randall is a WWII nurse who finds herself suddenly transported to the Scottish highlands in 1724; James Fraser is the nephew of a Laird in that time. Claire is maybe a little older than Jamie, Jamie cracks a couple jokes. This is the extent of their personalities as gleaned from The Exile, and further evidence that this is a book better read by someone who knows these characters, and this plot, already.


The art, by Vietnamese illustrator Hoang Nguyen, is very pretty. While the proportions are not always perfect and the faces not always consistent, the colors and textures are phenomenal and true to life. Our plucky protag Claire's "boobage," as the author calls it in the end-notes, is borderline ridiculous at times and hero Jamie has a torso ten miles long, but there's enough colorful scenery and clothing to distract from the more amateur elements.

In short? If you're a fan of Gabaldon's characters, find The Exile at your local library and try it out. In the end, it's you guys this was made for, not me. If you're intrigued by the concept of a time-traveling WWII nurse finding love in 18th century Scotland, go for the original novel and see how you like that.

The Exile by Diana Gabaldon gets a C- from me, for having pretty art and an okay story but lacking deep characters, narrative flow, and a sense of urgency. Rated PG-13 for quaint cursing and moderate boobage.