Lord John and the Hand of Devils

Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007) Diana Gabaldon

Another re-read. I enjoyed these the first time around, and I’m enjoying them just as much the second time around.

This is NOT a novel, this is, instead, three novellas. Because, apparently, this is as close to a short story as Diana Gabaldon can get.

I wrote Lord John and the Private Matter, under the delusion that this was in fact the second Lord John short story. I was informed by my literary agents, though, that in fact, I had inadvertently written a novel.

That made me giggle.

As I said, this is three novellas, set at three different points in time in Lord John’s life: Lord John and the Hellfire Club, Lord John and the Succubus, and Lord John and the Haunted Soldier. Despite the names, none of these are supernatural stories. The mysteries and deaths are all due to human agency.

This first story is Lord John and the Hellfire Club, which is set prior to Lord John and the Private Matter. (In fact, the mystery and death that occur are alluded to in that book. Lord John is not yet comfortable with Harry Quarry, but will be by the end of the story, as Lord John and Harry attempt to discover who assassinated Harry’s cousin (by marriage).

I only wish I could be as clever in word play as they were 250 years ago.

“You are in good looks, John. Exile agrees with you, it seems.” The long mouth widened, curling at the corner.

“Indeed. I must take pains to go away more often then.”

The second story, Lord John and the Succubus, takes place immediately following the events of Lord John and the Private Matter. John has been made the English liaison to a regiment of Hanoverian army, and they are currently in a stand-off with the French and Austrians.

Lord John’s job isn’t particularly glamorous.

The English private, who normally probably knew no more German than “ja,” “nein,” and the two or three crude phrases necessary to accomplish immoral transactions…

“…and then the disgusting pig of an Englishman, he put his [incomprehensible colloquial expression] into my [unknown gypsy word]!”

Ah, the joys of being a liaison officer.

This story also had many passages that made me laugh.

“A succubus is a she-demon,” the old lady said, precisely.”It omes to men in dreams, and has congress with them, in order to extract from them their seed.”

The princess’s eyes went perfectly round. She hadn’t known, Grey observed.

“Why?” she asked. “What does she do with it?”

I’m giggling now as I retype that.

And then there is the passage where Lord John attempts to garner information from a small boy.

“A witch?” Grey repeated… “What did this witch look like?”

The child stared back at him, uncomprehending.

“Like a witch,” he said.

What else would a witch look like?

The third and final story was Lord John and the Haunted Soldier. This occurs after the events in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. Lord John is called before a Court of Inquiry, over the events that took place at the end of Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade.

Hell was filled with clocks, he was sure of it. There was no torment, after all, that could not be exacerbated by a contemplate of time passing.

Oi. That’s the truth.

Lord John ends up going to visit one of his older half-brothers. He doesn’t exactly have the highest opinion of his older half-brothers.

(A)fter half an hour in the company of either Paul or Edgar, he could not escape a lurking suspicion that a just providence, seeing the DeVanes so well endowed with physical beauty, had determined that there was no reason to spoil the work by adding intelligence to the mix.

Grey also has several rather piercing thoughts about religion, and the religious.

Not for the first time, Grey wondered at a religion which rejected so many of the things that made life tolerable. Perhaps it sprang from an intent to make heaven seem that much more desirable by contrast.

Though more to the point were his comments about the minister who refused further contact with his daughter who eloped with a young soldier.

(H)is daughters’ virtue is naturally a matter of the greatest importance.”

“Greater than their physical well-being, evidently,” Grey observed caustically.

Sadly, some things haven’t changed all that much in the passing 250 years. And the resolution of this mystery only makes that even more clear. Politics is no cleaner a game now than it was then.

As I said, I enjoyed these the second time just as much as I did the first time.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Delacorte Press

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