Lord John and the Hand of Devils

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

This is not a novel. This is three novellas:

“Lord John and the Hellfire Club” is set in London in 1757.

“Lord John and the Succubus” is set in Germany in 1758.

“Lord John and the Haunted Soldier” is set mostly in London in 1759.

The novels Lord John and the Private Matter and Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade fall between those three novellas, so if you want to do everything all proper, read the first novella, then read Lord John and the Private Matter, read the second novella, then Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, then finish off with the third novella.

I really like these novellas, and although I mention it every time, I just leave these passages here to remind you why.

“A succubus is a she-demon,” the old lady said, precisely. “It comes 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?”

and

“A witch?” Grey repeated, and felt an odd frisson run down his back, as though someone had touched his nape with a cold finger. “What did this witch look like?” The child stared back at him, uncomprehending. “Like a witch,” he said.

Both of those passages make me laugh every time.
Rating: 9/10

Publisher: Delacorte Press

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