• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

Lord John Novellas

As described in my Lord John series page, some stories and novellas appear in multi-author anthologies and other collections. Click on the excerpts below for more information on each of the novellas featuring Lord John Grey:

Lord John and the Hellfire Club

“Lord John and the Hellfire Club” is one of three novellas in the book LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. The other two novellas are “Lord John and the Succubus,” and “Lord John and the Haunted Soldier.”  In these three tales, Lord John vows to avenge a murder, investigates a terrifying “night-hag” on the battlefields of Europe, and discovers treason in His Majesty’s ranks. In “Hellfire,” Lord John is investigating the death of a red-haired man in 19th century London when the suspense begins to build as he becomes mixed up in the affairs of Sir Francis Dashwood and his notorious Hellfire Club. Suddenly, Lord John’s own life may be in danger! “Succubus” and “Hellfire Club” were originally published in anthologies, while “Haunted Soldier” was written expressly for LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. I wrote “Hellfire Club” when asked to contribute to a British mystery anthology honoring the late, great Ellis Peters, titled PAST POISONS, published in 1999. “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” also appeared as […]

A Plague of Zombies

“A Plague of Zombies” is a standalone ebook novella from the Lord John Grey and Outlander series, which originally appeared as “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies” in several anthologies. It was nominated for an Edgar award by the Mystery Writers of America, for the “Best Short Mystery Story” of 2011. What’s This Novella About? Right, so what is this Lord John story about? Well, the title is very descriptive. {g} We follow Lord John as he journeys to the beautiful but faintly sinister island paradise of Jamaica, where he’s soon investigating a mystery with no shortage of spiders, snakes, revolutionaries, and, of course, zombies! An excerpt: “Grey had no notion what a zombie might be, but the word was spoken in such a tone as to make a chill flicker over his skin, sudden as distant lightning. ‘Zombie,’ he said carefully. Mindful of the governor’s reaction earlier, he asked, ‘Is a zombie perhaps a snake of some kind?’ Rodrigo gasped, but then seemed to relax a little. ‘No, […]

Lord John and the Succubus

“Lord John and the Succubus” is a novella by Diana Gabaldon that first appeared in 2003 in LEGENDS II: NEW SHORT NOVELS BY THE MASTERS OF MODERN FANTASY, a multi-author anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. In 2004, the LEGENDS II anthology was reprinted and split into two volumes. “Lord John and the Succubus” was included in LEGENDS II: DRAGON, SWORD AND KING. Included in LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS “Lord John and the Succubus” is one of three novellas also included in the book LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, by Diana Gabaldon. The other two novellas are “Lord John and the Hell-Fire Club,” and “Lord John and the Haunted Soldier.”  In these tales, Lord John vows to avenge a murder, investigates a terrifying “night-hag” on the battlefields of Europe, and discovers treason in His Majesty’s ranks. Succubus and Hell-Fire Club were originally published in anthologies, while “Haunted Soldier” was written expressly for LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS.

Lord John and the Haunted Soldier

Lord John and the Haunted Soldier, is one of three novellas in the book LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, which also includes: Lord John and the Hellfire Club, and Lord John and the Succubus.  In these three tales, Lord John Grey, a character from the Outlander saga, vows to avenge a murder, investigates a terrifying “night-hag” on the battlefields of Europe, and discovers treason in His Majesty’s ranks. Lord John and the Haunted Soldier was written expressly for LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, while Succubus and Hellfire Club appeared first in multi-author anthologies. More information on LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS.

Lord John and the Custom of the Army

The Custom of the Army is a Lord John novella, set in 1759, involving an electric eel party, an ill-fated duel, and the Battle of Quebec. It was originally published in the anthology WARRIORS, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. (Later this anthology was published in three paperback volumes; “The Custom of the Army” is in WARRIORS 3. Evidently, people didn’t care for that approach, though; I see a new single paperback is being released in early 2013.) It is also available in some areas in ebook format, and it is included in A TRAIL OF FIRE, an anthology of four Outlander tales. More info. on A TRAIL OF FIRE. So, you may purchase “The Custom of the Army” in multiple ways: As a stand-alone e-book (in the U.S. and Canada, but not in the U.K. and Commonwealth) for $1.99 through Amazon.com. Click to purchase the e-book. As part of the original anthology (hardcover, paperback, and Kindle edition) at Amazon, with prices ranging from $18.47 to $11.55 (you […]

Down These Strange Streets

“Lord John and the Plague of Zombies” is my novella included in DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS, an anthology of urban fantasy stories edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, who explore the places where mystery waits at the end of every alley and where the things that go bump in the night have something to fear… The DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS anthology was released on October 4, 2011, and includes stories by New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, yours truly, Simon R. Green, S. M. Stirling, and Carrie Vaughn, as well as tales by Glen Cook, Bradley Denton, M.L.N. Hanover, Conn Iggulden, Laurie R. King, Joe R. Lansdale, John Maddox Roberts, Steven Saylor, Melinda Snodgrass, and Lisa Tuttle. Right, so what is this Lord John story about? Well, the title is very descriptive. {g} We follow Lord John as he journeys to the beautiful but faintly sinister island paradise of Jamaica, where he’s soon investigating a mystery with no shortage of spiders, snakes, revolutionaries, and, of […]