Lord John and the Succubus

Lord John Grey #1.5

by Diana Gabaldon

Acting as English liaison to the Imperial Fifth Regiment of Hanoverian Foot, Major Lord John Grey finds himself in the town of Gundwitz during the Seven Years' War, and drawn into investigating a series of mysterious deaths among the encamped German and English soldiers. The local rumor is that a succubus is to blame, but Grey chooses logic and reason over superstition, and pursues a line of inquiry into the deaths of an English private and a Hanoverian soldier, as well as the involvement of the nearby gypsy population and a local saint by the name of Orgevald. Grey must also contend with his increasingly ambiguous relationship with Stephan von Namtzen, as well as the unwanted attentions of a Prussian princess.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Outlander, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Audiobook, Fantasy

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Diana Jean Gabaldon Watkins grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and is of Hispanic and English descent (with a dash of Native American and Sephardic Jew). She has earned three degrees: a B.S. in Zoology, a M.S. in Marine Biology, and a Ph.D in Ecology, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow, for services to Scottish Literature.

She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona .

Reviews

[Elisa Glendenning (mostly off-line) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[ᗩᑎᗪᖇᗴᗯ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In which Lord John Grey is once again tired and honourable, and surprisingly effective as a detective.

[Allison ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military intrigue. Attempted kidnapping. Sexual tension. Unwanted flirtation. Succubus nightmares. Possible witch. Dead body. And a saint's penis in a box?

[Cimone Smolen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bloody love John, he’s such a great character 😌

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting mystery that is solved by Lord John Grey. Still want more in these books, but I shall continue to on...

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seven Years War still rages on. It is Autumn, 1757 in Prussia. Lord Major John Grey is assigned as a liaison officer to the Imperial Fifth Regiment of Hanoverian Foot. The British are allies with Prussia and Hanover to war with Austria, Saxony and France.

A soldier has been murdered; the reason(s) are unknown. Lord John has been tasked to investigate. But rumors are plentiful, and many blame a night-hag; more commonly called a succubus; a female demon. But Lord John dismisses this as hocus-pocus.

A Gypsy is well known in the area. Is she the murderer? Lord John pursues the matter.

Meanwhile Lord meets an attractive Prussian aristocrat, Captain Stephan von Namtzen, Landgrave von Erdberg, a widower with small children. The chemistry between these two men is palpable.

Not only was this novella interesting to read concerning the background of the Seven Years War, but Ms. Gabaldon continues, by each Lord John Series, explores the sexual preference of Lord John.
In various pages of this novella Ms. Gabaldon teases the readers with homo-erotica passages in nature between her protagonist and Captain Stephan von Namtzen.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a humorous side to it.

[Jillian Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord John should be Detective John. I like the tales of where the beliefs come from like the succubus and when building bridges or houses. There’s also the history component which adds more depth.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only wish there had been a bit more with Lord John and Stephan Von Namzten. I heart them!

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THAT was a novella worth reading. War intrigue, deception, murder. Long enough to make sense and stand on its own. Definitely enjoying these Lord John tales!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was good, longer than I expected but still enjoyable. I liked the mystery/horror aspects of it. Even if there was a reasonable explanation for everything in the end!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the authors shortest stories ever! Gypsies, French, British, Austrian, lots of languages and characters surrounding child sacrifice, murder and military intrigue.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of 3 stories collected in Lord John and the Hand of Devils, featuring Lord John Grey, an offshoot character from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander universe, with his own Lord John Grey Series. This story set in 1757 Gundwitz Prussia takes place during Voyager. Lord John Grey, liaison to English, Hanoverian and Prussian troops fighting a coalition of French and Austrian troops has to investigate the mysterious death of two dead soldiers who died in "compromising" positions, so the scuttlebutt is they were killed by a succubus!


The gossip is just too salacious and juicy not to spread like wildfire, hampering Army morale as the practical deny the rumor while other believers decide they need to ... uh ... drain their seed to avoid becoming the next victim. Resulting in spent, sleepy soldiers not doing their job. Seriously, it doesn't matter what era we are in, somehow, somewhere, Military Intelligence is still an oxymoron.


Lord John, with his imperfect German, investigates and gets caught up in a possible love triangle (!!!). The salacious nature of the crime is probably the most interesting thing about this mystery, being one of the better Lord John stories, much benefiting from additional length compared to the very short Lord John and the Hellfire Club which suffered from its brevity. The conclusion was actually rather clever, and helped this be the best story in that collection.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lord John and the Succubus by Diana Gabaldon is novella #1.5 in the Lord John Grey historical mystery series, set in 1757 Prussia. Lord John is a liaison to English, Hanoverian and Prussian troops fighting a coalition of French and Austrian troops. Lord John is quartered in Gundwitz, serving as needed with English/German translations. A disturbing rumor has scared the fighting men into staying up all night: they fear a succubus (female demon) will attack them if they sleep. Two deaths so far have been attributed to the succubus. Lord John remembers his father's wisdom: "Superstition and sensation are always so much more appealing than truth and rationality". To quell the growing paranoia, Lord John (with his trusty valet Tom) investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. He learns a local legend of burying a gypsy child alive in the foundations while building a bridge, to ensure no enemy could never cross it. John's strongly attracted physically to Stephan van Namtzen, and compares him to the man he loves (Jamie Fraser). Stephan appears to reciprocate the attraction, until Princess Louisa's behavior introduces a coldness. John journeys to and fro between encampments (might be easier to follow with a map). John meets young Franz, a soldier who witnesses a key battle. John eventually identifies who caused the succubus panic, and why.

Like Lord John and the Hellfire Club, this novella was also written on request for an anthology, later included in Lord John and The Hand of Devils collection.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Either the army camp is being haunted by a demon, or there’s a murderer on the loose. Enter detective John Grey and his funny little assistant Tom Byrd. He doesn’t believe in the supernatural, so he goes sleuthing.

The mystery was good, but whatever is going in Johns personal life felt half-finished.
Apparently he’s friends with Prussian colleague Stephan, but they don’t interact much here or in book 1, instead of childhood friend/first lover Hector, he is now yearning for a man called Fraser and here wasn’t anything to the subplot of the princess who likes John.
And possibly strangest if all, John was sexually assaulted at some point, but that’s written like a little backstory anecdote instead of something impactful.

For a novella of 100 pages, it would make more sense to pick one aspect of John’s personal life and focus on that because you can’t cram all of that in next to the mystery.

[Brie_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my reread, its September of 1757 and Grey is in Germany/Prussia with Stephen as a liaison as the English help the Prussians against the French and something supernatural is occurring.

Reasons I Recommend:

1) Old saint phallus, stories about demons, and dead men all around

2) Grey wrestles with his developing feelings for Stephen and his fear of acting on them (for if Stephen does not feel the same, Grey’s move could be considered a crime) and

3) Grey finds himself in the middle of another mystery with a witch, a succubus, and scared superstitious soldiers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#briereads #brierecommends #2023goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedonamazon #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #fiction #lordjohngreyseries #outlandernovellas #outlanderseries #lordjohnandthesuccubus #dianagabaldon #reread @diana_gabaldon

[Emily G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really can’t get enough of reading about Lord John! This novella is set when he was acting as a liaison officer for Stephan Von Namtzen in Germany. A rumour of a succubus attacking men in their sleep takes hold in the town where Lord John is stationed and he is called on to investigate the deaths. The subsequent murder mystery is very engaging and I didn’t suss it out before the final reveal.

I also like John’s relationship with Stephan, despite my reservations about Stephan and the way he treats wild animals! He and John do share an attraction and who doesn’t like a bit of UST? 4.5 stars

[hannah pauline :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Even though, this whole succubus thing is bit random, it’s a great theme-choice. It’s quiet interesting, maybe even funny, to see how the Austrians (with the help of the gypsies) chose to use the german superstition for their benefits. Also I really love the „relationship“ between John and Stephan and I can’t wait for further developments. Aaaaand since I’m german it’s sooooo lovely to read german phrases in between all those english sentences.
But there is no extraordinary plot, at least in my opinion.

[Shahira8826 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lord John and the Succubus" by Diana Gabaldon was another perfect little gem of a novella to keep me entertained while I wait to put my hands on the next book in the series.
I loved how all the disparate clues came to seamlessly fit together in the ending, but more than that, I loved the insights into Lord John's perspective and past history. And as usual, the author's writing style is so sweepingly gorgeous that she could publish her grocery list and it would still be a bestseller!
I can't wait to read more about Lord John (and to see more of him in the TV show)!

[Elsa Maye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu de paranormal du côté de John. Comme toujours, toujours final à lui-même et on l’aime pour ça !
Comme toujours, il a mené l’enquête comme il se devait. Pour le moment, c’est la deuxième nouvelle que je lis avec John et ce n’est pas ma préférée. Il me reste désormais la dernière intitulée Lord John et le soldat hanté. Je suppose donc qu’il y aura Jamie !
Je n’ai pas trop accroché à cette nouvelle malheureusement.

[Jewelio · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a hard novel to track down. I was able to read it in New Short Novels By The Masters Of Modern Fantasy Legends ll. It definitely adds some context and back story to the Lord John series between the first and second story. It focuses on superstition and Lord John's military obligations. It reads like the rest of Diana Gabaldon's books and is a true extension of the characters and world she's created.

[Justyna Łucja Piórko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dużo perełek z życia XVIII-wiecznych żołnierzy + LORD JOHN 🩶

Nie jest to thriller ani powieść kryminalna, ale skarbnica anegdotek i historii, potrzebna do głębszego poznania Lorda Johna. Także całym sercem polecam jego wielbicielom_kom 💖

Można było się spodziewać więcej faktów historycznych, jednak jest ich niewiele. Tutaj stanowią tylko blade tło, to Lord Grey jest na pierwszym planie (w końcu). I dobrze!

[♥ I’d Rather Be Reading ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novella in the collection: Lord John And The Hand Of Devils. See my review for it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. Solid story (though DG using SA as plot points or trauma in a character’s backstory continues to irk me) the audiobook probably should’ve been edited a bit more when transferring from whatever format it originally was on to digital audiobook, some scenes were out of order and multiple takes were left in.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Lord John Novella. This one takes place in what becomes Germany and involves the rumor of a succubus attacking soldiers. Lord John is starting to become a favorite character. And the sexual tension in this one. Wooooooee.

[Andrea Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lord John and the Succubus. It had mystery, some paranormal feels, adventure, and intrigue. I felt there was the perfect amount on information. I did not feel that this book dragged on unnecessarily and was the perfect length for a novella.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord John's stories seem to be more like Nancy Drew mysteries or something, than the Outlander ones. But this one was a bit stronger. It felt like there was a little bit of character development rather than *just* solving a mystery.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I DO enjoy the Lord John stories, I must say I prefer the books about Jamie and Claire. I probably should have read them all together rather than reading solely the Outlander series and then deciding to read all of the John Grey books.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para los que no creen en fantasmas y sucesos super naturales, es muy complicado aceptar que hay un súcubo atacando a los habitantes de un pueblo alemán... Y aun así, parece ser que es justo eso lo que estaba pasando.

[Tara Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was a page turner. It was brief, but kept me engaged throughout. Gabaldons' writing tends to be dense with a slow and dramatic build up to the climax. This novella broke that trend in some regards. It would be nice to see some more peaks and valleys in her larger novels.