Addicted to Outlander



When no one else will listen, I talk to myself. This is one of those times. Only another Outlander obsessed fan will understand. Here's how it all started.

I read Outlander for the first time in 1992. Outlander obsessed fans will understand what I mean by my first read. No one reads the series just once. I instantly fell in love with Jamie and Claire's story. And then, after book 4, Drums of Autumn I stopped reading.
I didn't want to read about the lives of the other characters and I didn't want Jamie and Claire to start a new life away from Scotland.

The books were keepers and stayed on my shelf for years. When Starz announced they were making a TV series, I reread Outlander and waited for the season to start. I was hooked. I never expect much from TV or movie adaptations, but the casting and script exceeded my expectations. Sam and Caitriona gave life to the characters I remembered so vividly.

I know there are purist out there who are saying that the TV script and characters swayed from the books. They did at times, but it was okay.

When the season ended I crashed. What was I going to do? That's when I decided to give the rest of the series a chance. I reread book 4, Drums of Autumn (DOA). Over two decades had passed, but  everything came back to me like I had just read the books. I was hooked again. As soon as I read the last page, I ordered the next 4 books in the series and read three of the four books in a month. I'm holding off on book 8.


There are others out there who feel the same way I do about reading book 8. The idea of finishing the series to this point without the possibility of the next book being available for awhile is more than I can handle. According to Diana Gabaldon, book 9 is not complete and has no scheduled publication date. I check her website often for updated excerpts from book 9. I don't mind spoilers.

As part of my Outlander withdrawal I've joined several wonderful groups where we discuss the books, the TV series and men in kilts. Everyone has suggestions on how to fill your time while waiting for the next book and the new TV season. 
Diana Gabaldon has a site that explains the Chronology of the Outlander Series and the sub-series.
Her site makes more sense than the convoluted way I reread the first 4 books.

Here's how I did it. When I finished book 7, I reread book 2, Dragonfly in Amber (DIA). The TV season for book 2 is already in production. Next I read one of the novellas, The Space Between. It explains what happens to the characters in DIA and characters that appear in the later books. 
 I started to reread book 3, Voyager and paused to read one of the Lord John Grey books, The Scottish Prisoner. 

When I completed Voyager, I read two of the short stories. A leaf on the Wind of All Hallows explains what happened to Roger's parents. 
A Plague of Zombies is a Lord John Grey story.



These books are on my kindle and I started them on my lunch break and finished them later in the evening. 


Technically, I've read and reread the series except for book 8, Written in My Own Heart's Blood. It's difficult, but I'm still holding out. I'm thinking I might reread books 5, 6 and 7 again before I break down. 

Still on my to be read pile.


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