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#1 New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon has captivated millions of readers with her critically acclaimed Outlander novels, the inspiration for the Starz original series. From the moment Claire Randall stepped through a standing stone circle and was thrown back in time to the year 1743—and into a world that threatens life, limb, loyalty, heart, soul, and everything else Claire has—readers have been hungry to know everything about this world and its inhabitants, particularly a Scottish soldier named Jamie Fraser. In this beautifully illustrated compendium of all things Outlandish, Gabaldon covers the first four novels of the main series, including: • full synopses of Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn • a complete listing of the characters (fictional and historical) in the first four novels in the series, as well as family trees and genealogical notes • a comprehensive glossary and pronunciation guide to Gaelic terms and usage • the fully explicated Gabaldon Theory of Time Travel • frequently asked questions to the author and her (sometimes surprising) answers • an annotated bibliography • essays about medicine and magic in the eighteenth century, researching historical fiction, creating characters, and more • professionally cast horoscopes for Jamie and Claire For anyone who wants to spend more time with the Outlander characters and the world they inhabit, Diana Gabaldon here opens a door through the standing stones and offers a guided tour of what lies within.
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In sum: if you've read the books (I'd say at least 1-4, maybe a little better to have read 1-6) and are at all interested in either the writing process and/or Diana as a person, then you would probably enjoy this companion book!
If you're just looking for a TV show companion, this is really not what you're looking for.
This companion novel was enjoyable, with lots of interesting tidbits for fans of the Outlander series. Would recommend for readers though, if you're looking for juicy stuff from the TV show then you'll be quite disappointed as there is I think only one chapter about the TV show.
There are some repetitive questions. It felt like this was a book of essays that Diana wrote about various topics and then were compiled into a collection, so she addresses some of the same things in multiple sections. I listened to the audio book, and Diana narrates most of it (Davina Porter narrates the EXTENSIVE synopses, and an Aussie narrator does the horoscopes) which I thought was fantastic! I like that it was read in her voice, giving the words the right weight as she meant them. I found Diana to be funny, both her narration and her writing.
For me, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy so much the sections on Diana's writing process and on the research/writing/thought process in general. It was fascinating to compare to my own (admittedly minimal) experiences tackling the writing of fiction.
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