The Outlandish Companion (Revised and Updated): Companion to Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn

Cyn Fingers

Everything 'Outlandish' That You Ever Wanted to Know, Plus So Much More!

"I look forward to the second volume of The Outlandish Companion, to be released within a matter of days, covering the second four of eight books published to date from The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. This Companion book is not a novel, but a tome put together to answer a myriad of questions posed by fans and others, about the author, the books, the series' characters, and even some of the history behind the stories. In some ways, this is how I'd have expected a "All you ever wanted to know about Diana Gabaldon and her craft but were afraid or unable to ask...." book to be. It is so much more, because you are drawn into an understanding of how this author crafts her books. You also appreciate that she does what scarcely any other historical novelist has done, that I'm aware, and that is, her companion book contains an entire chapter devoted to all of the errors from the first four books that, to date, either Gabaldon has determined herself or has been made aware of by her readers. All sorts of interesting information and stories related to the content of the first four novels comprising The Outlander Series is found in the Companion, not to mention bibliography, pronunciations, and a listing of other authors and books to turn to during the wait for the next volume (nine). If you have read all eight books as I did between May and September of this year, and are "addicted" then this "methadone list" is a blessing. Most appreciated in this newly revised version are some stunning photographs from the 2014-15 Outlander TV series, season one, produced for STARZ. After having perused this book, I feel as though I have met and enjoyed lively in-person discussions with Diana, and I'm hoping to be equally happy with the second Outlandish Companion, especially because, in my estimation, Gabaldon's novels have become better and better with each subsequent publication. My expections are that the second Companion will be more "outlandish" (ha!) than the first! ["

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October 24, 2015 Verified Purchase

Canadian eReader

Wonderful insight into the novels

"The Outlandish Companion is, as it says on the tin, a companion volume to books 1-4 in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It is written by Gabaldon herself and has been freshly updated to include information and behind the scenes titbits on the Starz TV show. The book is a fascinating mixture of reference material - synopses, character lists - and anecdotes from Gabaldon about her experience writing the novels. As I’ve only read 2.5 of the four books, I have had to be a little careful to avoid spoilers, but otherwise I found the book engrossing. I’ve treated it more like a reference book - jumping to the chapters that interest me. Gabaldon’s wit and intelligence really come across in this book. As a bonus, reading it has FINALLY managed to get me across that reading hump I experienced about a third of the way through Voyager. Three times I reached the same point, put the book down and got stuck at the same point when I came back to it. Thinking about it, it’s because for me, that point seems to be the natural conclusion of the framing story started in Dragonfly in Amber and I really, really struggled to get past it. I’m now happily well beyond it and becoming once again sucked in to Jamie and Claire’s next adventures. ["

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April 3, 2015 Verified Purchase

G. Jordan

Gabaldon Can't write Fast enough for me

"I was introduced to the Outlander series by my husband. I had never read this type of fiction before. I must say that I am now hooked and am probably now ruined for any less talented writer's of this genre. I was instantly transported to another time, I could smell and see and hear right along with the main characters. Gabaldon's ability for fine detail is unmatched! As a writer myself, her books have motivated me, impressed and awed me. At 1st I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit myself to the time it would take to read four 800+ page novels, knowing there wasn't an end to them. Now I am happy to have been introduced to Claire and Jamie Fraser and will never forget these 2 characters. I know Gabaldon can't rush her books, which is why I say, she can't write fast enough for me. I eagerly await her continuation of this series. About the actual book: it's fascinatingly full of little known facts about herbs, medical knowledge through time, pretty much most of the author's research is in this companion, anything you ever wanted to know & a few things you didn't know you were missing or wanted to know. For true fans of this series, you'll want this book for the behind the scenes details that the 800+ page books didn't include (her original manuscripts were often 1500 pages & broken up into 2 instead). While you're waiting for the next book to come out, or if you need a refresher on the last title before reading the next, this is a great read either way. The book is an oversized hardcover of sturdy construction, meant to last through many, many thumb through's. ["

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February 8, 2000 Verified Purchase

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I gave this 4 stars because I love the Outlander books

"I gave this 4 stars because I love the Outlander books. But... I am new to the Outlander books so I ordered the Outlandish Companion book. I was so excited when I received it in the mail last night – looking forward to reading and looking at the “beautifully illustrated compendium” and “behind the scenes photos from the Outlander TV series set” (per Amazon’s description of the book on their website). But I was very disappointed. Illustrated it is, with stock historical images (which I can understand those being used) and black and white photographs that look like they were taken in the 1930s or 1940s, too dark and hard to see. Several of the photos I had to look at for a while to figure out what I was looking at. As for behind-the-scenes photos from the Outlander TV series – well, the only behind-the-scenes photos are black and white previously published promo images, some which you see in the opening credits to each episode. One in particular is a photo of Colum pouring a glass of Rhenish wine with Claire looking on. And when you look at the same photo (in color) on STARZ’s Outsider site - you see that Dougal was cropped out of the photo! I don’t consider promo photos to be behind-the-scenes photos. If you want to see actual behind-the-scenes photos - search online - there are many to choose from. I know this is just my opinion – and maybe I expect too much - but this has made me think twice about even reading this book. NOTE: Amazon, I would delete “beautifully illustrated compendium” and “behind-the-scenes photos from the Outlander TV series” from your description of the book if I were you. Delacorte Press production department – poor job. ["

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June 23, 2016 Verified Purchase