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''Outlander'' is a series of
historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
novels by American author
Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...
. Gabaldon began the first volume of the series, '' Outlander'', in the late 1980s, and it was published in 1991. She has published nine out of a planned ten volumes. The ninth novel in the series, ''Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone'', was released on November 23, 2021. The ''Outlander'' series focuses on 20th-century British nurse
Claire Randall Claire Beauchamp (who adopts the surnames Randall, Fraser, and Grey at various times) is a fictional character in the ''Outlander'' series of multi-genre novels by American author Diana Gabaldon, and its television adaptation. In the series, C ...
, who time travels to 18th-century
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and finds adventure and romance with the dashing
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
warrior Jamie Fraser. The books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide as of August 2014. Among the many derived works are two short stories, three novellas, a
novel series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...
featuring recurring secondary character Lord John Grey, a
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, a musical, and a
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
.


Publishing history


''Outlander'' novel series


Novels

# '' Outlander'' (1991) (published in the UK, New Zealand and Australia as ''Cross Stitch'') # '' Dragonfly in Amber'' (1992) # ''
Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...
'' (1993) # '' Drums of Autumn'' (1996) # '' The Fiery Cross'' (2001) # '' A Breath of Snow and Ashes'' (2005) # '' An Echo in the Bone'' (2009) # ''
Written in My Own Heart's Blood ''Written in My Own Heart's Blood'' is the eighth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Frase ...
'' (2014) # ''Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone'' (2021)


Audiobooks

The ''Outlander'' series has been released in unabridged (read by Davina Porter), and abridged audiobooks (read by Geraldine James). Several of the ''Lord John'' books have been released in audiobook form, read by Jeff Woodman.


Novellas and short stories

* "A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows" (2010), a short story in the anthology ''
Songs of Love and Death ''Songs of Love and Death'' is the eighth full-length album by Canadian singer-songwriter Emm Gryner, released in 2005 on her independent label Dead Daisy Records. ''Songs of Love and Death'' is Gryner's second album of cover versions, followin ...
'', later collected in '' A Trail of Fire'' (2012), and ''Seven Stones to Stand or Fall'' (2017). It tells the WWII story of Roger MacKenzie Wakefield's parents Jerry and Dolly, as Jerry discovers for himself the mystery of the standing stones. * "The Space Between" (2013), a novella in the anthology ''
The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination ''The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination'' is a short story anthology edited by John Joseph Adams and published by Tor Books on February 19, 2013. Contents The collection contains the following stories: # Foreword by Chris Claremont # "P ...
'', later collected in ''A Trail of Fire'' (2012), and ''Seven Stones to Stand or Fall'' (2017). It chronicles a journey undertaken by Joan MacKimmie (Jamie Fraser's step-daughter) and Michael Murray (Jenny Fraser Murray's son). * "Virgins" (2013), a novella in the anthology '' Dangerous Women'', later available as a standalone e-book, and collected in ''Seven Stones to Stand or Fall'' (2017). Set in 1740 France, it introduces 19-year-old Jamie Fraser as he and his 20-year-old friend Ian Murray become young mercenaries. *"Past Prologue" (2017), a short story published in the anthology ''MatchUp''. It is written as a collaboration by Steve Berry and Diana Gabaldon, in a story that crosses over their two fictional universes, with Cotton Malone from Berry's novels meeting Jamie Fraser. * "A Fugitive Green" (2017), a novella published in the Gabaldon collection ''Seven Stones to Stand or Fall''. It features Hal Grey, brother of Lord John Grey, and his future wife Minerva.


Graphic novel

In 2010, Gabaldon adapted the first third of ''Outlander'' into a
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, illustrated by Hoang Nguyen.


''Lord John'' series

The ''Lord John'' series is a sequence of novels and shorter works that center on Lord John Grey, a recurring secondary character from the ''Outlander'' novels. The spin-off series consists of five novellas and three novels, which all take place between 1756 and 1761, during the events of Gabaldon's ''Voyager''. They can be generally categorized as historical mysteries, and the three novels are shorter and focus on fewer plot threads than the main ''Outlander'' books. Several of the ''Lord John'' books have been released in audiobook form, read by Jeff Woodman.


Other

* ''The Outlandish Companion'' (1999), a guide to the ''Outlander'' series containing synopses, a character guide, and other notes and information; revised and updated as ''The Outlandish Companion (Volume One)'' (2015) * ''The Outlandish Companion (Volume Two)'' (2015)


Inspiration

Gabaldon was inspired by the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
'' character Jamie McCrimmon to set her series in Jacobite Scotland, and to name its protagonist Jamie. Frazer Hines, who played McCrimmon, appears in an episode of the first season of the television series '' Outlander''.


Characters

Core characters include: * Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, the titular ''Outlander'', a 20th-century nurse (and later doctor) who travels through time to the 18th century * Jamie Fraser, Claire's 18th-century husband * Frank Randall, Claire's 20th-century husband * Brianna Randall, Claire and Jamie's daughter * Roger Wakefield, a 20th-century historian * Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall, Frank's sadistic 18th-century ancestor * Lord John Grey, a secondary character in the main series and the focus of the spin-off ''Lord John'' series


Musical

In 2010, a 14-song cycle based on ''Outlander'' was released under the title ''Outlander: The Musical''. With music by Kevin Walsh and lyrics by Mike Gibb, the project was approved by Gabaldon after Gibb had approached the author in Scotland with the idea to adapt her novel into a stage production. As Gabaldon recalled, "I laughed and said, 'That’s the screwiest idea I’ve heard yet – go ahead.' So they did, and the results were stunning." Though the stage production remains in development, the 14-song cycle is available on CD from Amazon.com and for download on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
. In 2012,
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
composer
Jill Santoriello Jill Santoriello is an American musician, composer, lyricist, and author. She is a self-taught musician whose award-winning first musical ''A Tale of Two Cities'' was an Outer Critics Circle Award nominee for Outstanding New Musical in 2009. Her ...
began collaborating with Gibb and Walsh on the project, writing the music and cowriting the lyrics with Gibb for a new song called "One More Time." The song was recorded with vocals by Rebecca Robbins.


Television series

In June 2013,
Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...
ordered 16 episodes of a
television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...
, and production began in October 2013 in Scotland. The series premiered in the US on August 9, 2014 with
Caitríona Balfe Caitríona Mary Balfe (; born 4 October 1979) is an Irish actress, producer, and former fashion model. She is best known for her starring role as Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama series '' Outlander'' (2014–present), for which sh ...
and
Sam Heughan Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...
starring as Claire and Jamie. It was picked up for a second season on August 15, 2014, and for a third and fourth season on June 1, 2016. On May 9, 2018, Starz renewed the series for a fifth and sixth season. Further renewals for seventh and eighth seasons were announced in early 2021 and late 2022 respectively. In 2022 Starz is also pursuing 'Blood of My Blood', a spin-off prequel TV series based on Jamie's parents. As with the 'Outlander' series, author Diana Gabaldon will be involved in this new series.


References


External links

* * * {{Diana Gabaldon American historical novels American romance novels Book series introduced in 1991 Hispanic and Latino American novels Historical novels by series Science fiction book series Romance novel series Novels set in Scotland Novels set in England Novels set in the 18th century Time-travel romance novels