More than a decade ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon delighted her legions of fans with The Outlandish Companion, an indispensable guide to all the Outlander books at the time. But that edition was just a taste of things to come. Since that publication, there have been four more Outlander novels, a side series, assorted novellas, and one smash-hit Starz original television … television series. Now Gabaldon serves up The Outlandish Companion, Volume Two, an all-new guide to the latest books in the series.
Written with Gabaldon’s signature wit and intelligence, this compendium is bursting with generous commentary and juicy insider details, including
• a complete chronology of the series thus far
• full synopses of A Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart’s Blood
• recaps of the Lord John Grey novels: Lord John and the Private Matter, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, Lord John and the Hand of Devils, and The Scottish Prisoner
• a who’s who of the cast of Outlander characters, cross-referenced by book
• detailed maps and floor plans
• a bibliographic guide to research sources
• essays on subjects as wide ranging as Outlandish controversies regarding sex and violence, the unique responsibilities of a writer of historical fiction, and Gabaldon’s writing process
• a guided tour of the clothes, food, and music of the eighteenth century
• a Scottish glossary and pronunciation guide
• personal photos from the author taken on the set of the Starz Outlander series
As entertaining, sweeping, and addictive as the series itself, this second volume of The Outlandish Companion is a one (or two)-of-a-kind gift from an incomparable author.
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The Outlander series is so rich in detail that I love delving deeper into the stories, the characters, and the mind of the author, so this book is a real treat for die-hard fans like me. It contains detailed synopses of Outlander books #4-#8 and two related novellas, as well as the Lord John stories, a complete character glossary, Gaelic glossary and pronunciation guide, essays by the author and others involved with the television series, and many more goodies for Outlander aficionados. It engaged my mind with lots of intriguing tidbits that take the reader much deeper into the Outlander world.
I’ve been meandering my way through this one. Sometimes treating it like a coffee table flip-through book and sometimes getting riveted to different parts. It really does its job of what I wanted it for by reminding me of what I was starting to get hazy on with some of the older books and also providing some great enrichment materials to better appreciate the books in the Outlander World.
I was one that devoured and used the Outlandish Companion v. 1 so I was tickled to see that a v. 2 happened. This one does broaden the scope of what it covers now that Outlander is a sensation on the screen and in audio as well as in the written world. I thought this book did a good job of being an all things for all people so that from whichever path the Outlander lover followed to the companion they received something for it. For instance, I have not followed the show much, but I have read and listened to the books. However, I saw a lot of references that those watching the show could read and appreciate.
It was fun to browse through this reading summaries of the books large and small, getting the Lord John and stories away from Jamie and Claire, too. I also enjoyed the lovely maps, charts, indexes (yay for that character one). The structure of this Companion was somewhat more relaxed and less of the scholarly reference tool feel you get when there are citations, cross-references and a ton of indexing. I like it either way.
So, this is a great one for the extras and worked well the way I took my time with it. I know I’ll pull it down off the shelf often to continue referencing it from time to time when re-reading and hey, if I need to pursue a historical point non-Outlander related as well.
Love this author!!
A must-have Part II of the Companion Books, much appreciated while reading the Outlander Series!
Excellent book to accompany Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Information, explanations, etc.
Good to read like very well
Great if you are an Outlander fan
So many characters, I needed a reminder who they are to keep them all straight
Marvelous historical detail and character development!
A must have for us Outlander fans,
This is a perfect companion for readers of Diana Gabaldon’s books and completely informative.
Excellent back into on Diana’s Outlander books.
A compendium of informatio related to Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It speaks to the Celtic world, gives information relating to characters and includes a pronunciation key to Gaelic words in clouding character names. A great read in and of itself.
As Volume One, this book was so much fun to read. I learned quite a bit about the books I hadn’t picked up on, and Ms. Gabaldon writes with such wit it was so much fun to read.
If you are a fan of Outlander you will want this book. Diana talks about how she writes. More information on the Characters. Interesting background information. I enjoyed reading this book.
I love the whole series!
I have been reading and re-reading the Outlander series since the first book. When a series is so complex and covers not only generations of characters but many historical topics it can difficult who’s who and what happened when. I’m incredibly grateful that these two compendium have been written to help the faithful readers follow the multiple storylines.