Diana Gabaldon- Outlander Series - the whole series!

1. Outlander
2. Dragonfly in Amber
3. Voyager
4. The Drums of Autumn
5. The Fiery Cross
6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes
7. An Echo in the Bone

Series Overview
The series follows the adventures of Claire Randall, a 1940's English nurse who accidentally time travels two hundred years into the past. Stranded in Jacobite Scotland - a time  filled with superstition and inequality for women, Claire faces all manner of conflict and intrigue. She meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser, an intelligent, courageous, redheaded scot with a complicated past. The trouble is, she's already married in 1945.

The series centres on the romance and adventures of Claire and Jamie  in  eighteenth and twentieth  century Scotland, France, The West Indies, America and England.

The story doesn't fall neatly into any genre. It has magical/fantasy elements, but they're very light. There's a Romance, but it's far from stereotypical. There's lots of historical detail but there's also time-travel to and from the near present.  

Can You Read The Series Out Of Order?
You can but you'll enjoy the series so much more if you read it in the intended order. In the words of Diana Gabaldon, "Each book is engineered to be read on its own as an independent novel... it's better if they [readers]start at the beginning because they [the stories] do interweave with each other.."

Ok so here it is - hope you all have fun! And good luck converting all of us to join you in the Jamie-love-fest

OMG OMG OMG! Thank you sooooo much. I have actually been posting on Diana's site, but I am so self conscious there because not only does Herself jump in all the time (which is amazing but also nerve racking because of her brilliance), but people are so careful with their spelling, punctuation and rules, it makes me self conscious!

DiA
Ok, so I just got to the Large Sausage part yesterday...so funny Poor Fergus is stuffing food in his pockets becasue he's not accustomed to having food. And seeing Jamie's patience in teaching him the toy with the rope and ball. He is such a good father figure. Then I got to the part where Claire took the ride home with the hangman (which she doesn't know that yet) and Fergus ratted himself out so bad Jamie had to do his first lashing and hated it. Claire did this time understand the times and went with it and felt so guilty because it was her fault. Then Jamie said doing the lashing is probably worse than taking it and is nervous about their babe to be. *swoon* Oh and Bonnie Prince's married gf is preggers and Jamie actually agreed that tricking the husband into think it was his was the right route. He said who is he to judge, he is stealing appears and going against his king, and that what else would Louisa do if she were caught cheating. Wow, it goes to show already, since Claire how much he must alter his ideals (well he did steal cows prior to Claire). What do you people think about that and his honorable intentions being always challenged for the greater good? He has so much empathy for others when they make mistakes but is so much harder on himself.

uapeople wrote:

OMG OMG OMG! Thank you sooooo much. I have actually been posting on Diana's site, but I am so self conscious there because not only does Herself jump in all the time (which is amazing but also nerve racking because of her brilliance), but people are so careful with their spelling, punctuation and rules, it makes me self conscious!

That is so funny!!

Agree, agree, agree one the OMG!!! Thank you for this thread!

DIA

That was an interesting time for Claire, Jamie and Fergus. It was also interesting culturally. The morals at court basically didn't exist, while good men, like Jamie, struggled with tough decisions.

Why do we refer to Leaoghaire as Leghair and other unflattering nicknames? Answer if you want to, or not if you think the subject is too controversial. I am going to give my thoughts, because I think it's important. You can agree or disagree or disregard.

So many of our favorite heroines in the many books and stories we read are admirable characters. Women we would like to think we could be just like if only we had their assets. Their speed, skill, magic, telepathy. Their beauty. Beauty of mind and body. We love them, and hope we can see glimmers of ourselves in them at times.

Leaoghaire is a total 180 degree turn from those fictional women we most admire. She is coniving, spiteful, deceitful, self-serving and not too bright. She is all the things we
hate. All that at 16, and very beautiful, too. How can you not hate her? Even though, when she is much older, she is a fairly good mother, her coniving, deceitful, hateful, sel-serving personality is still intact and obvious. Even with age and motherhood, she didn't learn. So, I
hope that any of those traitsI might have had at 16' I have outgrown. Or, I have learned from
them, at the least, and not repeated them continually. My real worry, though, is that I might not have outgrown them all. For me, at least, Leghair is the nasty little bitchy moments I have from time to time. If you see that part of me showing, just call me "Leghair".....I will know
exactly what you mean.

Edited to remove unnecessary reference

And I thank you immensely also!!!!!!

Doxie- now you can post your throughts while reading Echo!

DiA
The more I read this part in France with the ciphers and spying, the more I am thinking of Scottish Prisoner. I wonder if he was spying at the same time as LJ's brother or if his brother was in the military at the time (that is probably the case). I also wonder if some of the people also spying on this correspondence are people we will see in SP and maybe even in Echo. I need to pay more mind to this particular part and the names!

spoilers on series
Someone on DG's site said something that did give me a 360 about Leghair...I had listed reason's why I didn't understand how L could have been so deluded to think after all this time that Jamie loved her and not Claire. She posted that L thought Claire to be a witch and that she spelled Jamie and if Claire was dead then the spell would be broken in her death. This shed a different light and possible way to look at things...With Claire's fetch at the wedding and in her bed, she quickly found not only that not to be true, but it probably more proved the point that she was a witch. That being said, in Echo when she told Jamie that he didn't need her was her finally giving up on the witch theory and realizing Claire is a good person probably because of her helping her grandson and being a second mom to Marsali. But one thing I ask, if she really did think Claire a witch, why cross her so many times with threats, money and violence, etc. I still hate her and she still is immature even with this new POV! I will write more on this later when I have time.

we're going to need a bigger site!! :geek:
Is it just me or does that one look like Side Show Bob??

Please refrain from discussing other forums on this forum. Feel free to discuss characters you hate. Use a nickname if you need. Personally I think Leghair is just sooooo much easier to spell. But I will reiterate, please don't discuss other forums.

I can't read PM's that aren't addressed to me, by the way. What you write in them is your business.

I thought Leg-whore was more creative though - although I don't know her and therefore can't cast dispersions on her character.

you know, I was thinking and I think Jenny is a cross between Jamie, Claire and *cough* Leghair.

Hey, I wrote an awesome post about Leghair and it didn't post! Grrrr! Oh well, it mostly just said she was horrible and her nickname is extra funny cause she most assuredly had hairy legs.

Well unless you lived in Paris and waxed, you did have hairy legs in the 18C! LOL

spoilers for series

Ok more about Leghair- I totally agree 2shay. She reminds me of the popular girls in school that thinks they are hot stuff and own the school. They use their popularity to do mean thing to others and constant belittle them. If someone isn;t into them, it can not be conceived of...so in L's mind, Jamie must have been bewitched by Claire. There is no way another women can be picked over the goddess L thinks of herself. Here is a man that stepped in and took a lashing for her. He must be in complete awe of her. It couldn't have been that he was a good man that didn't want her reputation tarnished even though she did it to herself. Oh and the fact hat he didn't even remember you from the last time he was at Leoch wasn't a hint that he didn't ever think or secretly worship you for years before coming back with Claire. No, he couldn't be dismissing you when he sent you to return the cup to Column, or when he chose to walk Claire to her room and not you. Or what about when he moved Claire in between, I guess it was a aitches smell...not that "He's just not that into you" someone please send her a copy of that book because she further deludes herself. Oh and after he thinks Claire gone, did he search hi and low to find you? No Jenny had to set you upon him to try and seduce him into a marriage.

Series
My problem with the whole Laoghaire thing was Jamie going to visit her in Echo and apologizing for marrying her, after he knew she tried to have Claire killed. That really irritated me! I understand Jamie is an honorable man, but that was too much...Additionally, any thoughts on what Jamie's reaction will be to LJ's announcement that he had "carnal knowledge" of Claire?

So glad this is up, I have so many thoughts that have been going through my brain since I finished last week. Naturally, I'm coming up blank right now.....

Echo

Doxie, I was disturbrd by that as well. I try to remember all the great and selfless things he has done, and just forgive him. I have no idea why he did that, but maybe someone else remembers some of the discussions we have had on that subject.

At least another year before book 8. I need to find an author who cranks out books a lot faster than that. Kidding, they are definitely worth the wait. I should be able to read them at least 5 or 6 times by then. I haven't read the Lord John series, and I think I'll read them as well.
(*)8(*)
Poor Jem, a little guy alone in the dark. I can't wait to see where that takes us.

Yeah, I am dying to see what happens next. I have read all the LJ books and shorts. They are quite different, but really good.

DiA
Jamie has just returned the next morning after a night out with Prince Charles...and came with a particular gift from one of the girls of the baudy house, a new French phrase consisting of numbers, scratches, a bites and a hickey! I HATE THIS PART. I would have been sooooooo much more pissed and for the servants to know as well what they think happened! Jamie's calm demeanor and handling of it wasn't exactly what's I;d expect either, but since he was innocent and didn't do anything I guess it was more convincing that it he ran in all apologetic!

Oh and there are some snippets that Diana has released for book 8 dealing with Jamie and LJ discussing "the incident" with Claire....and some Willie parts and some Roger parts...and don't forget the short story about Roger's dad...that gives hints as well!

Why does 'some Willie parts' and 'some Roger parts' sound rude?? Must be my double-entendre filter

Do you have your filters set on smut?

The "parts" part did sound....racy! :D

DIA

The brothel trip with Pricne Charles bothered me for a while. I think I got over it pretty fast, though. Jamie was gathering information and watching the prince. He really had to go where the prince decided. I don't think Jamie cheated on Claire. But, doing things in a surreptitious manner can put you in some unintended situations. I think Jamie did the best he could at the time. And, finally, the "ring" had me howling! Some stuff is just too funny for me to be mad about.

Speaking of "smut". Turning those filters up is difficult after reading PsyCop. Getting back on the less smutty, more intimate page with DG takes a minute.