Chronology of the Outlander series
The Outlander series includes three kinds of stories:
The Big, Enormous Books that have no discernible genre (or all of them);
The Shorter, Less Indescribable Novels that are more or less historical mysteries (though dealing also with battles, eels, and mildly deviant sexual practices);
And
The Bulges—These being short(er) pieces that fit somewhere inside the story lines of the novels, much in the nature of squirming prey swallowed by a large snake. These deal frequently—but not exclusively—with secondary characters, are prequels or sequels, and/or fill some lacuna left in the original story lines.
Now. Most of the shorter novels (so far) fit within a large lacuna left in the middle of VOYAGER, in the years between 1757 and 1761. Some of the Bulges also fall in this period; others don’t.
So, for the reader’s convenience, here is a detailed Chronology, showing the sequence of the various elements in terms of the storyline. _However, it should be noted that the shorter novels and novellas are all designed suchly that they may be read alone_, without reference either to each other or to the Big, Enormous Books—should you be in the mood for a light literary snack instead of the nine-course meal with wine-pairings and dessert trolley.
OUTLANDER (novel)—If you’ve never read any of the series, I’d suggest starting here. If you’re unsure about it, open the book anywhere and read three pages; if you can put it down again, I’ll give you a dollar. (1946/1743)
DRAGONFLY IN AMBER (novel)—It doesn’t start where you think it’s going to. And it doesn’t end how you think it’s going to, either. Just keep reading; it’ll be fine. (1968/1744-46)
VOYAGER (novel)—This won an award from EW magazine for “Best Opening Line.” (To save you having to find a copy just to read the opening, it was: “He was dead. However, his nose throbbed painfully, which he thought odd, in the circumstances.”) If you’re reading the series in order, rather than piecemeal, you do want to read this book before tackling the novellas or the Lord John novels. (1968/1766-67)
LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS/”Lord John and the Hellfire Club” (novella)—Just to add an extra layer of confusion, The Hand of Devils is a collection that includes three novellas. The first one, “Lord John and the Hellfire Club,” is set in London in 1757, and deals with a red-haired man who approaches Lord John Grey with an urgent plea for help, just before dying in front of him. [Originally published in the anthology Past Poisons, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, 1998.]
LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER (novel)—Set in London, in 1758, this is a historical mystery steeped in blood and even less-savory substances, in which Lord John meets (in short order) a valet, a traitor, an apothecary with a sure cure for syphilis, a bumptious German, and an unscrupulous merchant prince.
LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS/”Lord John and the Succubus” (novella)— The second novella in the Hand of Devils collection finds Lord John in Germany in 1758, having unsettling dreams about Jamie Fraser, unsettling encounters with Saxon princesses, night-hags, and a really disturbing encounter with a big, blond Hanoverian graf. [Originally published in the anthology Legends II, ed. Robert Silverberg, 2004.]
LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE (novel)—The second full-length novel focused on Lord John (but it does include Jamie Fraser) is set in 1759, deals with a twenty-year-old family scandal, and sees Lord John engaged at close range with exploding cannon and even more dangerously explosive emotions.
LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS/”Lord John and the Haunted Soldier” (novella)—The third novella in this collection is set in 1759, in London and the Woolwich Arsenal. In which, Lord John faces a court of inquiry into the explosion of a cannon, and learns that there are more dangerous things in the world than gunpowder.
“The Custom of the Army” (novella)—Set in 1759. In which his lordship attends an electric-eel party in London and ends up at the Battle of Quebec. He’s just the sort of person things like that happen to. [Originally published in Warriors, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2010.]
THE SCOTTISH PRISONER (novel)—This one’s set in 1760, in the Lake District, London, and Ireland. A sort of hybrid novel, it’s divided evenly between Jamie Fraser and Lord John Grey, who are recounting their different perspectives in a tale of politics, corruption, murder, opium dreams, horses, and illegitimate sons.
“Plague of Zombies” (novella)—Set in 1761, in Jamaica, when Lord John is sent in command of a battalion to put down a slave rebellion and discovers a hitherto unsuspected affinity for snakes, cockroaches, and zombies. [Originally published in Down These Strange Streets, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2011.]
DRUMS OF AUTUMN (novel)—This one begins in 1766, in the New World, where Jamie and Claire find a foothold in the mountains of North Carolina, and their daughter, Brianna, finds a whole lot of things she didn’t expect, when a sinister newspaper clipping sends her in search of her parents. (1968-1969/1766-67)
THE FIERY CROSS (novel)—The historical background to this one is the War of the Regulation in North Carolina (1767-1768), which was more or less a dress rehearsal for the oncoming Revolution. In which Jamie Fraser becomes a reluctant Rebel, his wife, Claire, becomes a conjure-woman and runs into a ghost. Something Much Worse happens to Brianna’s husband, Roger, but I’m not telling you what. This won several awards for “Best Last Line,” but I’m not telling you that, either. (Mid-1760s)
A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES (novel)—Winner of the 2006 Corine International Prize for Fiction, and a Quill Award (this book beat novels by both George R. R. Martin and Stephen King, which I thought Very Entertaining Indeed). All the books have an internal “shape” that I see while I’m writing them. This one looks like the Hokusai print titled “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.” Think tsunami—two of them. (Early to mid-1770s/1970-71)
AN ECHO IN THE BONE (novel)—Set in America, London, Canada, and Scotland. The book’s cover image reflects the internal shape of the novel: a caltrop. That’s an ancient military weapon that looks like a child’s jack with sharp points; the Romans used them to deter elephants, and the Highway Patrol still uses them to stop fleeing perps in cars. This book has four major story lines: Jamie and Claire; Roger and Brianna (and family); Lord John and William; and Young Ian, all intersecting in the nexus of the American Revolution—and all of them with sharp points. (1777-1778/1972)
WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD (novel)—The eighth of the Big Enormous Books, this will probably be published in 2013. It begins where An Echo in the Bone leaves off, in the summer of 1778 (and the autumn of 1973—or possibly 1974, I forget exactly).
“A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” (short story (no, really, it is))— Set (mostly) in 1941–43, this is the story of What Really Happened to Roger MacKenzie’s parents. [Originally published in the anthology Songs of Love and Death, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2010.]
“The Space Between” (novella)—Set in 1778, mostly in Paris, this novella deals with Michael Murray (Young Ian’s elder brother), Joan MacKimmie (Marsali’s younger sister), the Comte St. Germain (who is Not Dead After All), Mother Hildegarde, and a few other persons of interest. The space between what? It depends who you’re talking to. [To be published in early 2013 in the anthology The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Dominiation, ed. John Joseph Adams.]
“Virgins” (novella)—Set in 1740, in France. In which Jamie Fraser (aged nineteen) and his friend Ian Murray (aged twenty) become young mercenaries. [To be published in late 2012, in the anthology Dangerous Women, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.]
NOW REMEMBER . . .
You can read the short novels and novellas by themselves, or in any order you like. I would recommend reading the Big, Enormous Books in order, though.
P.S. There are a couple of other books to note here, though they don’t fit conveniently into the Chronology above:
THE EXILE (graphic novel) – written by me, and illustrated by the delightful artist Hoang Nguyen, this is OUTLANDER from Jamie’s point of view. Since there are lots of things that Claire (the outlander) didn’t see, didn’t understand, or was purposely left out of, this book shows you some of what she missed.
THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION – This is a non-fiction book, supplying background, trivia, commentary and general Stuff on the first four novels of the series. There are detailed synopses (for those who don’t want to re-read the whole series when a new book comes out, but would like to refresh their memories), articles on how I work, do research, develop characters, etc., a detailed bibliography of the main references I used while writing the first four books, a Cast of Characters listing—in case you don’t recall immediately who someone is—a Gaelic pronunciation guide and glossary, appendices on Poetry and Quotations used in the books, and so on. [There is a second COMPANION in the works, this one meant to cover the next four books in the main series, as well as the shorter novels and stories listed above. With luck, this will be out shortly after WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD is published.]
This may be way off track. But I’d like to flush out the scene with Laouri (sp/) and her attempts to seduce Jaime. Seems to almost succeed. In the books, Jaime seems more devoted. I know it’s unrealistic to expect exact interpretations from book to tv, but this one seems to come from left field. Jamie is devoted and has been in love with Claire on the first and second day, and then he is drawn by L when she talks about how Jamie took the beating for her and the kiss in the alcove. And the silence! I it goes on for an age. He could have said that although the marriage was arranged he wanted it, or doesn’t regret it or such. The explanation that’s in the book is perfect. He tells little Hamish that he wasn’t forced to the marriage. He wanted the marriage.
What is this all about? He’s so in love with Claire but expect for the marriage vow to keep him from an affair with L. So if he didn’t have the vow, would he have the affair? How devoted can someone be if that’s all that’s keeping him from being seduced? If supposedly he loves Claire so much. Don’t get me wrong, if there were no relationship I would understand. But Jaime is in a committed relationship. Whether or not the commitment is in the form of a marriage, I just can’t see how he seem interested.
Dear Serena–
Of course he’s devoted to Claire. As to why the show decided to have that particular scene, you’d have to ask them. But taking it as shown…I realize that a lot of bloodthirsty fans would have _loved_ to see Jamie smack Laoghair across the face and push her into the water, declaring in ringing tones, “How dare you, hussy? Can’t you see that I’m flaming with love ONLY FOR CLAIRE, my intensely beloved wife (even though she’s just given me the worst 48 hours of my life and is presently refusing me her bed…)?!?” Jamie, fortunately, has better sense and better manners. He gives Laoghaire the answer that’s least likely to hurt her–though as he shortly learns, there really is no graceful way to refuse an offer of that sort.
Best,
–Diana
Way back at the beginning of Book 1, Frank encounters a ghost of a Scot looking up at Claire through the window of their lodgings in Inverness at a time prior to his first meeting her. The ghost had to have been Jamie, but I don’t recall reading anything in the 8 books so far that deals with this encounter except (perhaps?) fleetingly in one of Jamie’s feverish dreams. Did I miss something or is this on the list of loose ends to be tied up?
Dear Gary–
Last thing in the last book–but we aren’t there, yet.
Best,
–Diana
My daughters and I take a weekly trip to the library and each of us come out with a tall stack of books. (Best tax dollars ever.) Two years ago I was lacking inspiration that particular week and was thumbing the stacks. Something I don’t know if I love or hate because I never know the outcome. A big, blue, thick book caught my eye. There were no other companion books beside it. Checked it out. My imagination and mind was blown. I think I lived in an alternate universe the entire time. I found out there were sequels in the e-card catalogue. Reading each one, unwilling to let the journey stop. All I knew was that I had found the best story e-her and NO ONE else knew about it. Only I knew about the door through he back of he Wardrobe. No one else knew about Jamie. *chuckle It wasn’t until a year later that I found out the whole world knew about your books. I was a bit crest fallen that I was going to have to share Jamie (…and Claire) with the whole world. It is a rare treat to have a Book like that discover You, without advertising, friend, or librarian to influence your perceptions in any way.
I was a bit nervous about how the books would be represented in a different genre…so many books are wrecked. And the intimate images built while reading are forever altered. But the TV series has been enthusiastically enjoyed by all of us.
Thank you for your hard work.
Side note: I’m Scottish and my husband is a piper. My kids were indifferent to their heritage until they saw the TV series. And now are reading the books and want to learn Scottish dancing.
Will STARZ be continuing to make the next book a TV series?
Dear Kate–
Yes. DRAGONFLY IN AMBER is already filming.
Best,
–Diana
However I have stars with Optimum and Optimum and stars have parted ways where else can I watch the Outlander series on TV
Thanks for all! I learn about writing just reading you.
So about Lord John & his proclivities. How about a novella focusing on him and another man rather than
so much military stuff? I mean once a soldier always a soldier. But I’d sure be captivated by Lord John and what he goes through trying to have a relationship where his love is reciprocated, he is not betrayed, but he has to put up with the rollercoaster of relationship. Oh–and the Lavender House storyline was most interesting. How about some more of that? Thanks.
I bought Outlander when it first came out; unless I gave that book to charity, it’s still sitting in a box somewhere.
I tried several times to read it, however I started at the beginning and could not get into it. (I’m relieving you of
the promise for the $1.00.) After reading about the Starz series (in July), I picked up a copy. I am now towards the end of “A Breath of Fire and Ashes.” Thank you for wonderful characters and an amazing story.
I have also learned not to read what other readers have written. Too many spoilers.
I’m only 13 and I know that it might be unusual for a 13 year old to be reading an adult novel but this series is just amazing! I just finished reading and watching Outlander and I just ordered Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Thank you so much for creating this series. You are my new favorite author:)
Thomas
Thank you, Thomas! I’m delighted that you’re enjoying the books (and show)!
Best,
–Diana
Diana,
I just wanted to let you know that it takes the most amazing mind to help so many avid readers lose themselves in what may be the most sincerely best loss of time we have ever been through!!! The ladies and myself at work along with friends cannot stop thinking about Claire and Jamie. Then the series came to stars, hot and bothered, mix some sweet n sassy lassie!?!?! Hello!!! Thank you and everybody involved for giving many die hard readers something to look forward to when we flip the page or channel!! Much appreciation for giving me back my love of a great book!
Just finished the Outlander book after watching the Starz series. I needed to know how close they came to or deviating from the book. Now I can’t (really) wait for the next season so I am committed to the books. Opting for unabridged audio version. Absolutely fabulous job by the narrator. Only a few chapters into Dragonfly in Amber…I was greatly relieved to read your summary and the assurance not to worry…It’ll be fine. I am feeling stressed and anxious to see them reunited. Wonderful characters and amazing story…hope you never tire of your fans appreciation! Well done!
Is there someplace I can get a list of all the time hop spots that have been used? Or a list of places traveled? I am in the process of re-reading each of the books but I want to read them in order and most of the jumps take place a couple books away. I would really like to create a map of the travels.
When the last book came out I spent many lunchtimes wandering around Olde City, Philadelphia trying to figure out the old lay of the land. I found some interesting monuments in places that could only be the book settings.
Sounds kind of geeky but was great fun.
This is the finest series I have ever read. I never liked Scotland but now have an urge to revisit! Your characters are wonderfully portrayed and the storyline is brilliant. I’ve now finished the first four books and have seen series one of the TV adaptation. Thank you so much for sharing your imagination with us!
Dear Janice–
Glad you’re enjoying books, show and Scotland!
Best,
–Diana
Hi Diana, congratulations on an amazing set of books and the very complimentary TV series.
My wife and I love the plots and twists. We even had a discussion on “what if Clair staying with Jamie inadvertently led to the defeat at Culloden? If by choosing Frank, Jamie flees to France and becomes a wealthy wine merchant, then with his wealth he has more influence over the battlefield and sway with the prince. Jamie gains more support from Spain in the form of soldiers, and leads the Scott’s to victory, becoming the “hero of Culloden”. Meanwhile Clair steps into a very different England under Scottish rule, and WWII having never happened?
Thanks for the brain food, and the world you’ve created, we love it!
Doug.
Dear Diana,
Many would be very grateful for you to gather the herbal/medicinal information throughout the book in one place, as an Outlander Herbal or some such, including what it was administered for. Is this something you consider?
Also, the unabridged audio recordings with Davina Porter saved my life during 13 months (so far) of isolation during the pandemic. I have listened to all of your audio recordings more than twice. I am strongly hoping that the next book is narrated by Davina Porter as she is the “sound” of the novels so far.
Warm regards,
Patricia Staples