Are you wondering what to do, now that you’ve finished MOBY? (aka WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD)? Well, most people just go back to the beginning and start re-reading OUTLANDER. [g]
As an alternative/addition to this tried and true strategy, though, you might want to watch the brand-new (and looooooong-awaited) tv show of the series, which is about to debut on the STARZ premium-cable channel in the US. AUGUST 9th! 9PM! (It airs at 9 PM in each time zone, so it’s always on Saturdays at nine o’clock, at least in the US.*)
I think Ron D. Moore and Starz have done a wonderful job of adapting OUTLANDER into a 16-episode first season (they’ll be doing one season per book, assuming the first one is a success–and that’s up to you. I think it’s amazing, and hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
*(It will be launching on Showcase in Canada, August 24th, on SoHo Foxtel in Australia on August 14th, and on various dates–not yet announced–in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Japan, China, Germany, and a number of other places that I can’t mention yet as their licensing contracts are still being negotiated with SONY. (SONY owns the international rights to the show; it’s _their_ business to arrange licensing deals world-wide, not mine.)
My name is Linda and I’m an Outlander-holic
So glad to hear others are obsessed with Diana’s books and the show as well. Have read the series twice except for MOBY and will read it again on vacation. So far have watched episode 1 twice and think it was superb.
Catriona Balfe is perfect as Claire. Am waiting to get to know Jamie better but think Sam Heughan is going to be awesome – I could already see the chemistry between them! The acting and costumes were excellent. The beautiful Scottish scenery and moodiness of the countryside really adds to the enjoyment of the show. Tobias Menzies as Frank & Black Jack Randall is interesting because both characters are so different – and they even look different. Looking forward to seeing the character development with Frank & Black Jack.
It was amazing how the show mirrors the book and the added elements enrich the story.
Diana, your books are unique – your stories and characters resonate with a huge audience and it’s incredible to see how “writing a book to find out how to write a book” has turned out! WOW!
Thanks again -
Linda
I am not sure how people think Catriona Balfe is perfect for Claire. She is way too tall. Clair is supposed to 5’6″, and Catriona looks to be about 5’9″. Clair has light brown hair, not dark; and it should be very curly, not barely wavy. This has been a constant in all of the Outlander books.
I will say she has a wonderful figure, which I am sure Jamie appreciates.
I have been reading the Outlander Series since it came out 20 years ago and have re read them many times. I have them all and have enjoyed each and every one of them and look forward to the next and last book.
I couldn’t agree more. I was so looking forward to the television series, however, the casting for Claire and Jamie is so far off, it flatlined my excitement level. Claire is not thin, she is not tall and the descriptions of her are so clear in the books. Claire was always described as a very curvey woman yet she is cast as a tall stick of a woman in the series. And Jamie should be tall and have red hair with gold highlights…he is “red Jamie” not brown. Sorry to be so negative, but the books are so totally clear about the appearance of these two, what went so terribly wrong in casting?!!
Dear Mary–
Nothing “went wrong” in the casting. It’s just that it’s much more important that the people cast to play these parts can _become_ Jamie and Claire than that they “match” a written description. They do it wonderfully, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
Best wishes,
–Diana
Loved the show but why isn’t Jamie’s hair red?
Dear Linda–
[sigh] It’s red. Like all red hair (I live with three red-heads; i know), it looks different in different lights–and when matted down with rain and blood, looks darker than it does when it’s clean and in bright light.
–Diana
Good Afternoon!
I started reading the Outlander series in 1997. In 1998, much to my delight, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He has red hair and green eyes and I thought the name Duncan was perfect! I initially lobbied for “Murtagh”but my husband vetoed that suggestion. You are absolutely correct that red hair looks different in different conditions. Duncan’s hair goes from burnished copper in the morning sunlight to a lovely dark auburn when wet with rain! Congratulations on the amazing television debut! I am so happy for you. I watched the premier with my mother-in-law and aside from one awkward moment ( Claire’s lack of undergarments and the subsequent tryst with Frank in the ruins of the castle) we were enthralled( truth be told I don’t think she realized what they were doing but I sat on the couch blushing wildly)!
Best, Pam
I’m loving this series but I’m not totally on board some of the casting. These men plait their hair. Almost none of the actors have hair long enough to plait. I’m loving the actor who plays Jamie. He’s so handsome wonderful in the part but again the hair is not long and not red. The atmosphere of the Castle Leoch is spot on what I would imagine. I can’t wait for episode 3.
Dear Ulrike–
[courteously suppressing eye-roll...] Sam Heughan’s hair _is_ red (as in, real red, not Bozo-the-clown red) and Jamie’s hair is short all the way through OUTLANDER.
Best,
–Diana
I am waiting to read your new book as I have had to leave work to move to the Shetlands with my husband in two weeks time. I cant wait till the outlander series is showing in the UK but praying that it is when I am really settled in my new home.
It will seem funny to be living amongst people with the same dialect and maybe stronger!!
All I wanted to say was I have so much to look forward to and re reading all the books and then the new one will keep me occupied in the long dark weeks of winter to come.
One of your fans will be huddled by a peat fire so maybe the smells and scenes described in your books will enhance my experience….
Thank you for the joy of escaping into Claire and Jamies world cant wait for the series to air in UK
Best wishes
Karen
I watched Outlander this week and what a disappointment!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Jamie doesn’t even look like the description in the book..he’s scrawny, his hair is too short, he isn’t build, he has no commanding presence over all a disaster!! Claire isn’t much better! Our group have followed the books since they came out and we all agree the movie falls way short of expections!! Don’t think I’ll watch the rest.
Pftt!!!!
Bye. You have absolutely _no_ reasonable expectations what it is to “adapt” a book to a movie or TV show. And … re-read the books. At the beginning his hair is short. They had to cut it all off to tend to his head wound (before he even met Claire.)
And BTW, most of us LOVE the casting of Sam and Caitroinia … so, just maybe, your expectations are a bit off?
I have to say, I found it a disappointment as well. Jamie doesn’t look quite As I pictured, but for an adaptation I think the casting was good. Then there’s Claire….. She looks nothing like what I would have pictured.. She’s described over and over in all the books, which I’ve read over and over as golden. Where is the gold? Dark hair, blue eyes, not Claire. And her ‘wee fat arse’ :)) is non existent. Not that I’m looking, but she’s sooo thin. And then there’s Frank, who instead of being fine boned and dark is fat faced and appears fair (dirty blond). I’ve been looking foward to this since I heard it was coming out and was going to order Starz just for this series. Now I’m glad I watched the free preview first. Too many characters were too different than the books. Murtagh almost looked put together. It was just disappointing. While the acting was good and Claire’s personality did come off well, it still just wasn’t Claire. Really, would Harry Potter be the same if he had blond hair, blue eyes, and no glasses? Nope. I don’t want to be too harsh because the story did follow well, but the characters just aren’t the ones I’ve come to know and love (and these images will ruin the ones I’ve formed over the years reading the story).
Dear Ambyr–
You’re entitled to think whatever you like about the new TV series or its cast, but fwiw–Claire is not “described over and over as golden.” She’s described as having light-brown curly hair, and amber-brown-yellowish eyes. Believe me. [g]
But the point is not that Caitriona Balfe has blue eyes. The point is that she’s a wonderful actress who does a great job of bringing Claire to life on the screen. Small physical differences just aren’t important to most viewers. If they are to you, well, of course you’ll make your own decision as to whether the fact of eye color overwhelms story and character, but I do hope you’d give the show a bit more of a chance to win you over. [smile]
Best,
–Diana
I’m sorry you’re not enjoying it as much as I am. I watched it for the fourth time last night, and found myself loving it more each time I see it. But last night I was able to pay more attention to the editing, lighting, costumes, etc. which are all done superbly and made me appreciate Ron Moore’s talent and vision even more.
Oh, that’s too bad!! You will lose out on so much. I think the relationships are way more important that the scenery. And the on screen relationship sizzles just as much as on the page.
Someone gave you some wrong information. My cable company (CableOne) is showing “Outlander” at 10:00 PM, not 9:00 PM. (Boise, Idaho)
It’s past my bedtime, now that I’m getting old. But I’ll try to stay awake for it! =) Thank goodness for DVR.
Thank you for many, many hours of reading (and re-reading) pleasure! And … as others have said … _please_ finish it up before I die!
Mary from Boise
Dear Mary–
The show times seem to be _all_ over the place, from what people are telling me this evening! Hope you enjoy the show when you do see it!
–Diana
Oh, my! I definitely stayed up for it … and the first repeat immediately following. It was out-of-this-world fantastic and I can’t wait for next week.
Ron and Caitroinia and Sam (and everyone else) did you proud and, I’m sure, satisfied all your readers. Congratulations to all involved.
And … _thank you!_
Mary from Boise
Charter had a sneak preview of the series last week (On Demand) and of course I had to watch it. I was blown away by the accuracy of the show with the book. Which I can imagine that it’s so difficult to translate all of the book details to the screen…but blissfully, the producers, etc seemed to do that with #1 ep. Can I just say I was transported into Claire’s world, and think the 2 main characters have been wonderfully cast. Thanks Diana, for writing such intriguing books – and finding a production company which could bring the story to life on the screen. Also enjoyed MOBY – and now – waiting for the next one. You realize, you can never retire these people (and yourself!), right????? I’ve read the entire set so many times I’ve lost count, but I think Outlander is still my very favorite of ALL of them. (and I read it 2nd…as I found Dragonfly in the library, and didn’t know when I checked out the book it was a sequel. Very rapidly ordered #1 from a bookstore, as the library’s copy never got back on the shelf for me to even think about putting a hold on it! I own the set in hardback, paperback, and nearly completed on my kindle! Do you think I like it????Hugs
Hi,
I watched episode 1 last night and loved the scenery and, especially, the background music. Although Catriona Balfe is lovely, I have to disagree with most of the folks who think she is perfect as Claire. She is nothing like who I’ve pictured all these years. I thought her delivery of “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!” was unnatural and stiff…perhaps she’ll warm up as the series goes on. Jamie is a cutie, to be sure, but I felt no chemistry between them whatsoever. Again, time will tell. Frank was, I thought, the most true to his character as written. I do think, though, that the oral sex scene in the ruins of Castle Leoch was gratuitous, at best. Please, can nothing be left to the imagination?
Sorry not to have jumped on the “it was all perfect” bandwagon. I have anticipated this for years, just like all of you, and am hoping that things improve as it goes along. I’ve reread the entire series numerous times, and maybe that is probably one of the reasons I feel as I do…almost no movie is ever as wonderful as what you picture in your own mind’s eye.
I have to agree with you Julie . . . on all accounts you have made. I did enjoy watching it – but my mind has a different picture of Claire and Jamie. And, I do think somethings CAN be left to the imagination!
I watched the free preview and was delighted, for the most part, with the episode–It is truly amazing how it followed the books. However, I am old school and deplore the use of very graphic sex scenes, I think pornography is a serious problem nowdays. I deplore having this, for I would not recommend the show for family viewing.
Dear Licha–
Well, tastes–and standards–will naturally differ for different people. I do feel obliged to point out, though, that OUTLANDER the Book is, um, not at all PG-13.
–Diana
My husband and I are 62 and old school (must have been a different school) and we enjoyed the episode tremendously. Very tastefully done.
Although sexual, I wouldn’t call it Very grafic. You need to perhaps re-read the books, as when Jamie and Clare ‘get’ together, it’ always very sexual as they are crazy about each other. Also the Outlander mentions very clearly how Claire’s ‘husband would never stray far from her bed’. Her sexuality is part of her character.
Have watched it 6 times already on my tablet, and yet I am anxious to see it on the big screen tonight! Having read this series since it first was published and read each book at least 3-4 times since, I knew no one wold be able to see what I see when I read, to hear the voices I hear or to truly capture any scene in the same way that you write Dina and yet so far I think they have a done an excellent job, would rate it 99 of 100. First time I think I will be happy with a book to movie….ever.
My only comment is what happened to Claire’s arse that Jamie comments on so often? Caitriona is just a little too thin for my vision of Claire, but that is just my vision and otherwise I think she is a beautiful vision of Claire.
Job well done to all.
Better to have an actress that has _no_ ass that can act — than the other way around, don’t you think? They had a lot to consider to cast this role and I’m sure her hip measurements were the very last.
=)
I too noticed that Claire didn’t have the lovely arse that Jamie fell in love with. But we must persevere. Perhaps I observed this especially because I too have a large one!
Hi Diana,
I was a little afraid to watch the first episode, thinking they might butcher it as they did in the seeker series. But an excellent job by all! Catriona Balfe is truly perfect as Claire, as is Tobias Menzies as Frank and Black Jack. I was hoping for a little bigger man for Jaime; in the books it always seemed he was the biggest man around. But that is a small thing compared to the overall picture given. The action and scenes took me right into your books! I too am going to subscribe to Starz just for your series. This is going to be fun!
Thank you for the book series, and now thank you for the TV series!
Chris
If you take a look on IMDb, you’ll see that Sam is only 2 inches shorter than “Jamie.” =) Maybe it’s because Caitroinia is a bit taller than “Claire.” ??? I’m sure it was more important to get people who embodied the essence of the characters, rather than have them exactly as depicted in the books.
I have watched Episode 1 ten times already! It’s well done and I have to say the actor playing Jamie is perfect! It’s exactly as I would picture him. The acting is excellent. The only thing making me crazy is to see Clair (the actress) with blue eyes and dark hair! Why?
Well, just watched the first(much anticipated) episode! I was a little nervous, having been disappointed before from a lesser movie version of a beloved book…I very much enjoyed it!
It’s been 18 years since I FIRST read Outlander. I’ve read each book countless times. I read the next book in the series when it ccomes out, and then start all over and re-read the series again! I thought I was the only addicted fan out there who did so! Apparently not!
I cannot wait to see the rest of the season! I very much hope they decide to do Dragon Fly in Amber and Voyager as well. I can’t wait to show my husband-who I’ve insisted all these years would enjoy these books- now we can share the story together!
Thank you Diana, for a wonder filled story of Claire and Jamie ‘s life…please don’t let it end with the next book!!!!
Just finished watching the first episode. I have to say, it was really wonderful. Excellent casting, and the music, scenery, beautiful. After all these years of reading your books, Jamie and Claire are old friends. So I wasn’t sure if any actor could measure up, but I’m happy to say, they are Jamie and Claire. As soon as Sam started to speak, he just was “Jamie”. It was amazing. Now I can’t wait until the next episode. Who knew that when I picked up Outlander at the bookstore 20 years ago that we would see it come to life on the screen. You are an amazing writer, and thank you for years of enjoyment following Jamie and Claire ‘s journey. So glad there is still more to come, and I am so looking forward to the series on Starz.!
You should be very proud. The premier was breathtaking! How exciting for you, and all of us.
Dear Diana,
Loved your latest book – thank you. Had been re-reading the series in anticipation of the new book which I often do but as more books are written I don’t get through the whole lot each time, so will go back soon to where I left off (about Bk 4).
Its great to read comments from other fans. People who feel the same as me (who re-read the series regularly; who took their time reading MOBY so it wouldn’t end, etc. By the way I loved the “ending” as I know there is more to come of course
I treated myself to a signed copy of MOBY from the PP bookshop – great service to the other side of the world! You’ll guess roughly where I’m from when I say my first of your books is called Cross Stitch! And my rather dog-eared copy of Dragonfly in Amber is extra special as I have glued inside the cover an invitation from Whitcoulls, Wellington, NZ, to meet the “internationally acclaimed author, Diana Gabaldon” way back on 27th March 1998 – which I duly did and thank you for coming. And you signed my copy of Dragonfly in Amber then.
All the best for your ongoing writing. I am looking forward to the TV series being available in New Zealand soon,
Thanks Diana for much pleasurable reading,
Linda
Dear Diana,
Do you know of any way that I, a devoted fan, but living abroad can see the series. It is so frustrating! I tried to get in on my kindle fire…no luck.
Dear Diana,
Oh wow the show is so fabulous. I like the characters, the story is so detailed and the scenes are great. Oh I wish I could sew those costumes. I could not move from my chair Saturday evening.
Congrats and a big Hug to everyone who worked on this great project.
I have enjoyed reading the Oulander books since the first paperback came out, how many years ago at Anne’s bookstore, I cannot remember.
I know You and your family must be very excited to see all your hard worknow in a tv series and that many love it too.
Thank You very much for having the gift of writing a fabulous series and I look forward to many many more
episodes of Jaime & Claire in books and on my tv. It is time for an audio version too. I will have to get the dvd’s when they come out oo.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You so much !!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you can come to dragoncon next year,
Susie O.
My husband was not interest in the books before he watch the show (he is not much of a reader, always fall asleep with any book). He has watch the show 4 times now and wanted to see more. Thank you for brings this wonderful book to our living rooms. He even notice something I notice the first time I watch it. Claire has her watch and belt on after she goes thru the stones. Also her button around her neck is still there. After she falls and gets up, they are gone. Just thinking of these artifacts that was left behind. I love how every things feel like you really there.
Diana, I have enjoyed the Outlander series many times over and shall continue to reread the series. It is timeless. I have had the pleasure of meeting you at the fan gathering in Seattle,Wa. June 7. I read MOBY right away. Loved it. Your story-telling skills are amazing. I love the historical element in your novels. It has inspired me to find out about my geneaology-just like Frank Randall. I look forward to your next book. I know it will be some time before you really get started on writing again. What with your book-signing tour and the Outlander premiere on Starz. I really enjoyed the premiere. Ron Moore and his production crew, including the cast has done a great job of bringing your novel to life. Thank you for all of your hard work to give all of us a wonderful escape from our daily routines. Looking forward to the next 8 saturdays to watch Outlander.
Diana,
I was afraid to watch the show, because TV/Movies rarely get it right. I taped the show and watched it this morning and Now I’m having trouble breathing. the show is awesome. Claire is Claire as you described her.
and Jaimie is, well he’s gorgeous and just perfect. the show is absolutely over whelming and very true to the book.
it makes me so happy. now I can have an Outlander fix every week