As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a diehard fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books. So I had very high hopes —and fears—for the television adaptation. But from the first episode of the new hit Starz series, I’ve basically been happy-dancing in my living room. Hot accents, a perfect Jamie, dreamy lighting, and a sex-scene that’s revolutionizing television—what’s not to love?
The first season of Outlander has been split into two chunks, with the second half returning on April 4. Considering that the last episode aired in September, you can imagine my growing desperation. I need this show to come back on the air. Like, now.
In the first half of season one, World War II nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall travels back in time to Scotland in the 1700s, when the Highlands are on the brink of war with England, tensions are rising, and no one trusts anyone. Her headstrong, modern ways make her an instant target as she struggles to stay alive and make it back to her own time. Luckily, she meets —then marries!— Jamie Fraser, a very hot Scotsman with secrets of his own.
When we last left Claire, she’d been captured by Jamie’s mortal enemy, Black Jack Randall. Things were looking grim. And even though I know what happens in the book, I’m dying to see how everything plays out on the small screen. I can hardly wait for the sneak preview during Black Sails at 9 p.m. EST on January 24. But since we’re forced to (unhappily) wait, we might as well read some books that are guaranteed to please any Outlander fan.
Well, duh, you should read this book. The show is pretty faithful to the source material, but no television can capture the depth of Gabaldon’s writing. This author has done her homework. Part romance, part historical tome, part familial drama, Outlander is one of the most intricate and realistic novels I’ve ever read. From Claire and Jamie’s growing trust to minute details about life in the 18th century, this book is a must read. And while you’re at it, read all the other books in the series as well. There are eight giant novels, so it will probably take you awhile. April 4 will be here before you know it. (We can only hope.)
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Lord John Grey first shows up briefly in Dragonfly in Amber, book two of Gabaldon’s Outlander series. But he makes a much larger impression in book three, Voyager. He was such a compelling character that fans wanted more. Now Gabaldon has written a series about him, with four books and several novellas. What makes him so interesting? He’s an intellectual, a nobleman, and gay—something he must keep a secret from almost everyone in his life (homosexuality was a capital offense in the 1700s). He also solves a lot of crimes, has affairs of the heart, and eventually falls into unrequited love with Jamie. This is not a guy—or a series—you want to miss.
True romance fans recognize Garwood as the reigning queen of Highland-romance novels (and it’s a HUGE genre, trust me). Garwood’s early novels were almost all historical romances, usually involving a hot Scottish laird, a beautiful-but-willful English girl, a sexy kidnapping and a surprise marriage. My favorite will always be Ransom, the story of Gillian who suffers abuse at the hands of an English Baron. Then she meets Brodick Buchanan, the quintessential alpha hero. He saves her, marries her, eventually admits that he loves her, and wraps her in his plaid a lot. If you like romance novels, this is one of the best around.
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
Few books capture epic, sweeping historical romance quite like Outlander, but Donati’s Into the Wilderness series comes close. It’s the story of an English girl, Elizabeth Middleton, who travels into the wilderness—in this case a remote New York village in 1792. Just like Outlander, the history is lush and detailed, weaving together Mohawk traditions, lives of early settlers in the unforgiving mountains, and the complicated political climate (interracial marriages, slavery, etc.). There’s also plenty of romance, as Elizabeth quickly falls for Nathaniel Booner, whom Donati imagines as Hawkeye and Cora’s son from The Last of the Mohicans. Sounds complicated? It is, but only in an awesome, compulsively readable way.
