I haven't seen the show, but just last weekend I finished reading the first book in the series. Wow, I haven't been that enthralled with a book in a long time. I'm afraid to watch the show, until I read a couple more. I am going to go look to see who plays Jaime.

My DIL has read a couple of the Outlander novels and loves them. I had no idea what they were about, but, as with you, DS and DIL urged me to try the TV series. Am still in Season 1, but this is primarily because I am also watching Game of Thrones and won't return to Outlander until I emerge from the GOT aura.

I don't usually enjoy stories of time travel, but this is so well done, and I love the premise that the heroine is a nurse who can't help but bring her 21st century knowledge to 18th century situations. So many possibilities! I gather that the story becomes quite complicated as it moves along.

justerrilynn, thanks for that comparison. The series did kind of hit a slog. I think I'll try the books, if so many people find them that enthralling! I understand there's a series of novellas about John Gray, a character in the novels, that I might find interesting. And I really really want to know more about Master Raymond the apothecary. I think I read there's a book coming about him.

Years ago I enjoyed Outlander in book form. One of my favs in fact. It's what sparked dh to get me a kindle because I had to read more books in the series and couldn't face holding such a heavy and clunky book around ever again. I was sad when the story ended and loaded my new kindle at the time with the next books in the series. I found the 2nd book ok; not as good as the first, but I finished, and thought, well, that was different! As I got further in the book series, I found the story line to lean preposterous, like mentioned upthread and I quickly lost interest, sorry to say.

I happen to like a good time travel story, which is hard to write, and so many of them are silly stories, but Outlander was very good.

Dh was open to watching the first season on DVD. He kept looking at me and saying, "and what exactly did you find enthralling with the book?" I found the first season to be a yawner compared to the book (sorry fans), and we only got through a few of the disks when dh asked that I not have Netflix send us another one.

I read it several years ago. I think I made it partway through An Echo in the Bone. I can't really remember why I stopped but there had to be a good reason to get that far and quit.

We started season one last week and DH did not want to continue, partly because he couldn't understand the Scottish dialect. I switched to my tablet for episode 2 and I'm not missing as many words as I did while watching the tube so I'm going to continue watching.

I loved the books! Some volumes are better than others but all are enjoyable. If anyone is looking for good light summer reads this series would be that. The timeline of historical events is accurate and woven into the story nicely. There are so many books in the series that you really miss the characters when done. It’s almost like a few friends moved away with no further contact.

I re-read the whole series when the tv series started. Highly recommend you read them.

Dh and I finished season 2 last night on Netflix. I've discovered that I can reserve seasons 3 and 4 through the library loan system. I am loving the series, and absolutely will read the books.

My mother’s family came from Scotland. My great+grandfather (a MacGregor, Children of the Mist) was forced to flee Scotland and became a very close friend of William Penn, and that’s how we ended up in the Colonies. My great+grandfather was one of Philadelphia’s/Pennsylvania’s founding fathers. Anyhoo, I became very interested in “Outlander” through some of my relatives. So much so, that I ordered the first three seasons as a gift to myself this past Christmas. DH and I have both enjoyed them very much, although DH is fond of saying that, “Jaime is what keeps this series going. He is constantly getting them into mishaps that Claire then is forced to get them out of!”. We finished Season 3 a while back and are now about a third of the way through Season 4, which I also ordered via Amazon. I am still very much enjoying it. DH, though, is getting a little weary of it, but knows that if he nicely consents to watch an episode a week, I’ll feel guilty enough to let him order one of those shoot-em-ups he likes from Netflix (LOL)!

QUESTIONS:

- At this far along, would I still enjoy reading the book series?

- How many books in total are there? Do they take you to the very end, wherever/whenever that is?

- In the books, does Claire ever go into more detail when telling Jaime how she ended up there and details about the World 200 years in the future?

**Thank you, Bpath, for starting this thread!!!!

I read the first book as part of the Great American Read. I haven't read any further, not sure I will. I did enjoy the book far more than I expected, but the idea of reading 8 more seems daunting. I would like to watch the first season though just to see how they compare....

I had read most of the books before the series started (I know she wrote at least one after I read my last one). I've seen and enjoyed the series through season 3, and started again on season 1 on Netflix. The Claire in the show isn't how I visualized her from the books, but I've enjoyed the series anyway.

lynnNM

- At this far along, would I still enjoy reading the book series?Yes. The books are much, much richer than the program. They contain more historical references and additional characters. There are characters in the book that are full and rich that are mere mentions in the show.

- How many books in total are there? Do they take you to the very end, wherever/whenever that is? 8, book 9; Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone will be published this year.

- In the books, does Claire ever go into more detail when telling Jaime how she ended up there and details about the World 200 years in the future? Yes

I read all the books beginning many years ago when there were maybe 2. It was better to have time/space between reading them, I think. Builds anticipation and gives you a break from the story that makes getting back into it more enjoyable. I found some better than others and some had long parts that I just skimmed, but I enjoyed the series. I thought it was very well done. I would not watch the show since I'm not a TV person and generally won't watch a movie based on a book I enjoyed.

If you go to goodreads, there are more than 9...there's a:

0 untitled prequel

0.5 Virgins

7.5 Space Between

8.5 A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

There's also a companion guide that includes family trees, horoscopes of the main characters, her theory of time travel and essays on magic and medicine in the 18th century and more.

There's an official outlander cookbook

There's also an outlander graphic novel.

So she really knows how to extend the brand!

Cookbook? Somehow that brings to mind a Blackadder episode where Baldrick is serving dinner. Instead of coq au vin it's rat au vin. A rat that has been run over by a van.

I can't even imagine what's in the outlander cookbook: haggis??? (I shouldn't talk, my food heritage includes lutefisk and lard...)

Too over the top for me and I wasn't a fan of all the S&M. Some history but some real glaring inaccuracies. Had it been better written I would have forgiven her. Still, I love the Highlands and I'm part Scottish so I get the appeal. Just too melodramatic for my taste. Some OK, but by the end of the first book I had said, "Give me a break!" too many times. Like the series though, the sets, scenery and costumes and Jamie (ahem!) are worth putting up with the bizarre plot twists.

I guess it's like the soap operas...you have to suspend belief ....like the time an actress on the show was pregnant for 11 months and when the baby came, it was premature. Or my favorite from Days of Our Lives, the last time you saw Tom Jr he was sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal...then he wasn't in the show for a couple of years. They brought him back, sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal!

I've read the Outlander series twice. That's how much I enjoyed them. I've also read the Lord John books and recommend them as well.

I recommended the books to my sister and her husband and they're hooked, too.

The TV series is good (the costume design is incredible, IMO) but the books are far more detailed and well researched.

pugga, funny you should mention the costume design. We think that they changed costume designers in Season 2. The costumes were more "designed" than before, and styles seemed to change a bit.

I love the theme song, it's an oldie but the new lyrics are lovely, and they change the arrangement a bit each year, to suit the new focus.

Terry Dresbach was the costume designer through Season 4. I think the production grew so much, though, that they likely added more staff. Especially in Season 2, with all the elaborate Parisian costuming, I'd bet that there was an army working on those costumes.

So much detail, though. I was blown away, for example, when I learned that in Season 1 during the scene at The Gathering, Geillis is wearing a brooch that has the eye of Bonny Prince Charlie painted on it (from a painting of the bonnie prince).

I agree on the music, bpath. It really has been wonderful season after season.

and I wonder when the painting was done...after the Gathering, or even years, decades, later? So much to look for if we watch it a second time (kind of like watching The Sixth Sense the second time).