Some of my readers are Outlander fans and were wondering how I was progressing with my reading of the Outlander series.
I wrote about it before, but to summarise, I had never read the Outlander series as I did not want to get hooked on such a huge set of books. I don’t do things by halves! I had watched the television series and enjoyed it so was encouraged to read the first book, at least.
I prefer books to tv series or movies, because you can build a whole world in your head. A whole world, just for you to escape into for a while. The problem is that if a movie or television series is made of the book, it always jars. It (naturally) never looks like the pictures in my head did.
The one exception for this is Brokeback Mountain. The movie was even more beautiful than the book (or short story really, as that is what Brokeback Mountain was). I have read the screenplay and it was absolutely epic.
The other way around (watching the movie/television series first and then reading the book) is a smoother experience as you have the actors in your head when you read the book. But it is not as rich or alive.
So, having watched the series first I have finished Outlander and am now halfway through Dragonfly in Amber, the second book.
The books are easy reads, despite their length. And, because I have an Irish background, the Gaelic names and phrases were not too much of a stretch. For me the historical perspective was the most fascinating part. It is amazing how much history you can glean from series like Rome, The Borgias, The Tudors, Wolf Hall and now Outlander.
Diane Gabaldon is a brilliant writer. It is hard to believe this was her very first book.
I want to thank everyone for recommending that I read the books.
Which would you recommend to read first?
Start with Outlander and then follow the series from there. If you go beyond the third book, I would recommend getting the Outlandish Companion to help you keep track of the characters. I found watching the television series first helped me get a grip on everything but most people would probably recommend reading the books first. Let us know how you get on!
Glad you like the boks! I’ve been watching the series, and in general like it.. Except for the acrtess playing Claire. Not the acting so much as that she is too tall and her hair is too black. She differs so much from my mental picture of Claire it jarrs me out of the story. Costumes and background is wonderful!