If you’ve swooned over the latest season of Outlander and mourn its passing, you’re not the only one. The latest season has broken ratings records for STARZ.
The show has been renewed for a fourth season, which will probably kick off in September 2018.
What should you do in the meantime to deal with your Outlander withdrawal?
This post may contain affiliate links; please read my disclosure here.
Read the Books
If you haven’t read the Outlander series of books but have only watched the series, you’re missing out on a lot of wonderful reading. Plus, there are eight books and so far only three seasons of the Outlander series on STARZ. Since each TV series season covers one book, you’ll be waiting a long time to find out what else happens to Claire, Jamie and other beloved Outlander characters if you don’t read the books.
- Outlander (Book 1)
- Dragonfly in Amber (Book 2)
- Voyager (Book 3)
- Drums of Autum (Book 4)
- The Fiery Cross (Book 5)
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Book 6)
- An Echo in the Bone (Book 7)
- Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (Book 8)
Read the Lord John Series
The Lord John series of novellas and novels features a relatively minor Outlander character, Lord John Grey. Unlike the Outlander novels, you can actually categorize the Lord John series, as they fit fairly well in the genre of historical mysteries. They also occasionally feature Jamie Fraser, taking place during the time period when he and Claire are separated.
I’ve enjoyed the stories even though I don’t usually like mystery books. Here’s a list of the Lord John novels and novellas I’ve read.
The Scottish Prisoner takes place during the 20 years when Claire and Jamie are apart, while Jamie is serving parole on the Dunsany estate in England. Lord John Gray asks Jamie to help him track down a corrupt official in territory Jamie knows well.
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade follows the quest to resolve a long-ago family mystery – the death of Lord John Grey’s father.
A Plague of Zombies, a novella, has Lord John in his role as a Lt. Colonel in His Majesty’s army, sent to quell a slave rebellion in Jamaica. While there, he learns that zombies seem to be menacing the governor. He’s never heard of zombies, but he’ll quickly learn about them.
Watch Your Favorite Episodes Again (and Again)
If you subscribe to STARZ via Amazon Prime, you can re-watch your favorite episodes anytime. If you don’t subscribe, you can buy individual episodes of Outlander seasons 1 and 2.
Read the Outlandish Companion Books
Diana Gabaldon wrote The Outlandish Companion and The Outlandish Companion, Volume 2 to cover books 1-4 and books 5-8 respectively. You’ll find comprehensive book synopses and book excerpts plus further clarification of what happens in the books.
There are also character lists, background information and interesting tidbits about how she writes her books, how she arrives at titles, how she conducts her research and much more.
Read Excerpts from Book 9
Diana Gabaldon is currently writing book 9 of the Outlander series, “Go Tell the Bees That I Have Gone,” and occasionally posts excerpts from the book. She can’t say yet when the book will be released.
What Else to Read
Diana Gabaldon has ruined me for other authors in some ways. There’s really nothing else like the Outlander series.
However, if you want books with complex storylines and engrossing relationships, read (or re-read) the Harry Potter series. You can get started reading J.K. Rowling’s classic books with an Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day free trial
If you’d like to read more big, meaty books with a historical flavor, check out Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series. The books take place at the dawn of modern humans. The first one begins with the main character, Ayla, a young girl, left alone after a natural disaster and adopted into a clan of humans much different than her own people.
- Clan of the Cave Bear
- The Valley of Horses
- The Mammoth Hunters
- The Plains of Passage
- The Shelters of Stone
If you enjoyed this post, could you please like it on Facebook and give it a G+1?