Title: Outlander

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Pages: 850

Hi all,

Today I can finally present you with my first review of the Outlander series. I have heard of the series and even watched three of four a long time ago, but I am happy that I can see how the story progresses at last. Forewarned, it is a historical fiction of the Jacobite Wars in 1744.

It is quite a lengthy read, and the series consists of roughly 8 books, so it will take some time to see how the story progresses. Though they have already released about 6 seasons, I will endeavour to read the books rather than see spoilers on YouTube.

After finishing the last few chapters this afternoon, I was quite amazed at how many states of emotion one gets through in the course of this single book. It is about love, jealously, hate, superstitious folk, brutal punishments, and so much more. If you wanted to get something that takes you to a journey across time and so many adventures, then this is definitely something that won’t disappoint.

The story starts of just after WW2 in 1945 when Claire and her husband are catching up on their honeymoon, before they will be heading back to the city and start to work. The Scottish Highlands were attractive to the two of them, and Frank Randall (a historian by profession) also wishes to dig up some historical records about a distant ancestor of his, Captain Black Jack Randall, from 1745. They travel the lands, and Claire then overhears that some of the local women still perform a traditional pagan dance once every four celebratory days. The dance happens at a site called Craigh na Dun, which is somewhat similar to a mini Stonehenge. One of those is not far away, so they decide to oversee the dance.

They do so, and afterwards continue back home. Frank wishes to understand how they knew to dance along a particular path, so Claire goes back the next morning to investigate for him. Little does she know that her presence at this ancient site will be the beginning of a whole new life for her. She hears something near one of the stones, and moves closer. The sound is of something unknown, or at least known, but doesn’t make sense why it should be heard here, when all around nothing is present that would give reason for the origin of the sounds of war. She inches nearer the rock where the sound emanates the strongest, touches it, and is then sucked away, transported, shifted, or moved only to land in front of the rocks once more. After this she wishes to return back to the cottage to inform her husband of what she has experienced. Only, there is no longer a path where there had been one before. Also, her car is no longer there.

Completely baffled by this, she reasons she must have taken a wrong path and is on her way back to find the correct path, but just then, she hears the sound once again, only louder this time. It is of some shouting and gun shots from the woods. She closes in and then notices people running. People with the Scottish attire, and also some people dressed in those red coats that the soldiers of the British Army used to wear long ago.

She is found by one of those soldiers, and is almost taken to being raped, but is saved by a Scotsman instead. She is taken with him to their makeshift camp and while her fate is decided she notices her saviour is not in the best of shape, thanks to a bullet wound. Being an experienced nurse, she takes it upon herself to help the lad. Seeing her as being a skilled healer their decide to bring her along to their castle for the time being. There, the laird of the castle (Mackenzie clan) allows her to stay for the time until arrangements can be made to bring her back to her family. In the meantime she is their healer to any ailments that the different subjects of the clan bring before her.

• She had told them at the campsite that their caravan had been ambushed and that she had relations to whom she could return to in France
• It is either here or a little later when she discovers the year she has been transported to, namely 1744, just before the Jacobite rising in 1745

Later, she accompanies the lairds brother, Dougal, to the outlying lands to collect the rents of the people and also head for Fort Willam, an outlying post of the British, where Dougal wishes to find out if she is an English spy. When they reach there, the Captain, Captain Randall, tries to interrogate her as well, but with a harsh hand. Their group escapes and continues their journey throughout the lands to collect the other lands. On the road they realize that since she is not Scottish the English Captain could order them to hand her over, and they would have to comply. But if she were Scottish then that request could be denied. So, it comes to pass that she (reluctantly and with a few drinks) agrees to marry one of their group, Jaime Fraser.

They become better acquainted with one another over the coming days and weeks and also enjoy the passions at night. The group continues their journey, collect rents and eventually reach back home, where Claire continues her work as a healer and Jaime as the horse handler. Not much happens at the castle, but some time later one of the girls from the castle lets Claire know that her assistance is required by Geille, a “healer” from the local village. Her husband had died at a dinner hosted at the castle a few days before, so Claire heads off to help her friend. Only, when she finds her, the village people have come for them and taken them into custody, accused of witchcraft. Few days on, the witch trial has started. It becomes clear that the intended target was Geille and not Claire, yet some of the ‘witnesses’ take the opportunity to accuse Claire as well.

With the trials seemed to be close to concluded and the conclusions reached by the prosecutors, Jaime manages to interrupt the proceedings and they flee. They flee to where he was born, where he grew up and where he is the current laird of the lands. But also has a price on his head. The two of them flee there, which is when she confesses to him where she is really from. He had known that there was something different about her, but since the witch trial he had demanded to know whether there is something else he should know.

Once at the farm he jumps back in to the routine of helping on the farm with his sister and her husband. A few weeks pass by and they know they need to leave soon since he is still a wanted man on these lands so he could be arrested at any time. That day comes, which is when Claire and Murtagh leave to find out where he has been taken to. They make their enquiries and find out that they have taken him to the impenetrable prison. They try and help Jaime escape, but the attempt falters. With luck, they attempt so once again, but this time with success. Only, Jaime has been tortured so brutally by Captain Randall this time that his wounds seem to be the end of him. Claire won’t give the redcoats another chance to catch them and so they head for a monastery in France, where the British won’t dare risk going to.

Here, Jaime suffers such mental and physical torment whilst they try and rehabilitate him that Claire believes this will be the end of them.

Summary:

As I read this I could only reflect how well Claire managed to adjust from her life in one age to another. Careful not to talk too much that they might denounce her as being a witch. Also, it was her great fortune that she had learnt the skills of a nurse and a hobby for botany, for it was somewhat of a valued skill in the earlier time. The contrasts between how life was in 1945 and 1744 are so great. Soldiers then treated the highlanders with much less respect and even harmed them physically, and got away with it. The pain and suffering that Captain Black Jack caused to Jaime (mentally and physically) are so traumatizing that I wanted to stop the book then and there, but I could imagine that people could have been treated that way (and worse).

it was quite and intense story, and therefore the book will get a rating of 4.6/5.