Ask the Outlanders: Questions for the Bookreaders

[zoey1996]

Thanks, Morgan.

[Kimberley123]

Is it possible to pick up the books from where the tv series left off? I must admit I’m on book 2 in Paris and finding it quite a struggle to get through since I know literally everything that’s happening already. Will I be lost if I go straight to the fiery cross? 

Thanks 🙂 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Kimberley123 said:

Is it possible to pick up the books from where the tv series left off? I must admit I’m on book 2 in Paris and finding it quite a struggle to get through since I know literally everything that’s happening already. Will I be lost if I go straight to the fiery cross? 

Thanks 🙂 

Short answer: yes. As the buiks are soooo long, it's impossible for the show to tell you everything, plus there's the fact that they've changed things. All I can suggest is you skim over the stuff that doesn't interest you.

[toolazy]

4 hours ago, Kimberley123 said:

Is it possible to pick up the books from where the tv series left off? I must admit I’m on book 2 in Paris and finding it quite a struggle to get through since I know literally everything that’s happening already. Will I be lost if I go straight to the fiery cross? 

Thanks 🙂 

You won't be terribly lost - the major pieces are all there but you'll miss out on a lot of really nice moments by skipping.  The books have the luxury of time that show doesn't have and there are a lot of things in the show that just zip on by that are a lot more affecting on the page.  Personally, I love the modern-day bits in the Dragonfly and I love most of Voyager (it's my favorite of all the books.)  The Scooby Gang's search for Jamie through history is fascinating in the books.  

[theschnauzers]

The only other option is to read the book summaries Diana prepared for  the currently two volume Outlandish Companion. Volume 1 basically covers the first four books, and volume 2 the latter for books. There’s plenty of other useful content as well.

[Ziggy]

On 3/20/2019 at 3:03 PM, Kimberley123 said:

Is it possible to pick up the books from where the tv series left off? I must admit I’m on book 2 in Paris and finding it quite a struggle to get through since I know literally everything that’s happening already. Will I be lost if I go straight to the fiery cross? 

Thanks 🙂 

As others have said, you shouldn't be lost.  You'd miss some of the details and probably a few fun or sweet moments.  But honestly, there is just so much detail in the books that that happens to me anyway 🙂

Another option is to get the audio books.  Davina Porter does an AMAZING job reading the books.

[pootlus]

I probably sound like a prude but I'd be really embarrassed listening to someone reading out all those sex scenes, otherwise I'd get them in a heartbeat.

[toolazy]

On 3/24/2019 at 3:55 AM, pootlus said:

I probably sound like a prude but I'd be really embarrassed listening to someone reading out all those sex scenes, otherwise I'd get them in a heartbeat.

I FF through them.  There's something cringey about hearing them read out loud.

[piccolascimmia]

Point me in the right direction please if this list exists somewhere (or there's a better place to ask)!  I'm trying to find a list of who/how many people Claire has murdered (and Jamie too).  Seem to be a long list, here's where I got to start on Claire:

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

S1 - Stabs the British soldier who tries to rape her when she's fooling around with Jaime

S1 - anyone in Wentworth prison?

S2 - Proxy to poison Comte St Germain

S2 - Stabs Dougal

S3 - Concusses/can't resuscitate Creme de Menthe guy

S3 - Beheads Geillis 

 

Did I miss any?  I just binge watched S1-S3 so those are above and fresh in my memory.  I've read the rest of the books too but long enough ago that I won't remember many.  

Thanks all!

[Jammy]

In the gatherning episode when claire tries to escape jamie volunteers to helps her get back to the castle rather than escape. would anyone know why he didn't help her escape?

[Cdh20]

On 3/1/2020 at 2:14 AM, Jammy said:

In the gatherning episode when claire tries to escape jamie volunteers to helps her get back to the castle rather than escape. would anyone know why he didn't help her escape?

Jamie does not want Claire to leave, as he likes her/wants her/is in love with her already. I hope that is not spoilery. 

[auntlada]

Not having seen the episode, I can't say for sure when it was or what happened. In the books, she tried to escape several times. Once (perhaps the first time) was at the castle when all the clansmen were coming in for the gathering. She went to the barn at night intending to steal a horse and ran into Jamie, who was hiding from the oath-taking. At that time, he had no idea who she really was or where she wanted to escape to. For all he knew, she was a spy. Also, he couldn't go far from the castle, especially alone, as he still had a price on his head. And if Colum or Dougal found out he helped Claire escape, he'd be in a lot of trouble.

[Clawdette]

Jamie told Claire that extra men had been posted to guard the grounds because so many kinsmen were attending the oath taking and she would surely be caught if she tried to escape.  That’s why he took her back to the castle.  I think that’s in the book, too.

[toolazy]

On 3/4/2020 at 6:16 AM, Cdh20 said:

Jamie does not want Claire to leave, as he likes her/wants her/is in love with her already. I hope that is not spoilery. 

A more pragmatic reason is that the woods are full of guards so it would be hard to slip by undetected.  Jamie tells Claire that Colum wouldn't leave his castle completely unprotected with all of the clansmen inside and drunk to boot.  

[Jammy]

Why does claire forgive Jamie in 2x07 Faith?

Smash100 

When Claire is telling Jamie about her experiences during and after the birth of Faith, Claire describes the baby and how it was taken away from her for burial. She states 'yes I did hated you' then proceeds on blaming no one else but herself for the death of her child and Jamie says that he forgives her. But I honestly dont blame Claire for all of it. Jamie made a promise and broke it how was it Claire's fault the death of their child?

 

[Cdh20]

20 hours ago, Jammy said:

Why does claire forgive Jamie in 2x07 Faith?

Smash100 

When Claire is telling Jamie about her experiences during and after the birth of Faith, Claire describes the baby and how it was taken away from her for burial. She states 'yes I did hated you' then proceeds on blaming no one else but herself for the death of her child and Jamie says that he forgives her. But I honestly dont blame Claire for all of it. Jamie made a promise and broke it how was it Claire's fault the death of their child?

 

My understanding is that she would have lost the baby no matter what, she was stillborn. It was really  no ones fault, but when you lose a baby you try to blame someone (yourself, your spouse, the Dr, God).

Edited March 15, 2020 by Cdh20

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 3/15/2020 at 5:46 PM, Cdh20 said:

My understanding is that she would have lost the baby no matter what, she was stillborn. It was really  no ones fault, but when you lose a baby you try to blame someone (yourself, your spouse, the Dr, God).

It was a miscarriage brought on by stress, when she learned Jamie was dueling Black Jack.

[Cdh20]

58 minutes ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

It was a miscarriage brought on by stress, when she learned Jamie was dueling Black Jack.

Not really, Book Claire has difficult pregnancies, & it’s one of the reasons Jamie sends her back to the future when she is pregnant with Brianna.

[GHScorpiosRule]

10 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

It was a miscarriage brought on by stress, when she learned Jamie was dueling Black Jack.

9 hours ago, Cdh20 said:

Not really, Book Claire has difficult pregnancies, & it’s one of the reasons Jamie sends her back to the future when she is pregnant with Brianna.

I thought Faith was stillborn because Claire did hold her for a few minutes.

 

[auntlada]

I believe it was a miscarriage, but Faith was developed enough that essentially she was stillborn. Probably now we would call it a premature birth.

However, Brianna might have ended the same way if Claire had stayed. I believe she told Jamie that she and Brianna would have likely died if she had stayed.

[SassAndSnacks]

I thought it was mentioned in the books that Claire had either placenta previa or placenta abruptia. She knew that if she had another pregnancy it would be high risk and mentions that had she not gone through the stones just before Culloden both she and Bree would likely have died.

[nara]

On 3/14/2020 at 9:04 PM, Jammy said:

Why does claire forgive Jamie in 2x07 Faith?

Smash100 

When Claire is telling Jamie about her experiences during and after the birth of Faith, Claire describes the baby and how it was taken away from her for burial. She states 'yes I did hated you' then proceeds on blaming no one else but herself for the death of her child and Jamie says that he forgives her. But I honestly dont blame Claire for all of it. Jamie made a promise and broke it how was it Claire's fault the death of their child?

 

Not Claire’s fault in my opinion but perhaps it refers to taking risks during her pregnancy and not listening to Jamie when he asked her to be more cautious 

[nara]

Book readers, I am annoyed by the fact that Fergus has barely said a word in season 5 and has had no plot development for a couple of seasons. Does he do anything in the books? No need to go into a lot of detail, but I am trying to decide if I want to continue the watching and this particular issue is really annoying me. I am wondering if the reason is that he is not actually in Book 5.

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

11 hours ago, nara said:

Book readers, I am annoyed by the fact that Fergus has barely said a word in season 5 and has had no plot development for a couple of seasons. Does he do anything in the books? No need to go into a lot of detail, but I am trying to decide if I want to continue the watching and this particular issue is really annoying me. I am wondering if the reason is that he is not actually in Book 5.

Fergus really doesn't have much going on in book 5. 

[Ziggy]

On 4/12/2020 at 8:39 AM, nara said:

Book readers, I am annoyed by the fact that Fergus has barely said a word in season 5 and has had no plot development for a couple of seasons. Does he do anything in the books? No need to go into a lot of detail, but I am trying to decide if I want to continue the watching and this particular issue is really annoying me. I am wondering if the reason is that he is not actually in Book 5.

Rilla-my-Rilla speaks the truth.  Fergus does pay a role, but it's often behind the scenes.

[theschnauzers]

The other problem dating back to season two is having Jamie’ printing press be totally destroyed. In the books, Fergus runs a print shop using Jamie’s printing press. Without that there’s not much that can be shown.

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 minutes ago, theschnauzers said:

The other problem dating back to season two is having Jamie’ printing press be totally destroyed. In the books, Fergus runs a print shop using Jamie’s printing press. Without that there’s not much that can be shown.

His printing press was destroyed in season three. Season two was all about stopping Culloden.

[WatchrTina]

On 4/15/2020 at 4:44 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

His printing press was destroyed in season three.

Actually it wasn't destroyed.  Remember him throwing things out the window before leaving the building himself?  He saved the press (or as much of it as he could).  TV viewers don't know what became of all the pieces but that can be explained in a few lines if/when that printing press makes a reappearance in America.

(He DID throw stuff out the broken windows of the print shop in the show right?  Or am I mixing up the show with the mental pictures from the book that live in my head?  I have quarantine-brain right now . . . anything is possible.)

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, WatchrTina said:

Actually it wasn't destroyed.  Remember him throwing things out the window before leaving the building himself?  He saved the press (or as much of it as he could).  TV viewers don't know what became of all the pieces but that can be explained in a few lines if/when that printing press makes a reappearance in America.

(He DID throw stuff out the broken windows of the print shop in the show right?  Or am I mixing up the show with the mental pictures from the book that live in my head?  I have quarantine-brain right now . . . anything is possible.)

It wasn't? Things are a huge blur. I just remember being pissed at the change from the buik. I think I'll go rewatch.

[Glaze Crazy]

I don't think Jamie's Edinburgh printing press shows up in America until he arranges for it to come back with the man (something Bell?) who got shanghai'd out of the colonies, away from his family, and was living in Edinburgh with his brother. The brother (Andy Bell?) was the person that Jamie left it with when he and Claire went looking for Ian, in book 3. The first press Fergus has is one that comes with a business in one of the bigger towns in NC (it might even have belonged to the shanghai'd Bell?) that he and Jamie acquire to give Fergus something substantial to do, since he's at loose ends on the Ridge after the birth of his 4th child. The next press Fergus runs is in Philadelphia and I don't remember if it was the same one as NC or one that they acquired in Philly when they landed there. As of WiMOHB the Edinburgh press was in storage outside of Charleston, SC.

eta: This is the book timeline of Jamie's press. On the show I think it burned up in the fire, but I haven't watched that episode for a while.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Glaze Crazy

[Ziggy]

In A Breath of Snow and Ashes,

Spoiler

why did Bonnet kidnap Brianna?

I just watched “Mercy Shall Follow Me,” and it just occurred to me that I honestly don’t remember.

[WatchrTina]

On 4/28/2020 at 2:06 AM, Ziggy said:

Spoiler

why did Bonnet kidnap Brianna?

 

Spoiler

When she visited him in jail (where he was awaiting execution) she made the mistake of telling him that she was pregnant and even went so far as to suggest that the baby was his (which was a possibility given the short time between her wedding night with Roger and her being raped by Bonnet.)  Later (in the book) the Fraser/Wakefield family spots a birthmark on Jemmy's head, which is identical to a birthmark on Roger's head and Claire confirms that that particular kind of birthmark is hereditary, so all doubt is removed as to who fathered Jemmy.   Unfortunately, Bonnet doesn't know that and is unlikely to believe anything Breanna says on that subject.  So after he escapes hanging he develops a sick fantasy in his mind about setting up a happy family unit with Brianna and "their" son.

I can't remember the spoiler rules for this thread so I played it safe and hid everything.

Edited September 19, 2020 by WatchrTina

[toolazy]

On 9/19/2020 at 10:43 AM, WatchrTina said:

  Hide contents

When she visited him in jail (where he was awaiting execution) she made the mistake of telling him that she was pregnant and even went so far as to suggest that the baby was his (which was a possibility given the short time between her wedding night with Roger and her being raped by Bonnet.)  Later (in the book) the Fraser/Wakefield family spots a birthmark on Jemmy's head, which is identical to a birthmark on Roger's head and Claire confirms that that particular kind of birthmark is hereditary, so all doubt is removed as to who fathered Jemmy.   Unfortunately, Bonnet doesn't know that and is unlikely to believe anything Breanna says on that subject.  So after he escapes hanging he develops a sick fantasy in his mind about setting up a happy family unit with Brianna and "their" son.

I can't remember the spoiler rules for this thread so I played it safe and hid everything.

Wasn't there something in the book about him selling her off to someone else? Another sea captain or something?  

[WatchrTina]

On January 27, 2021 at 4:32 PM, toolazy said:

Wasn't there something in the book about him selling her off to someone else? Another sea captain or something? 

Okay I went hunting in the book and found a scene where Breanna is surprised to discover that Bonnet didn't seize her for his own sake (and he does not rape her because she tells him she's pregnant and he had a phobia about sex with pregnant women).  He kidnapped her because he was hired to do so by "A man named Forbes" and Bonnet doesn't know (or much care) WHY Forbes wanted her snatched up.  I found a scene where Bonnet tells Breanna the following: 

"Mr. Forbes only wanted ye out of the way, he said.  Whatever did ye do to the man, darlin'?  But he's paid your fare already, and I've the impression that he's no great interest in where ye end up"

"Where I end up?"  Her mouth had been dry; now saliva was pouring into her membranes, and she had to swallow repeatedly.

"Well, after all, darlin', why bother takin' ye all the way to London, where ye'd be of no particular use to anyone?  Besides, it rains quite a bit in London; I'm sure ye wouldn't like it."

 

Then I skipped forward and found a scene where the imprisoned Breanna is reunited with Phaedre (the slave who helped deliver Breanna's first child at Riverrun) and Phaedre explains to Breanna that they've fallen into the hands of a man who sells women to men from the Indies -- Planters who "buy pretty women."

But I will confess I can't recall WHY Forbes wanted Breanna "out of the way."  Maybe it was just revenge for her refusing his offer of marriage (and thus depriving him of becoming heir to Riverrun) but if so . . . damn.  That's an elaborate revenge plot.  

Edited January 29, 2021 by WatchrTina

[SassAndSnacks]

5 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

Maybe it was just revenge for her refusing his offer of marriage (and thus depriving him of becoming heir to Riverrun) but if so . . . damn.  That's an elaborate revenge plot.  

This is correct and with a bit more. It wasn’t just that Bree refused him, it was the way she did it. She basically scoffed at him and was full of disdain at the offer. After that, every time their paths crossed, they always had some negative interaction, with her being blatantly rude to him (not that he didn’t deserve it but she could have just walked away). 

[DoctorAtomic]

What does Lord John do in these books? I might be able to get into a series of Lord John doing Lordy things. 

[Athena]

5 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

What does Lord John do in these books? I might be able to get into a series of Lord John doing Lordy things. 

@DoctorAtomic I moved your post here as the Media topic is no book talk. Other readers of the books can answer here as well.

I have only read one but from I've read from synopsis and other readers, they are primarily historical mystery novels. Lord John's status as a closeted gay man in a very conservative time and place is also part of the books.

Hopefully another reader of the books can elaborate.