Book 9: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

[ruby24]

I kinda figured it would be out next year. There's never been longer than a five year gap between books. Since Drums of Autumn it's been either four or five years between each one.

[auntlada]

I guess I better go back and start reading the books after Drums of Autumn. The ones after that run together for me, and I don't remember them well.

[lianau]

At least this time Jemmy wasn't stuck in a tunnel for 5 years .

[theschnauzers]

Diana has now stated on her social media in response to a question that Bees will come out in 2019, and then she’ll be starting Book 10 right after that.

[Dejana]

1 hour ago, theschnauzers said:

Diana has now stated on her social media in response to a question that Bees will come out in 2019, and then she’ll be starting Book 10 right after that.

Finally! Can't wait.

[AD55]

I don't think this excerpt has been posted. There's only one possible spoiler, of a not very spoilery nature:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/book-nine-outlander-series/life-on-the-ridge/

Actually, I think this probably isn't new. It was the last excerpt on DG's website for the book, but she seems to have reordered those, which I discovered when I looked at the upload date. This led me to check if there were any I hadn't read. I'm still wending my way through the excerpts, and I think she has expanded some of them--or I'm just misremembering, which is more than likely.

Edited February 21, 2019 by AD55

[AD55]

I think this is new:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/book-nine-outlander-series/a-roof-of-our-own/

And an update with draft chapter titles for section 1:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/book-nine-outlander-series/bees-update-with-chapter-titles/

[Beeyago]

I'm new to the fandom, not sure if i'm posting this in the correct thread...  Just finished watching the series and will start on the books soon.  Just now realized that the last book published was in 2014??  Does anyone have any guess as to what's going on?  Is she writing books 9 & 10 together maybe?  I now follow Diana on twitter and her reply to fans asking when 9 will come out is always "almost finished".  Well reading through this thread, it seems like she's been saying that for the past few years.  My fear is that we'll never get to see these last couple books ever on screen, and the 10th one seems to be very interesting since she's going to address the ghosts.  If Sam ends up getting cast for Bond, I'm guessing his remaining seasons would definitely be numbered.  Maybe the show is going to condense some of the remaining books so Diana is purposely dragging out the last 2?  Just find it all so odd.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

She and George Martin write for the same publishing house, let's not forget.

[SassAndSnacks]

On 10/24/2020 at 9:55 PM, Beeyago said:

My fear is that we'll never get to see these last couple books ever on screen, and the 10th one seems to be very interesting since she's going to address the ghosts.

I'm nervous about this, too.  She's been sharing excerpts from Book 9 for years, but the publication date keeps getting pushed back.  At the same time, she keeps talking about additional spinoffs - Jamie's parents and Master Raymond.  I'm sure those will be wonderful stories, and I truly appreciate her creativity and vision.  But, I want the main story.  I want Jamie and Claire, and I want to see this all come to a satisfactory resolution before we hear more about anyone else.  

I'm really hoping the show doesn't need to go the way of GoT and create its own story for a final season, because blah.  The episodes where they have ventured far from the source material are my least favorite of this series.  

[leighdear]

8 hours ago, SassAndSnacks said:

I'm nervous about this, too.  She's been sharing excerpts from Book 9 for years, but the publication date keeps getting pushed back.  At the same time, she keeps talking about additional spinoffs - Jamie's parents and Master Raymond.  I'm sure those will be wonderful stories, and I truly appreciate her creativity and vision.  But, I want the main story.  I want Jamie and Claire, and I want to see this all come to a satisfactory resolution before we hear more about anyone else.  

I'm really hoping the show doesn't need to go the way of GoT and create its own story for a final season, because blah.  The episodes where they have ventured far from the source material are my least favorite of this series.  

It's so frustrating when writers forget their audiences and the number of years THEY have invested in the stories.  Many of us will have forgotten the plot points of the last book, but I won't take the time to re-read before the next one.  

I Author Sue Grafton of the Kinsey Milhone "Alphabet" murders died after the "Y" book was published.  She had notes, an outline for the "Z" book, but we'll never know how the series would have wrapped up, per her will.  It can never be finished by anybody else.  Over 30 years reading these books, it was just done.  I used to own the entire series, but gave away all the books.  

She died of cancer, a terrible end for her and her family.   Readers felt abandoned, and angry that she had to go through that.  Horrible for family, horrible for her fans.  No, she never owed us anything, but it was a shock to know that last book was never going to be written.  Literally, no closure.

I've decided to never get so personally invested in an author and series of stories that I can't just finish one and say "meh, I'm good if this is all there is".   That's where I am with Gabaldon.    And if season 5 is the end for the TV show, I'm fine with that too. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by leighdear

[Beeyago]

Well that's frustrating about those other book series, but prime examples.  I'm now glad that I just recently came to this fandom, I can't imagine following it for the past 30 years. I'm sure I would have lost interest and forgotten a lot of what even happened.  I know sometimes spinoff books are a product of character development exercises that authors do, but geesh, none of us are getting any younger!  Diana is very active on Twitter.  I keep wanting to reply to her and say... um, can you please quit tweeting and go finish 9 & 10??  lol

[SassAndSnacks]

16 hours ago, leighdear said:

It's so frustrating when writers forget their audiences and the number of years THEY have invested in the stories.  Many of us will have forgotten the plot points of the last book, but I won't take the time to re-read before the next one. 

This is a really interesting point.  I hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah...I haven't been following this story for 30 years like many others, but I would be absolutely gutted to not know why/how Jamie was in that square watching Claire in 1946.  I have my own theories, of course, but I want a finality to the story.  

1 hour ago, Beeyago said:

I keep wanting to reply to her and say... um, can you please quit tweeting and go finish 9 & 10??  lol

Me too!  I sometimes think that she never anticipated the story being THIS BIG and now having all of these other opportunities.  I'm so happy that she has brought this story to us and that she now has outlets and avenues for all of her creativity and talent.  But, clearly it is a bit of a block when it comes to finishing the story.  She cranked the first few books out in quick succession, and now we're six years out and nothing.  

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:28 PM, leighdear said:

I've decided to never get so personally invested in an author and series of stories that I can't just finish one and say "meh, I'm good if this is all there is".   That's where I am with Gabaldon.    And if season 5 is the end for the TV show, I'm fine with that too.

I think you mean Season 6. The season we had this year was Season 5. The show was renewed through Season 6 in 2018.

[Ziggy]

11 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

I think you mean Season 6. The season we had this year was Season 5. The show was renewed through Season 6 in 2018.

I don't know.  Season 6 hasn't happened yet.  If there's one thing Corona Virus has taught us, it's that nothing is guaranteed.

[leighdear]

9 hours ago, Ziggy said:

I don't know.  Season 6 hasn't happened yet.  If there's one thing Corona Virus has taught us, it's that nothing is guaranteed.

Yep, this is exactly what I meant!   Plenty of shows have been renewed but have either pushed off shooting, changed their schedules, or dropped the whole thing.  There are shows with partial seasons filmed, entire seasons complete but not airing and a mixture of all those scenarios. 

The newest season of The Amazing Race, airing now was filmed in 2018, over 2 years ago. 

The right here and right now is all we have, so I don't assume anything!

[areca]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:28 PM, leighdear said:

She died of cancer, a terrible end for her and her family.   Readers felt abandoned, and angry that she had to go through that.  Horrible for family, horrible for her fans.  No, she never owed us anything, but it was a shock to know that last book was never going to be written.  Literally, no closure.

Robert Jordan.  Diana shouldn't feel invincible.  He wasn't that old.   Git 'er done.

[toolazy]

Are we really arguing that an author has an obligation to write in a hurry because they might die!?  Oh, poor us if a beloved series isn't finished because the author died!?  Christ on a raft.

[nodorothyparker]

Diana Gabaldon posted this image on social media over the weekend.

 

She says, essentially, yes it is finished but no, she doesn't know when it will be released. She wrote a long post on Facebook detailing how it's now in the hands of her editor and there's a whole process of it going back and forth before it ever hits the stores. 

 

 

[nodorothyparker]

Annnd, we have an official date from Diana Gabaldon's social media:

[SassAndSnacks]

3 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Annnd, we have an official date from Diana Gabaldon's social media

Annnnddddd, I'm adding that week to my Outlook calendar as "Out of Office"!!

[Beeyago]

6 hours ago, SassAndSnacks said:

Annnnddddd, I'm adding that week to my Outlook calendar as "Out of Office"!!

So I’ve only read the first book (I know I know, I need to get back to reading the rest in the next few months!), and admittedly have not read through this entire thread, but has there been any speculation on what the title of this book could mean? 

[SassAndSnacks]

1 hour ago, Beeyago said:

but has there been any speculation on what the title of this book could mean

I've been reading the "Daily Lines" for this book for awhile now, but I haven't seen anything in there that directly related to the title.  Not to spoil you too much to the later books in the series, but Claire has several bee-gums in her garden.  An incident happens involving the bees in Book 6 and it stays with her.  Also, she really loves her bee hives.  

I'm trying not to think it means that she's gone somewhere, like somewhere in the future, because I won't appreciate that so much.  

[Beeyago]

22 minutes ago, SassAndSnacks said:

I've been reading the "Daily Lines" for this book for awhile now, but I haven't seen anything in there that directly related to the title.  Not to spoil you too much to the later books in the series, but Claire has several bee-gums in her garden.  An incident happens involving the bees in Book 6 and it stays with her.  Also, she really loves her bee hives.  

I'm trying not to think it means that she's gone somewhere, like somewhere in the future, because I won't appreciate that so much.  

Yeah I wonder, who is gone and where have they gone??? Ohh Diana, the suspense 😭

[toolazy]

On 4/15/2021 at 4:43 PM, Beeyago said:

So I’ve only read the first book (I know I know, I need to get back to reading the rest in the next few months!), and admittedly have not read through this entire thread, but has there been any speculation on what the title of this book could mean? 

There is a Scots/Irish custom that when major things happen in a household - births, deaths, etc - you have to  go tell the bees or they get mad and leave.  So that's what the title refers to. 

[ruby24]

Will it only be in hardcover at first or will the mass market paperback be available on the same date?

Edited May 12, 2021 by ruby24

[SassAndSnacks]

Pre-ordered my Kindle copy of this yesterday, and I'm so excited for the auto download at midnight on 11/23.  Yay!  

 

[leighdear]

On 11/3/2021 at 8:07 AM, SassAndSnacks said:

Pre-ordered my Kindle copy of this yesterday, and I'm so excited for the auto download at midnight on 11/23.  Yay!  

 

Yeah, I pre-ordered mine too.  And I just started re-reading WIMOHB.  I know, I said I wouldn't care that much....*LOL*  But I'm glad to get back to these folks after so long!

[Haleth]

I put a hold on this at the library even though they don't have it yet.  Five people are ahead of me.  I feel like we all have our noses pressed against the window in anticipation.

[SassAndSnacks]

I'm 35% of the way through and really liking it so far.  I've laughed, cried, and gasped in surprise, and I still have so much more to read.  The pacing of this one feels much more in line with ABOSAA and MOBY and is a huge improvement over Echo.   

Enjoy!

[WatchrTina]

Here's a link to an interview in which Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan, and Maril Davis discuss GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE.  No spoilers -- only the merest whiff of a hint about something that happens in the book.   (Diana is FAR too experienced to let a book spoiler slip out during an interview promoting that new book.)  The interview is really about the process of writing the book and since Sam and Maril are involved it's REALY a promotional bit to keep viewers excited about the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il3n-yzW0Ok

Edited December 2, 2021 by WatchrTina

[jqdeco]

Just finished Bees.  Really good. No one was raped, so that was good.  And I am starting to warm up to William. I haven’t cared for his character until now, but he is finally growing on me.

[SassAndSnacks]

19 hours ago, jqdeco said:

Just finished Bees.

I'm so close!  71%!  (Ok, so in Gabaldon terms that's not really that close.)

Spoiler

I'm moderately annoyed at the moment because we've been away from J&C for awhile, but I'm sure she'll bring everything back around soon.

  

[McKavity]

Sooo…. I’m at the 86% mark.  Not fully engaged (not enough J&C), and I may not finish because of the plot twist that occurs at this stage of the book.

I was so looking forward to reading this, even reread the prior two books in preparation, but I think I may be out.

[nodorothyparker]

I'm most of the way through and will probably finish by tomorrow or Sunday. It's nice catching up with everybody, but at the same time the first third of the book covers only like two or three days that remind me a lot of the neverending first day of The Fiery Cross. From there Gabaldon seems hellbent on rehashing every minor plot point she ever left dangling or bringing back every minor character you never really wondered about. 

It's a crowded book.

[SassAndSnacks]

21 hours ago, McKavity said:

Sooo…. I’m at the 86% mark.  Not fully engaged (not enough J&C), and I may not finish because of the plot twist that occurs at this stage of the book.

This is EXACTLY how I felt at this point.  

21 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

From there Gabaldon seems hellbent on rehashing every minor plot point she ever left dangling or bringing back every minor character you never really wondered about. 

I mentioned to someone else that I felt like she tied in every plotline from every LJG book.  I never read those, and I don't care about those stories.  It really took me out of this book.  

21 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

It's a crowded book.

This is really a perfect summation.

 

I finished this one in the wee hours of this morning, and I have to say, I'm sad about it.

- I'm sad that I've finished it.

- I'm sad that we waited so long and this is what we got.

- I'm sad that she is freaking all over the place with this story.  Clearly, there is some really interesting underlying stuff going on here, particularly at the Ridge, and she just blows right through it to focus on people that IDGAF about.

- I'm sad that she completely sidelined the heroine of this story, and more importantly, the actual STORY itself.  

- I'm sad that I feel depressed about the last 10% of this book, including that BS she tried to pull on us at 93% of the way through.  

I don't know.  I think this was my least favorite of the series.  I keep thinking, "That was it?"

[nodorothyparker]

Finally finished last night. I guess my final verdict is that I don't hate it but don't exactly love it either. I did really enjoy spending time with characters I like and seeing them make connections that didn't happen in the last book. William and Brianna were really lovely if more truncated than I would have liked. But I stand by my earlier opinion that it's a crowded book that really could have used an assertive editor to ask "Do you really need this? All of this? You do remember you have main characters nobody's seen in chapters at this point?"

I'm also a little aggravated this this is now the second book in a row to end on a scene I really want to see a continuation of, knowing that it may be another five or so years before Gabaldon puts out another book and barring cancellation the series will certainly have passed this point to wrap up by then. We know how that turned out for Game of Thrones. I have a lot of mixed thoughts on the big reveal/plot twist that I won't get into now beyond annoyance at how easily it went full monologuing Bond villain.

I'm also really over whole stretches about dour Presbyterians who think it's okay to be shitty to the landowning family and Jamie just ... lets them. I was over it three books ago.

 

[SassAndSnacks]

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

William and Brianna were really lovely if more truncated than I would have liked.

Agree.  They were an unexpected treat for me.  I don't particularly care for them so much by themselves, but I really enjoyed them together.  Wish there would have been more of that.

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

I'm also a little aggravated this this is now the second book in a row to end on a scene I really want to see a continuation of, knowing that it may be another five or so years before Gabaldon puts out another book and barring cancellation the series will certainly have passed this point to wrap up by then. ... I have a lot of mixed thoughts on the big reveal/plot twist that I won't get into now beyond annoyance at how easily it went full monologuing Bond villain.

YES!  The ending was so..."Ok, now what? We're stopping here?!"  It's like she closes her Word file and is like, ok, that's it for today.  Here's the book.  

The plot twist was a little silly as it was and needed more development.  And then they just suddenly receive with the deed and letter later?  She just sort of threw that in at the end.

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

I'm also really over whole stretches about dour Presbyterians who think it's okay to be shitty to the landowning family and Jamie just ... lets them. I was over it three books ago.

 YESSSSSSS!!!!!  It's a tired plot point, and frankly, I don't think Jamie would stand for it.  She could have cut out all of the Cunningham nonsense and made it about Ferguson's militia stirring up loyalists and burning out rebels. 

I'm going to try this one again in a few weeks, and maybe it will grow on me.  

[nodorothyparker]

2 hours ago, SassAndSnacks said:

The plot twist was a little silly as it was and needed more development.  And then they just suddenly receive with the deed and letter later?  She just sort of threw that in at the end.

I was specifically thinking of the big kidnapping and "oh, don't you want to know why I'm doing this? No? I'm going to tell you anyway in mind-numbing detail that's supposed to explain why I've been skulking around your family for three books" when I wrote that but yeah, it applies to this plot too. For a plot point that's been speculated on a fair bit over the years, all the drama over the deed and wait, you're a villain now too? felt like it came completely out of left field. Then to make matters worse the resolution felt very tacked on like Gabaldon realized she was nearing the end of the book and having raised the plot point had forgotten to tie it up.

[GHScorpiosRule]

How about some deets?

[Shorty186]

I was upset that I was basically forced into reading the whole book instead of being able to skip over the Roger/Bree chapters when they were back in the 20th century. Just in case something important with (I dunno) Jamie & Claire were to happen or something ... so I was a little confused about Rob Cameron/Ezekiel Richardson but not nearly enough to go back and read their chapters in the last couple of books. 

Everything seemed to be happening really slow too. The whole thing only covered 2 years? I guess DG wants to draw out the war for as long as possible but didn't she say once that the series is supposed to end in 1800? Meaning there's still 20 more years to cover unless that was a rumor/hallucination.

[Haleth]

On 12/10/2021 at 3:33 PM, nodorothyparker said:

It’s a crowded book.

That is a perfect description. I just told someone there is enough content for 3 or 4 novellas, yet half the book is leisurely (but pleasant) slice o’ life stuff at the Ridge. I enjoyed it, but man, it’s long.

So that’s that with the deed issue?  Problem resolved?  That was too easy. Surely there must be a conflict coming in the next book?  As long as the book is, some things like this were rushed.

Bree was tolerable. I still get annoyed at William. 

[SassAndSnacks]

21 hours ago, Haleth said:

I just told someone there is enough content for 3 or 4 novellas, yet half the book is leisurely (but pleasant) slice o’ life stuff at the Ridge.

Agree, and I feel like that is where a huge swath of this book belongs - in the LJG novellas.

[justmehere]

Question: (Not sure if specific details need spoilers but adding just in case)

Spoiler

I'm confused by the timing with Richardson, who seems to come from the past or at least has been there for years, yes? Looking the same as always to William and Lord John, who would have noticed if Richardson's face had changed. Yet now Bree has identified him as someone from the future who was involved in attacking her, but has since altered his face. --I could understand him risking going back and forth in time, but the plastic surgery thing is confusing. Did I totally miss something there? (Not even sure I have that story straight...)

Did not care for the "sudden villain" and didn't really buy it either. I liked the soldier whose mother was a healer and was more interested in him than the rest of that particular plot point. 

Young Ian remains one of my favorite characters. I enjoyed his story a great deal and always appreciated when he showed up. I would also like to see more of Bree and William, which seems possible. Kind of curious about Claire "coming into her power." 

As much as I enjoy immersing in these books - I do hope she ends it with the next one. Also that she consolidates a bit to bring everything to some central resolution. 

[nodorothyparker]

Diana Gabaldon On The Return Of (Spoiler) In 'Go Tell The Bees That I Have Gone'

This interview assumes you've finished the book.

[Scatterbrained]

I just finished this book.  Were all the other books this long?  Good grief!  I can’t imagine how long the next one will be if she decides to wrap it all up at an even 10 books.  

[ch1]

27 minutes ago, Scatterbrained said:

I just finished this book.  Were all the other books this long?  Good grief!  I can’t imagine how long the next one will be if she decides to wrap it all up at an even 10 books.  

Yes they are.  If she took out some details - like describing every smell to the tiniest most ridiculous molecule the whole series would be half as long.

[jacourt]

I am completely mixed up. In hour of the wolf episode Emily had no children when she was with Ian. In the book Ian goes and visits her and takes her older son to live with him and they insinuate he could be Ian’s. Granted it was late at night when I read it so I could be mistaken. 

[Eureka]

1 hour ago, jacourt said:

I am completely mixed up. In hour of the wolf episode Emily had no children when she was with Ian. In the book Ian goes and visits her and takes her older son to live with him and they insinuate he could be Ian’s. Granted it was late at night when I read it so I could be mistaken. 

You’re not mistaken, that’s exactly what happened. Without being able to date a pregnancy as accurately as we can now, I just assumed he was born around nine months after Ian left and the new husband seemed to be taking his place right at the same time.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

1 hour ago, Eureka said:

You’re not mistaken, that’s exactly what happened. Without being able to date a pregnancy as accurately as we can now, I just assumed he was born around nine months after Ian left and the new husband seemed to be taking his place right at the same time.

That's right.