I hope that there will be a final companion to the whole series and that she will take into account some of the criticism she got on this one and make it excellent. I think this is a must have addition to any Outlander Collection. Full of tidbits I'd never considered myself, full of wit and love and fun. Just a wonderful wonderful companion to the series!


FOR TRUE FANS ONLY!   February 28, 2000
 40 out of 42 found this review helpful

This is a must have if you have made these books a part of your lives. When you reread each book before the release of each new book, and you have read Outlander 4 times, then you need the Companion. People who aren't true fans of Gabaldon will feel like they've wasted their time and money. It has become a necessity in my library and will be very helpful when I start Outlander for the fith time. I didn't read the little teasers of the next two books. I don't want to ruin the surprise. Besides, it makes the waiting for it's release all that much harder. Diana definately can't write fast enough for me!


Definitely a worthwhile addition to my Outlander Collection!   July 9, 1999
 23 out of 23 found this review helpful

This book is wonderful for the simple fact that Diana gave the readers of her amazing time travel series what they asked for. Sure, there were certain things in it that I too, glossed over without much interest (i.e. character horoscopes, bibliography) and felt, though interesting and informative, the Gaelic glossery would have made much more sense being alphabetical (very difficult to use like it is) and would much rather have seen the family trees including the TRUE genealogy (showing illegitimate births, adoptions, birth/death dates, etc.....this info would help tremendously......it's a little deceiving like it is!.....hint, hint....maybe in the next companion book? Hee hee.), but the fact is is that I can't complain in the least because I never took the time to request any of this info. I am extremely thankful, however, to those readers who did and who's questions resulted in this richly detailed, all-inclusive companion book. For, despite those few things I mentioned above that personally didn't do much for me, the book overall was well worth it: the summaries of the previous books will be a Godsend when the next book comes out; I found the author's explanation on how she began these books and her writing process itself to be facinating; the controversies over certain topics in the books to be quite appalling (in a humorous way); the FAQ section very enlightening (even if it is on the website, I like having a hard copy in such a lovely format!). I truly did enjoy this book for what it was: a companion book with a little of everything for all fans of Jamie and Claire. Certainly a nice addition to my library. Anybody who is greatly disappointed in this book does not appreciate it for the "companion" that it is, and are probably not very big fans of the series!


Never read a Gabaldon book before   September 11, 1999
 20 out of 24 found this review helpful

A bit of serendipity came my way when I found the Outlandish Companion on the "new arrivals" bookshelf at my local library. My daughter had just begun reading "Outlander" and mentioned Diane's name the day before. A writer myself, I'd like to direct these comments to Ms. Gabladon Herself. My dear, you are a soul-sister. Your playful spirit and intellectual diversity enthralls me. This companion book is a very handy resource for writers and I will buy a hard copy for my own reference. You might want to consider publishing a book just for writers. Obviously, many readers miss the essence of what you have compiled within these pages. Several disgruntled readers complain that the same info can be found online. Humm - so different venues are unnecessary? "Why make a movie - there's already a book?" Good grief. Another reader complained about Amazon carrying certain comments. I hope Amazon continues to print whatever comes in, as it is all rather entertaining to see how emotional people become over such mundanities. Carry on, MacDuff. Work hard, make your millions and do alphabetize the next glossary. Hugs & kisses to you, Diane.


AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR!   January 12, 2003
 20 out of 21 found this review helpful

I really felt like I was sitting across the table having a warm and friendly conversation with an old friend, Diana Gabaldon! Because her 1000+ page books in the OUTLANDER series were written over the course of several years, people tend to forget some of the lesser characters or events. THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION makes it easy to look up a person or even a Gaelic phrase to become familiar with past events. Having recently discovered this series, I've been fortunate to read these books straight through (at great expense to my personal life and sleep, I might add). Frankly, I can't imagine the torture of having to wait years for each book, especially between DRAGONFLY and VOYAGER!

Subsequently, I read this book in chronological order (5th) because I absolutely didn't want to miss a thing (even though the plot and characters remained familiar to me). I did turn to it twice before to look up a forgotten name and wish I hadn't because I learned something about an individual that took place in a future book. I do know people who like to read ahead but I won't even read a review of a book until I have finished it; I like to be surprised!

The great part of this book is all the information gleaned from Gabaldon's personal life. We are introduced to her husband and three children. We learn that besides the fact that she is a genius (she didn't state this--it's just a given considering the epic tales she weaves) and best selling author (not to mention going without sleep), she has quite a normal life as a wife and mother. Diana tells us the unorthodox way she spins her tales--not in sequential order, but in bits and pieces. The result is not only a tremendous insight into the author, but background information of characters (even horoscopes and genealogy-which did not interest me) and events in her delightful novels.