Outlander Series discussion
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The Outlandish Companion
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Outlandish Companion
Hmm. Excellent question! I recently bought it, after being a reader of the series for nine years, because I wanted clarification about a few different scenes. The companion DID help! She's got a lot of good info in there. Before you buy, you might want to check DG's website; I believe she's writing a new companion. I don't know if it picks up where the first one left off or if it will encompass ALL of the books. If it encompasses all, you might want to wait until it comes out. One piece of advice: If you do buy it, buy it from Amazon and not at your local bookstore. The bookstores near me charged about $10 more for the book than Amazon. Even with shipping, it was cheaper on Amazon.
Good luck and happy reading!
I think opinions about the OC are very individual and depends on your reading style – I love to know the ‘Why & how’ behind something so I love owning the OC. I bought the hardcover version because it was on sale, but I'm SO happy I did. I love having it and referring to it. It's very useful when I want to know what a Gaelic term is, how she came up with the names of the books or characters, what the ‘oopsies’ are in the books, the controversial topics and how she feels about them, her research ... and so on. If you love insight into her writing and the books, I would recommend it. There isn't much in there that can't be found online if you look hard enough, but I love having the book as a reference when I forget who a character is - since she included an entire list of every single one - or what she meant by a certain thing in a book (her synapses do have some of her own insights to assumptions we were left to make while reading the books). I can't wait until the OC II!!!!
My lovely sister in law bought me a copy of the o.c. and i really wouldn't be without it, my bible. DG has taken the time to do what alot of other authors who have written a series has not, this fantastic book explains just about everything from jamie's family tree to where she got her information and fact for writting this series. The only thing that i was slightly dissappointed with was the map at the front of the book showing where the places in Scotland were, "muckel o the places are weel oot and i shid ken i live here". That aside i wouldn't be without it & would seriesly advise anyone who can afford to buy it to do so, oh i am so addicted to this womans writting its unbelievable. I am really looking forward to getting the second edition once it has been finished & published.
Fiona wrote: "My lovely sister in law bought me a copy of the o.c. and i really wouldn't be without it, my bible. DG has taken the time to do what alot of other authors who have written a series has not, this f..."Oh, right Fiona... the family trees too (which are great)! I had forgotten about those... the overwhelming feedback for the things to include on the OCII (on the Artemis site) was to have more maps, so hopefully Diana will give us some!
i do hope so id like to see more maps, that site is well cool! My poor hubby is so sick of me complaining that we all have ages to wait for the next installment to come out hee hee. Oh well nothing for it but to re-read again for the umteenth time.lol
Fiona wrote: "i do hope so id like to see more maps, that site is well cool! My poor hubby is so sick of me complaining that we all have ages to wait for the next installment to come out hee hee. Oh well nothin..."I'm only about a third way through TFC (first time reading the series) so I am enjoying every minute of it - the longer it takes me to read the last 3 books, the less I have to wait for #8.... I loved that the OC went up to DOA only - that way, when I finished reading DOA I could devour the OC without worrying about spoilers.
That is the other reason I love it - the synapses of each books are great! My friend who read the series years ago borrowed the OC so she could read the synapses and get caught up.
I finally gave in and ordered the OC last night. I can't wait to get it! :)
I've glanced at it. I wish it was like a concordance where you look up a word or name and then it'll give you a brief description and tell you where to find it in the books. There is good stuff in it but it's like another book to read.
You're right Chantal. I'll just have to put a Kindle on my wish list.
I have a Sony reader,not a Kindle, and in the UK, all the books in the series are available as ebooks - except "The Fiery Cross". It's an odd thing to do, to publish all but 1 of a series!
I found that a lot of the OC info was also on her website, which I thoroughly explored, being the properly obsessed fan that I am. Listen to her podcasts if you can, they're fun stuff!
Musician-I also have the Sony reader, but I have the entire series on it. Is the UK Reader Store different from the US one? If so, that is wierd.
Yes, we can't access the US Book Store from here. Not even if I buy a book as a present, then use the gift card. Seems to be to do with copyright - at least, so say the publishers! Can't see how, when the companies are often in both the US and the UK.We have access to Waterstone's, WHSmith. we had access to Borders until it died, now we've got Mills and Boon.
I'm sorry. Have you thought of contacting Sony? If it's copyright, they probably couldn't do anything. I would suggest just biting the bullet and buying a hard copy, so, you have it until you can get it for your Sony Reader. "The Fiery Cross" is too important to the story to miss.
hi Mary,I have contacted them and the publishers, and Waterstone's,which is where I got the rest of the series from.
I did read "the Fiery Cross" in hard copy, but it would be so much better on my Sony!
:)
Wow, I'm impressed with your tenacitity{?}! But, you're right, it is fun to have it at your fingertips. Are you enjoying your e-Reader? I really love mine. And, I haven't,, so far, had a problem finding the books I want to read. How long have you had yours? I've enjoyed mine for about a year. People are so accustomed to seeing me with it, that they are surprised when my hands are empty. I keep all my favorite series on it at all times. That way I can reread them whenever I get to missing the characters. Rather an odd attachment, which may border on a mental condition, I'm sure; but, I feel in good company and know everyone here will understand.
more pig headed than tenacious,, but thank you! I got mine in September. I'd wanted a red one and couldnt find one till then.I absolutely love it. It's so easy to downlaod books - while drinking coffee in the house.
As to your mental state, mine's much the same! Fun, isn't it!
Inded! Why did you choose the Sony over the Kindle? Mine was mainly price at the time. I have the 505; very simple to use and much less expensive. I may get a Kindle later as the price goes down over time. The only problem I have is an unreliable internet. The Kindle, not depending on intenet, doesn't have that issue. I'm sure it has other issues, after all nothing is perfect. But I'm happy with what I have now.
The Kindle wasn't available here when I bought the sony. I also preferred the appearance and size of the sony. The 505 does what I want it to do very very well.Sony had a survey last week, one of the questions was asking if a downlload service without PC connection would be attractive, so they may be looking at this. Hope so!
Musician wrote: "The Kindle wasn't available here when I bought the sony. I also preferred the appearance and size of the sony. The 505 does what I want it to do very very well.Sony had a survey last week, one of..."
Can I butt into this conversation? I'm looking for an e-reader that supports LIT files and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Any suggestions?
The reason I want it to support LIT is because I have a ton of LIT books and would hate to have to replace them.
It's not a private chat Diana, so you're very welcome!As far as I know, the Sony only supports pdf and ebook format. I dont know about the others.
:)
That's what I thought, too. I know there are alot of e-Readers out there, many more than I was aware of when I was looking. But, I don't know if any of them support LIT or not.Musician- have you had any problem with your Sony not holding a charge? I do all the things suggested and sometimes it still is giving me trouble. I even reduced the number of books, which did help some. I was just curious.
I've about 140 on mine. It charges up fine, lasts about 4 days until it's down to 2 bars. If I keep using it without charging it then, it resets and I lose all the bookmarks -VERY irritating!I use a wall charger - it's alot quicker than using the PC to recharge. Got a charger from ebay for it.
:)
Mine has this nasty habit of not warning me ahead of time and will just run out. If I try to wall charge it before at least one bar shows, it's like it overcharges and it requires resetting. It is very irritating, but, I'm slowly learning how to work within its little quirks. And, I find tect support is very helpful.
I have a personal (and no doubt insane) opinion that all machines of all types, electrical and engineeering, come with a gremlin. That then expalins the quirks and foibles they all have!Also, having re-read my last post, and then counted the books on my Sony, it should have been 40, the extra hundred no doubt attributable to the gremlin in the computer, and nothing to do with my keyboard skills and proof reading!!!
I agree with your gremlin acknowlegement whole heartily! It is nice to have the conveniences we do, but, realizing aways the delicate balance in managing the wee fiends!
Diana,I just happened to be on Adobe looking for something when I came across info on E-Readers.LOL I thought I'd seen one that supports LIT so I copied the info for you.I did cut it down to save space :)
Astak EZ Reader-The EZ Reader uses E Ink technology, is lightweight has the capacity to hold thousands of books & supports multiple file formats such as PDF, DOC, JPG, TXT, MP3, PDB, HTML, LIT, and non-DRM PRC. It has an SD card slot to expand memory up to 4GB.It can play MP3 files while you read.It's very energy efficient so you can read up to 8,000 pages on a single charge.Includes USB cable to transfer files to and from your computer & contains carrying case and earbuds.
I'm not sure if this one will work but I added it in case:
COOL-ER eBook reader is the smallest, lightest, fastest, and most affordable eBook reader ever. It's the first e-reader to work with books in any format, from any store,has a companion eBook store where books can be bought, downloaded and shared. Here is the website with several more listed. http://www.adobe.com/products/digital...
I hope this helps anyone who's looking.
I wish someone would just tell me which to buy, it's impossible for me to know which one is the right one! HAHA so I'd take anyone's advice! :) Just want to read, be nice to have the mp3 maybe? Just started looking today to see what is available now.
Good job, Robin! Those sound like they are ready to take over the world! When I was looking it was hard enough, I'm glad I didn't know about those. I do remember having that overwhemlded feeling. The way I had to narrow it down was to make a list of the options I really wanted and then a list of the ones that would be nice. For me price was a big consideration and then went down from there. Good luck, it is fun.
So today my Outlandish Companion came in the mail. My husbands reaction upon seeing it: "Oh no, another book by Diana Gabaldon" He knows I will be addicted! Heehee ;-)P.S. I must add that he supports my Outlander obsession--he is getting me a "Claire's ring" (engraved and all) for our anniversary :-)
Question regarding the The Outlandish Companion...only kind of fits under the previous discussion!I've searched through old posts in this goodreads group on what "King, Farewell" is supposed to be. Some say it's Book 5, some say it's the Final book. The Outlandish Companion lists excerpts from both "The Fiery Cross" and "King, Farewell". Did "King, Farewell" simply get absorbed by "The Fiery Cross"? I am slowly going through "The Fiery Cross" now so I apologize if the answer is obvious to some people.
King, Farewell as a title didn't stick. I can't remember if it was ABOSAA that it became or if it just became TFC. But it was a working title of a book that she ended up changing before printing.
Wendy wrote: "King, Farewell as a title didn't stick. I can't remember if it was ABOSAA that it became or if it just became TFC. But it was a working title of a book that she ended up changing before printing."Thanks! I'm not going to read the "excerpt" if I'm going to end up reading it later on anyways.
Just found this on Kindle... either I missed it before, or it wasn't available as a Kindle ebook. When I first read the hardcopy from the library, I couldn't imagine owning it; but now I realize it's a handy reference.Skimming through, I was reminded that Diana G had plans for 6 books in the main Outlander series. Guess that changed, huh? Obviously, Ms. G found more to write about than she originally thought. Not that I want our journey with Jamie & Claire to be over, but... sometimes I want it to be over -LOL!
What is the difference between The Outlandish Companion(pub June 1999) & Through The Stones(pub Aug 1999)??
Allison wrote: "What is the difference between The Outlandish Companion(pub June 1999) & Through The Stones(pub Aug 1999)??"It's the same book. Through the Stones is the British name.
Morag wrote: "Allison wrote: "What is the difference between The Outlandish Companion(pub June 1999) & Through The Stones(pub Aug 1999)??"It's the same book. Through the Stones is the British name."
Thank you!!
Is an Outlandish Companion 2 in the works?
Hi :) I'm new to the series, I'm only on book 2, however I knew before finishing the first book that I was going to love them all, so I bought the set of books 1-7 on my kindle.In the meantime, I would love having the companion to reference, when I have questions or forget someone, but I'm afraid of spoiling the story at the same time. To any of you that have read the companion, do you think its possible to avoid spoiling things for myself if I get it before finishing book 4?
Jennie - I would not read the Outlandish Companion until you have read the first 4 books. You will find spoilers.CHC94 Yes OC 2 is in the works :)
I am half way thru voyager. I want outlandish companion so bad! I think it would help me in alot in some facts and help me with the Gaelic phrases.
Annie is right about spoilers but if you really want the Companion as I know I did, carefully review the table of contents and navigate through the book that way to minimize your chance of coming across spoilers. Page 233 begins a terrific pronunciation guide and dictionary of Gaelic words and phases. ;0)
Gabaldon fans: you guys might be interested in this meaty, revealing interview with Diana. Here's the link to part one, which in turn links to part 2. http://bit.ly/YqcJMw
Thank you both for your advice, I'm going to wait to get the companion, I really don't want to spoil things! ;-)
Jennie wrote: "Hi :) I'm new to the series, I'm only on book 2, however I knew before finishing the first book that I was going to love them all, so I bought the set of books 1-7 on my kindle.In the meantime, I..."
The Caompanion is on the first four books, so I agree with Jennie. Finish book 4 first.
Ok so is the companion 2 going to be a continuation of the first one or a revision? I am trying to figure out if I should just borrow the first one from a friend or buy it. Her website says its a sequel but does anyone know if it will cover the same material as the first one?
What I have heard about OC 2 is that it will be a about books 5 to 8. I don't know if there will be anything on books 1 to 4.
Does anyone know when companion 2 comes out?? After book 8 is out?
Thanks, Annie!! I missed that notice.
Outlander Series
Books mentioned in this topic
The Fiery Cross (other topics)The Outlandish Companion (other topics)
I've looked into the Outlandish Companion but I'm not sure whether or not it's worth reading. What did you like best or dislike about it? Would you recommend it?
Thanks!
Jessica