So maybe you’ve noticed that I’m a bit of an Outlander fan.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about Outlander, so I thought — on this rainy Saturday morning — I’d gather up the bits and pieces of Outlander-world news that have come up in the last few months.
First, from the world of books:
Sadly, it would appear that we’re not getting the 9th book in the main series in 2017. I know. I know. It’s hard. Diana Herself has made it clear that it takes as long as it takes, and it’s going to take a while. At least we have a title: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
What does the title mean? From Diana Gabaldon’s website:
Talking to your bees is a very old Celtic custom (known in other parts of Europe, too) that made it to the Appalachians. You always tell the bees when someone is born, dies, comes or goes—because if you don’t keep them informed, they’ll fly away.
What does this imply for our beloved characters? Discuss amongst yourselves.
In other book news, there are a couple of new releases to report.
First, there’s a new hardcover edition of the story Virgins now available! Virgins was originally released as part of an anthology (Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin, published 2013). Early this year, Virgins was released as a stand-alone e-story. And now, finally, I have my very own, very shiny new copy to place on my shelves!
Chronologically, Virgins takes place prior to the events of Outlander, telling the story of Jamie and Ian as young mercenaries (and virgins) in France. It’s a wonderful piece of storytelling, and I encourage fans of the series to check it out.
Unfortunately, the hardcover isn’t available directly from US sellers, but I got mine from Book Depository — and since they ship worldwide, it really wasn’t a problem. (And shipping is free, so the price was reasonable too.)
Second, especially for those who write, or those who want to write, or simply for fans, Diana released an e-book entitled “I Give You My Body…”: How I Write Sex Scenes, which is pretty much just what the title says. It’s Diana’s explanation of her approach to writing sex scenes, with tips and excerpts. The book is also available as an audiobook, narrated by Herself — always loads of fun.
Finally, here’s yet another reason to cheer! While we’re not getting a Big Enormous Book (as DG calls them) in 2017, we will have a new release to gobble up. Coming in June, Diana is releasing a collection of stories from the Outlander world.
Seven Stones To Stand or Fall is now available for pre-order from Amazon and other online sources, with a projected release date of June 27, 2017. The collection includes seven stories, some new and some previously published. The stories are…
Previously released:
- The Custom of the Army
- The Space Between
- A Plague of Zombies
- A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
- Virgins (yes, again!)
New (!!!)
- A Fugitive Green: A story about Hal and Minnie and how they first met.
- Besieged: About Lord John and his mother Benedicta
From the world of the Starz TV production of Outlander…
Season 3 filming is underway! No word yet on the air date, other than sometime in 2017. There are endless number of fan sites dedicated to the show, with countless behind-the-scenes tidbits and photos, so I won’t bother tracking them down here.
I do want to share the major casting updates of season 3, for those who haven’t seen them yet. New additions to the cast include:
Cesar Domboy as Fergus (all grown up):
Lauren Lyle as Marsali:
David Berry as Lord John:
John Bell as Young Ian:
Wil Johnson as Joe Abernathy:
Hannah James as Geneva Dunsany:
Tanya Reynolds as Isobel Dunsany:
Who else is excited for season 3???
Here’s hoping our long and painful Droughtlander ends soon!
I know the books are worth the wait…but the wait is so hard!
So, so hard! Meanwhile, I guess we can all just keep rereading the old ones until a new one comes along. 🙂
Your Outlander shelf looks an awful lot like mine! I really really want Virgins, and the anthology! They’re both gorgeous, but especially Virgins. (There not planning a US release at all?)
I love my Outlander shelf 🙂 … although by now, my Outlander-related goodies have colonized another shelf as well. As far as I understood, the Virgins hardcover was a UK release only. If you really want it, check out Book Depository – $10!
Oh wow, I totally will thanks!
That looks like a nice collection of stories! I’m not caught up on them all, but have a few on Audible. With new stories though (and no other print copy of the others) I just may have to add that to my wishlist!
There was another collection (A Trail of Fire) that had a few of the older stories, but it doesn’t seem like that’s available any longer. I can’t resist picking up anything new by DG! The Audible versions are all so good — I love the Lord John narrator!
Well hello Lord John!!! I listen to a podcast devoted to Outlander the series and the books. It’s a lot of fun and it helps me get through “droughtlander.” Here is the link if you’re interested: http://storywonk.com/category/podcasts/the-scot-and-the-sassenach/
Thanks for the link! Oh, Lord John… I love that man! I hope the on-screen portrayal lives up to his character in the books/audiobooks.
HA! I hadn’t heard about her How I Write Sex Scenes tip book.. that’s hilarious. Might actually have to get that out of sheer curiosity. I’m so sad that we won’t have a new book in 2017 but her books are always so excellent once they do happen so she can take all the time she needs. Unless she starts getting like GRRM and then I retract my statement. lol
I know — I wasn’t going to get the sex writing book, but I think I might need to listen to the audiobook. It’s always funny to hear DG read (I listened to the Outlandish Companion audiobooks — man, is she fast!).