Outlander Series 7-Book Bundle: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, the Fiery Cross, a Breath of Snow and Ashes, an Echo in

Outlander #1-7

by Diana Gabaldon

Diana Gabaldon's acclaimed Outlander series blends rich historical fiction with riveting adventure and a truly epic love story. Now, with this convenient seven-volume eBook bundle, discover the novels that have won Gabaldon millions of fans and introduced readers to the brilliant Claire Randall and valiant Highlander Jamie Fraser.
"Great fun . . . marvelous and fantastic adventures, romance, sex . . . perfect escape reading."--"San Francisco Chronicle, " on "Outlander"
The year is 1946. Claire Randall is a British ex-combat nurse on a postwar second honeymoon with her husband in the Scottish Highlands. Walking alone one afternoon, she passes through a circle of standing stones and is hurled back in time to a Scotland simmering with war in the year of our Lord 1743. Catapulted into an intrigue of rival clans and rising armies that threatens her life, she's obliged to wed James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, as the only way to survive. Thus begins a series of unrivaled storytelling that has become a modern classic. This bundle includes:
OUTLANDER
DRAGONFLY IN AMBER
VOYAGER
DRUMS OF AUTUMN
THE FIERY CROSS
A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES
AN ECHO IN THE BONE
" "
"Diana Gabaldon is a born storyteller . . . the pages practically turn themselves.""--The Arizona Republic, "on" Dragonfly in Amber"
"A feast for ravenous readers of eighteenth-century Scottish history, heroism, and romance."--"Kirkus Reviews, "on "Outlander"

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Outlander, Time Travel, Historical

ebook

First published October 29, 2012

About the author

Diana Jean Gabaldon Watkins grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and is of Hispanic and English descent (with a dash of Native American and Sephardic Jew). She has earned three degrees: a B.S. in Zoology, a M.S. in Marine Biology, and a Ph.D in Ecology, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow, for services to Scottish Literature.

She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona .

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the collection of the 1st 7 books in this series. I purchased this bundle as a deal and couldn't pass it up. I saw other's love it but it had a lot of things I normally don't pick out in a book.

1. Huge books, rather wordy but after reading it I wouldn't miss it for the world. The story is amazing.

2. You are dragged back in forth between the past and more recent present, which I normally couldn't stand but I absolutely loved it.

3. You are also given multiple view points, again not a favorite of mine, but I was so riveted to each and every word I couldn't put it down.

Talk about a must read, this series is amazing. Everything I try to stay away from in my reading choices, which would explain what took me so long to read it, BUT, I LOVED IT.

I can also guarantee that I will be spending time re-reading this series again and again.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series began well; the first 3 books, imo, are must reads if a reader likes romance (oh get over it, Gabaldon, it's fucking romance), or historical novels, or time travel or any combination of those. while there are some tiresome tropes--Gabaldon has some issues with ensuring that every character in the series gets raped or nearly killed at least twice, and you don't want to make "nipple" a drinking game if you're going to go on a marathon read of the series--it's fun, interesting and you mostly care about Claire and Jamie.

Drums of Autum begins a long (loooooong) slow decline. The Fiery Cross continued it. A Breath of Snow and Ashes was interminable. Seriously, I kept looking to see what page I was on because it was SUCH a long slow drag of "How I spent My Summer Vacation in Colonial North Carolina and Got Raped". (Michener could give Gabaldon a lesson in brevity, just sayin...) An Echo in the Bone was better than Snow and Ashes, but good God, anything would be.

So why would I buy Echo after Snow and Ashes? Good question; I asked that myself. And Echo had been published for months before I ponied up the cash for it. And then a month later, ditched the book and paid an obscene amount of money for an e-version of it, but at least the e-reader is easier to lug around than the hard copy. Mostly, after investing so many years and so much time (and so much money) i this series, I'd just like to know how it end.

But I suspect it never will. More's the pity.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book series! Each hefty/weighty/lengthy book, flies by and leaves you bereft, mourning the loss of your friends. The characters are so well-developed, their personalities so "real" that you feel you know them and they would be your friends.

The storyline is complex. Through a series of accidents Clair finds herself married to two men. One from modern day, and one (Jamie) from the time she traveled back to. Jamie is a fierce, beautiful, loyal, strong, sensuous, Scottish Highlander and every woman's dream. He is also her true love. We follow them through wars, famine, births, deaths, kidnappings, rapes, sea voyages, celebrations, heartbreak and some super steamy stuff!

I had the good fortune to meet the author, Diana Gabaldon, at a book signing. I found her, like her books, witty, charming, and full of humor.

The long awaited next book is due out in the beginning of 2013! I am anxiously awaiting it. The title of this book is : Written in My Own Heart's Blood.

There is discussion on her website that her books are being made into a television series similar to "True Blood" or "Game of Thrones."

[Littleirish · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few authors that come close to Mrs. Gabaldon in skill. The breadth of the series is hard to describe. Historical fiction, mystical adventure, romance... It's a shame that many mistakenly assume it to be just romance and therefore simplistic drivel. I could go on about female authors and their works not being taken seriously but I won't. Only to point out that historical fiction by, say Ken Follett is much more formulatic and romancey.
The historical research and rich detail of the Outlander books brings the past to life in a personal visceral way. In the process I've learned a lot about historical events I'd never even heard of. I can't really rate the individual books as they tend to run together in my mind. This isn't a fault in the writing, only an eagerness on my part to know what happens next. I'm aware many feel the series has slow or less enjoyable books. But in following Jamie and Claire in their journeys together and apart I feel it's just part of the realism of the story to have some less pleasant and or less extraordinary periods. I've also read The Lord John stories. You don't have to read these but they are very entertaining and help you piece together more of the happenings in the Outlander timeline.
These are pretty hefty reads so if you get hooked prepare to spend a good amount of time in the 1700's. This isn't much of a review I guess. Honestly you can't describe it without giving away plot points. So just trust me, give it a read. If you wait you'll find yourself in the position of all the newbie Game of Thrones (ASOIAF) fans, playing catch up to stay ahead of the show. Starz has approved a 16 episode season adaption, presumably the first book. Now lets hope they do it justice. Oh the worries of a fan girl.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down Outlander is the best series I've ever read. Diana Gabaldon's writing style is awesome and you can't help but fall in love with Jamie and Claire.

[Silvia Cattaneo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did NOT like this series, to the point that, despite my love for long, historical sagas with tortuous plots, I could not even get to the end of it. It was already hard enough to get to the end of each of the four books I forced myself to finish.
To me, this is a (badly realized) "high-end" version of cheap romantic books that feature ridiculous drawings of muscly men with open shirts embracing voluptuous redheads on the cover. Cheap beach literature with better language, if you will. The main characters, especially Claire, are annoying; the "romantic scenes" are too many and, frankly, uselessly descriptive (and no, I am not easily shocked by sex talk); there is a fixation with sexual violence that is disturbing; and ultimately, the books are soooo long and there is no reason for it. Using 20 pages to write something you could write in 2 does not make you an artist. Deeply disappointed.

[Marjorie Pfister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this series out of curiosity, having never heard anything about it..( yeah..yeah where have I been the last 20 years..in 13th century Scotland..haha)
What makes them appealing to me is that they're historically engaging..but let's face it..England wasn't a peaceful nor enlightened at this time in history. Very few places were at this time in history. It was a brutal, ruthless time, compassion and mercy were the exception in both individuals and the countries that ruled over them.
What's made this series so compelling to me is the truth in which the characters are drawn. Where easy outcomes.. the one the reader is really hoping for..presents itself with a very rewarding storybook solution..the happily ever after so to speak..the author with skill and integrity to her story and characters..doesn't take the easy win..which when good things happen..make them so much more rewarding in light of the struggles endured to have earned the happiness.
And the characters are full of failings, and fallibility. They don't always to the right things. Which makes them complex..and fascinating.
The premise seems so far fetched..but the story is crafted so well, if Clare was telling you her story over coffee..you'd be hard pressed to call her crazy or a liar..
There is mature content..and if it's too descriptive..it's easy enough to skip over and return to the story.
I find myself rooting for Clare and Jaime to have some peace and quiet..but it's a extensive series..so I guess it should be health and happiness.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a series of books that made me stay up past my bedtime since Patrick O'Brien's series. I'm writing a review about the entire series, because although I liked some slightly more--wait, not more; differently--than others, the series as a whole is just wonderful--I mean, how can you stop eating after the appetizer? These books are a satisfying banquet that leaves you wanting more. Diana Gabaldon has an ability to tell a rousing yarn, weaving in just enough erotica, humor, pathos, philosophy, medicine, history, linguistics, and the gamut of human emotions without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary trivia for the sake of trivia. I'm so glad I came to this series late so I could gorge on all 7 volumes. Looking forward to reading the mini-novels, John Grey books, etc., and I'm enjoying the TV series very much even thought I didn't think I would. Brava!

[Beth F]

My mom mailed me the first five books in this series in 2004 and urged me to read them. I finally got around to picking them up in 2006 and was reminded yet again that mother knows best. I tore through the first four books like it was my job and in retrospect, it’s a wonder that I wasn’t fired during that time because I was barely sleeping at night and kept sneaking chapters under my desk when nobody was looking.

I’m not an especially fast reader but have been an avid reader since childhood and will happily put off most every activity in favor of sitting in a quiet corner with my nose in a book. Knowing that, it took only three weeks to read the first four books which clock-in at a combined 3,300 pages.

I started book five with the same passion but quickly lost steam in the book’s minutiae and it took me a month to get through those 1,400 pages. I hadn’t loved it but liked it well enough to seek out a few books from the related Lord John series and eventually pick up the sixth book in the Outlander series as well, but by then, enough time had passed from my initial reading that my memory was no longer so invested in the plot and I’d forgotten a lot (a likely side effect of the limited sleep and frenzied pace that I’d read the first books in the series). I realized that to maximize my enjoyment I’d probably need to reread the series from the beginning before trying to start any of the author’s new books.

I’d meant to do just that when the seventh book was published in 2009; however, I got distracted by having my first baby and never got around to it.

I tried to do it again in 2014 when the eighth book was published but couldn’t manage the burden of having a brick-like book in my possession when I was surrounded by three small children whose physical demands on my time and my body were so overwhelming. I didn’t have the mental energy to spend in the author’s universe, and not only that, but in between the nearly constant interruptions from family, my small children had developed the irritating habit of moving and/or stealing my bookmark so I could never keep track of what page I was on. I gave up in frustration.

At the time I’m writing this it is 2017 and I’ve spent most of the year in a terrible reading slump. I reread the third book in conjunction with the airing of series three of the television adaptation and after finishing, realized that I wasn’t ready to be done with Outlander world and decided now might be the right time to give it another go from the start.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening chapters when a perfectly happy married woman marries a second man, then has very enthusiastic intimate sex with said man I was skeptical that the series was for me. I thought it was a time travel fantasy, but it's really more of a historic highlander romance. I didn't want to like or even read a historic highlander romance - I enjoy making fun of them too much! Still, I had (foolishly?) purchased the 7-book series, so there's no way I was going to abandon it less than 1% of the way through! It took a couple of books for me to forgive the main character for her actions in the opening chapters of the first book, but I did eventually. I think she paid penance, and then some.

And as you go on, the time travel starts to creep back into the books. In the end, they're still not time travel fantasies. They're definitely romances, but romances for fans of fantasy, I think.

I'm not sure if I'd buy a 7-book fantasy series all together again. I know I COULD have theoretically stopped between the books (Kindle did let me know when I was moving between books), but I couldn't really! It would be like abandoning some friends in the wilderness! I even jumped and (this time borrowed from the library) the 8th book as soon as finishing this.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of this series almost since the first novel was written. I have eagerly awaited each new addition. Thanks to renewed interest from the STARZ series, I undertook to read the whole series once again. A daunting task, for each novel is quite large. However, it was a pleasure. Although there is a lot of romance, some would even say graphic romance, there is so much more to the books. The author brings you into the everyday intimate lives of the characters while telling a compelling large story of their lives intertwined with an historically based background. The books are filled with insights into human nature, various odd facts and tidbits to intrigue your mind.

You won't regret reading this series.

[Lisa James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding series. Has it all, detail, time travel, a dashing hero & a gritty heroine, love, war, peace, reflection, family.....

[Daniela · Rating 1 out of 5]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGG
I think I didn't even make it to half a book.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very few misses in this series.

Books 3 and 5 were only 3 Stars for me, but the rest were 4 or 5.

You have to be ready for a love story mixed into a LOT of historical events and politics. It is part of what makes this story so great, Gabaldon's incredible research into each event she involves her characters in.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes reading a book becomes a long term commitment, in this case, a commitment of 23 years and counting! When I read Outlander, the first book in this series in the early 1990’s I was hooked by the characters, the great love story and it’s historical authenticity and I couldn’t wait till the next one came out. Now after finishing the eighth book in this series, Written In My Heart’s Own Blood, I still resonate with the characters and enjoy the historical context and insights that these books offer. Somehow Diana Gabaldon manages to create story lines that are compelling, characters who are interesting and grounds both in well researched times and places and still manages to sustain her reader’s interest even after two decades!

The original book in the series, Outlander, introduces Claire Randall, a combat nurse who has recently returned from the battle fields of WWII to reunite with her husband, Frank, for a second honeymoon. While visiting one of the ancient stone circles which dot the countryside of Great Britain, she inadvertently touches one of the stones and is hurled back through time to Scotland of 1743. There she meets Jamie Fraser one of the leaders of the Mackenzie clan and there, in the midst of clan rivalry and war, they begin to feel an attraction and love that is complicated and hard to deny. The next books in the series follow Claire, Frank and Jamie and numerous other characters both in the 20th century and in the 18th century, traveling from Scotland, England and on to America and beyond as war and the pursuit of peace compel them.

The duality of time is, of course, one the major themes in these books, but instead of it being a gimmick, Gabaldon uses it to give us deeper insight into how people lived during those times. Claire’s nursing skills become vital as she faces illness and injury in the 17oo’s and we see the limits of medical knowledge at the time and the value of various advances like using antiseptic or penicillin. It is these very scenes of Claire combating illness and disease which are so compelling and where we realize in sharp clarity the fragility of life that in our more advanced and protected 21 century we seem to have forgotten.

Starz will be be broadcasting a TV series based on the books beginning on August 2, which I will be watching with interest, but I encourage you to read the books so you don’t miss out on anything!

Here is the Outlander series in order:

Outlander (1991) (published in the UK and Australia as Cross Stitch)
Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
Voyager (1994)
Drums of Autumn (1997)
The Fiery Cross (2001)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
An Echo in the Bone (2009)
Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (2014)

Brenda’s Rating ****(4 Stars out of 5)

[Mike Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love thee page-turners. I am hooked. I discovered her early December and have now read Novels 1 - 8 and am in a queue at the libray for book 9 (Bees one).
Go Diana, love your work.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read all Diana Gabaldon’s books and love them. So much detail - historical, botanical, descriptions of people and places, I felt I was there.

[Patricia Tienken-boman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sorry I finished the whole series, I miss the characters. These books have it all! History, romance, violence and sex. She did a great job of keeping me totally hooked from one book to the next.

[Benay Blume · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books mainly because I love Jamie and Claire’s relationship. Also love the historical aspect.

[Dennisha Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd time, I think
Always good!

[Lauren Grimley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Irish Eyes are Smiling When Scottish Kilts are Flying!: A writer’s review of the first five books of the Outlander series (Outlander, Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross) by Diana Gabaldon

Flashplot: Let’s make this clear from the start: these books are mammoth. Micro-summarizing them successfully is impossible. Instead I’ll merely explain the general premise and move on to the review.

Claire walks though a Scottish stone circle in her own time, just after WWI, and finds herself transported to the same place only nearly two-hundred years earlier. In a plot to keep her alive and out of the hands of a suspicious British Captain, her rescuers marry her off to a Scottish rebel Jamie. At first Claire’s biggest concern is that she is already married to a man from her own time, whom she wants desperately to return to. Soon, though, she’s fallen for her new husband and has become entangled with his complicated and dangerous past, present, and future.

The books do some time-jumping as they follow the cast of characters across different centuries and countries. They also do some genre bending as they work in elements of romance, history, magical realism, and adventure.

As a reader: There’s a reason I find myself reviewing all five of these books at once: I read them so fast, one after the other, that I actually couldn’t tell you where one ended and the next began. The characters, plot, and setting were equally enticing to me. Claire is strong, yet not brash. Jaime is everything a girl wants in an alpha-male of a romance book—pig-headed and overbearing on the outside, while sensitive and compassionate on the inside. Did I mention he’s also hot and wearing a kilt most of the time? Yum. Add to that plots with plenty of twists, well-researched historical details, and enough humor to balance out the darker moments, and I was hooked for the long haul.

As a writer: My one complaint is that it is indeed a verra, verra long haul. (I downloaded the seven book bundle on my kindle and it comes in at 7125 pages!) Gabaldon admits she wrote book one, Outlander, as a writing exercise, with no concern over length. In the 90’s apparently publishing such a debut novel was possible; today it would be unheard of, even as good as this story was. I’m not a proponent of strict word counts just for the sake of word counts, but these books are definitely an example of works where a good editor helping to trim the fat would have benefitted everyone. Beyond book one the biggest problem for me was that there was too much rehashing of events from prior books. Different people share varying philosophies on this, but my view is, if you’re going to write a series, write a series. Assume readers have read the previous works. If they haven’t and want to know more, they’ll go back. Don’t punish loyal readers by bogging down the plot. That said, I loved the stories enough to learn to skim some—careful, of course, to stop whenever that kilt came off!

Bottom line: If you like romance with a heavy dose of action and history and you have the time or will make the time for book that’s a little wordy, and a little unique, but really entertaining, than this series is worth picking up!

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Claire is slowly turned into a submissive woman by the author. The beating scene is unbearable. The worst of it is, that Claire doesn‘t strongly stand up for herself afterwards; if she had a healthy sense of her own worth, she would tell Jamie to go to hell, and turn her back on him. It should take a lot of investment on his behalf to regain her trust and good will. But instead, he tells her afterwards about his own experiences being beaten(as a child, which is different from the relationship between husband and wife, at least it should be, not to say that child abuse is justified in any case), and after that, she claims her love for him for the first time. This is horrible and humiliating. The author is clearly romanticizing violence against women by describing, that Jamie enjoyed the beating this turning it into a sexual experience and Claire accepted its “necessity”. I really felt betrayed and angry after reading that scene. The TV series deals with it in a better way I think. Claire is stronger there. In the book, Claire’s character is not really explored or depicted as interesting, it’s almost always Jamie, who talks and shares personal stories, while Claire ask him questions. She doesn’t really have a personality of her own, with interesting thoughts or feelings unrelated to Jamie.
It’s a pity, because it’s in many ways a good story, but I can’t stand the image the author draws of women. It is anti-feminist.

[Donna Arcara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a series of books; it is crack cocaine for readers. I have never in my life been a re-reader, but as soon as I finished this series the first time through, I started back on Book 1, and read back through Book 5 until I finally FORCED myself to go read something else for awhile... in the meantime I'm itching to get back to re-reading the last few books. The characters are the most rounded, flawed, perfect, beautiful, heroic, infuriating, strong, real stars of any novel I've ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind some detail, pacing, and adult content. It does not fit a genre, which is fun because as you are reading it, you don't have a formulaic end in your head... the story can meander along and take you to unexpected places. Strictly technically speaking, the writing is probably not as clean as some authors would like (describing body language too much, lots of adverbs, etc), but WHO CARES! The stories are magic. Yay Diana Gabaldon!

[Bon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audible is so fantastic. Jamie's brogue, Clare's English accent. Talk to my husband like Clare, Jamie, Ian, Brianna, etc like they are neighbors down the street. Hate that I finished. Am going to start to listen to John Gray books as I go through withdrawal. Best, classiest sex scenes ever. So loving. Of course I'm in love with Jamie and how he touches, looks, and says the perfectly romantic next thing with lots of humor. Clare is epically strong heroine. Since I'm a nurse I loved all the medical challenges of the 1700's. Some great philosophical conversations like discussion of the world not being fair and what would a fair world be like. Also learned lots of history in my favorite way, from the inside out.

[Resonnant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so good. So well written and the era that I love. It paints a great romantic picture but leaves enough to the imagination. I love the history and can only imagine what it would be like to be transported back to another time where there is no electricity - to say the least. I believe in magic and things in our world that are either lost, beyond our knowledge but still residing in hidden places.

I definitely recommend this series so far.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book was quite violent but engaging. I mostly read it because of a friend's recommendation. She loved the character of Jamie years before it became a STARZ series. Wee bit too much violent sex for my usual tastes but dinna fash there is somewhat less in subsequent books. I liked the mix of historical fiction and the magic of time travel between the stones. I do remember changing the font on my Kindle to a smaller size when reading certain chapters in public places. ;)

[Tracy Stinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great series. I have not met one person who read them and hated it. I tell all my friends that this is the one series that is worth your time and money. I bought the 1-7 bundle in my Kindle. I now want the hardback books for my book shelf. Not going to lie there are some parts that drags. She is a great storyteller and weaver.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all-time favorite book collection. I am a sucker for series because I get so attached to the characters. These books have it all...history, romance, intrigue, drama, time travel, mystery, wars, you name it! Definitely a must read!

[Lesli Mayhew-driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently re-reading this series and found this bundle for my Kindle. I love having them all in one place. Of course I will continue to buy the hardback books because sometimes we just need the smell of a wonderful book!!