Outlander Series discussion

Has anyone read The Space Between in A Trail of Fire? I requested an ILL for it, but I don't know how long it will take or if I will even get it. I'm really interested to find out what happens in the story.

(Thanks for making this thread!)

I haven't gotten the new book yet. I'll try to order it this weekend.

I saw that The Poisoned Pen has signed copies for $42. There isn't an expected publication date in the US for the book yet, so it's actually tempting for me to order one. I don't know how long I can wait to find out what happens in the story! :-P

I loved A Leaf--it was SO good! I got teary-eyed. I've read all of the other short stories that comprise A Trail of Fire, just not The Space Between.

We are lucky down here in Aus. It will be on the shelves in November, just in time for a perfect Christmas gift. Must drop hints to the husband :)

Have you tried ordering online at Amazon.co.uk You could probably get it from there from November onwards.

Or just checked bookdepository.co.uk & they have it for $17.77 USD (paperback) with free delivery world wide :)

Nope, I haven't read it, and I'm really TICKED that you can only get the hard copy in the U.S. through Poisoned Pen. Not that I don't like them, but $42 for a book? Plus, I'm a Kindle reader, and I have all the other books on Kindle.

In the UK, there's a publishing date of Nov 8 for the Kindle version. But in the U.S., there isn't even a date for the hard copy book yet! Diana G mentioned something about publishing the individual stories in the U.S., but again, nothing that I can find with a publishing date just yet.

I also remember Diana G saying that it's possible to get the book from Amazon UK, even as Kindle, but that you have to set up a whole different account and you can't see or manage all the UK books and your US books at the same time. I'm half-tempted to try it, even so, just because I hate waiting for Joan-Michael-Comte St. Germain-Mother Hildegaard story. I've read all the others, so I can wait for them.

Zoey - THANK YOU for the info. I might just have to do the paperback thing. At least the price is decent. I don't object to paying $42 for a regular Outlander series book, but $42 seems high for 4 short stories, 3 of which I've read, even if it does come with Diana G's signature.

UPDATE: bookdepository.com is out of stock on all the books, hard copy and paperback. But you can put in your email address without registering for them to notify you when the book is back in stock. Looks like they're anticipating a Nov 9th or so date. Guess the book is selling out!

I didn't even know about a Trail of Fire...and only just found out about A Leaf..

What is the Trail of Fire?

Sylvie, A Trail of Fire is Diana G's "newest" book, although the only story in it that hasn't ever been published before as part of a larger anthology is the one about Leoghaire's youngest daughter Joan, who's going to France to be a nun, and Jenny & Ian's middle son Michael, who's working with Cousin Jared in France to learn the wine making business. It also contains 2 Lord John Grey stories and the story about Roger's parents (mostly his father, Jerry), which is A Leaf in the Wind of All Hallows.

Ok, thank you! I'll be on the look out for the book :)

Here's info (particularly interesting for us US/Canada people) about the book and the stories therein:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2012/09/...

Looks like for the US, we'll get them in pieces and over time.

A Leaf On The Wind Of All Hallows novella just hit the U.S. today as a standalone. I read it as part of an anthology, but I didn't own the book until today. (Love Amazon pre-orders!)

Tempted to get the UK version of A Trail of Fire just for the new story! But can't quite convince myself to go to all the trouble to set up another Kindle account or order a hardback, when none of my other Outlander books are hardback.

I ordered A Trail of Fire from AbeBooks and it should be here in less than 10 days. I just couldn't wait any longer to read the new story. I shopped around and AbeBooks was the cheapest--I got it new for $22.

Thanks, Kimberly - the tip on AbeBooks is a good one!

I'll probably order the book, too. Can't wait and all that... sad, but true.

I just bought A Leaf on the Wind.... on my Amazon com account. Then I realized it is also in the book of short stories called A Trail of Fire. It's been released in the UK but not the US and wouldn't you know it...my kindle account is with the US Amazon! Oh well, at least I've got the story I wanted to read the most!

SHOULD have gone The Poisoned Pen route. But no! I had to choose the cheaper version from an Italian bookseller. No offense, Kimberly - AbeBooks seems fine; but this bookseller 'lost' the book in the mail somehwere... Just got it, finally, this past Saturday!

ANYWAY... who read "The Space Between"? Can I talk about it yet? Do I have to use spoiler tags? 'Cuz I'm still reeling a bit from that story. Wow!

And I LOVE how DG wraps what seems to be 4 separate, unrelated stories through characters, names, and the Outlander lore.

Boo, that's too bad they lost the book. That's annoying! I'm glad you finally got it though.

I've read The Space Between, so I'm happy to discuss it. I haven't run across anyone who has read it yet aside from you. Honestly, I am so confused--the story created more questions than answers, LOL!

What confused you, Kimberly? Let's start there....

Did you pick up on the Comte St. Germain's "real name" and the name of the Polish pilot in A Leaf On The Wind Of All Hallows?

Kimberly and Lori, I read it too so am happy to join the discussion!

OK, then! I loved this story, but as usual, I wanted MORE! Can't wait for Master Raymond's story, which I hope makes this time travel stuff that much clearer.

So the 'blue light' - have we seen that before? I don't remember it... Interesting that Master Raymond alludes to the aura. And "his children", who are "like" him. Does that mean he's the original time traveler? Is he the one who healed the baby Murtaugh's clef palate?

And the names... wow! I must have finally been paying attention, because I saw many connections to the Outlander stories (and especially the stories in this book) based on character's names - what they called themselves and who they really were.

What did you think of Joan's "gift"? What was the warning to Charles about, do you think? The same warning to the Comte or different? Why didn't Joan see the 'pall of death'?

Michael and Joan... do we assume the direction it seems like at the end of the story? Do you think that Michael believes Claire's warnings about the French Revolution?

Sorry for my delayed response! I haven't had time to flip back through the story until now.

(view spoiler)[

I was confused mainly by everything surrounding Master Raymond. As you mentioned, who are "his children" and is he somehow the first time traveler? There were a lot of unanswered questions there for me.

Is Andrzej Kolodziewicz the Polish pilot you're talking about?

Rakoczy is his real name. Did it list his first?

The blue light was previously mentioned in DIA when Master Raymond 'heals' Claire after her miscarriage. He puts his hands on her and there is blue light. Which book mentions Murtagh's cleft palate? I totally don't remember that.

I'm interested to see if Joan's 'gift' comes up in WIMOHB or Book 9. I think the 'not to do it' warnings were related to Joan being kidnapped. What did you think? Do you mean why didn't Joan see the 'pall' on the Comte? I got the impression that he and Raymond traveled somewhere else, so he didn't die (in which case Joan would have had a vision).

I think Michael and Joan will be together, based on how the story ends. I think Michael believes Claire, how about you?

Boy, I really had to flip through the story to jog my memory! I'm going to re-read it. DG weaves everything together so well, that I find myself having to read Outlander books/novellas multiple times before I feel like I've fully absorbed everything, probably because I fly through them the first time :)

(hide spoiler)]

Kimberly - replying in spoiler tags:

(view spoiler)[
1. YES, the pilot's name is Paul Rakoczy. Did you catch what the Comte St. Germain's real name is? (Hint: Paul Rakoczy) How wild is that?

AND did you catch her hint at the end about Madame Melinda being Geillis? The Comte thought a LOT about what Geillis taught him about time travel. I wonder what she thought *he* could accomplish?

2. You're right about the blue light. Now that you mention it, it's so obvious to me. DG refers to the "red light" or "red" as the color of warriors, like Jamie. Hence, "call the red man" from Raymond. Even in "The Space Between", this is mentioned. And I just finished ABOSAA (again), and before a rescue mission, Claire gives a blessing to Jamie that's mentioned as "red" or some such thing... a warrior's blessing. Duh!

3. Murtagh's cleft palate - it had to be DIA, because it was before Murtagh died. I'm sure he's the one who told the story... whoever heard or knew the story wondered if the one who healed Murtagh (fixed the issue when he was a baby) was a traveler, too, because who in that day would have known what to do? Or so the supposition of the person - might have been Claire. I'm thinking it was, and she'd related the story to Roger in one of her late night discussions with him.

4. Yeah, the "don't do it" stuff... a) could have been for Charles (already forgot his name) to not get involved with the Comte OR to not kill himself - although did Joan see him? It was HE that I was wondering why she didn't see the pall around him. b) it could have been the Comte to not kidnap Joan or something to do with Raymond ... or to stay away from his pursuit of traveling, especially trying to travel to the future.

5. DG seems to be setting up Michael & Joan to be together... and yes, I think that Michael believes his Auntie Claire, especially now.

Interesting how this branch of the Fraser family seems to have "seer" blood in them, huh? Jenny (Janet) seems to have her own intuitions and visions - like seeing Claire at Jamie's wedding to Leoghaire. Jamie, seeing future visions, like of Claire and of Bree & Roger & the kids safely back in their own time. Now Joan... although, she's not really a Fraser, is she - just a step-daughter.

ANYWAY, I find her gift very interesting.

6. Where Raymond and the Comte went is anyone's guess. I suspect we won't know more about this until... who knows? That's why the ending was frustrating for me. SO MUCH left to know/say. I'm beginning to think that cliff-hangers are DG's new plot devices. She seems to employ them much more in her latter books. Publishers, et al, want to keep the readers wanting more, so it's nothing new. Just disappointing sometimes. (hide spoiler)]

I hope we do hear/see more of Joan & Michael in MOBY. It would be nice. I just wonder if DG will do a whole side series on them or as part of the Raymond books... MOBY is supposed to be about the American Revolution, and it's the French Revolution that will involve Michael, Joan, Jared Fraser, Mother Hidegard, and the others in France. But who knows?

I borrowed from the library and read The Space Between this weekend. While I left a short review, I didn't rate the overall book because I felt it wouldn't be fair. :-) As I said in that short blurb, I think this brought up more questions than it answered!

(view spoiler)[
I found it very interesting that Joan hears voices. I totally forgot about Janet "seeing" Claire at Jamie's wedding.

And I still wonder what her warning to the Comte and Pepin was about. Was it about Leonine's baby? Because she was supposed to tell *both* of them, right? And I didn't think that the Comte died at the end. If Raymond wouldn't kill him in Louie's court, why would he kill him then?

And I really hope that Michael and Joan get together. I don't think Joan belongs in the convent, and Michael deserves some happiness.

I totally didn't get that Melinda was Geillis, but it makes sense.

(hide spoiler)]

Anyway... I think I need to go back and read some of the other novellas that I have and haven't read yet. I know I don't have them all.

Heather in FL wrote: "I borrowed from the library and read The Space Between this weekend. While I le..."

Heather... (view spoiler)[I think the "warning" to Pepin was probably about not getting involved with the Comte. The warning to the Comte was more about not kidnapping Joan.

I don't think Raymond killed the Comte, either. I think they both traveled to another time - together. I thought it was amusing and scary how the Comte thought about Claire and thought Joan was related.

Hoping that Joan and Michael get together, too. They'd make an interesting series, themselves, with her "gift" and his heritage.

Did you catch the other parts with the names, too, though? DG pointed out that Geillis was Madame Melisande purposefully. But she didn't point out that the Comte's actual last name is the same as the Polish pilot's in 'A Leaf In The Wind Of All Hallows' with Roger's dad, Jerry. There are other name mentions that tie some things together, too. Amazing how she does that, especially since she writes in scene chunks and not in an outline. (hide spoiler)]

That's all my two cents worth... but I think that Kimberly will back me up.

Lori... (view spoiler)[When did she said Melisande and Geillis were the same? Was it when Claire learned Geillis had been in Paris for a while in the 20 years Claire had gone back? When Geillis was Mrs. Abernathy and had stolen Young Ian? (hide spoiler)] It's so hard for me to remember everything that happened because so much happens in every one of these, lol!

Heather, (view spoiler)[at the end of the story, DG had a note pointing to Geillis as Melisande. I'm thinking that's where you saw it. But yes, when Claire and Jamie went to rescue Young Ian from "Mrs. Abernathy", Geillis told Claire the story about how she blackmailed Dougal (by threatening to kill their son) with getting her a new identity. Claire remembered the name as someone who the bored royals sought for readings and advice and such. (hide spoiler)] I'd have to go back to Dragonfly or Voyager to find the specific mentions...

How clever, huh?

Lori McD wrote: "Heather, [spoilers removed] I'd have to go back to Dragonfly or Voyager to find the specific mentions...

How clever, huh?"

Geilis says it directly in Voyager, which I just finished re-reading (did not catch it on my first few times through, until I read The Space Between): (view spoiler)[When she tells Claire that she was in France in 1744/45, she says they knew her as Melisande. (hide spoiler)]

Ah, there we go. I thought I recalled something like that, just didn't remember the specific name. You have to pay such close attention in her books! It's all about the details.

What do you think master Raymond meant by his people? Are they witches, fairies, something else that we haven't heard anything about? What about the lost daughter? Do you think that might be Claire since he healed her after the miscarriage?

Keri,
I think is Master Raymond is a very old soul who is very spiritual and a powerful psychic and magician of the dark arts. He can see colored auras surrounding people He is referring to "his people" as those people who emanate a blue aura and are also powerful as healers and sensitive to energy and "magic" as they thought in those days as witches and fairies. He saw the blue light around Claire an since we can assume he is a fellow time traveler he probably recognized that Claire was one too, and that was why he was able to heal her after her miscarriage. I think he was looking for her when he referred to "a lost daughter".