Outlander

Smart, stubborn Claire Randall is caught between two worlds – and torn between two men. She has a husband in one century and a lover in another....

Described as ‘the feminist answer to Game of Thrones’, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander is one of the best-selling book series of all time and a wildly popular TV series.

The adventure begins in 1945 when former military nurse Claire is holidaying in Scotland with her husband Frank. After six years apart during the war, the couple tries to reconnect. Suddenly, Claire discovers a mysterious stone circle and is hurtled back to war-torn 1743. Stranded in the past, Claire is now a Sassenach (‘outlander’). Her only hope is Jamie Fraser – the gallant young warrior she must marry in order to be safe.

Diana Gabaldon – a former science professor – first wrote Outlander as an experiment in historical fiction. She was inspired to set the story in 18th-century Scotland by a Dr. Who episode. Time travel entered the story when sassy Claire refused to behave like an 18th-century woman, Gabaldon says. ‘I thought, go ahead and be modern, and I’ll figure out how you got there later!’

In 1991, when Outlander was first published, Gabaldon had no idea her story would gain a cult following. Now the captivating adventures of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser span eight novels – and counting. Gabaldon has promised the avid Outlander fan community one more instalment.

Outlander has been admired for its ‘imagination and brio’ by the Sydney Morning Herald. Audible Australia listeners find the series ‘breathtaking’ and ‘addictive’ and Davina Porter’s narration ‘absolutely fantastic’.