I think I know what it is about “Diana Gabaldon’s” Outlander series that incites obsession among her legions of fans.
Admittedly part of it is the lust factor; you know how some married couples have a ‘celebrity clause’, where if one or the other were to meet a specific/predesignated celebrity of their dreams they’re allowed to have guilt-free sex with said celebrity? Well my husband has nothing to worry about because my free pass would be a fictional character, Jamie Fraser (unless a movie or mini-series finally gets made and then I’d have to consider the actor who plays Jamie, but that’s for another post, lol).
Another reason, at least for me, is when I read the series it feels like home. The characters feel like my intimate friends & family, and I am truly and emotionally invested in their well-being. To say I’m waiting on pins and needles over the release of the eighth book “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood” (or MOBY, as Diana and her fans refer to it ) would be a gross understatement.
Quite frankly, I do whatever I can to stay connected.
There is a large community of people that feel the same way I do, and many of us have joined groups on Facebook (among others) for the sole purpose of being able to discuss and share anything/everything about the series, the characters and all things generally Scottish (hello to my friends @ Outlander ★ Je suis prest on Facebook). They provide an outlet for our anxiety, our eagerness (ok desperation) to stay connected to the story & characters. (At the risk of sounding a little crazy, I confess it feels uncomfortable referring to it as a “story” or to the people as “characters” – it seems like I’m doing them an injustice).
MOBY is due out in 2013, and I have just begun to reread the series from the beginning, in order to reacquaint myself with every detail for when the time comes. The first time around I read all of the books in 4 months, up many of those nights into the wee hours of 1:00/2:00am. This time however, I’m taking my time, reading slowly and savoring all of the little details that I didn’t realize I’d forgotten. It’s like getting to know a long lost friend all over again, and I’m so grateful to Diana Gabaldon for creating the connections, both with the books and the community of fans that love her books too.
outlanderfan.com 
Vickie Gentry said,
October 31, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I loved your article!..I too have missed sleep reading and re-reading the series!…next audio!
Our group talks about the history, the culture Jamie and Claire experience, the food the eat..(we share recipes), talk about the clothing of the era..music, movies, travel and time travel…
We talk about everything Scotland….
You are a welcome Outlander friend…..
Mìle fàilte! Mo chairdean choir! A h-uile la sona dhuibh
‘s gun la idir dona dhuibh!
Angela said,
November 1, 2011 at 1:21 pm
I swear there is an alternate universe, and Jamie and Claire and the rest of them are real people and Diane just has this crazy amazing intuitive connection to their world and is able to relay it to the rest of us…love her books!
Sheri said,
February 5, 2012 at 8:20 pm
I agree that they aren’t “characters” to us. It’s an amazing world! An escape to revisit old friends. I never reread books, but make an exception here. I also went way too fast through the books on my first round. I am currently reading them again, really taking my time 🙂 I love catching details I missed, or reading a part and thinking “Wow, I really forgot about that!”. Fun!
outlanderfan said,
February 5, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Sheri, it is AMAZING the little things you notice the second time around! I had forgotten so many little details myself…
Marj said,
August 17, 2014 at 1:07 am
I, too, love Diana Gabaldon’s books and the Outlander books are enchanting.
Rose Mary McKenzie said,
August 23, 2014 at 11:05 pm
I cannot tell you how much I love and adore this series…I have waited for since I read the first book…Diana, thank you, you are brilliant and an amazing authoress…Being a McKenzie, my heart is dear to your writings..
Anonymous said,
August 24, 2014 at 3:47 pm
Have been reading and rereading since Outlander first appeared. In fact I’m so addicted I revisit Jamie and Claire as long lost relatives. Jamie is wonderfully cast, and Claire also. The McKenzie brothers are a little older than I pictured. Frank/Randall OK, I pictured him a little darker. Gillies, well, blonder.Can hardly wait to have Voyager and Drums of Autumn appear. But all in all well-adapted. It would years to really get the entire series in – and I would faithfully watch all. MOBY, hopefully, is not the last of the series.
Anonymous said,
August 30, 2014 at 11:19 pm
I was lucky to have caught this series with the first book. I have to admit that I have read, re-read, and re-read again each book with the addition of each new book in the series. Then once every so often I have to go back for a “Jamie and Claire fix” and will turn to a favorite part, like in Voyager when Claire walks into the print shop and Jamie touches her face and passes out on the floor. Love that! The entire scene is great especially when Geordie comes back and it’s not even noon yet!… I love the TV series opening with the ladies dancing on the hill… it’s beautifully mysterious…the series is coming out well too. I hear it is 8 episodes a year so I’ll only have to pay for Stars for 2 months! I’m keeping it on my DVR though, so I can watch it again! (never know when you may need a Jamie and Claire fix!)
Rose Mary McKenzie said,
August 30, 2014 at 11:30 pm
I have been addicted to this series since reading my daughters books…When I heard it was going to be made into a series I had to get Starz just to watch it…I can’t afford it, but the lure to watch was overwhelming..I love the Claire and Jamie and if I were she, I would leave this world behind and live out the rest of my days in 1743, two hundred years before, born 1943…How could anyone go back after Jamie and the MacKenzie…Speaking from a McKenzie…<3
Ann Marie Madrigal said,
September 10, 2014 at 10:44 pm
I too signed up for Starz just to watch Outlander. I record and re-watch each episode at least twice. Jamie is just as I pictured him. WOW! I’m just now reading “The Fiery Cross”, on my Kindle, so the jumping back and forth is really sort of fun. Does anyone else out there find themselves wanting to speak in a brogue, or Gaelic for that matter?
OutlanderFan said,
September 13, 2014 at 9:30 am
Why yes Ann Marie lol!
https://outlanderfan.com/2012/03/26/warning-readingdiscussing-outlander-series-may-cause-involuntary-use-of-scottish-accent-but-its-endorsed-by-mrs-fitz/
Lucrecia Gordy said,
September 21, 2014 at 5:24 pm
I am a fan of history and movies. I fell in love with Scotland watching the Highlander series. This has a similar beautiful and romantic flair to it. I knew by episode 3 that Jamie would be her next husband. I’m hooked!
Ann Marie Madrigal said,
September 21, 2014 at 6:25 pm
Last night’s episode was wonderful! What do the previews mean by ‘Mid-Season Finale’? Is there going to be a wait after next Saturday? I really need my ‘Outlander’ weekly fix (which I then watch at least 4 times) ‘Sing me a song……’
OutlanderFan said,
September 22, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Unfortunately for us, lol, it means that after episode 8 there will be a break of ~ 4 months before we see the next 8… 😦
OutlanderFan said,
September 22, 2014 at 2:48 pm
I highly recommend reading the books Lucrecia- they are SO good!
Anonymous said,
October 26, 2014 at 4:24 pm
on book 6, does anything good ever happen to Jamie and Claire, because so far as I can tell, NO, please tell me something anything good has got to happen
Susan said,
December 30, 2014 at 8:29 pm
Just looked at some of the actors for Roger and Brianna…Wanted to say please do not use Alicia Witt she is not Brianna..Please reconsider you need a relatively unknown like Claire and Jamie for it to work…Deborah Ann Woll would be a perfect match…
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