The Outlandish Companion - Diana Gabaldon [314]
Dragonfly in Amber (four tapes, six hours) ISBN 0-553-47330-1
Voyager
(four tapes, six hours) ISBN 0-553-47331-X
Drums of Autumn (four tapes, six hours) ISBN 0-553-47332-8
Recorded Books, Inc.
270 Skipjack Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
For a free catalog, call 1-800-638-1304
The unabridged series is read by Davina Porter, a terrific actress who does a wonderful job with all the voices, but particularly with Claire’s.
Since unabridged recordings are in demand mostly by libraries (being hideously expensive, owing to the length), you may or may not find these versions in your local bookstore (if you do, you’ll know it. They aren’t inconspicuous). RBI offers a catalog service for rental books, however, available either through their Web site, or by phone.
Outlander (32.5 hours) ISBN 0-7887-1298-5
Dragonfly in Amber (39.5 hours)
Part 1(15 cassettes, 22 hours) ISBN 0-7887-2170-4 Part 2(12 cassettes, 17.5 hours) ISBN 0-7887-2472-X
Both Voyager and Drums are also in production by RBI, and will be released in 1999.
This seems to be rather effective. My own editor confesses to feeling like a drug pusher when she gives people Outlander.
This paperback has been published with two cover designs, as of 1/98. The original cover design included a stepback illustration, but reprints of this edition do not include the stepback.
My father-in-law—a lifelong cowboy—didn’t like the horse, either.
I asked my father (whose first language was Spanish) about the meaning of this title. He laughed and said that while it technically did mean “Outlander,” the meaning was not so much “Foreigner,” or “Stranger,” but rather something like “Hick from the Sticks, “or “Somebody from waaay out in the weeds.”
I assume this is the Latin American edition. I don’t have an ISBN for the Spanish edition, because the publisher sent me copies of only the Latin American one.
They sent me only Spanish copies of this one.
These have been published in low-cost book-club editions, but I don’t believe they are available in paperback.
8Persons wanting autographed copies of books, bookplates (these are free, on request; just send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope to return them in), or anything else, can contact me by mail at P.O. Box 584, Scottsdale, AZ 85252-0584.
9Adding insult to injury, people all over Australia asked me whether the cover portrait was based on me! No, it wasn’t.
10Owing to the publisher’s fear at the time that no one would buy it. The original paperback appeared with “Money-Back Guarantee” stickers—an offer which, I’m pleased to say, no one ever took up.
Which is, I supposed, why they decided to do away with it.
APPENDIX VII
THE METHADONE LIST
Well, I’m slow. Or at any rate, it definitely takes me longer to write these books than it takes readers to read one. Consequently, a number of people have asked whether there are any other writers who write books like mine, so they will have something to read while waiting for the next in the Outlander series.
I’d be hard-pressed to recommend books like mine, because I sort of like to think mine are unique.1 There are, however, quite a few excellent books that are also unique, and that might also appeal to readers who like my books.
I’ve arranged this listing (roughly) into sections, according to the principal elements or genres of the stories. Those people who are most taken by the time travel premise or the fantastic elements of the Outlander novels will be more likely to enjoy books on the Fantasy or Historical Fantasy list, whereas those of you who especially enjoy the historical details might prefer the “straight” Historical list, and might not like some of the others.
Still, I can enthusiastically recommend most of the writers on this list, from my own experience as a reader; a few were added that I haven’t yet read myself, but have heard excellent things about. Try them; I hope you’ll like them!
HISTORICAL FANTASY
These are books with a skeleton of straight historical fiction, fleshed out in various forms of fantasy.
Judith Merkle