The Companion to the Fiery Cross, a Breath of Snow and Ashes, an Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood Read online

  The entries under the heading “An Outlandish Materia Medica” are offered to illustrate or provide background information relating to fictional references in the Outlander series to nine herbs. These entries are not offered to propose either a medical or nutritional regime or practice. Consult with a doctor before making any decisions that affect your health, particularly if you suffer from any medical condition or have any symptom that may require treatment.

  Copyright © 2015 by Diana Gabaldon

  Photographs by Barbara Schnell

  Floor plans and diagrams by Virginia Norey

  Maps on this page–this page by James Sinclair

  Maps on this page–this page by Daniel R. Lynch

  Endpaper design by Donna Sinisgalli

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  DELACORTE PRESS and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Grateful acknowledgment is made to Orbit, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group USA Inc., for permission to reprint an excerpt from The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes, copyright © 2014 by Sam Sykes. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Orbit, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group USA Inc.

  ISBN 9780385344449

  eBook ISBN 9780440246459

  randomhousebooks.com

  v4.1

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  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  INTRODUCTION

  PART ONE: Chronology

  Chronology of the Outlander Series

  PART TWO: Synopses

  Main Outlander Novels:

  The Fiery Cross

  A Breath of Snow and Ashes

  An Echo in the Bone

  Written in My Own Heart’s Blood

  The Lord John Series:

  Lord John and the Hellfire Club

  Lord John and the Private Matter

  Lord John and the Succubus

  Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

  Lord John and the Haunted Soldier

  The Scottish Prisoner

  The Custom of the Army

  A Plague of Zombies

  PART THREE: Cast of Characters

  PART FOUR: Sex and Violence

  Spanking, Beating, Flogging, and Other Interesting Topics Involving Physical Interactions of a Non-Consensual Sort

  “Don’t You Think That’s a Little Rapey?”

  Black Jack Randall—A Study in Sadism

  PART FIVE: History and Historical Fiction: Organizing the Past

  History, Historical Fiction, and the Three Levels of Lies

  What Is This Word…Organization?

  Romance and the Written Word

  PART SIX: A Comprehensive Scottish Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

  PART SEVEN: Writing, and Other Games You Play by Yourself

  Mind Games

  One Word Speaks Volumes

  Recipes

  PART EIGHT: The Invisible Talent

  Terry Dresbach, Costume Designer

  Bear McCreary, Composer

  Dr. Claire MacKay, Herbalist

  Theresa Carle-Sanders, The Diet and Cookery of Eighteenth-Century Highlanders

  PART NINE: Maps and Floor Plans

  Lallybroch—First Floor

  Lallybroch—Second Floor

  Lallybroch—Third Floor

  Lallybroch Estate

  Fraser’s Ridge—Big House (original)

  American Colonies, ca. 1775

  The British Isles

  City of Philadelphia

  The Battle of Culloden

  The Battles of Saratoga, ad 1777

  The Battle of Freeman’s Farm

  The Battle of Bemis Heights

  PART TEN: The Methadone List (as of 2015)

  PART ELEVEN: Bibliography

  PHOTO INSERT

  OUTLANDER FAMILY TREE

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  By Diana Gabaldon

  About the Author

  INTRODUCTION

  …And what a long, strange trip it’s been…

  On March 6, 1988, I began writing what turned out to be Outlander. (I know this because my file names all include the date on which each was begun, and JAMIE.36 is the oldest file I have.)1

  In the summer of 1998, The Outlandish Companion was published. The publisher was exceedingly dubious about there being any market—let alone a need—for such a book, despite my insistence that the readers really did care enough about the world of Outlander that they would enjoy reading information about its creation, trivia about its characters and settings, and miscellaneous related bits and pieces about history, Scotland, Celtic culture, and even the bibliographic references that had gone into the writing of the first four novels: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn.

  In fact, I only succeeded in publishing that book because I refused to give them The Fiery Cross unless they let me have the Companion, too. But they did, tra-la, and all was sunshine and happiness—though I will say that if you think it’s difficult to describe Outlander in twenty-five words or less,2 just try explaining what a nonfiction book about a set of indescribable novels is.3

  Still, people enjoyed it and that’s all that really mattered. But…I kept on writing novels. And after The Fiery Cross, people began asking if I meant to provide them with an insert or something, giving them the same sort of background and information that was available on the first four novels. This kind of ad hoc demand increased with each new book, and several years ago I began thinking of writing Volume Two of this opus. I also realized that there were several bits of Volume One that could do with an update or revision—after all, the book has been out for seventeen years now, and Things (especially the Internet) have Changed.

  So I did both. I revised The Outlandish Companion, Volume One, removing obsolete sections, revising the FAQ, and adding in four new essays and a brand-new section about the Starz TV show (with photos kindly provided by Starz) and how that all came about.

  And I put together The Outlandish Companion, Volume Two, which is the book you now hold in your hands.4 I say “put together” because, while I did write most of it, I also had the kind assistance of several other talented people in supplying special articles (Terry Dresbach, costume designer for the TV show; Theresa Carle-Sanders, author of the Outlander Kitchen, website, and The Outlander Kitchen Cookbook; Bear McCreary, composer for the show; and Dr. Claire MacKay, who worked as a consulting herbalist for the show) and in doing the horrid drudgery involved in putting together lists (Susan Pittman-Butler, my invaluable assistant, who compiled the enormous “Cast of Characters” and entered all the information for the monstrous bibliography on LibraryThing; and Àdhamh ÓBroin—Gaelic tutor and consultant for the TV show—who compiled the instructive and entertaining Gàidhlig glossary), to say nothing of the help of our wonderful book designer, Virginia Norey, who chose most of the illustrations (I put in a few…); Barbara Schnell, who gave me her amazing photographs of Scotland and Germany; and the mapmakers (James Sinclair and Daniel Lynch).

  The general outline of this book is much like The Outlandish Companion, Volume One, with detailed synopses, a cast of characters, bibliography, and a lot of Highly Opinionated Stuff by yours truly.5 I didn’t put in appendices, though, as no one seemed to take
much notice of them in the earlier book, and I did (thanks to the marvels of social media) ask readers what sorts of things they’d especially like to see in this one. Hence the maps and floor plans and a few other interesting bits and pieces.

  My husband remarked that the first Companion was “a great bathroom book—you can pick it up and open it anywhere,” and I hope you’ll find this second volume equally commodious.

  Le meas agus,6

  Diana Gabaldon

  * * *

  1 No, that scene never ended up in the book. It wasn’t even a complete scene (not surprising, as the only thing I knew about the book at that point was that it involved a Scotsman in a kilt), only a half page or so, in which Jamie (I did know his first name, at least) was having an argument with his sister (nameless at that point), who was chopping vegetables in a vehement manner. It was just my first experiment (bar Walt Disney comic books, which really don’t work the same way) at putting fictional words on a page.

  It was nonetheless highly significant. At the conclusion of one paragraph, I’d just listed the ingredients of the dish Jamie’s sister was making and—by academic reflex—began to put in the empty square brackets in which the bibliographic citation proving that those particular vegetables were indeed to be found in Scotland at that time in history and at that time of year would be placed. Then I stopped and, with a sense of joyous freedom, thought, I don’t have to do that—it’s FICTION!!! Thus confirmed in my belief that I was indeed meant to be a novelist, I went happily on and never looked back.

  2 Frankly, it’s flat-out impossible. I mean, try it. You can’t exactly say it’s historical fiction, because of the time travel (though the historical aspects are in fact as accurate as history itself—rather a large caveat, that…). You can’t say it’s fantasy, because people leap instantly to the conclusion that it has elves and dragons (the Loch Ness monster being rather a poor substitute, if you ask me). You can’t say it’s science fiction (even though it is, strictly speaking), because people start thinking of time machines and War of the Worlds and TARDIS, none of which are at all appropriate. And you really can’t call it a romance, because a huge segment of the reading populace is disposed to think that most romance novels are illiterate bodice-rippers (they aren’t, of course, but that’s a common prejudice, ignorant as it is)—and, in fact, the book really isn’t a romance, as it breaks just about every genre constraint there is.

  This is what happens when you write a book that you don’t expect anyone ever to read, let alone publish. When I started writing, I just used any element or literary device that appealed to me—and I have very eclectic tastes.

  3 The interviews resulting from the book tour for the Companion were especially bizarre.

  4 Now, I’m quite sure that you know that already—but the thing is, when The OC, Volume One, came out, there was quite a rash of indignant mail from readers who (in spite of my painstaking cover legend, which described exactly what the book was) had just grabbed it, ignoring cover, title, and flap copy, and then been incensed when it turned out not to be the next novel. I’m grateful for such enthusiasm, of course, but I do want to save people confusion and frustration, whenever possible.

  5 And footnotes, glorious footnotes…!

  6 That means “with deepest respect”—or “best wishes,” as the case may be.

  PART ONE

  CHRONOLOGY

  CHRONOLOGY OF THE OUTLANDER SERIES

  he Outlander series includes three kinds of stories:

  The Big, Enormous Books, which have no discernible genre (or all of them).

  The Shorter, Less Indescribable Novels, which are more or less historical mysteries (though dealing also with battles, eels, and mildly deviant sexual practices).

  And

  The Bulges, these being short(er) pieces that fit somewhere inside the story lines of the novels, much in the nature of squirming prey swallowed by a large snake. These deal frequently—but not exclusively—with secondary characters, are prequels or sequels, and/or fill some lacuna left in the original story lines.

  Now. Most of the shorter novels (so far) fit within a large lacuna left in the middle of Voyager, in the years between 1756 and 1761. Some of the Bulges also fall in this period; others don’t.

  So, for the reader’s convenience, here is a detailed chronology, showing the sequence of the various elements in terms of the story line. However, it should be noted that the shorter novels and novellas are all designed suchly that they may be read alone, without reference either to one another or to the Big, Enormous Books—should you be in the mood for a light literary snack instead of the nine-course meal with wine pairings and dessert trolley.

  Outlander (novel)—If you’ve never read any of the series, I’d suggest starting here. If you’re unsure about it, open the book anywhere and read three pages; if you can put it down again, I’ll give you a dollar. (1946/1743)

  Dragonfly in Amber (novel)—It doesn’t start where you think it’s going to. And it doesn’t end how you think it’s going to, either. Just keep reading; it’ll be fine. (1968/1744–46)

  Voyager (novel)—This won an award from EW magazine for “Best Opening Line.” (To save you having to find a copy just to read the opening, it was: He was dead. However, his nose throbbed painfully, which he thought odd in the circumstances.) If you’re reading the series in order rather than piecemeal, you do want to read this book before tackling the novellas. (1968/1746–67)

  Lord John and the Hand of Devils, “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” (novella)—Just to add an extra layer of confusion, The Hand of Devils is a collection that includes three novellas. The first one, “Lord John and the Hellfire Club,” is set in London in 1756 and deals with a red-haired man who approaches Lord John Grey with an urgent plea for help, just before dying in front of him. [Originally published in the anthology Past Poisons, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, 1998.]

  Lord John and the Private Matter (novel)—Set in London in 1757, this is a historical mystery steeped in blood and even less-savory substances, in which Lord John meets (in short order) a valet, a traitor, an apothecary with a sure cure for syphilis, a bumptious German, and an unscrupulous merchant prince.

  Lord John and the Hand of Devils, “Lord John and the Succubus” (novella)—The second novella in the Hand of Devils collection finds Lord John in Germany in 1757, having unsettling dreams about Jamie Fraser, unsettling encounters with Saxon princesses, night hags, and a really disturbing encounter with a big blond Hanoverian graf. [Originally published in the anthology Legends II, ed. Robert Silverberg, 2003.]

  Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel)—The second full-length novel focused on Lord John (but it does include Jamie Fraser) is set in 1758, deals with a twenty-year-old family scandal, and sees Lord John engaged at close range with exploding cannon and even more dangerously explosive emotions.

  Lord John and the Hand of Devils, “Lord John and the Haunted Soldier” (novella)—The third novella in this collection is set in 1758, in London and the Woolwich Arsenal. In which Lord John faces a court of inquiry into the explosion of a cannon and learns that there are more dangerous things in the world than gunpowder.

  “The Custom of the Army” (novella)—Set in 1759. In which his lordship attends an electric-eel party in London and ends up at the Battle of Quebec. He’s just the sort of person things like that happen to. [Originally published in Warriors, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2010.]

  The Scottish Prisoner (novel)—This one’s set in 1760, in the Lake District, London, and Ireland. A sort of hybrid novel, it’s divided evenly between Jamie Fraser and Lord John Grey, who are recounting their different perspectives in a tale of politics, corruption, murder, opium dreams, horses, and illegitimate sons.

  “A Plague of Zombies” (novella)—Set in 1761 in Jamaica, when Lord John is sent in command of a battalion to put down a slave rebellion and discovers a hitherto unsuspected affinity for snakes, cockroaches, and zombies. [Originally published in Down The
se Strange Streets, eds. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2011.]

  Drums of Autumn (novel)—This one begins in 1767, in the New World, where Jamie and Claire find a foothold in the mountains of North Carolina, and their daughter, Brianna, finds a whole lot of things she didn’t expect, when a sinister newspaper clipping sends her in search of her parents. (1969–1970/1767–1770)

  The Fiery Cross (novel)—The historical background to this one is the War of the Regulation in North Carolina (1767–1771), which was more or less a dress rehearsal for the oncoming Revolution. In which Jamie Fraser becomes a reluctant Rebel, his wife, Claire, becomes a conjure-woman, and their grandson, Jeremiah, gets drunk on cherry bounce. Something Much Worse happens to Brianna’s husband, Roger, but I’m not telling you what. This won several awards for “Best Last Line,” but I’m not telling you that, either. (1770–1772)

  A Breath of Snow and Ashes (novel)—Winner of the 2006 Corine International Prize for Fiction and of a Quill Award (this book beat novels by both George R.R. Martin and Stephen King, which I thought Very Entertaining Indeed). All the books have an internal “shape” that I see while I’m writing them. This one looks like the Hokusai print titled “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” Think tsunami—two of them. (1773–1776/1980)

  An Echo in the Bone (novel)—Set in America, London, Canada, and Scotland. The book’s cover image reflects the internal shape of the novel: a caltrop. That’s an ancient military weapon that looks like a child’s jack with sharp points; the Romans used them to deter elephants, and the highway patrol still uses them to stop fleeing perps in cars. This book has four major story lines: Jamie and Claire; Roger and Brianna (and family); Lord John and William; and Young Ian, all intersecting in the nexus of the American Revolution—and all of them with sharp points. (1776–1778/1980)

  Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (novel)—The eighth of the Big, Enormous Books, it begins where An Echo in the Bone leaves off, in the summer of 1778 (and the autumn of 1980).