Outlander returns for a fifth season this year, and fans are desperate for more of this time-traveling romance. Claire and Jamie have been through the Jacobite Rebellion, into the slave trade of the West Indies, the courts of France, and now, they are part of the colonization of the United States - and fans know that their adventures are far from over.
Of course, part of the reason that fans know this is because the book series that the show is based on is still being written, and although it is eight books in, there is still plenty to be adapted for the show, and plenty more to come for readers, too. For anyone still waiting to jump in, though, we’ve got the books that Goodreads readers loved… and the ones that fans might even want to skip!
Go Tell The Bees I Am Gone (unrated)
‘Go Tell The Bees I Am Gone’ is actually not yet released, which is why it is unrated, however, the upcoming ninth book in the series still deserves a mention! If the trend in Goodreads scores continues, it’s likely that this will be even better received than past books, especially as more fans of the series start reading the books as well. So far, exact details of the plot are not released, and the book doesn’t have an expected publication date, but it will continue the story where ‘Written In My Own Heart’s Blood’ left off.
Outlander (4.23)
It may be surprising that the book that started it all is actually the one that has the lowest score on Goodreads. That said, it’s important to note that that ’lowest score’ is still over 4/5, so it’s hardly considered a bad book!
‘Outlander’ starts with Claire in Scotland, before she is accidentally transported two hundred years into the past. With this dramatic beginning, the Outlander franchise begins, as Claire must try and survive and find her way home, as well as relying on the protection of a man named Jamie Fraser…
The Fiery Cross (4.27)
Second from the bottom is ‘The Fiery Cross’, the fifth book in the series. This novel takes place largely on Fraser’s Ridge, the land where Claire and Jamie have settled in the New World with Brianna and Roger… but their peace is definitely going to be short-lived, as Claire knows that the Revolutionary War is coming.
It’s possibly not surprising that this isn’t a fan-favorite of the series, as it’s one of the more simple books. Everyone is together, there’s no active war, and while life is far from easy or simple, it doesn’t quite live up to the kind of adventure that most of the books do.
Dragonfly In Amber (4.32)
The second book in the series is next, which follows Jamie and Claire through the courts of France in an attempt to prevent the disastrous Jacobite uprising. Parts of the book also take place in the ’60s, after Claire left the past to safely have her child, leaving Jamie to die at the Battle of Culloden… which, of course, he didn’t.
Again, this is one of the more straightforward books in the series, and focuses primarily on Claire and Jamie, which may be why it isn’t one of the highest-rated.
Drums Of Autumn (4.35)
The fourth book in the series is where things really start to get complicated… and clearly, that’s not a bad thing for Outlander fans! In ‘Drums of Autumn’, Claire is back in the past with Jamie, starting a new life in the colonies, while Brianna and Roger are in their own time. However, this is also the book where Brianna journeys into the past after her family, and clearly, fans loved that twist.
Voyager (4.39)
While the third book in the series doesn’t yet involve Brianna’s time travel, it does involve more magic and mystery than many of the others in the series. ‘Voyager’ is the book where Claire (and the reader) learns a whole lot more about how to travel through time, and the way that this magic works, all while attempting to save Ian, who was kidnapped by pirates.
‘Voyager’ also fills in the blanks of Jamie’s life between Culloden and Claire’s return.
A Breath Of Snow And Ashes (4.44)
We’re getting into the top three, and interestingly, they are the three most recent books in the series (in publication order, at that). ‘A Breath Of Snow And Ashes’ takes place in the lead up to the American Revolution, as Jamie struggles to believe that the future is set, and that he may have to forswear an oath of his.
An Echo In The Bone (4.44)
The seventh book in the series ‘An Echo In The Bone’ has an identical rating to ‘A Breath Of Snow And Ashes’, but it comes later in this list purely because it is the follow up. ‘An Echo In The Bone’ takes place over two time periods again, as Brianna, Roger, and their children have returned to Lallybroch of the 20th century. Meanwhile, in the past, Claire and Jamie travel between the New World and Scotland, and fans get to catch up with some favorite characters from the early books that haven’t been seen for a while.
This may not be a book-long break from the war, but it does play with some other themes, and it does a fantastic job of revisiting old characters (whether you love them, or love to hate them), and it’s no surprise that it was so well-received.
Written In My Own Heart’s Blood (4.53)
The most recent book in the series, ‘Written In My Own Heart’s Blood’, dives right back in to the Revolutionary War, after Claire believes that Jamie has been lost at sea. In a wonderfully complex story, Claire ends up marrying Lord John Grey for protection, and the story of their shared grief for Jamie is a beautiful one. Of course, Jamie (who seems just flat-out impossible to kill, at this point) isn’t dead, and his homecoming leaves everyone with some explaining to do! This book also reunites the family once more in the past, although it’s far from an easy journey for any of them.
