How to read the ‘Outlander’ books in order

From the books to the smaller screen, Outlander‘s historical romance based on semi-factual events introduced its audience to the world of the mystic Scottish highlands back in 2014. Anchored by Caitriona Balfe as the ‘Sassenach’ Claire and Sam Heughan as the heartthrob Scottish Jamie, a land filled with myth and a tad of magic, brought two unlikely sides of the same coin to reunite in a game of faith and destiny. While romance ran amok in this series, Outlander is also known for not shying away from accurately portraying violent and deadly historical events.

The brain behind this ingenious tale of love and loss belongs to none other than the American novelist, Diana Gabaldon. Through plenty of research on European history, as well as the inclusion of the United States’ own past, Gabaldon created an informing yet fictional story that may seem intimidating to get into at first glance. The television series itself is quite straightforward, with the seasons available in numeric order, however, the books aren’t nearly as easy to get into for their numerous side stories and novellas. For that reason, if you’re one of the people looking to finally enter the literary story of Outlander before the two final seasons air, We Got This Covered has come to help.

‘Outlander’ books in chronological order

While the Outlander ten main novels can be read by publication order starting from the first major novel entitled “Outlander,” it would be quite a waste to skip the shorter and less indescribable novels and novellas. For that reason, here are all the novellas and novels for any avid fan wishing to know every single detail in this intricate love story, in chronological order as per Gabaldon herself.

• Virgins (novella): Set in 1740 in France.
• Outlander (major novel): 1946 and 1743.
• Dragonfly in Amber (major novel): 1948, and 1744 until 1746.
• A Fugitive Green (novella): 1744-1745
• Voyager (major novel): 1968 and from 1766 till 1767.
• Lord John and the Hellfire Club (short story): 1756
• Lord John and the Private Matter (novel): 1757
• Lord and the Succubus (novella): 1757
• Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel): 1758
• Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (novella): 1758
• The Custom of the Army (novella): 1759
• The Scottish Prisoner (novel): 1760
• A Plague of Zombies (novella): 1761
• Besieged (novella): 1762
• Drums of Autumn (major novel): 1969-1970 and 1767-1770
• The Fiery Cross (major novel): 1770-1772
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes (major novel): 1773-1776 and 1980
• An Echo in the Bone (major novel): 1776-1778 and 1980
• Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (major novel): 1778 and 1980
• A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (short story): 1941 and 1943
• The Space Between (novella): 1778
• Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone (major novel): 1779-1781

It’s worth noting that while Gabaldon lists the above as the official order, every short story can be read in whichever order the reader pleases. Most of the novels and novellas depicting Lord John’s upbringing aren’t at all essential for the understanding of the main plot, but many of them include details regarding Jamie’s past that he shared with his cherished friend, which may also be a nice surprise for readers who thoroughly enjoy this beloved friendship.

At the time of writing, the tenth (and likely final) major novel is still being written, without an official title just yet. As the last book in the series, Gabaldon promises a focus on Jamie and Claire’s story.

Moreover, the author also has a few more plans ahead for Outlander after the final novel drops. Namely, a prequel featuring Jamie’s parents, which perhaps not-so-coincidentally is also the premise of the highly-anticipated upcoming spin-off entitled Outlander: Blood of my Blood and a book about the mysterious Master Raymond, the apothecary of prehistoric time travel that Claire met in Paris, is also in Gabaldon’s plans for the future.

So there you have it. If you just cannot wait for Outlander‘s seventh season to come to the screen, there are still plenty of novels, short stories, and novellas that need reading before you get to the current events in this historical tale. In the meantime, if you wish to rewatch all of your favorite scenes, Outlander can be found and streamed on Netflix and Starz.