Are you an Outlander fan? Book or TV show, it makes no matter. With the Season 7 finale of the Starz television series recently airing and book ten of Diana Gabaldon’s wildly popular Outlander series expected somewhere in the (hopefully) not far distant horizon, Outlander fans have a bit of a wait to get through, a wait known in the fandom as Droughtlander. It’s real and it’s here. At least until Season 8 or the publication of the as of yet untitled next book installment – whichever comes first. Meanwhile, there is time to kill and you can rewatch and reread but you can also try something new!
Here’s a very brief synopsis of Outlander if you’re scratching your head and trying to figure out what we’re all talking about. Claire Randall is a WWII nurse who accidentally travels through time and meets the dashing James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, a Highlander in the 1700s. Claire is already married when she travels through time, and that story interweaves with her narrative in the 1700s. The set of novels chronicle Claire and Jamie’s lives and family over generations. Nine are published so far, with ten as the expected total number in the series. As I said above, book ten is in the works but not yet named and no publication date in sight.
We’re going to do some time travel of our own, taking a trip to the 70s, 80s, and 90s today, revisiting some of the novels I remember from around the time Outlander was published, books and authors that either preceded or came up the ranks with Gabaldon. There’s plenty of read-alike lists on the internet suggesting current titles for Gabaldon fans longing for a substitute, and I’m not discrediting those at all. I, however, want to reminisce a little on my own and share some of my favorites that are worth the search at libraries and used bookstores. Most are also still in print.
I have to admit, although Outlander is a favorite of mine, I lost interest in the series somewhere in the third book for a variety of reasons and never finished it or the rest of the saga. I have read Outlander more than once, though, and I really love what has been done with the television adaptation. I feel the need to say that because despite my waning interest in the books, Jamie Fraser is one of my favorite all time romantic heroes in a novel and Outlander will always hold a special place on my shelf. In fact, my first copy looked just like the image I chose above from back in 1991. Outlander is a sweeping story, full of romance and history and adventure and just the slightest bit of fantasy with the time travel component: all the elements I love in a story and, as you’ll see in the list, mirrored and complemented by the other titles here. Let’s go!
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine (1986): Jo Clifford is a journalist out to debunk past-life regression. When she goes under hypnosis, she relives the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay, wife of a baron during King John’s reign. The story alternates between Jo’s real life and the periods of regression. There is history, romance, love triangles, betrayal, heartbreak, and family drama. Jo’s men in her 1980s life are intertwined with the men in Matilda’s life and, as usual, they are not always who they seem. The past-life regression takes the place of time travel and Matilda is a real person from history, although facts are changed somewhat to suit Erskine’s story. The novel is self-contained, not part of a series, but Erskine has written quite a bit and you may find additional titles by her that interest you.
Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen (1986): Barbara Alderley is a 15-year-old noblewoman engaged to a much older (than her) man, handsome 40ish Roger MontGeoffry. Barbara is close to her duchess grandmother but not so much with her mother, a somewhat nasty piece of work. The story takes place in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries of England and France, so a grand backdrop with a fair share of drama, intrigue, romance, family, and history. This is the first novel by Koen, and she wrote both a sequel (Now Face to Face, 1995) and a prequel (Dark Angels, 2006) to this novel. Admittedly, I had to wait 10 years between the first and second book but it was totally worth it and I love the pair of them, even though they made me cry more than once. Haven’t read the prequel, but now I’m inspired to go back and read all three!
North and South by John Jakes (1982): Talk about making me cry – I wept and wept during this trilogy. Jakes wrenched my heart with this set of novels and I loved the miniseries, too! North and South is the first of the three, followed by Love and War, then Heaven and Hell. Yes, I cried, but I also laughed, and talk about steamy! Girl, please. I was a late teen reading these things and let me tell you. They were smokin’ to me and my friends. Definitely the swoon factor, but also blood, war, death, love, family, history. Jakes knows how to write his stuff and he was prolific with other series that are, I’m told, just as riveting. These are the holy trinity for me, though, and I haven’t ventured away from them!
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel (1980): You have to give Auel credit – she wrote an impressive odyssey of six books over 30 years. Each book is rich in detail, although science and fiction are blended by Auel for the sake of storytelling. She did loads of research, though, and you will not be disappointed in protagonist Ayla’s saga and the story of the beginnings of mankind as we know it. Once again, you’re given family drama, history, adventure, tragedy, and human foibles. Clan of the Cave Bear was amazing and even if you don’t like your history Prehistoric you owe it to yourself to at least read this one!
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (1996): The Stark family is rewarded/punished for their loyalty to the King in this medieval-style fantasy that spans several years and several families battling for the ultimate rulership of the land. How is this similar to Outlander? There’s more these two series have in common than you might realize: first books published just a few years apart, both series are hefty with high family drama, both series have highly successful television adaptations, and both book series are still unfinished with authors giving fans the blues by not writing faster! One is just a little more bloody and incestuous than the other, that’s all. The other coincidence? I didn’t finish this series either, but I am crazy about the TV show! As with Clan of the Cave Bear, at least read this first book if you think high fantasy is not your genre. Martin is a great author and fearless in his decision to kill off absolutely anybody. Plus, Gabaldon and Martin are apparently friends, so that’s a fun bonus!
Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small (1980): Getting back to romance, this series has several books following the vibrant Skye O’Malley and her life and loves and family. Several books follow her children, as well. Set in Elizabethan England, the series is rich in period detail and historical figures mixed in with the fictional. Skye is a strong heroine and author Small was know for her steamy sex scenes, so I certainly remember this book being a page-turner! Loved the whole series and you see the span of Skye’s life as it plays out through her many adventures.
A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux (1989): I mean, come on – when you go to an author’s website and you can search through their body of work where the titles are sectionalized by alphabetical tabs? That’s a large body of work and Devereaux ruled romance for many, many years. A Knight In Shining Armor is part of Devereaux’s massive Montgomery family saga (that starts with The Black Lyon), and Douglass is our heroine who tugs Lord Nicholas Stafford forward in time from his own year of 1564. She then travels to his time as well. Again, there is history, romance, a larger family saga in other books, and time travel.
Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd: Another great historical novelist, Sarum is the first book by Rutherfurd but it’s on another level altogether. Sarum takes place over a ten-thousand year period in the storyline. I didn’t stutter. Ten-thousand years. His books are massive, but so utterly readable, you’ll feel like they aren’t nearly long enough. Sarum weaves best factual guesses and fiction as Rutherfurd chronicles his version of the building of Stonehenge. I’ll admit that I haven’t read Sarum yet, but I did read The Forest which covers the lives of several families over the course of a few centuries in the New Forest region of southern England and it was sublime. The Princes of Ireland is in my bedside TBR pile as I prep for a trip to Ireland. Rutherfurd has been praised as a James Michener with a British accent, and Michener has his own mention in this list further down.
Into the Wilderness by Sarah Donati: One of the more obvious choices for a similar read to Outlander, Donati’s series starts with a young Englishwoman, Elizabeth Middleton, who has come to Colonial America to marry a doctor, but who becomes enamored with a white adventurer who has been raised by the Mohawks instead. Her father, a judge, is not amused. Elizabeth wants to start a school for the children in the village where she lives, but meets resistance from the locals and from her own family. This book is the first of six (so far) that chronicle the lives of the family and the exploration and exploitation of America. I won’t spoil it for you, but along the way you get the mention of a certain red-headed Scotsman and his English wife. Donati and Gabaldon are friends and Gabaldon evidently gave her blessing for this little crossover.
Sacajawea by Anna L. Waldo: We all know the Lewis and Clark expedition from American history class and their trek across country exploring the great American wilderness. By their side was the Shoshoni woman, Sacajawea, who helped paved the way for Lewis and Clark with her language skills, her knowledge of edible plants, her knowledge of the terrain, and her mere presence as an American Indian woman giving a sense of trust and legitimacy to the expedition. This is her story, as much as we know of it, with Waldo working to fill in the blanks and give this important woman the place in history she deserves. The novel has fans who adore it and critics who say the strict adherence to historical detail makes it tedious. There were complaints of plagiarism early on, but later editions have worked to note was citations come from which source although this is still a novel that is a fictionalized version of history. The book clocks in at over 1300 pages and also has several pages of notes to cover the sources as mentioned before.
Bright Captivity by Eugenia Price: Another fantastic author with a legion of historical fiction set in the American South is Eugenia Price. Bright Captivity immediately came to mind when I was thinking about some of my favorites from back in the day. It’s the first book in Price’s Georgia trilogy and tells the story of young Anne Couper and the dashing John Fraser, a lieutenant with the British Royal Marines who have invaded the quiet Georgia island in the early 1800s to free slaves. The British take Anne’s home as a headquarters and Anne and her family as captives. This is a classic in the genre of historical fiction with a touch of romance for good measure, and you won’t be disappointed. Price is a master in the genre and wrote several fictional trilogies and quartets all around the Savannah, St. Simon’s Island, and St. Augustine areas of coastal Georgia and Florida that will sweep you away to a different time. Price also wrote many works of nonfiction prior to her success as a novelist, and (bonus story) I had the chance to visit her grave at a lovely cemetery in St. Simon’s Island just last year. It’s located at the same church and cemetery Price visited in 1961 when she came to St. Simon’s Island for the first time during a book signing tour and became intrigued with history and dramatic beauty of the area. She moved to the area in 1965 and never left, using the richness around her for creative inspiration.
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There’s more. There’s always more.
Read:
This Calder Range by Janet Daily and the rest of the Calder series takes place on the Montana plains, a family saga that predates the Yellowstone TV series and its offshoots. There’s just as much drama, however, and the series will keep you turning pages until late at night.
Johanna Lindsey’s Malory series was big during the timeframe I’m talking about. I read the hell out of those, especially if Fabio was on the cover! Love Only Once is the first of the long series, but I think they can also be read as stand-alones with characters weaving in and out of the stories yet not giving away their own secrets.
Judith McNaught’s Whitney, My Love was another favorite, but she also has a large body of work that includes historical romance and more contemporary stories. Whitney, My Love is part of the Westmoreland Dynasty saga that starts with A Kingdom of Dreams.
Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning barely makes the list (it was published in 1999) and is the start of a romantic series, all involving paranormal elements, including time travel and, you guessed it, handsome Highlanders! Again, this can be read in any order as each book works as a stand-alone but familiar characters from other books in the series make appearance.
In the 70s and 80s, we lived for our TV miniseries! Here are some of the greats based on the popular historical novels of that time:
Roots by Alex Haley was based on his own family history. It traces the story of Kunta Kinte, an adolescent African boy who is captured and sold into slavery. The novel traces his life and those of his descendents. The novel swept America in the 70s and the miniseries had mega stars.
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough tells the story of a wealthy Australian family of sheep farmers and the daughter who falls in love with the family priest. There’s drama aplenty and this is a generational saga for the ages.
In Shogun by James Clavell, the story takes place in feudal Japan, a sweeping tale of an Englishman caught up in a society he doesn’t understand but learns to adapt to and thrive in. Called Shakespearean in scope, this is one of the best-selling novels of all time.
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk is a WWII story of the Henry and Jastrow families set against the backdrop of the German’s worsening persecution of the Jews in the years just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is another great family saga that was followed up by War and Remembrance.
Centennial by James A. Michener follows the settlement and development of a fictional town in Colorado and the lives and loves of the people who sacrifice everything to make their name. Let the power plays begin! Michener wrote many historical novels, several that were also adapted as miniseries or TV shows, but his most famous claim to fame is relatively unknown. His first work of short stories, Tales of the South Pacific, was optioned by Rogers and Hammerstein to become the musical, South Pacific.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett was first published in 1989, but really hit American mainstream when it was chosen as an Oprah book club pick in 2007. Deeply historical and brutal at times, this first in a series revolves around fictional and historical figures in a 12th century fictional English town while a cathedral is being built, growing the fortunes of the village along with it.
This should give you some inspiration on finding something to get you through Droughtlander. I highly recommend you take a trip to your local used book store and start digging. Treasure is everywhere! Drop a line and let me know your suggestions.