I thought it was such a neat idea to put in the book, and she did change my thoughts on some issues (and I was with her from the beginning on the rest!). I absolutely loved reading where all her ideas came from and how she wrote the books. I hope that there will be a final companion to the whole series and that she will take into account some of the criticism she got on this one and make it excellent. I think this is a must have addition to any Outlander Collection. Full of tidbits I'd never considered myself, full of wit and love and fun. Just a wonderful wonderful companion to the series!
Rating: 
Summary: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR!
Review: I really felt like I was sitting across the table having a warm and friendly conversation with an old friend, Diana Gabaldon! Because her 1000+ page books in the OUTLANDER series were written over the course of several years, people tend to forget some of the lesser characters or events. This book makes it easy to look up a person or even a Gaelic phrase to become familiar with past events. Having recently discovered this series, I've been fortunate to read these books straight through (at great expense to my personal life and sleep, I might add). Frankly, I can't imagine the torture of having to wait years for each book, especially between DRAGONFLY and VOYAGER!
Subsequently, I read this book in chronological order (5th) because I absolutely didn't want to miss a thing (even though the plot and characters remained familiar to me). I did turn to it twice before to look up a forgotten name and wish I hadn't because I learned something about an individual that took place in a future book. I do know people who like to read ahead but I won't even read a review of a book until I have finished it; I like to be surprised!
The great part of this book is all the information gleaned from Gabaldon's personal life. We are introduced to her husband and three children. We learn that besides the fact that she is a genius (she didn't state this--it's just a given considering the epic tales she weaves) and best selling author (not to mention going without sleep), she has quite a normal life as a wife and mother. Diana tells us the unorthodox way she spins her tales--not in sequential order, but in bits and pieces. The result is not only a tremendous insight into the author, but background information of characters (even horoscopes and genealogy-which did not interest me) and events in her delightful novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining, just like her other books.
Review: I read THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION and found it very entertaining. It's a great complement to the first four books. I wish all serial authors would follow suit and supply something like this for their readers. Diana is true to form, always eons ahead of the fictional writer's pack.
I'm surprised by some of the "green with envy" bad reviews she's received. To the lady from Grapevine, Tx, read this "I am a disappointment". There was so much pre-publication write up about the COMPANION, only residents from Pluto would have missed not learning about it's contents and that it was a "COMPANION" to the previous books. To PA, USA, "BREEKS" are breeches, now if you want to know what that is you'll have to open up a dictionary. If you want facts and a true understanding of the times, open up a history book and read to your heart's content. Since you already have the COMPANION, it would be wise to take advantage of Diana's resource list. Mr. Gaelic from Seattle, "BAD GAELIC" is bad grammar, oh, that's right, your expectise is in Gaelic not english grammar.
What is it with you ppl, THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION was a gift from Diana to her fans. If you're not her fan, then what are you doing paying out money for a book you don't want. Your reviews say more about your character flaws than they do about Diana's writing technique or her books. There aren't many great writer out there of Diana's calibre but Diana does have many loyal fans. Those of you who don't like her, it's your loss not hers.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy investment
Review: This book is just as good as you would expect, coming from Diana Gabaldon. It merges right into the Outlander series & is just chock full of information. It really is worth the money, especially if you plan to read the entire series. It was released before the 5th book, The Fiery Cross, so there is very little (if anything) about that book in the Companion.
Be sure to check out the web links section, there are some really cool Outlander websites & E-groups on the internet!
Happy reading,
Miranda
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic COMPANION to the Outlandish series
Review: I absolutely loved The Outlandish Companion. I think it deserves one star for the Gaelic pronunciations and explanations, a second star for the sketches and pictures (loved seeing Claire's rings!), a third star for the character list, a fourth star for Diana taking the time to answer all of those questions from everyone, and the fifth star for her explanation of where characters come from. I would give her a sixth star for her wit and humor if Amazon gave me that option. I was a little surprised to see how closely the horoscopes matched Jamie and Claire's personalities. Diana didn't write the horoscopes anyway, they were sent to her and she liked them so she included them for anyone who was interested. Who cares that they are fictional characters? Not me. The fact that Diana has made Jamie, Claire & Co. 'real' to so many people is an amazing accomplishment itself. I enjoyed the Companion for the reasons I listed above. Will I read the book cover to cover repeatedly? No. Will I go through it fairly often? Yes. Why? Because it's interesting information and I participate in Outlandish Trivia Games and I could use all the help I can get. My book was worth every penny I spent on it and I hope to someday have it signed along with the rest of my books. Great job Diana and I look forward to books 5 & 6 as well as the next Companion!
Rating: 
Summary: I think I'll wait until the series is finished...
Review: I'm not here to bash Ms.Gabaldon and her novels (all of which I quite enjoyed (okay I didn't love Dragonfly in Amber - but so what?)) A couple of weeks ago I wandered into my local book store and picked up the Companian and I have to admit I was enthralled by it. Ms.Gabaldon has a clear, honest, true voice that is very obviously her own and I really appreciated her insights on the novels. I did not buy a copy at that time (knowing I could get it cheaper on-line). The thing is I still haven't bought one. Mostly because I took a second and checked out her homepage and found the exact same stuff as was in the book.
Was I disapointed? Big time. But so what? A lot of people love these book, and don't have access to the internet. Personally I think I will wait until the other books in the series have come out before buying this book. Because as it stands right now, why buy a companion to an unfinished series? So I am hoping that by the time Ms.Gabaldon is finished with her writing in this series, she will take the time and give us an updated Companion to enjoy along with her great series.
And as for all this squabbling about this book - what does it really matter if one person loves it and another doesn't? Is it really that big of a deal? I don't think so.
Enjoy the series and grow up a little and understand that Ms.Gabaldon is under contract to a publishing company. She may very well have had to write this book due to contractual purposes. And if she did write it for money making purposes, who cares? This is her job - she has to make money to live on. You don't have to buy it. (Whoops sorry, got a little testy there myself.)
Like I said, personally I'm going to wait until the series is finished, and then buy this book (hopefully updated) to complement a great collection of works.
This is just one person opinion - you don't have to listen to me either. Buy what you will, enjoy what you will.
Happy Reading.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy investment
Review: This book is just as good as you would expect, coming from Diana Gabaldon. It merges right into the Outlander series & is just chock full of information. It really is worth the money, especially if you plan to read the entire series. It was released before the 5th book, The Fiery Cross, so there is very little (if anything) about that book in the Companion.
Be sure to check out the web links section, there are some really cool Outlander websites & E-groups on the internet!
Happy reading,
Miranda
Rating:
Summary: FUN & INFORMATIVE
Review: This is a neat addition to the BEST series of books I have ever had the pleasure to read. OUTLANDER, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, VOYAGER, DRUMS OF AUTUMN & THE FIERY CROSS! Must reads one and all.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks, Diana!
Review: I only recently acquired this book and have been reading it off and on until #6 of the series is out. I loved almost every bit of the book (the only part I wasn't as 'thrilled' with were the horoscopes - just not my bag, baby) and it is a MUST for Diana's fans.
I really feel like I know and understand the characters better -- as well as Ms Gabaldon herself (and I can now say her name properly should I ever get the pleasure of meeting her!) I laughed like a loon at many of the stories and footnotes Diana adds along the way (so far my favorite footnote is: Why Birds Build Nests Where They Do, and Who Cares Anyway?).
Overall, it's as entertaining as her novels about Claire and Jamie and a good inside to the author herself.
