Review: I didn't read the Outlander series. I devoured it.Normally, I'd rather be strung up and dunked head first into a vat of cold parritch than be forced to read "romance" novels, but Ms. Gabaldon's books went straight to my Celtic heart. I bought used copies in paperback to share with friends and hard cover editions for my library--that's a wee bit of change, but well worth it.
Before ordering the Companion, I spent time flipping through a copy at the bookstore--and that might be a good idea if some of you aren't sure you want to spend the money on this--personally, I was laughing out loud and one lady even asked me "Is it good? What are you reading?" Grinning, I stuck a copy of Outlander in her hands...and yep, she bought it.
I keep running into Outlandish people everywhere, and it's great. Diana--thank you so much for the many, many hours spent in the pleasurable company of the Fraser clan.
Okay, put up your swords and stop hagglin' over the book. Check it out first and buy it or not. Mine is on order right now....(PS: I KNEW she had to be a Doctor Who fan! I mean "Fraser Hines/Jamie McCrimmon"? Had to be!)
Rating: 
Summary: MUST READ for Outlander fans
Review: If you have read any of the books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, this is a must read. All the questions you would love to ask the author are answered here and more!! Besides a synopsis of the first four books of the series, Outlandish Companion give you a look into the mind the author. She explains her writing process, how different characters or plotlines come to be, her pre-Outlander career, many FAQs from dedicated readers, glossaries of all characters and multi-lingual terms and phrases, excerpts of future books in the series, and much more! WARNING: the first four books of the series are outlined in this book, so if you have not read them, there may be spoilers for you, but you can still enjoy it by choosing carefully which parts to avoid until you've finished books 1-4.
I read this book in about 2 days, cover to cover, and I still refer to it often. You will definitely ENJOY!
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: It's not perfect, but it's still a great companion
Review: After reading the first four Outlander books, I was very excited to read The Outlandish Companion. I absolutely love the way Gabaldon writes just as if she is talking to you, telling you the story of how and why and where the books came from. I felt like we were hanging out together as I read through this book.
I won't give this book five stars, because I do think there were several things that could have been improved (i.e. the dictionary!), and I did find some areas a little boring (the
horoscope isn't my thing and I felt she rambled on about a few subjects that didn't matter, plus I think she spent far too much time trying to explain the computer). However, I loved the FAQ and other Q&A sections. I really enjoyed reading HER answers to some of the questions I had. I still didn't always agree with her on some of the points made in the section on things people complain about, but that's what makes the world go 'round! <G> 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: 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.
