Outlander Books in Order: Publication & Chronological Order

Looking for the Outlander books in order? This guide breaks down Diana Gabaldon’s series in both publication and chronological order, so you can choose the best way to read Claire and Jamie’s story, the Lord John books, and the wider Outlander world. Whether you’re starting fresh or coming to the books after the TV series, you’ll find the full reading order here.

Jump to:

• Outlander Books in Publication Order
• Outlander Books in Chronological Order
• How the Outlander Books Are Organized
• Outlander on TV: How the Books Match the Show
• What Is Outlander About?
• Outlander Books FAQ

Outlander Books in Publication Order

The best way to read the Outlander books in order is by publication order, especially for first-time readers. It follows Diana Gabaldon’s world the way it was originally built, making it easier to follow the main story, avoid spoilers, and see how the larger Outlander universe expands over time.

The asterisked titles below are Gabaldon’s “Big, Enormous Books,” the main novels that follow Claire and Jamie. Readers who only want their central story, or who came to the books through the TV series, can start with those novels in publication order for the most straightforward reading experience.

1. Outlander (1991) *
2. Dragonfly in Amber (1992) *
3. Voyager (1993) *
4. Drums of Autumn (1996) *
5. Lord John and the Hellfire Club (1998)
6. The Fiery Cross (2001) *
7. Lord John and the Private Matter (2003)
8. Lord John and the Succubus (2003)
9. A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005) *
10. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007)
11. Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (2007)
12. An Echo in the Bone (2009) *
13. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel (2010)
14. The Custom of the Army (2010)
15. The Scottish Prisoner (2011)
16. A Plague of Zombies (2011)
17. The Space Between (2012)
18. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (2012)
19. Virgins (2013)
20. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (2014) *
21. A Fugitive Green (2017)
22. Besieged (2018)
23. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (2021) *
24. A Blessing For A Warrior Going Out (Forthcoming) *

Outlander Books in Chronological Order

Because Outlander is built around time travel, many readers also want to see the books in chronological order. This version of the reading order follows the story as events unfold across different time periods and locations, but it works best as a reread rather than a starting point.

For first-time readers, publication order is still the better choice. A chronological Outlander reading order can reveal later developments too early, so it’s more useful for longtime fans who want to revisit the series from a new angle.

1. Virgins
2. Outlander *
3. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
4. Dragonfly in Amber *
5. A Fugitive Green
6. Voyager *
7. Lord John and the Hellfire Club
8. Lord John and the Private Matter
9. Lord John and the Succubus
10. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
11. Lord John and the Haunted Soldier
12. The Custom of the Army
13. The Scottish Prisoner
14. A Plague of Zombies
15. Besieged
16. Drums of Autumn *
17. The Fiery Cross *
18. A Breath of Snow and Ashes *
19. An Echo in the Bone *
20. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood *
21. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
22. The Space Between
23. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone *

How the Outlander Books Are Organized

Diana Gabaldon’s official site breaks the Outlander universe into three types of books. The “Big, Enormous Books” are the main novels that follow Claire and Jamie, “The Shorter, Less Indescribable Novels” focus mostly on Lord John Grey, and the excerpts that fit somewhere in-between are what Gabaldon calls the “Bulges.”

For most readers, the main thing to know is that the Claire and Jamie novels should be read in order, while the shorter Lord John books and novellas are more flexible. Some of those side stories intersect with the larger series, but they can usually be read on their own, which is why the lists above separate the main reading path from the wider Outlander world.

Outlander on TV: How the Books Match the Show

Starz’s Outlander adaptation began by following the main novels in roughly the same order they were published, which is one reason publication order still makes the most sense for first-time readers. Early on, the show tracks the broad arc of one main novel at a time, but as the series goes on it pulls from multiple books, compresses story lines, and makes larger adaptation changes. Diana Gabaldon has summed it up well: the books are the books, and the show is the show.

That means readers who came to Outlander through TV should still start with Outlander and continue through the main novels in publication order rather than trying to match seasons book by book. The TV series is now in its eighth and final season on Starz, while the prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood follows the love stories of Jamie Fraser’s parents and Claire Beauchamp’s parents.

What Is Outlander About?

Outlander begins when Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is pulled from the years just after World War II into 18th-century Scotland, where she meets Jamie Fraser. What starts as a time-travel premise quickly becomes a much larger story of love, war, survival, and family across centuries.

Published in the U.K. under the title Cross Stitch, Outlander is the first main novel in Diana Gabaldon’s series and the foundation for the wider world that includes the Claire and Jamie books, the Lord John stories, and other shorter fiction.

Outlander Books FAQ

Is the Outlander Book Series Finished?

No, the Outlander book series is not finished yet. Diana Gabaldon is still writing the tenth major novel, A Blessing For A Warrior Going Out, which continues the story of Jamie and Claire, and her official site says no publication date has been announced.

Gabaldon has also said that Book 10 will probably be the last novel focused on Claire and Jamie, though she has left herself room to go longer if needed. So for now, the main series is still ongoing, with Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone as the most recent published novel.

Is Outlander based on a true story?

No. Outlander is a work of fiction set against real historical events. Diana Gabaldon has said she originally meant it to be a historical novel and chose 18th-century Scotland after being inspired by a Doctor Who rerun, so the series is rooted in history without being based on a true story.

What genre are the Outlander books?

The Outlander books don’t fit neatly into one genre. Gabaldon has said she does not consider them standard romance novels and describes the series more as an adventure story in which history is just as important as the characters, even though the books also include romance, time travel, and fantasy elements.

Do you need to read the Lord John Grey books to understand Outlander?

No. You can read the main Outlander novels without the Lord John books. Gabaldon says the Lord John stories are part of the larger series and do connect to it, but they also stand alone and can be read separately. If you want to add them to your read-through, her official guidance is that they fit after Voyager.

Are the places in Outlander real?

Many of them are. Gabaldon has said places like Inverness, Loch Ness, Fort William, Paris, and Philadelphia are real locations, though some fictional places and details are mixed in as well. She has also said there is no known real-world basis for Lallybroch, even though some elements of the setting were influenced by places she later found in Scotland.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more historical fiction, fantasy, and reading-order guides like this one, start with my guides below.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Bridgerton Books in Order
• The Last Kingdom Books in Order
• Pillars of the Earth Books in Order