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Sam Heughan might have called Outlander Season 6 “small, but mighty,” but this mighty Droughtlander needs to come to an end. While we eagerly wait for Outlander to return in early 2022, let’s review the Outlander books in order, shall we? Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series is about to add a ninth book to the fold. And the future of the Outlander books could determine when Outlander on STARZ will end.

Caitriona Balfe, Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan
Caitriona Balfe, Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan | Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Starz

Is ‘Outlander’ book 9 out yet?

Gabaldon published the first Outlander book in 1991. And she worked quickly to get the second and third books published the subsequent two years. The fourth Outlander book came out in 1996, three years after book three. And then, there was about a three to four-year gap between each book release from that point on, up until the five-year break between books seven and eight.

It’s been seven years since the last installment of the Outlander franchise was published. (And we thought we had it bad with the TV Droughtlander.) Coincidentally, the last time a book about Jamie and Claire Fraser’s time-traveling romance was released was one month before Outlander Season 1 debuted on Starz in 2014.

Outlander book nine, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, comes out Nov. 23, 2021. It will be set in 1779 in North Carolina, right in the middle of the American Revolutionary War.

‘Outlander’ books in order

Now, here are the Outlander books in order:

  • Outlander (1991)
  • Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
  • Voyager (1993)
  • Drums of Autumn (1996)
  • The Fiery Cross (2001)
  • A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
  • An Echo in the Bone (2009)
  • Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (2014)
  • Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (2021)

And here’s the order of the Lord John Grey spinoff novels (which might be developed into a series!):

  • Lord John and the Private Matter (2003)
  • Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007)
  • The Scottish Prisoner (2011)

Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007), a collection of three novellas, is also part of the Lord John series.

Claire and Jamie from 'Outlander' lying in the grass. In 'Outlander' Season 6, Jamie and Claire's relationship and life on Fraser's Ridge will be challenged by Tom Christie and his family.
Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe in a promotional image for ‘Outlander’ Season 5 | Starz
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How many ‘Outlander’ books are there?

Clearly, there’s a breadth of Outlander content to dive into while waiting for season 6. There’s also the official Outlander podcast, hosted by Outlander executive producer Matthew B. Roberts. But how many more books can fans expect from the Outlander series? According to Gabaldon… just one.

Outlander will end with book 10. And Gabaldon shared her idea for the time and place of the story’s ending in 2015.

“I think the Outlander books will end in about 1800 in Scotland,” she said in a Q&A for The Outlandish Companion. “If this tells you anything, more power to you.”

Jamie and Claire are in their 50s in Outlander Season 6. If they live to 1800 (which they better!! I want my favorite TV couple to die OLD AND HAPPY, Gabaldon!), Jamie and Claire will nearly be 80 years old.

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