Outlander: Season One - Volume One

This is a detailed review of the show. I realize most buying this will already be fans of the books/show and have seen the episodes but for any newbies who saw this as a suggested purchase and want to know more, here's what I can tell you. (I've watched the entire show so far and am reading the first book).First off, ignore the part of the description that says "epic travel through time." This is not a time-travel or science fiction story. It's about Claire Randall, a combat nurse in the 1940s who goes to Scotland after the second world war to reconnect with her husband (Frank)/have a second honeymoon. Not realizing the place they're travelling to is a place for some pagan/druid activity, Claire accidentally time-travels through some standing stones after watching a druid ritual and ends up in 1700s Scotland. From there it turns into an adventure/historical fiction story when Claire runs into and is kidnapped of sorts by some Scottish Highlanders who don't know what to make of an Englishwoman running around in that area. She's taken back to their clan's Scottish castle and not knowing how to escape and go back to her own time or what to do next, has to cope with living in an era where there's a lot of Scottish clan politics (and clashing with the English soldiers who occupy the Scottish territories). At the same time she has to be very careful to hide the secret of who she really is and where she really came from, not easy to do because Claire is very much an independent, stubborn, forthright person and harder still when she is "hired" to be the healer of the Mackenzie clan (the clan of the castle/property she's taken to). It doesn't help that she attracts the attention of an English garrison commander - a brutal, sociopathic, sadistic English captain who is none other than her husband's ancestor. And it really doesn't help that she might be developing smooshy feelings for one of the very, very handsome soldiers at Castle Leoch. (Why can't I fall through standing stones and meet some gorgeous guys in kilts? Surely Houston must have some standing stones somewhere?)From showrunner/executive producer Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), the show is beautifully executed and very faithfully adapted. Much of it so far is right out of the book. Of course this doesn't mean it's exactly to the letter how it'll be in the book because television doesn't work that way but it's very closely done (author Diana Gabaldon is a close consultant on the show and has a fun cameo in episode 4 "The Gathering.") Here's my opinion on the show for what it's worth: I actually like it better than the book. I'm really enjoying the book but watching the show, I can tell the show makes some slight tweaks here and there (scenes added, certain lines in the book given to other characters, etc.) that make the storytelling smoother and an easier transition to tv. It's like if the book is a pretty wooden carving, the show is the same carving, but sanded and oiled. There are so many parts in the books where it just wouldn't work to have the show film them as is. The show also softens some of the characters (including Jamie and Claire), so while it stays true to the essence of their characters, they're also made easier to like and relate to.The actors, costumes, sets, music, etc., everything is breathtakingly realistic and very well produced; unlike so many American period shows, the characters look and act like real people. The costumes (done by Moore's wife costume designer Terry Dresbach) actually look like period clothes and not like they were picked up from the 1700s Scotland Gap like they would in any other show. It's a very expensive production so their attention to detail is amazing and really pulls you into the new world Claire is thrown into (with some occasional flashbacks to the 1940s lives of Claire and Frank). One warning: the Highlanders' accents are sometimes hard to understand and the Gaelic (native Scottish language of that time period) is not subtitled, but if you pay close attention, it doesn't need to be and you can understand the context of what they're saying.I've seen a lot of comparisons to Game of Thrones. This is nothing like Game of Thrones which is high-concept fantasy. I haven't read the rest of the books yet but from what I've heard, Outlander's books (and the show) are really more historical fiction and not fantasy. Some people complain it's slow at times but it's never boring or unengaging. The first few episodes have to have some quieter moments to set up all the characters, storylines and conflicts. The only negative thing I have to say - not really negative so much as a warning - is it is extremely gritty and graphic. This is made for the Starz network, the same network that had The White Queen, Spartacus and Black Sails. If graphic sex scenes and very graphic blood and gore and draconian punishments are not for you, neither is this show. It's not family friendly, absolutely not for kids or the squeamish and there are some rather disturbing scenes in just the first few episodes, so be mindful who you watch it with. Much as I love the show, there are scenes of it I simply won't watch again - I'll either skip them or mute and leave the room.Diana Gabaldon has told the story many times of the failures in making this into a project for the screen before and she agrees - and so do the books' fans - they really couldn't have seen a better job done with this than Ron Moore has done. I highly recommend this (with the above caveats in mind) if you liked the books or like this kind of show in general.

I may be one of the world' biggest fans of Diana Gabaldan and her "Outlander Series." I have read all 8 books in this collection and have read the first 4 books at least 4 times over the years. These books are not "chick lit books," as I know many men who are just as enthralled by them as I am. So to say that I was thrilled, at the very least, to know that the series, parts one and two, are now available on CD and on Amazon video, is an understatement. I viewed both seasons in 2 days. I was and am WOWED!!! If I could give this series a 10 star rating I would do so, rather then be limited to 5 stars.In season 1 of the "Outlander," (as in book one of the same title), the story begins right after WWII in Scotland. Claire Beecham Randall was a combat nurse in the World War II and served in the battlefields of France, particularly at a field hospital in Amiens. By 1943 she was a senior nurse, supervising junior nurses and orderlies. Her husband, Frank Randall, was in army intelligence as an officer with MI6 and served, primarily, in London, doing important government work. The couple spent a very brief time together before the war intruded on their lives. During the early years of their marriage, Claire worked as a nurse and Frank was a historian at Oxford and a member of the junior faculty there.As the story opens, both in the novel and the TV series, we find Claire and Frank on a 2nd honeymoon of sorts. They are visiting Inverness, Scotland. The terrible war is over and Claire and Frank, reunited, decide to go on a second honeymoon in Scotland to reestablish their marriage, their relationship. It is 1945. The couple stays at a charming bed-and-breakfast in Inverness, a city in the Scottish Highlands situated near an ancient stone circle called Craigh na Dun. One morning, while collecting plant samples at the stone circle, Claire falls through the cleft in the main stone and is transported back in time to 1743. Upon moving away from the stone circle, Claire immediately runs into a battle between a group of local Highlanders, and British officers led by the sadistic Jonathan Wolverton Randall. Randall, who demonstrates an amazing physical similarity to his six-times great-grandson Frank, assaults Claire, but she is rescued by Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, one of the Highlanders, who are cattle-raiding in the area. Clair, a very strong and clever woman, who has had to think quickly and to improvise as a war nurse, recognizes, after a few hours, that she is a long way and time from 1945 Inverness. Although in shock and frightened, she uses her medical training to help the injured Scotsman Jamie Fraser, a handsome young man, about 4 years younger than Claire. Claire's medical skills earn her a place at Castle Leoch, seat of the MacKenzie clan. Laird Colum MacKenzie is Jamie's uncle and learns of Claire's extraordinary healing skills. He makes her the official healer of Leoch, and a guest, but she is a veritable prisoner there. Clan members and leaders alike believe that she is a British spy. And Claire feels hopeless as she is not able to travel to the stones to try to return to her own time. Claire and Jamie grow close. While not divulging her time travel secret, she is able to talk easily with him. And then there is the fact that the braw highlander is not only a treat for for the eyes, but he is gentle, kind, an exceptional warrior, and has a great sense of humor. He also has an education provided by an excellent tutor when he was a lad. The two, despite the centuries which separate them, find much in common.I do not want to provide any "spoilers" to those who are not familiar with the wonderful historical novel. There are some changes in the film, although the script stays close to the book's narrative. Let it suffice to write that the novel "Outlander" has provided me with an outstanding reading experience and still does. But the film version touched me more. The characters are perfectly cast. Jamie, played by Sam Heughan, is ideal for the part. A large, handsome and muscular man, everything he feels towards Claire: tenderness, friendship, lust, love, shows in his eyes, which are a beautiful blue. One can see that he is attracted to Claire almost immediately from the start of the film. In the beginning, there is a scene when the clan members who "saved" her from the "Lobster Backs," has Claire tending Jamie's wounds. She begins to cry. She is no ninny, by any means, but the events of the last few days have totally overwhelmed her. As Jamie holds her and comforts her the look in his eyes says that there might be something more here than just a sexual attraction. I find Jamie/Sam Heughan to be a kinder, more expressive hero in the film that in the book - and I am very surprised by this. Claire, is played to perfection by Caitriona Balfe. The actress's Claire is beautiful, feisty, strong, wise in the ways of the world, even if the world she is visiting is not her own. Ms. Balfe truly makes this story her own and does so in a most captivating manner. Tobias Menzies plays two different roles here, as Frank Randall, Claire's loving husband, and also as Frank's sadistic ancestor. Mr. Menzies role is very difficult as he has to play characters of opposite temperaments, sometimes in a single day of filming. Gary Lewis is an extremely wise & savvy Laird of the MacKenzie clan, although he is crippled and his brother, Dougal MacKenzie, (Graham McTavish ), must stand in for him as War Chief and as collector of the clan's rents. Dougal is an extremely strong and fascinating character. There is also much comic relief here - Anghus Mhor, (Stephen Walters) and Rupert MacKenzie, (Grant O'Rourke) are very funny macho man who, unhappily, perform their task of keeping an eye on Claire. Dear to my heart is the gruff Murtagh Fraser, (Duncan Lacroix), who is Jaimie's godfather. He obviously loves the young man dearly, in his own taciturn way. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent. I was taken back in time and fell in love, or hate, with many characters.The 1st season of "Outlander" is made up of 16 episodes, one more enthralling than the next. Producers Ronald D. Moore, Jim Kohlberg, and David Brown did a wonderful job bringing this story to life.Again, I feel a bit strange saying that I enjoyed the film more than the extraordinary book. Call me crazy. 10 Big STARS!!!JANA

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Brilliant?

Porque la serie Outlander escrita es apacionante y reunes Historia, Fantasía, conocimientos y romance. Muy buena y deseamos se siga editando la Temporada II y las que vengan. Y que Amazon nos la anuncie.Gracias

ダイアナ・ガバルドン原作、スコットランドを舞台にしたタイムトラベルものです。第二次世界大戦終結後、従軍看護婦のクレアは夫とスコットランドを旅行中、ストーンサークルでタイムスリップ、18世紀中盤のスコットランドに飛ばされてしまいます。そこで看護婦の技術でなんとか生き延びるのですが、それが仇になって、領主の城を離れられなくなってしまいます。当時のハイランドの人たちがあそこまでバイリンガルとは信じられませんが、それはともかく、ストーリーも面白く、映像も美しく、雰囲気たっぷり。ちょっとエロチックなところもありますが、まぁ、アメリカの映画ですから。が、撮影はほとんどスコットランド、役者もスコットランド人役はスコットランド人が演じています。音楽も素晴らしく、スコットランドのものが選ばれており、主題歌はスカイの舟歌を歌詞を変えて歌っています。Huluで放送中ですが、アメリカではこのシーズン1第1巻が発売に。DVDには監督、原作者、役者のインタビュー、衣装を中心とした製作過程などのオマケが入ってます。テレビ放送でカットされた部分が戻されているそうですが、そちらは良く分かりませんでした。ディスク2枚組み。字幕は英語2種（内容は同じ、表示レイアウト違い)とフランス語のみ、レジオンコードも1ですので注意が必要です。DVD2内で8話、時間も長く非常に見応えがありますが、お話は始まったばかり。最終話の終わりも、「え、どうなっちゃうの？」という感じです。凄く面白い、超オススメです、英語ですけど。

I love these books and I can't put it down I will read any thing that Diana Gabaldon

つづきが楽しみです。景色も美しいし、英語がわからなくてもみていられました。