Ranking the Outlander Books, From Voyager to Echo in the Bone

This book has some really solid plots in Scotland, but it's the other plots of the book that put it lowest on the list.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Book seven finally gets back to the time-traveling aspect of the book series after two books with no time travel, which could have been great. Unfortunately, Roger, Brianna, and their children in 1980 get a little too convoluted for their own good. Basically, it's like the Mackenzies time travel forward just so there will be a reason to time travel backward, like the author was running out of things for them to do in the 1770s.

Plus, we spend a lot of time with Jamie's son William in this book, which is honestly not our favorite aspect of the books. He's an interesting character when he's interacting with Jamie, Brianna, or Lord John. But by himself? Not so much. And there's the whole thing with Claire and John Grey sleeping together when they think Jamie is dead, which . . . no. Sorry. Nope.

Fortunately, Claire, Jamie, and young Ian returning to Scotland is a huge saving grace. It has a ton of hankie-worthy emotional beats.

It may not bode well for TV watchers that what is generally considered one of the weaker books is the one on which the upcoming season is based. But take heart — there is still a lot to like about the fifth book.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

The fifth book features the Fraser clan attending a huge Scottish gathering, two weddings, a murder mystery plot, the Frenchman's Gold subplot, Jamie being forced to form a militia and fight against the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance, and Jamie and Roger hunting down Stephen Bonnet for what he did to Brianna.

The big problem is that the gathering takes up nearly the first 200 pages of the novel. Gabaldon herself has called it "the longest day ever." Plus, the murder mystery plot and Jocasta's wedding to Duncan Innes are both subplots that don't really go anywhere.

Fortunately, the show has kept Murtagh alive, so that will make not only the Regulator plot more interesting, but it will also provide some emotional stakes to Aunt Jocasta's love life because when we last saw the two of them, they were beginning a romance. There is also a great reveal about Bree's son Jeremiah possibly having time-traveling abilities.

With almost no time travel, the sixth book spends a lot of time just telling us about life at Fraser's Ridge.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Some of that is super interesting, like how Claire is figuring out how to be an effective doctor with the tools she has at her disposal in the 1770s. At other times, it gets a little boring simply hearing about the trials and tribulations of frontier life. And this is a looooong book — the longest one in the series. One thing that could easily have been cut is Claire getting kidnapped by some outlaws and subsequently raped.

But the ramp-up to the Revolutionary War is great, especially how Jamie comes to be a part of the rebellion. And there is a tantalizing cliffhanger when the Mackenzies travel back to the future to have baby Mandy's heart murmur fixed.

This fourth book in the series has to split time between Jamie and Claire in the 1770s and Roger and Brianna in the 1970s, which is necessary to get the characters together eventually, but there are great stretches of text where we find ourselves speed-reading in order to get back to Claire and Jamie. Also, Brianna's assault is bad enough, but the subsequent confusion around it that leads to Jamie giving Roger to the Native Americans is a sitcom-worthy misunderstanding.

However, when Brianna finally does reunite with her parents, there is a huge emotional payoff.

This book is almost like two separate books that vary widely in keeping our interest. The first half of the book in France feels largely like wheel-spinning, though Claire's time at the L'Hopital des Anges is top-notch, and her miscarriage of Faith is a dagger to the heart, both in the book and on the show.

Luckily, the second half of the book in Scotland is quite interesting, plus it does kick off with the most WTF moment ever when suddenly it's 1968 and Claire has a grown daughter. That framing device also provides an excellent cliffhanger at the end of the book — that Jamie might have survived the Battle of Culloden.

The great thing about book eight is that while books five through seven feel a little bit like treading water, Written in My Own Heart's Blood feels like there is finally some real forward momentum, and Gabaldon dishes it out at a good clip. Plus, there are some significant deaths that will have you openly weeping when they happen.

Warning: Spoilers

The Revolutionary War that has been looming since book four is finally here, so that's huge. With it come two deaths — Rollo (sniffle) and Fergus's son, Henri-Christian (sob), who is only 4 years old. That one is a particular gut-punch.

In cheerier news, Jamie finally starts to forge a real relationship with William because William figures out who his birth father is, and the Mackenzies return to Fraser's Ridge.

There are also some time-travel shenanigans involving Roger in 1739 Scotland that are actually pretty interesting and should come into play in the upcoming ninth book.

In looking at fan rankings and comparing them to our own, one thing was very clear — books one and three stand head and shoulders above the rest as the favorites.

This book has it all: the wonderful Claire-Jamie reunion after 20 years apart; a heartbreaking account of what Jamie endured in those 20 years; Ian being kidnapped by pirates; a harrowing sea voyage; and then all the craziness in Jamaica, capped off by a hurricane. It is just the right amount of bonkers to be really enjoyable without going too far, and the action comes at you at a breakneck speed.

It's hard to top the first book in the series. Claire's journey begins here, with her relationship with Jamie blossoming beautifully over the course of the book. The only quibble we have with the book is that Frank Randall isn't likable enough for Claire's choice between the two men to even seem like a choice at all. Fortunately, the show took Frank to a whole other level, buoyed by an excellent performance on Menzies' part. Emotionally, the book just works from start to finish.