Will Book 8 be the last one?

Someone made a comment recently on Compuserve to the effect that they were very sad to hear that Book 8 would be the last in the OUTLANDER series.

Diana's verbatim reply was:
What makes you think the next book is the last one?  I didn't _say_ it was the last one, did I? (I won't know myself, until I finish the next one.)

And a little later in the same discussion, she said:
I can't think _what_ makes people do that. Every single time a new book comes out, I get rashes of email from people moaning about how sad they are that it's the last one. Did I ever _say_ it was the last one? No! Never. Where do they _get_ this stuff?

I am personally hoping that there will be a Book 9; I like the symmetry of a "trilogy of trilogies" very much, and I think there's too much time left to cover and far too many loose ends to wrap up for Book 8 to be the last in the series.

But the reason I mention this is that many of you are in contact with other OUTLANDER fans, and I'm sure that Diana would appreciate it if her fans would:

a) spread the word that Book 8 is not necessarily going to be the last book (emphasizing that even Diana doesn't know the answer to that yet), and

b) try to quash any rumors to the contrary, by pointing to Diana's own words on the subject.

6 comments

Cari said...

I too have thought that she would probably stick with the "trilogy" idea, so I have always assumed that there would be at least 9 books (though secretly I'd love it if she would go for 12! ) Plus, if the series is meant to end in 1800 (as she has said she thought that it might), that seems like it would be too much time to cover in just one or two more books. (That is if we don't have any more time jumps, ie. Voyager. Hopefully not!)

I'm not going to sweat it anyway. I trust Diana to do what needs to be done and to tell the story that needs to be told. She would never just leave us hanging....would she?

~LJGP

Sara said...

I don't see how she can wrap up 25 years in one more book....I can't even follow that up with what I'm really thinking, what I'm scared of, because it might turn into a DG-fulfilling prophecy!

Karen Henry said...

@Cari - no, I don't think she will leave us hanging! She's promised "happy tears" at the end (or something to that effect.

@Sara - I agree that it would be awfully hard to cover that much time in one book, but on the other hand, VOYAGER proves she's capable of doing it.

Karen

Anonymous said...

I have only just discoverd the books, having read them all (and some twice) since January. I cannot imagine them ending, even though I know they will. PLEASE let it be at least 12!!!

Anonymous said...

While I was browsing in Recordedbooks.com, it is showing that 9 books will be available in the Outlander series.

Karen Henry said...

Anon:

I just went to RecordedBooks.com and looked. I see what you mean (here. Book 8 in 2012, Book 9 in 2013? I can imagine Diana's trademark <rolling eyes> if she knew about that. I don't think there's any way that Book 8 would be out that soon, and it seems flat-out impossible that Book 9 would be out only a year after that. In other words, Recorded Books appears to be making up dates. <g> But I think it's good that they are at least holding out the possibility that there may be a Book 9.

Karen

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