Hold on tight, Outlander fans, because one of the longest Droughtlanders in the history of this book series has come to an end! Readers will have the opportunity to read how the adventures of Jamie, Claire, and the rest of the Fraser clan continues starting from TODAY, Nov. 23 with the release of “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone” – Let’s see what Diana Gabaldon teased about it!
Exclusively on her Twitter profile and through an official statement on EW, Diana Gabaldon announced that the ninth and penultimate book of the Outlander saga “Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone” is out November 23, 2021! (It is possible to pre-order it at this link.)
“I’m honestly and truly THRILLED to announce that We. Have. A. PUB DATE!! for BEES!” the author said in a statement. “So looking forward to sharing this book with you all!”
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers from Outlander Book 8 and 9 ahead!!
In addition to revealing the official cover of the novel, EW published some tightly kept details about what fans can expect from the next Outlander book. It picks up where the previous novel, Written In My Own Heart’s Blood, left off. At last, the entire family is reunited as Brianna, Roger, and their children return to Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina in 1779, smack in the midst of the American Revolution.
“The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. .“
“It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible. Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.
Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family. Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity—and thus his own—and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his son’s behalf, and his own. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have more at stake than ever before.”
In an interview with The Dipp, Diana Gabaldon teased what fans can expect from this long-awaited chapter of the Outlander book series.
“Life on the Ridge varies between pastoral and horrific depending on what’s going on. [In Bees] There’s quite a bit of both.”
Diana Gabaldon
Pastoral and horrific sounds about right. But just how surprising will the horrific side of things be? How many moments in Bees will leave readers with gaping mouths? Diana Gabaldon replies with disturbing calmness: “Oh, at least a dozen of varying degrees of severity.”
Besides shock, another emotion that Gabaldon expects readers to experience is equally as distressing.
“They should feel deep apprehension in a number of places because what these people are doing is kind of dangerous. There’s a very strong element of threat and mystery.”
Diana Gabaldon
According to Gabaldon, Bees will end in early 1781 (at least in Jamie’s timeline — she gives no update on what other timelines could be introduced through time travel). And the majority of the book takes place in the American colonies (no new “exotic” locations like France or Jamaica, she says). But the Frasers and the recently-returned MacKenzies will have more to worry about than the American Revolution (yes, it’s still going) in the threat department.
“I’m not giving away too much to mention that Frank Randall still has a small part to play in this story,” Gabaldon adds when discussing the mystery aspect of Bees.
When it comes to characters who surprised her in the ninth installment, Gabaldon says, “William did for one.” But she doesn’t go into more detail about what Jamie’s son is up to or what end of the severity scale his actions are on. She also mentions that Denys Randall — the son of Mary Hawkins and Alex Randall — will be back, “doing unexpected things”.
Instead, talking to EW in occasion of The Ultimate Guide to Outlander Season 6, Diana Gabaldon teased about Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone…
“Let’s put it this way: Roger met someone in the past, and then Roger time-traveled in the future a few months later where he will again meet that person. But that person is now 40 years older than they were when they last saw Roger, but Roger saw them only a few months ago. Imagine what that encounter might be like.”
Diana Gabaldon
In view of the upcoming release, Diana Gabaldon also started to share on her Facebook page her enigmatic chapter titles…
Part I – A Swarm of Bees in the Carcass of a Lion
1: The MacKenzies Are Here
2: A Blue Wine Day
3: Rustic, Rural, and Very Romantic
4: The Women Will Ha’ a Fit
5: Meditations on a Hyoid
6: Home Is the Hunter, Home from the Hill
7: Dead or Alive
8: Visitations
9: Animal Nursery Tales
10: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Part II – No Law East of the Pecos
11: Lightning
12: Erstwhile Companions
13: “What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee” (Marcus Aurelius)
14: Mon cher petit ami
15: Which Old Witch?
16: Hound of Heaven
17: Reading by Firelight
18: Distant Thunder
19: Daylight Haunting
20: I Bet You Think This Song Is About You . . .
21: Lighting a Fuse
22: Ashes, Ashes . . .
23: Trout-fishing in America, Part Two
24: Alarms by Night
25: Voulez-vous coucher avec moi
26: In the Scuppernongs
27: Cover Her Face
28: Math-ghamhainn
29: Remember, Man . . .
30: You Should Know . . .
Part III – The Beesting of Etiquette and the Snakebite of Moral Order
31: Pater familias
32: Lhude sing cuccu!
33: Spoilt for Choice
34: The Son of a Preacher-man
35: Ambsace 36: What Lies Unseen
37: Maneuvers Beginning with the Letter “V”
38: Grim Reaper
39: I Have Returned
40: Black Brandy
41. Awkward Sod
42. Sasannaich Clann Na Galladh!
43. The Men Ye Gang Oot With
44. Beetles With Tiny Red Eyes
45. Not Quite Like Leprosy
46.By the Dawn’s Early Light
47. Tace is the Latin for a Candle
48. A Face in the Water
49. Your Friend, Always
50: Sunday Dinner in Salem
Keep following us for more news on Outlander Season 6 and its cast!
Chiara
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I’m counting the days to dive into the beehive! 🙂