Starz ‘Outlander’ Series in 2014

At the end of June, Starz announced they would be doing a 16 episode TV series adaptation of Outlander, an internationally popularbook series written by Diana Gabaldon. As an avid fan of this epic, seven-book-going-on-eight-book-as-soon-as-the-next-one-releases, time traveling, science fiction, historical fiction, romance adventure series (what a mouthful!), I immediately freaked out. In a good way.Whenever I meet a self-proclaimed book lover or reader I tend to immediately suggest that they read the Outlander books.

The Outlander series, books one through seven, including the Companion book, the Lord John series, and other spin off titles. Source

Most might be all trepidation in the face of a TV adaptation of a beloved book series, but in light of the brilliance and success of theHBO/George R. R. Martin masterpiecethat isGame of Thrones, and the fact that Ron Moore (of Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: TNG fame) is at the helm, I am feeling more than optimistic and excited. So much so that I created a tumblr dedicated to all things Outlander! Feel free to follow it if you want to stay in the loop on as much information as I can find about the show, in addition to quotes, fanart, and other Outlander-type tidbits!

Many times over the years Gabaldon has spoken publicly regarding movie versions of her series. She generally says that if the stars aligned and the right producers, offers, and actors came together then that would be great. However fans never seemed to be in favor of a movie release. I know that at the first mention of an Outlander film I thought to myself, "Surely they jest, this would need to be a TV show!"

Well, the time has come! Filming is set to begin in Scotland this coming fall, with an anticipated airing date of Spring 2014. The part of Jamie Fraser, one of the two main characters, has been filled by Sam Heughan(pronounced hew-en). He's a strapping young Scotsman with a background in theatre and a fantastic sense of humor. He can be found joyfully interacting with fans on Twitter and posting selfies on Instagram. The Outlander fanbase is currently frothing at the mouth wondering who will be cast as Claire, the protagonist of the story.

Heughan obligingly dyed his hair red for fans, seeing as Jamie is a firey ginger in the series. Source

It is Claire that we follow in this intense and epic tale.We find herin1940s Scotland while vacationing with her husband Frank. One day while picking medicinal plants, she falls through a cleft in a standing stone circle atop a hill and becomes mysteriously transported to1743 Scotland. This time travel is completewith all of the dangers and problems one might expect to find in the 18th Century. It is here that she meets Jamie. And then all hell breaks loose and it is amazing.

If you're looking for an involving, deep, thoughtful, and beautifully written new book series, then I suggest you pick up Outlander. Now is the perfect time to dive in! Book eight of the series, Written In My Own Heart's Blood, is due out next year, in addition to the launch of the TV show! I sincerely hope that the 16 episode run is a success; I can only assume that would mean they'd continue and make a season for each of the books! Then I might just fan-squeal myself to death.

-MJ

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Hellboy!

I had no idea those circles were broken horns. 

I thought they were no-use goggles. Don't judge me.

Don't you hate when someone tells you to read the "first few" volumes of a comic, and you think they mean individual issues but they actually mean the first few trade paperbacks, so you end up not reading enough of the comic story? Yeah, I hate that too. As a huge coincidence, this just happened to me!

MOVING ON

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the art. I think it's just not for me. It's not bad by any means, but it's so very dark. This goes along nicely with the subject matter, so I'm guessing it's intentional. < /joke > My experience with comic book art hovers just barely above zero, so take my opinion with a grain of salt and be sure to let me know your opinions in return!

I find the thin line art to be unusual. Every comic I've read (that I can think of) has had thicker lines. Is this specific to Hellboy, or is it a trait of Mike Mignola? Perhaps I should look into more of his work. Hellboy is also low on color range, comparatively speaking! I think I miss the bright colors of, say, Ultimate Spider-man. 

[Pretend this paragraph has something to do with characters and character development. Know that I'll be reading a lot more for tomorrow!]

The story is certainly intriguing. I read the first two volumes and I know I'll be making time to read more. The subject matter isn't in keeping with my usual foray; I'm not a fan of anything even remotely scary or freaky. I was hesitant to accept the suggestion from Andrew, but I trust him to know my limits :D

If things get too frightening I'll be sure to make a post about it.

-MJ

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Oh the books.

I think this is going to be a pretty brief entry about the books I've been reading. That's the plan, anyway.

Reading is an interest that goes on and off for me. When I was very little I expressed no interest in books or the alphabet and my mom was concerned that I might have a learning disorder, but once I got into kindergarten I picked everything up just fine. It wasn't that I was bad at it, I just wasn't that interested in it. I think that has kind of stuck with me my whole life, until Harry Potter came along. The books absolutely spurred my interest in reading and I became ravenous, but only for Harry Potter books.

I would read the series over and over again, waiting for the next installment to be released. I still ready plenty for school: Hamlet, 1984, The Odyssey, Twelve Angry Men, Brave New World, and on and on. I enjoyed them too. I liked reading, but not enough to spend my free time on it. Free time was for friends and video games.

Three or four years ago I was given a book for Christmas that I had a lot of fun with: Kevin Smith's 'My Boring-Ass Life'. There was something about that book that ignited a reading frenzy in my head, and I went on a streak for over a year where I would start a book the same day that I finished one (just about, anyway). I plowed through autobiographies, historical fiction, fantasy, pre-teen novels, pretty much whatever was thrown my way.

Then someone threw a stick through my spokes by giving me a copy of Wicked to read. I hated that book so much. It brought my reading marathon to a screeching halt and I have had a hard time picking it up ever since. I reverted to re-reading Harry Potter and half-heartedly picking at new books. Serious bummer.

Andrew is a rabid reader. He was more than happy to recommend some titles for me, and he sent me off to Ireland with nine new books. They are a random assortment spanning multiple authors, but eight of the nine are fantasy novels. My favorite genre.

We decided that we'd like to have our own book club of sorts. You know, read along together and talk about what happens. So far we haven't done a very good job of keeping up with it, mostly because I have more leisure reading time than he does. I imagine that'll get sorted out once I'm there.

But anyway! The first book I ate was Night Mare by Piers Anthony. Absolutely fantastic. I am in love with this universe and I am absolutely delighted that there are multiple books in the series. Even happier is the fact that he gave me two novels in the series. I started and finished Castle Roogna within a few days of finishing Night Mare. I am stoked to read more books in the fantastic Xanth universe. It has to wait though, y'know, until I have more of them in my possession.

For now I'm going to start The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. I believe I'm going to enjoy it very much. I anticipate finishing it before I leave on Friday, and then I'm going to start Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on the plane. I've seen the movie but never read the book and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm very happy to be so pumped about books again.

-MJ

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