1. What kind of characters has Gabaldon has created? Given that she has created a historical / fantasy novel, are her characters realistically drawn? Are they emotionally and psychologically complex...or flat, one-dimensional and cartoonish?

2. What assumptions does Jonathan Randall make regarding Claire upon first encountering her...and why?

3. In what ways does Clair adjust to her new circumstances, and how does she put her 20th-century knowledge to work in an 18th-century world?

4. How does Clair end up marrying James Frazier, and to what extent does this marriage compromise her marriage to Frank Randall? Talk about the irony of defending her new husband against a direct ancestor and physical look-alike of her 20th-century husband?

5. How disorienting—or appealing—would it be for you to be transported back in time? How would you cope with the time change? What era would be most appealing to you to travel back to?

6. If you time-traveled, how much of the future from which you have come would you be tempted to reveal? What might you attempt to change using your knowledge of modern times?

7. The Outlander series was difficult to market, at first, not fitting into any neat genre of fiction. But it eventually caught on...and in a very big way. To what do you ascribe the huge popularity of this series? What is the fascination for its millions of readers?