Author: Diana Gabaldon

The Outlander series is an intriguing mix of history, romance, and fantasy/science fiction, which leads me to call it historical fantasy. The main character, Claire, starts out in the first book as a nurse just after WWII. She ends up time travelling back to the 1700's, and most of the stories take place there, in Scotland, England, France, and eventually America.

Gabaldon is an excellent writer, providing lush descriptions of the various locales and incredible detail on the way people lived in those times. Her premise is believable, and when we make the jump with Claire back to her future, and later back again to the past, it seems entirely right.

The books are long and focus quite a bit not just on giving us the background stories of the historical facts of the times, but also delve deeply into the relationships of the main characters. Emotional growth, difficult decisions, and the meaning of family are explored amidst the backdrop of wars, cultural changes, and differences in lifestyles occuring two hundred years apart.

In some respects these books fit the qualifications for some disaster books, because the details on how to survive without 20th century technology are well-written.

I anxiously await the final book in this series! With believable heroines and heroes, adventure, a timeless love story, and what appears to be a fairly realistic portrayal of the past, these books are highly recommended.

Series:

Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross