I read "Virgins" by Diana Gabaldon as part of vol. 2 of Dangerous Women (ed. George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois). Although it is highlighted as the keynote novella on the cover of the book, I wasn't sure whether I was looking forward to reading it.
As background, I had read "Lord John and the Succubus" as part of Legends II, and "The Custom of the Army" as part of Warriors, both short stories by Diana Gabaldon featuring Lord John Grey. While adequate as mysteries in a historical setting, they didn't particularly grab me, and I had little recollection of them. In any event, they didn't inspire me to pick up other books by Ms. Gabaldon.
This past fall, the Outlander TV series began airing and my wife was quite excited about it. I hadn't previously known that she read or was a fan of Diana Gabaldon, but we subscribed for the appropriate channel package (yes, she was that excited about it), and I watched the first episode with her, thinking that would be a start and I could ease out of it before it became a weekly routine.
Wow. I was completely taken in by the show. It wasn't just a series of historical british mysteries, but was a time traveling adventure show, with flashbacks and fascinating explorations of history. I didn't need any convincing to make the show part of our routine, and (to my own surprise) I have been frequently recommending the show to people. I think it's exceptional. I like the settings, the intricate plotting, the casting (Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall is excellent, though I think all of the actors are superb), the way the show doesn't necessarily wait for you to catch up, and I've found the episodes extremely rewarding on a second viewing.
My wife has already suggested the DVD set of the first season would be a great birthday gift for her... I said we'd have to see with the timing of the release whether it would be a great gift for her or for me.
In any event, I'm eagerly anticipating its return in April, but I haven't been sure about picking up the books. In the first place, I don't want to spoil anything about the series. I'm enjoying it too much. But secondly, I was concerned that since the Lord John novellas made very little impact on me, whether I'd enjoy the "Outlander" series of books.
I really enjoyed "Virgins". It confirmed for me that Ms. Gabaldon's writing is solid and enjoyable (and it's not merely the show producers who make it interesting). Jaimie seems consistent with the character from the show, is resourceful and intelligent, and the novella explores another area of history and culture which is interesting and unfamiliar to me (in this case, some aspects of Jewish culture in France in the 18th century). The novella appears to take place prior to the events of the show, so I didn't need to be trepidatious about spoilers. I was a bit surprised that Jaime is apparently university educated, and picked up a bit more about his history than I got from the flashbacks on the show... but I think that will lead to an enhancement of my viewing experience.
I wouldn't say it's common for me to focus on the tv or film version in preference to a novel version; though often a tv series or film will prompt me to try out a new author, usually I'm happy to outpace or even preview the film or show by reading the books. In this instance my interest was sparked by my enjoyment of the TV series, and my enjoyment is such that while I would look forward to reading the Outlander series... I'm just going to wait until the TV show catches up.
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