Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 27 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

First things first. It’s clear that Sir Percival is a problem. He seems nice on the outside, but he’s greedy.

There’s a reason Percival has warned Jamie about going north, and it’s unlikely to be due to the weather. Is it possible that Percival knows that someone is looking for him? It seems like it could connect to the man in the print shop.

I’ll admit that it’s been a while since I’ve read this book. I can’t remember all the details of how it all fits together, but I remember that it all connects back to Yi Tien Cho.

The seaman who died in the fire has to come up at some point. That parts clear. Diana Gabaldon is setting up for a storyline that will take until toward the end of Voyager to wrap up fully.

We also get an element of foreshadowing of how Jenny will react to Claire’s return. Ian hasn’t said much to her, but it’s clear from Young Ian’s words that the Murrays don’t talk all that much about Claire, even when Jamie isn’t around. Young Ian has heard stories from tenants, which says a lot about the type of welcome Claire is going to get.

Adapting the Voyager chapter

Parts of this chapter were adapted closely. The fire at the print shop happens, although Young Ian is there for other reasons. The man who finds the seditious material does so by accident, and the fire starts accidentally. However, the man escapes.

Jamie still rescues his nephew, but he doesn’t save the printing press. The business isn’t on his mind at this point. Only getting his nephew out alive.

There isn’t the close conversation that the two have at the end of the chapter. While it was disappointing not to get it, there wasn’t the time and the situation of the fire was different. Instead, this bonding moment is saved for the Outlander Season 4 premiere, something that I adored in this episode.

Ian Murray isn’t around for this part of the story, either. He’s already gone back to Lallybroch. It’s not going to be until the next episode that Ian finds out Jamie knew Young Ian was there the whole time.

Instead, Fergus is a bigger part of this episode. He ends the episode talking to Jamie about Lallybroch and the wife that waits there.

While we do get to meet Sir Percival, it’s clear in the series that he’s a dangerous and greedy man. He is willing to extort money from Jamie, who is willing to fight back. However, it’s very clear that he will remain a problem for later in the story.

The adaption made sense for the TV show. Ending an episode with a big dramatic moment that is mostly resolved is common. For those watching the show first, having the big moment in the middle and ending with the quieter moment just wouldn’t work as well, and I trust those who are used to writing for TV to understand how to make it work.

We also got to see Young Ian in the print shop. We didn’t need to have the story told to us later. Since the book remains to be from Claire’s POV, we need the characters to tell the events. It continues to be a problem for me as a reader and is why I’m still not the biggest fan of first-person POV.

What did you see while reading Voyager Chapter 27? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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