‘Outlander’ Spoilers: Read Jamie And Claire Excerpt From Diana Gabaldon’s Next Book

Warning: This article contains potential spoilers for both Outlander Season 3 and the Outlander book series.

While fans of the hit Starz TV series Outlander are anxiously awaiting the return of Season 3 in 2017, fans of the Outlander book series have just been given a major treat.

Entertainment Weekly obtained an exclusive excerpt from best-selling author Diana Gabaldon’s upcoming ninth Outlander book, Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone. In the sneak peek, Jamie and Claire reminisce about the night their baby Faith — who was, sadly, stillborn — was conceived.

As is Gabaldon’s specialty, the excerpt is both tender and romantic.

“…the night we made Faith.”

I lifted my head in surprise.

“You know when she was conceived? I don’t know that.”

He ran his hand slowly down my back, fingers pausing to rub circles in the small of it. If I’d been a cat, I would have waved my tail gently under his nose.

“Aye, well, I supposed I could be wrong, but I’ve always thought it was the night I came to your bed at the Abbey.”

For a moment, I groped among my memories. That time at the Abbey of Ste. Anne, when he’d come so close to a self-chosen death, was one I seldom revisited. It was a terrifying time of fear and confusion, despair and desperation. And yet when I did look back, I found a handful of vivid images, standing out like the illuminated letters on a page of ancient Latin.

Father Anselm’s face, pale in candlelight, his eyes warm with compassion and then the growing glow of wonder as he heard my confession. The abbot’s hands, touching Jamie’s forehead, eyes, lips and palms, delicate as a hummingbird’s touch, anointing his dying nephew with the holy chrism of Extreme Unction. The quiet of the darkened chapel where I had prayed for his life, and heard my prayer answered.

A longer preview of the new book will be included in the Outlander Season 2 Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray, which will be exclusively sold on Amazon beginning Nov. 1. The special edition will be chock-full of fun extras, including a 32-page behind-the-scenes book, 20 minutes of bonus footage and an extended interview with Galbadon.

On her website, Galbadon promises to post more excerpts and spoilers from Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, though she says she doesn’t know when the highly-anticipated Outlander book will be completed.

“My books are huge and take an enormous amount of time to write,” explains Galbadon in a blog post. “Plus, I have to do a lot of historical and other research for each book. All of my eight major novels in the Outlander series have taken 2-3 years, or more, to write and research and publish. Quality takes time and cannot be rushed.”

Meanwhile, in other Outlander spoilers, Entertainment Weekly announced that Fergus, the little French pickpocket last seen in Season 2, has been recast as an adult for Season 3. Staggeringly handsome French actor César Domboy, 26, will take over playing Fergus (previously played by Romann Berrux) when the story picks up 20 years in the future in the upcoming season.

According to Starz, Fergus has “a strong sense of loyalty and decorum, despite his unconventional upbringing. He is the ultimate romantic, wearing his heart on his sleeve and falling in and out of love easily. However, Fergus’ devotion to Jamie has never wavered, making the Frenchman an integral part of the Fraser clan.”

Domboy is a veteran of French film, TV and theater. He also appeared in Season 2 of The Borgias and the Robert Zemickis-directed film The Walk.

What do you think of the latest Outlander spoilers? Are you excited for the release of Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone? Do you think César Domboy is the right choice to play Fergus in Outlander Season 3?

Outlander Season 3 returns to Starz in 2017.

[Featured Image by Starz]