Diana Gabaldon has announced the title for the tenth and final book in the main Outlander series, and it has us worried for several characters, especially Jamie Fraser. Gabaldon revealed on Facebook that the title of the upcoming book is A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out and that it will indeed be the final book in the main series. That said, she also revealed that she plans to continue writing Outlander companion books and side stories, so we won’t have to say goodbye to the world of Outlander quite yet.
The most recent Outlander book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, is set in 1779 during the height of the Revolutionary War. It’s fraught and tense; even though Jamie resigned from his position in the Continental Army, it’s impossible to think he won’t get pulled back into the war in some way. And indeed, he does, and comes to a nearly-fatal end, though Jamie’s death in the Outlander book ends up being a fakeout. While he’s still alive, as is their family by the end, the ninth book ends on a cliffhanger, so it seems the tenth book will drop readers right into the action. Considering the title, that action could lead to heartbreak.
The Final Outlander Book’s Title, A Blessing For A Warrior Going Out, Is Foreboding
Is It Foreshadowing Jamie’s End?
The title of A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out is a curious one, and it’s one that also immediately puts you on your guard. For starters, the word “warrior” indicates that, whoever it’s referring to, they will be involved in a fight. With his importance to the story, that warrior is likely to be Jamie. But more than that, “going out” is an ambiguous phrase that could be interpreted in a few different ways. One of those ways is “going out” as in going out of this world, leaving this world – dying. A blessing for a warrior going out certainly seems like it could be a blessing offered to a warrior as they are dying, to honor their passing.
Another way to read the meaning of “going out” is honoring a blessing to a warrior before they head out to do battle. Unless there’s a significant time jump between the last book and the upcoming book of at least four years to late 1783 after the war ends – which is unlikely considering the cliffhanger – then the war will still be raging. It’s especially troubling that there’s still the lingering prophecy in Frank Randall’s book from the future that Jamie will die in battle. While that almost happened in the last book, Claire managed to save him with magic that only she and other time travelers can see. Even so, yikes. The prophecy, the war, and now the title about a blessing for a warrior going out are foreboding signs.
Diana Gabaldon Has Promised That It Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Jamie Fraser Will Die
It’s A Prayer To Saint Michael
But before we panic too quickly, Diana Gabaldon has assured readers that the title doesn’t necessarily point to Jamie meeting a heartbreaking end before the series finishes – though her reassurance has only made us worry about even more characters:
“NO, that doesn’t mean Jamie’s going to die. It’s not a death blessing, it’s the Blessing of St. Michael, said for a warrior about to go and do something important and possibly dangerous. There are quite a few people in this book who qualify for that blessing, believe me….”
In the Catholic tradition, the archangel Saint Michael is seen as a guardian and protector of people. The prayer or invocation to him is one said by a person before they go into battle, go on a journey, or are otherwise facing a situation that may be dangerous. Generally, it asks for Michael to deliver them from evil by protecting them from demons, evil spirits, and any creatures from Hell. The prayer has a few variants, and it has, of course, changed over the decades and centuries, but it generally goes something like this:
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.”
As Jamie Fraser is staunchly – some might even say aggressively – Catholic in the books (and also in the TV show), it’s fitting that the prayer to Saint Michael is the title of the final book in the series, and that it’s the archangel to whom Jamie would pray before a battle. Jamie’s already been saved once by a seeming miracle after Claire cured him when he was shot during the Battle of King’s Mountain. By rights, though, Jamie should have died then, so if he’s in another potentially fatal situation in A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out, it remains to be seen if a different kind of miracle, this time a heavenly one, will intercede on his behalf.
The Final Outlander Book Will Be Emotional Either Way
We’re Certain To Lose Characters Forever
Even if Jamie Fraser survives to the end of the final book, it’s unlikely that all our beloved Frasers and their extended family and friends will. Even if it’s after the American Revolution, the late 1700s were still a fraught time for those trying to carve out a life for themselves in the brand-new country. The Outlander series has never been a series afraid to kill off characters, making it feel as realistic as possible even with the time travel and magic involved, with those deaths ranging from stillbirth to beheading. It’s highly unlikely that everyone will make it out unscathed in the final book, meaning we’ll have to hold our breath until then.