• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

All Short Fiction By Title


From Outlander and Lord John adventures to a story set in the beginnings of the Third Reich, among others, this webpage is a comprehensive list of my short fiction (including short stories and novellas). Included is information on where these stories were published.

These works are presented by the titles of my short stories and novellas, and in alphabetical order:

2022-07-fugive-green-ebook-cover“A Fugitive Green” (novella): Set in 1744 to 1745 in Paris, London, and Amsterdam, this is the story of Lord John’s elder brother, Hal (aka Harold, Earl of Melton and Duke of Pardloe), and his (eventual) wife, Minnie, who at the time of this story is a seventeen-year-old dealer in rare books with a sideline in forgery, blackmail, and burglary. Jamie Fraser also appears.

First published in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, a collection of seven Outlander and Lord John novellas and short stories by Diana Gabaldon.


songs-love-death“A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” (short story (no, really, it is)): is set (mostly) in 1941 to 1943, and tells the story of What Really Happened to Roger MacKenzie’s parents.

Originally published in 2010 in SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH, a multi-author anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

This short story is also included in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, the anthology of seven Outlander and Lord John novellas written by Diana Gabaldon.


Cover art for Down These Strange Streets“A Plague of Zombies” (novella): Set in 1761 in Jamaica, when Lord John is sent to command a battalion tasked with putting down a slave rebellion, and discovers a hitherto unsuspected affinity for snakes, cockroaches, and zombies.

This novella was originally published in 2011 in DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS, a multi-author anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

This novella has been published under the alternate title “Lord John and A Plague of Zombies.”

“A Plague of Zombies” is also featured in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, the anthology of seven Outlander and Lord John short fiction written by Diana Gabaldon.


fathers-and-daughters-cover“A Silence At The Heart” (short story): Included in the multi-author anthology FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS: A CELEBRATION IN MEMOIRS, STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS, published in 1991. Edited by Martin H. Greenburg.

This anthology is filled with stories, memoirs, and photographs celebrating the special relationship between a father and daughter, and features contributions from Faye Kellerman, Eileen Goudge, Carole Nelson Douglas, J. A. Jance, and other notable authors.

Diana shares a touching, true story about the sudden death of her father, Senator Tony Gabaldon, who served in the Arizona legislature.


US-cover-SEVEN-STONES-tpb“Besieged” (novella): Set in 1762 in Jamaica and Havana. Lord John, who is about to leave his post as temporary military governor of Jamaica, learns that his mother is in Havana, Cuba. Which would be fine, save that the British Navy is on its way to lay siege to the city. Attended by his valet, Tom Byrd, an ex-zombie named Rodrigo, and Rodrigo’s homicidally inclined wife, Azeel, Lord John sets out to rescue the erstwhile Dowager Duchess of Pardloe before the warships arrive.

First published in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL,. an anthology of seven pieces of Outlander and Lord John fiction by Diana Gabaldon.


phoenixnoir-cover“Dirty Scottsdale” (short story): First published in PHOENIX NOIR, edited by Patrick Millikin, a multi-author anthology of short crime stories set in—as one might suppose—Phoenix (Arizona).

“Dirty Scottsdale” is the debut in print of Tom Kolodzi, who’s the protagonist of the contemporary crime novel Diana has been working on for some time (currently on the back burner), which is tentatively titled RED ANT’S HEAD.


mothers-and-daughters“Dream a Little Dream for Me” (short story): Written by Diana Gabaldon with Laura Watkins, this piece appeared in MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS: CELEBRATING THE GIFT OF LOVE (1998), edited by Jill M. Morgan.

Publisher’s Description:

“From the pens of five New York Times bestselling authors and seven nationally recognized authors of women’s fiction comes this remarkable collection of twelve original short stories which rejoice in the love shared between mothers and daughters. Each author has collaborated with her own daughter on their story, inspired by real-life experiences.”


2016-10-thehighwaykind“Fogmeister” (short story): Included in the multi-author anthology THE HIGHWAY KIND: TALES OF FAST CARS, DESPERATE DRIVERS, AND DARK ROADS, edited by Patrick Millikin, which features thrilling crime stories about cars, driving, and the road from the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed writers.

Diana’s contribution to THE HIGHWAY KIND is “Fogmeister,” a historical fiction tale set during the beginning of Germany’s Third Reich.

Publisher’s Description:

“Like fiction, cars take us into a different world: from the tony enclaves of upper crust society to the lowliest barrio; from muscle car-driving con men to hardscrabble kids on the road during the Great Depression; from a psychotic traveling salesman to a Mexican drug lord who drives a tricked-out VW Bus. We all share the roads, and our cars link us together.

“This anthology features new stories from Michael Connelly, C.J. Box, George Pelecanos, Diana Gabaldon, James Sallis, Ace Atkins, Luis Alberto Urrea, Sara Gran, Ben H. Winters, and Joe Lansdale. THE HIGHWAY KIND is a street-level look at modern America, as seen through one of its national obsessions.”


“Hellfire.” See “Lord John and the Hellfire Club.”


LordJohn-Hand-Devils-hc1“Lord John and the Haunted Soldier” (novella): In London and the Woolwich Arsenal in 1758, Lord John faces a court of inquiry into the explosion of a cannon, and learns that there are more dangerous things in the world than gunpowder.

Written for and first appeared in LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, a collection of Lord John short fiction by Diana Gabaldon.


past-poisons-uk-300x300“Lord John and the Hellfire Club” (short story): In London in 1756, a red-haired man approaches Lord John Grey with an urgent plea for help, just before dying in front of him. Originally published in PAST POISONS: AN ELLIS PETERS MEMORIAL ANTHOLOGY OF HISTORICAL CRIME, a multi-author anthology edited by Maxim Jakubowski, in 1998.

“Lord John and the Hellfire Club,” was also included in LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, a collection of three of Diana Gabaldon’s stories about Lord John Grey.

This story was also published as a special, limited-run, stand-alone paperback edition, which was a featured gift at a science fiction and fantasy convention.


Legends_II_2003-1st_ed.“Lord John and the Succubus” (novella): In Germany in 1757, Lord John is having unsettling dreams about Jamie Fraser, unsettling encounters with Saxon princesses, night‐hags, and a really disturbing encounter with a big, blond Hanoverian graf.

“Lord John and the Succubus” was originally published in 2003 in LEGENDS II, the multi-author anthology edited by Robert Silverburg, a legendary science fiction author.

“Lord John and the Succubus” was reprinted in LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS, a collection of stories about Lord John Grey written by Diana.


mothers-and-sons“Mirror Image” (short story): by Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Watkins (aka fantasy author Sam Sykes).

This short story appeared in the multi-author anthology MOTHERS AND SONS: A CELEBRATION IN MEMOIRS, STORIES, AND PHOTOGRAPHS, edited by Jill M. Morgan.

“This collection of twelve true stories of motherhood celebrates the special bond between mother and son. Stories include tales of humor and heartbreak, devotion and daring, and the true meaning of selfless love. Enhancing the magic of the written word in this beautiful volume are the authors’ personal, rare, and intimate family photos.”


matchup-cover-DG“Past Prologue” (short story): Written by Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry, this tale was included in the multi-author anthology MATCHUP, edited by Lee Child.

“Where should we go? All that we knew is gone, and all that we have is each other…” Bestselling authors Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry—along with their popular series characters Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone—team up for the first time ever.


excalibur“Surgeon’s Steel” (short story): First published in the multi-author anthology EXCALIBUR, edited by Richard Gilliam, Martin H. Greenberg and Edward E. Krame in 1995.

“A collection of more than twenty-five stories of myth and magic includes the works of such notable authors as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Charles de Lint,Diana Gabaldon, Mercedes Lackey, Joe Haldeman, Jane Yolen, and Eric Lustbader.”


out-of-avalon“The Castellan” (short story): By Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Watkins (aka fantasy author Sam Sykes), this piece was included in the multi-author anthology OUT OF AVALON: AN ANTHOLOGY OF OLD MAGIC AND NEW MYTHS, edited by Jennifer Roberson in 2001.

The Castellan must conquer a shape-shifting blue dragon before he succombs to the wyrm’s love spell.


Warriors-cover-hb“The Custom of the Army,” (novella): In 1759, his lordship attends an electric‐eel party in London and ends up at the Battle of Quebec! (He’s just the sort of person things like that happen to.) “The Custom of the Army,” was first published in 2010 in WARRIORS, a multi-author anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

“The Custom of the Army” was also included in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, an anthology of seven novellas written by Diana Gabaldon.


mad-scientist“The Space Between” (novella): The space between what? It depends who you’re talking to. Set in 1778, mostly in Paris, this story involves Michael Murray (Young Ian’s elder brother), Joan MacKimmie (Marsali’s younger sister), the Comte St. Germain (who is Not Dead After All), Mother Hildegarde, and a few other persons of interest.

Originally published in 2013 in THE MAD SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO WORLD DOMINATION, a multi-author anthology edited by John Joseph Adams.


Cover for U.S.A. hardcover edition“Virgins” (novella): Set in 1740 in France. In which Jamie Fraser (aged nineteen) and his friend Ian Murray (aged twenty) become young mercenaries.

“Virgins” was originally published DANGEROUS WOMEN, an anthology edited by authors George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, released in 2012.

This short story is also included in SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL, the anthology collection written by Diana Gabaldon.


This webpage was last updated by Diana Herself or Diana’s Webmistress on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 6:45 a.m. (Central Time).

If you know of a missing item, please send an email to Diana’s Webmistress. Thanks!