What is behind Outlander fever—the hit television drama's popularity? Is it author Diana Gabaldon's teasing posts on social media? Is it the real history reimagined? The highly emotional melodrama?

Or is it the take-charge heroine and the sweet hero in a kilt? One of the show's biggest draws is its multigenre appeal. Gabaldon—whose Outlander novels form the basis of the series—has called it science fiction, fantasy, romance, historical fiction and military fiction, depending on her audience.

This collection of new essays explores the series as a romance, a ghost story, an epic journey, a cozy mystery, a comedy of manners, a gothic thriller and a feminist answer to Game of Thrones, and considers the source of its broad appeal.