Spineward Sectors Reading Order

So I get asked a LOT for a timeline of the Spineward Sectors novels, since there are multiple separate tracts of storytelling going on which splinter off, rejoin, then splinter off from the mainline Admiral Who? books.  I thought I’d go ahead and drop a primer here.

To start, the suggested order, followed by an explanation of (and at) the break:

Admiral Who? (Mainline Series 1)

Admiral’s Lady: Eyes of Ice, Heart of Fire (Admiral’s Lady 1)

Admiral’s Gambit (Mainline Series 2)

No Middle Ground...