Jim answers “Should I read this series in order they...”

Amanda asked this question about Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1):

Should I read this series in order they were published or chronologically? Does it really matter which way? Thank you!

Jim I'll go out on a limb and say that the other 3 books aren't essential at all. They're good- it's Larry McMurtry, after all- but I've always thought th…moreI'll go out on a limb and say that the other 3 books aren't essential at all. They're good- it's Larry McMurtry, after all- but I've always thought that they would have been better as standalone stories rather than about Gus and Call.

So I would definitely read Lonesome Dove first. Read the other three with the understanding that:

1) they are different in scope and tone and style

2) they create some contradictions and inconsistencies with Lonesome Dove (I suspect McMurtry did this on purpose, since the fan devotion to LD seemed to annoy and perplex him a bit). This is NOT Game of Thrones or Harry Potter or Tolkien where the author is trying to create a cohesive, detailed universe

3) there are developments, especially in Streets of Laredo, that will make you angry (if you've read it you'll know what I mean)(less)

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