Jamie Dacyczyn
asked:
Goodreads list this as #3 in a series....Does this series need to be read in order, or are they stand-alone books?
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Clay's Ark,
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Equal Opportunity Reader
It helps if you've read them all--makes the story a bit more accessible--but with the exception of the second in the series, Mind of My Mind, all of the books in the series can be read alone and understood.
Heather
This book can work as a standalone, even though it's a prequel to what is listed as book #4 (Patternmaster). It makes no mention at all of the Patternists, so reading books 1 & 2 (Wild Seed & Mind of My Mind) doesn't help you understand what's going on. It's a prequel to Patternmaster, though, so reading that first would be spoilery.
Greg
So far I don't think it's totally necessary. I had heard good things about Butler's writing so I went to the library looking for nothing in particular and picked Clay's Ark. It was an older copy so had no indication it was part of a series. I recently picked up Patternmaster and it also gives no indication that it is part of a series, let alone the last.
Marlowe
This one specifically could easily be read as a stand-alone. You could also read the first by itself, or 1&2 as a duology. Without #4, Clay's Ark really doesn't have much in common with 1&2, so there's no issue with reading it alone.
Matt Martin
There is one page in this book that refers to a character from book #2 but the connection really doesn't add anything to the story. This is a completely separate story from anything that happens in the first two books.
Alison M
I read Clay's Ark as a standalone. I had no idea at the time that it was part of a (sort of) series, and did not find the story confusing. Clay's Ark was and is one of the most disturbing yet exhilarating SF books I have ever read.
Arlene♡
To understand the main people in Mind of My Mind (book 2) you would need to read Wild Seed (book 1) first. Those two books so far have connecting people and plots. I have yet to finish book 3 to tell you more.
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