Order of reading

[Mads]

For book series, how do you generally read them? Chronologically, by published date?

For example, The Chronicles of Narnia was published with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first, followed by Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I think (which is the order the movies are being made) but the first book chronologically is The Magician's Nephew. I'm planning on reading them by publishing order, but I haven't gotten too far into it yet.

As for the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell I may read them by publishing order as well though I'm already out of order, not that it matters for that particular series.

Series like Harry Potter, where they're published chronologically, I've read in order but I'll admit that I read The Lord of the Rings pretty much backwards (heh).

In episodic series, where books don't usually rely too much on the one before it and are semi-independant, do you have any particular order you like to read them in? Be that publishing or chronological order? Or do you just pick up whichever one seems most appealing at the time?

[Jenny, honorary mod - inactive]

I don't read series very often but when I do I read them chronologically if that's how they were intended to be read. I never knew about the Narnia books. But I guess it would make sense to read them in publishing order.

[Shannon]

I read the Chronicles of Narnia in both orders - by publishing dates when I was in grades 5 and 6 and then in chronological order in my late teens. I preferred them in chronological order.

[Heather]

eh...I think I read them chronologically in the series. They made more sense to me that way

[Emily]

Most of the time, I read a series chronologically. I too have read teh Narnia books both ways and would normally recomend The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe first as it represents the whole series better but Magicians Nephew really help answer a few of my nagging questions. And with some series i have had to go by publishing dates because they are still on going and sometimes it just makes more sense that way. I guess you just have to see what the author says on the matter.

[Theweebarrell]

I look on fantastic fiction for series see what order they are in and read them that way.I dont like reading books that arent in order of series

[Fiona (Titch)]

Theweebarrell wrote: "I look on fantastic fiction for series see what order they are in and read them that way.I dont like reading books that arent in order of series "

I'm the same as you. I prefer to know the order as well.

[Rachel]

i read them chronologically mostly. The narnia books, i read 'the lion the witch and the wardrobe' when i was very young, but receiving the whole set years later i read them all chronologically, it seemed to flow better
harry potter i got the first 3 as a present on my 10th birthday, and accidently read them backwards, only realising when i got to 'the chamber of secrets' still enjoyed them though. (i think this was because they were ordered backwards in the boxset, grr)

with a new series i'll always read chronologically unless it says to do so otherwise because i'm worried it'll spoil one of the other books

[gina~*]

I usually read series in order but one day I was shopping the bargain books and I found Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich. As I started reading it I realized that there were 10 books before it! I decided to read them backwards, it was kinda fun. I also realized that I liked the later ones better and if I would have started with One For the Money I dont think I would have continued reading the series.

[Terri]

Mostly in order, but don't stress if it is OUT of order. Fun is fun.

[Dorottya]

If it is a series that has an arch, I would definitely read it in the order of publishing... if it was not the best way to read that in that order, it would not have been published that way, I feel.
But with a non-arch series or series that do not have that much of an arch or personal relationships in development, like most mystery series, I would read it in any order I feel like.

[Janice, Moderator]

Before... before I joined Goodreads... I didn't pay much attention to series unless it was a fantasy series. It seemed back in the 70's, fantasy seemed (to me) to be the only genre that did series. Those I read chronologically. Mysteries also had series, but they were loosely connected by the main character and I read them helter skelter.

Now... post Goodreads where there is so much detail regarding series and their chronological and published order, I find myself getting anal about the order I read them in. Generally, I read chronologically unless the author or other readers recommend published order.

It seems that series are much more prevalent now.

[Roz]

I find myself reading more series now than I did in the past. Some just have a character or characters that are constant, like JD Robb's In Death series, Patterson's Women's Murder Club. Others like the Harry Potter books or Gabaldan's Outlander series have characters that run throughout but each new book picks up where the previous left off. I, personally, have to read a series in order. I always think I'm going to miss something if I skip around, something that won't make sense because I messed up the order.

[Gavin]

I don't think I've read a series where there's a difference. But if I did, I would read them in publishing order; the order the author intended them to.

[Janice, Moderator]

Gavin wrote: "I don't think I've read a series where there's a difference. But if I did, I would read them in publishing order; the order the author intended them to."

But is it the author or the publisher who makes that decision? I'm thinking of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series. The first book published in English was book 7, The Snowman because it was felt that it would be the most appealing. Yet, I don't think Nesbo intended it to be read first.

[Sarah]

I generally read in published order although the one that I will defy this for is the Shannara series which I am going to read in the author's preferred order (which isn't the same as the published order I don't think).

[Lisa]

I also generally read in published order.

[Gavin]

Janice wrote: "Gavin wrote: "I don't think I've read a series where there's a difference. But if I did, I would read them in publishing order; the order the author intended them to."

But is it the author or the ..."
Maybe so, but I'm talking about the original publication; not about translations.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Mass generalisations abound:

Translations are unfortunately different. Most of the time I think the books are usually released in at least the order of writing by the author (although this is not always chronological if people then go and then write back stories for their stories...).

But with translations, there is usually a couple of books published in the original language before English language publishers decide to take a chance on it. We don't like translating books too much, so we want to see if it is worthwhile investing that much in it first. And I think that's why they published them all out of order. They choose what they deem more interesting (ie. they can make more money out of) and couldn't give a stuff about the series order.

I am bitter and twisted as there are a few series I would like to start but haven't as the English publishers think that publishing numbers 4, 8 and 2 in the series is a good bloody plan.

[Esther]

Gavin wrote: "I don't think I've read a series where there's a difference. But if I did, I would read them in publishing order; the order the author intended them to."

One that comes to mind is Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkcover series. The books cover the history of the world. Most of them are stand alone although there a few that are linked. And the chronological order and the publishing order are totally different.

[Sam]

Despite my usual OCD about such things I find for me it depends on the series, if it is a 'real' series where each book relies on the ones before then I'll read them in order otherwise I'm not actually too bothered (although I will have them in order on my bookshelves!!). I frequently find the order I read such books dictated by the order I come across them in the library or secondhand stores...