Quote:
Originally Posted by jbjb
My feeling has always been that series are best read in publication order, so prequels should be read after the books that follow them in the series' timeline but preceded them in publication.
The author will have been aware that the earlier books will already have been read by many and will write accordingly. Quite often much of the point of a prequel is casting light on later events and characters the reader has already read about.
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Normally, I'd agree, but in this case
The Affair, published 16th, deals with an event often mentioned throughout the series and not only explains in great detail how that came about, but sets the stage for all that comes later.
Not only that, but the first page of book #17,
A Wanted Man, picks up on the same day that
Worth Dying For (book #15) ends and would be perfect as back-to-back novels.
The actual prequel is listed as book #8, The Enemy, and some suggest that as a beginning. Of course, any of the novels can be read as stand-alones, but if one enjoys a series in strict chronological order, this would be my list:
The Affair, The Enemy, Killing Floor, Die Trying, Tripwire, Running Blind, Echo Burning, Without Fail, Persuader, One Shot, The Hard Way, Bad Luck and Trouble, Nothing to Lose, Gone Tomorrow, 61 Hours, Worth Dying For, A Wanted Man.
Finished the last in the series, A Wanted Man, last night. It's rumored that book 18, Never Go Back, will debut in September, 2013.