Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Even with prequels I have found that publication order generally works best. The writer and publisher know at the time they release a prequel that a significant part of the audience will be fans of the original books, so part of preparing the prequel for publication is making it acceptable to those who read the books as they were released. There tend to be spoilers whichever order you read.
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Agreed on all counts.
People are, of course, free to read in whatever order they like, but I'm strictly a publication-order kind of reader. In my mind, a prequel not read (for the very first time) in publication order cannot actually be called a
prequel. Turns it into more of a reboot in my mind. If that's what someone is into--fine. But if it didn't occur to the author to write/release the 4th, 8th, 10th--whatever--book in their series
before the 1st book, then I'm going to assume there's a reason it was released the way it was. Just like flashback scenes in a single book are to be read out of chronological order.
It's always puzzled me a bit that some people seem to view prequels as some sort of editorial correction process.