What is the reading order?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by vsalvaggio

Another vote for Fantastic Fiction.

Also I think Starfire may be a special case since, if memory serves, the recommended reading order is a chronological order in the stories which is NOT the order they were published in (sorta similar to Narnia).

Narnia is a different case. The story about the creation of Narnia is not all that wonderful and if you start with that one, there's a good chance you won't want to move on from there. So start Narnia with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and then from there go in chronological order with the rest.

[jbcohen]

However when wikipedia and fantastic fiction do not agree who wins?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

However when wikipedia and fantastic fiction do not agree who wins?

The author. If they're not available, then publication date should rule. I must say... I think you're terribly over-thinking this.

[sakura-panda]

I go to goodreads to figure out if a book is part of a series and what order it is.

[jbcohen]

Ah, I have a tendency to over analyze things.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Ah, I have a tendency to over analyze things.

I'm afflicted with that disease at times, myself.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I go to goodreads to figure out if a book is part of a series and what order it is.

But as far as Goodreads is concerned, should this series be listed in publication order or chronological order? Does the series get listed in date published order to then be changed to chronological order? That's the problem with a new enough series written out of order. If you start the series as it's written, you read it in published order. But if you get to it after it's written, then you can get to read it in published or chronological order. Your choice.

[DiapDealer]

But if you get to it after it's written, then you can get to read it in published or chronological order. Your choice.

Everyone's free to do it however they want, of course, but I simply don't allow myself this choice. It's published order or nothing for me... unless the author themselves slams a boot down and publicly proclaims; "No! I screwed up by writing/publishing that book first, and would prefer that they be read in this order." Short of that... I'm not deviating from published order.

[AndrewH]

If the original publication order was good enough for the original readers (those who bought and read the books as they came out), it should be good enough for me.

[Dazrin]

I will often read books in chronological order if I end up re-reading a series. Almost always* by publication order the first time through though.

*Discworld is the only exception I can think of.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

However when wikipedia and fantastic fiction do not agree who wins?

There's also Shelfari that often gets it right.

[carpetmojo]

Ze Reading Order is...... you vil READ zis book, and you vil ENJOY IT !!

Or else , ...............

[MCSmarties]

I use Wikipedia as a starting point.

Usually I will try to find an author's official website, sometimes they will have a suggested reading order. And who better to suggest the "correct" order than the author him/herself!

Failing this, I'll google it while focusing on fan sites.

Also, in some cases there are different equally valid "reading orders" for a series, for example depending on whether it's your first read or you are a repeat reader!

As a good example Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern comes to mind: a new reader should probably start with Dragonflight set during the 9th pass so as not to "spoil" everything immediately, but a repeat reader will prefer to start at the beginning with The Survey: P.E.R.N..