Can you read a sequel before the original?

Lorrs33

My neighbour loaned me a book recently and I've started reading it. I knew it was a series and only after I started reading it did I look at the front to see what other books there were and saw just one other. When I looked it up, I realised that it's the first book in the series and I'm currently reading the second. I don't want to hang on to the book too long, incase my neighbour thinks she might never get it back, so what I'm asking is, is it possible, or just confusing, to read a sequel before its original?

ConorSTF

I think the author will have written the book keeping in mind that some people will not have read the first book in the series. I would say all the essential things that you will need to know from the first book will be mentioned, but you will miss out on minor and less-important things related to the characters and so on.

emeraldstar

I agree with the above, but personally I would never read the second/third/whatever book of a series if I hadn't read each of the preceding volumes. No matter how good the author's exposition, I'd feel like I'd missed out.

Red Hand

I've read a few series which have been random books out of orde. It's annoying coming across a plot twist that you already knew was coming.

Lorrs33

I do plan to read the first one, but I've had the book on loan for a while so I should just read it, give it back to her and then read the first. Sounds complicated but I like to think I'm good at catching up

emeraldstar

Lorrs33 wrote: »

Sounds complicated but I like to think I'm good at catching up

The reason I wouldn't read them out of order is because it would just seem wrong – not because I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on.

AhInFairness

How long have you had it? If she gave you a lend of it she's already read it so she's hardly going to be in a rush to get it back from you. Why not get the first book from your local book shop or library and then read them in order.

If you're worried about having your neighbours copy for too long you could just tell her next time you see her "Oh Mary, I got the first in the series of that book you gave me. It looked really good so I wanted to read them in order. Do you need your book back and I can get if off you another time?"

You obviously have a friendly enough relationship with her if she's lending you books so I don't think she'll be sitting in her house cursing you because you didn't get the book back to her immediately.

Mardy Bum

I would imagine 90% of people read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before they read the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It all depends on the quality of the book.

Lorrs33

It turns out my neighbour gave me the book to keep, she believes keepings books to be a sin

I'm halfway through the book now, so I'll just read the first one as a prequel. But I agree with the replies completely, it feels messy reading a sequel before the original but it happens! It's exercise for the brain

Eoin

It depends. Books in a series might be written as their own stories, where as a sequel might be a continuation of the same story.

For instance - I think you could read pretty much any Harry Bosch book by Michael Connelly and not be too lost, although you might well spoil earlier books. I don't know if that would be the same for the Lord of the Rings, Hitchhikers guide etc.

aegisisc

Why not get the first book from your local book shop or library and then read them in order.

Isard

Once I was only more fascinated by a fantasy book because it was the second or even third book of a series. I didn't understand everything and was eager to find it all out. When I got to the first one I realized it was way worse then the following ones:D

Mardy Bum wrote: »

I would imagine 90% of people read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before they read the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It all depends on the quality of the book.

Read it a long time ago, but I remember it didn't feel like a sequel at all...