Reading Vanguard Out of Order: Should It Be Done?

[Captain Clark Terrell]

I picked up a few of the Vanguard series at my local library earlier today as I've not yet read the series but want to read Seekers when it comes out this summer and need to be prepared. Harbinger is missing, so I wasn't able to get it but checked out Summon the Thunder, Precipice, Storming Heaven and the Declassified anthology.

Even if I read the books I have in relative order, that would still mean skipping over several of the early books in the series. Is this something those of you who've read the series recommend or should I try to find other places where available copies of the first set of books might be carried so that I can read them in order. Thanks!

Edit: As an aside, I'm happy to see Clark Terrell make an appearance at an earlier point in his career. I share Christopher's appreciation for Paul Winfield's acting ability and think Terrell could be fleshed out much more extensively than he has been to date. It wasn't his fault Chekov was an idiot.

--Sran

 

[JD]

You could probably read those ones fine, as long as you go in knowing you're missing stuff, but I wouldn't recommend it. Vanguard is probably one of the most heavily arced series of Trek books, so you if possible it would be a good idea to try to find them all if you can.

 

[JWolf]

If you read out of order, I do think you would very much spoil it for yourself.

 

[Thrawn]

No. Read them in order.

I recommend this strongly.

 

[Skywalker]

They should really be read in order, yeah. I'm impressed your library had all those other ones, though. Hopefully whoever has Harbinger will return it quickly.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

They should really be read in order, yeah. I'm impressed your library had all those other ones, though. Hopefully whoever has Harbinger will return it quickly.

It's listed as missing in the online catalogue. It's disappointing that people can't do something as simple as return a library book. What I've decided to do for the moment is read the first installment in Declassified, since that's a prequel to the other novels, and then I'll see if I can find a copy of Vanguard elsewhere.

--Sran

 

[Mage]

Definatly in order.

Years ago, being bored out of my skull, I decided to grab a book out of my father's bookcase. It was Stephing King's Dark Tower series, part 3. I knew it was part of a trilogy, but I figured who cares. To this day, I hate the fact that I knew so much about what happened before book 3, because I became so hooked, I had to read it all.

 

[Jedi Ben]

Having just finished the series, but jumped to Book 6 after 5, missing Declassified, there is a simple answer:

IN ORDER.

They really do play it out incredibly well, but it doesn't work unless you read it as an arc.

That and those first 3 books are excellent, the others are very good but can't match the first trio.

 

[Paris]

I definitely receommend that you read the series in order

 

[JWolf]

You can always buy the missing books as eBooks.

 

[JD]

They should really be read in order, yeah. I'm impressed your library had all those other ones, though. Hopefully whoever has Harbinger will return it quickly.

It's listed as missing in the online catalogue. It's disappointing that people can't do something as simple as return a library book. What I've decided to do for the moment is read the first installment in Declassified, since that's a prequel to the other novels, and then I'll see if I can find a copy of Vanguard elsewhere.

--Sran

I don't know if I'd read the Declassified stuff before the previous books. I don't remember them real clearly, but I'm pretty sure there might be some reveals in later books that would be ruined if you read Declassified first.

 

[Rowan Sjet]

Just imho, if it was only Harbinger you were missing, it probably would have been okay to miss that out. It's a great read but is mostly setup. OTOH, Reap the Whirlwind, the third book, is absolutely crucial to the ongoing narrative.

So while I would recommend reading Vanguard in order, including Harbinger, if you really can't wait, at least make sure you'll have Reap the Whirlwind on hand.

EDIT: As for practical advice, try ebay. My library didn't have all of the books either, so I looked on there and was able to find some decent copies for reasonable prices.

 

[DigificWriter]

Vanguard is a highly serialized endeavor, and is therefore best read in order. You could probably get away with reading the series out of order if you had no other choice, but to get the maximum enjoyment out of it it definitely does need to be read in order and in its entirety.

 

[Patrick O'Brien]

No. Read them in order.

I recommend this strongly.

Agreed. In order is best. You will love it

 

[ronny]

One of the few times where I think reading them in order really does matter.

 

[tomswift2002]

I've read New Frontier out of order, so I would say go for it.

 

[ronny]

I've read New Frontier out of order, so I would say go for it.

I don't think I agree with this. New Frontier and Vanguard aren't really the same type of series.

 

[DigificWriter]

I've read New Frontier out of order, so I would say go for it.

This post makes no sense whatsoever. Vanguard and New Frontier are entirely different series.

This would be like telling someone they could sit down and treat Star Trek Deep Space Nine the same way they would TNG even though one (DS9) is heavily serialized and the other (TNG) is episodic.

You could do it, but it would make very little sense.

 

[David Mack]

I would strongly advise reading the Vanguard saga in publication order. Its dramatic revelations were planned and executed to build upon one another from each book to the next. Reading them out of order, in my opinion, would be spoilerific and less than satisfying at best, and utterly confusing at worst.