^ You don't need to, but it won't hurt.
And yes, you can totally read NES without catching up on the rest of the books. It overlaps them chronologically, but doesn't make references. I would classify it as standalone, even though some of it takes place post-What You Leave Behind.
And yes, you can totally read NES without catching up on the rest of the books. It overlaps them chronologically, but doesn't make references. I would classify it as standalone, even though some of it takes place post-What You Leave Behind.