Reading as a Stand Alone Book

CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 22 Oct 2019, 09:19

It seems like the general consensus is that you can read this as a stand alone book, but you might enjoy it more if you have read the rest of the series first.

Josephe-Anne · Post by **Josephe-Anne** » 22 Oct 2019, 12:39

I actually read Conflict on the Yangtze first, even though it is the fourth book in the series, with these characters. I am now reading Skills of the Warramunga, which is book three. So far, it hasn't been an issue for me, because the author, Greg Kater, has provided enough background information about the characters and their previous adventures. Thus, the book can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Tiffanyli · Post by **Tiffanyli** » 22 Oct 2019, 14:09

Sometimes I read books out of order because I don't realize that they belong to a series or because I feel like the books are great as a standalone. I find that as long as there's flashbacks and some kind of backstory/explanation given it's still fairly easy to understand. I actually prefer series books that work as a standalone, I sometimes get annoyed when series spin a bunch of different side stories that draw out the story into multiple books just to sell more copies. Sometimes it's done in such obvious ways that it ruins a good series for me.

JayUwU · Post by **JayUwU** » 23 Oct 2019, 19:27

In all honesty I wouldn't have ever known that it was a part of a series if not for my research. The book makes a great stand alone as sufficient background information is provided so you aren't lost because you didn't read to previous books.

Erin · Post by **Erin** » 24 Oct 2019, 09:22

I read the book as a stand alone and I had no problem following the story or understanding the relationships of the characters. I enjoyed the story, so I am planning to read the first two in order to further enhance my experience with the characters and the story.

DrPatti8454 · Post by **DrPatti8454** » 24 Oct 2019, 10:57

In general, not specific to this particular series, the avid reader will tend to wonder if they've missed some nuance that may have been contained within previous books in the series. I feel that, by not having read the previous installments, I may have missed something, but that's just me.

Charlyn Tuzon · Post by **Charlyn Tuzon** » 25 Oct 2019, 02:10

I've only read the first book before this and I think this third book can stand on its own. I think reading the previous books would give an advantage of deeper understanding the relationships between the characters, and also having already know and like the personalities of recurring characters. if one would read it as a stand alone, I don't think there would be any problem regarding the flow of the story.

mddodgen · Post by **mddodgen** » 25 Oct 2019, 15:56

Yes, sometimes it is confusing and a reader does feel left-out when reading some novels out of order. But, I think this book can be a stand-alone book. Mr. Kater is able to condense the background and bio of each central character in this book well enough that I didn't feel as if I lacked information when first introduced to the book's characters.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 26 Oct 2019, 13:41

I think it can be read as standalone but and a huge but... I needed more time to get into the story and connect them and plotline. So I think people who read other books in the series are having better enjoyment of it.

Mbrooks2518 · Post by **Mbrooks2518** » 26 Oct 2019, 17:27

I didn't have any trouble reading it without reading the first two. There were definitely some things I was missing because of not reading the first two, but there was enough background information given that I was never confused, which I think is the most important thing if you are going to start in the middle of a series. Instead, it just made me even more interested in reading the previous books.

Dorcas Serwaa Adu · Post by **Dorcas Serwaa Adu** » 26 Oct 2019, 20:13

Oh, it's definitely a stand alone book because although it isn't the first in the series, at certain points how characters met were thrown light on. And also the way the book works, you won't even think it has a family before it. It followed on a straight path, describing why certain people were like how they were at the present and even after the book a few reviews on the past ones are available to clear up ones confusion, if any.

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 27 Oct 2019, 19:41

Even when I know a book is stand alone, I still like to read the other books in the series. If I read a later book in the series first, I like to read the earlier books as a prequel or backstory for the most recent one I’ve read. Of course, this doesn’t work if the order matters. But this one seems to do just fine on its own.

SHALLU RAWAL · Post by **SHALLU RAWAL** » 28 Oct 2019, 20:34

I always start a series from the first book. But, if starting from third book, it is very important to have brief knowledge of event and situation that happened in past. The author done a great job in providing flashback of past events. But still I prefer reading from the start as it is very easy to imagine all the event in the story in their correct order. Also this help in remembering the story for long time.

briellejee · Post by **briellejee** » 29 Oct 2019, 01:36

Cecilia_L wrote: ↑04 Oct 2019, 13:05 I am one of the reviewers who recommended it as a stand-alone book. Having not read the others, I felt the author did an excellent job of providing necessary background information in the story. Having said that, now that I have read one in the series, I would like to eventually read the others.

Glad to know that it made you want to read the others! Curious though, what special incident made you want to read the others?

briellejee · Post by **briellejee** » 29 Oct 2019, 01:42

Dorcas Serwaa Adu wrote: ↑26 Oct 2019, 20:13 Oh, it's definitely a stand alone book because although it isn't the first in the series, at certain points how characters met were thrown light on. And also the way the book works, you won't even think it has a family before it. It followed on a straight path, describing why certain people were like how they were at the present and even after the book a few reviews on the past ones are available to clear up ones confusion, if any.

Been seeing this as well from others, but have you read the whole series? I was just curious if the ones who went straight to book three found something that made them want to read the whole series.