I am often asked by readers if they can pick up one of The Mack Files books and start reading randomly. Of course, the answer is yes…if you want to be really confused! You see, The Mack Files Bender was designed to be a short and fairly simple read that introduces most of the recurring characters. So, without reading Bender first, readers might be confused as to who a character is and why they are important.
But there is more to the story, as you may have guessed. While I try to write my books in a way that they could stand alone in many ways, I also write stories that tend to build on one another. For me, one of the reasons I enjoy reading a series is because it follows a group of characters with lives that are entwined but also have things happen that affect their future. This is something I hope my readers also enjoy. That way, the story in the fifth, sixth, or seventh book is dependent on the first few books.
I like that connection. I like that as a means of building suspense (and a following). I want my readers to always wonder what might happen next. But I also want them to wonder if an event might have repercussions down the line sometime. Trust me, it probably will.
Having said all this, I must confess to something. I have done it before. Most of us have done it before. Yes, even authors sometimes read the ending to see if they want to invest their time and energy in reading a book. But here is the thing. Most of the time, I have gone back to the beginning and read the story in its entirety as the author intended. And even though I knew what would happen in the end, most times I still thoroughly enjoyed the read.
So, feel free to read the ending first if you must. Feel free to start books out of order if you must. Just remember, if you do this and get lost, it’s not the author’s fault. I warned you.
All the best!
Rodney