Reading books out of order

Why, this time around, you don’t have to begin at the beginning

My latest novel, The Man with the Tick, has just been released. It’s the third in the Interstellar Caveman series (check out the description on my website), and is an action-packed mystery full of adventure which will also — I hope — make you chuckle.

If you’ve read the first two in the series (Interstellar Caveman and Faulty Prophet), you’ll know that they form a single two-part story featuring the redoubtable — or should that be doubtable — Colin Douglass. I don’t recommend reading the second book without having read the first.

However, The Man with the Tick is different. It takes place in the same universe, but this time we’re following a different protagonist: J. J. Tiffin. While it helps to have done so, I honestly believe you don’t need to have read the earlier books to enjoy the third in the series. Yes, J. J. Tiffin already featured in the first book, and yes earlier events are referenced, but the story is new, the style is a little different and any important background information is supplied.

If you’re familiar with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, you’ll get the idea. While you can read Discworld from the beginning, you can also jump ahead to the Watch books, or instead start your journey with Granny Weatherwax without spoiling the experience. I think the same applies here.

So, if The Man with the Tick sounds good but you haven’t read the earlier books, why not take a chance and give it a go?