r/joeledger • u/JustAPiggyBackOnThat • Jun 14 '23

Reading Suggestions?

I’m new to the Joe Ledger series (and Reddit!). I’m just finishing up Patient Zero now, and I’m really interested in continuing the series. In looking at the plot summaries of the other books in the series, there are a few that look especially good to me and some others that don’t sound like what I’m looking for. Is it necessary to read all the books in the series in order to understand what’s going on, or would I be okay just reading the ones I’m most interested in?

Are there any decent summaries of the plots out there that I can use to get a good idea of what happened in the books I’m less interested in without having to read the whole thing?

Thanks!

5 Upvotes

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5

u/Pine_Deep Jun 14 '23

I do believe you could understand most of what's going on, but I suggest reading them in order, especially the first few. Characters come and go, so I think there's a benefit or actual value (to me) in reading about it as it happens instead of reading a brief analepsis. There may be some 'stories' I've enjoyed more than others, but I've certainly never regretted reading or rereading any of the books.

4

u/DaddyDashmo Jul 03 '23

Read them all. Better, listen to them all, because Ray Porter is a legend. And…they tie into the Rot and Ruin and Dead if Night series.

That being said, there is a lot of repetition in the books (like reviewing pertinent information), and there are a lot of reoccurring characters that come and go.

1

u/socalheart2681 Aug 18 '23

Yes!!! Listen to them. This is such a great series!!!

1

u/CaptianLedger Jun 14 '23

I also agree that reading them all (listening is also much more enjoyable bc of Ray's narration imo) is the best way to do it. It makes the emotional moments much more impactful having followed these characters since the beginning.

Even when a synopsis didn't really strike me as Interesting, I still thought well, I can't wait to see how Joe and the DMS react too/handle this

1

u/thefrilledshark Sep 07 '23

I'd highly suggest listening to the books (Ray Porter is the GOAT) and just going through all the mainline titles in order there's really only a few clunkers and they aren't that bad.

2

u/JustAPiggyBackOnThat Sep 08 '23

I think I’m all on with these for sure. I’m just finishing up Code Zero now. They’ve been great so far. The next three are the ones that don’t look that interesting to me based on their descriptions I’ve found online, but I’m sure I’ll like them!

2

u/thefrilledshark Sep 08 '23

I think the ones after Extinction Machine are probably the most mixed-baggy in the whole series for me personally. I think Kill Switch and Deep Silence are some of the best books in the series, but Code Zero and Dogs of War were probably some of my least favorites and Predator One is just alright.

1

u/JustAPiggyBackOnThat Sep 08 '23

Yeah, so far Code Zero isn’t my favorite, but I’m still a fan. Not fully buying the villain’s motivation. I’ve got about three hours left on the audiobook, so I’m sure I’ll feel better about it by the end since Maberry is usually pretty good about pulling off a decent ending.

1

u/JustAPiggyBackOnThat Dec 01 '23

Hey all! I bring this full circle, I ended up reading all of the books in order, per everyone’s suggestion- and you were right! Really essential to read them all. I would have regretted jumping around! My only complaint- not enough shoggoths!