There's a magic here, if you know where to look.
The Ryland Creek saga chronicles the story of the Ernst family of Painted Post, New York.
Questions I get:
What order should I read the Ryland Creek Saga?
When the first four books came out, with the subtitles ordered Books I-IV, this wasn't a question I was overly worried about as nearly all readers will follow-through in numeric order.
But then The Forest Ghost was published (in 2021, and listed as a prequel to boot) and The Time of the Backroads (in 2022), both with the subtitle of "A Ryland Creek Novel"--both of which involve characters from the first four novels. Now, it wasn't overly clear anymore which order readers should pursue reading the saga.
In talking to readers who have read the entire saga, the response was nearly universal: read Books I-IV, then The Forest Ghost, and then The Time of the Backroads.
When I asked the follow-up question of why not read Ghost first, the response that stuck in my mind the most came from one dear reader who said, "You should read The Forest Ghost after Books I-IV as you'll have a much greater appreciation of whom Arthur has becomes once you know his backstory."
Questions I get:
What order should I read the Ryland Creek Saga?
When the first four books came out, with the subtitles ordered Books I-IV, this wasn't a question I was overly worried about as nearly all readers will follow-through in numeric order.
But then The Forest Ghost was published (in 2021, and listed as a prequel to boot) and The Time of the Backroads (in 2022), both with the subtitle of "A Ryland Creek Novel"--both of which involve characters from the first four novels. Now, it wasn't overly clear anymore which order readers should pursue reading the saga.
In talking to readers who have read the entire saga, the response was nearly universal: read Books I-IV, then The Forest Ghost, and then The Time of the Backroads.
When I asked the follow-up question of why not read Ghost first, the response that stuck in my mind the most came from one dear reader who said, "You should read The Forest Ghost after Books I-IV as you'll have a much greater appreciation of whom Arthur has becomes once you know his backstory."
Timelines