Hmm, now I just gotta figure out where to start; I've heard some say that the early books chronologically can be slow, better to start nearer the middle...
I wouldn't recommend it (depending on what you're thinking of as the middle). Start with Shards of Honor (the first book, the story of how Miles' parents met) or The Warriors' Apprentice (the first Miles book, which sets up a lot of things for the series as a whole). Barrayar, set right after Shards, is one of my favorite books ever, but it won't hurt anything to read it later (it was published mid-series). Falling Free and Ethan of Athos are side stories set in the same universe, so while I would certainly recommend them both it doesn't matter when you read them.
Aside from that, there are reasonable arguments for reading in publication order or internal chronology order, but I'd pick one and go with it; there's a fair amount of continuing story. And definitely don't start after Brothers in Arms; that one's really important to later books.
...I should point out that I'm coming from a viewpoint that none of the books are less than "good", and my two least favorites were published fairly late. So this isn't a recommendation to eat your vegetables before you have dessert, or anything. :)
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winterfish
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Date: 2011-08-13 04:29 pm (UTC)I wouldn't recommend it (depending on what you're thinking of as the middle). Start with Shards of Honor (the first book, the story of how Miles' parents met) or The Warriors' Apprentice (the first Miles book, which sets up a lot of things for the series as a whole). Barrayar, set right after Shards, is one of my favorite books ever, but it won't hurt anything to read it later (it was published mid-series). Falling Free and Ethan of Athos are side stories set in the same universe, so while I would certainly recommend them both it doesn't matter when you read them.
Aside from that, there are reasonable arguments for reading in publication order or internal chronology order, but I'd pick one and go with it; there's a fair amount of continuing story. And definitely don't start after Brothers in Arms; that one's really important to later books.
...I should point out that I'm coming from a viewpoint that none of the books are less than "good", and my two least favorites were published fairly late. So this isn't a recommendation to eat your vegetables before you have dessert, or anything. :)