CC’s Reviews > Children of Earth and Sky > Status Update

You absolutely don’t need to. Almost all his books are standalone with minor Easter eggs for those who read his previous works, but nothing crucial to understanding his stories.

Fadi wrote: "You absolutely don’t need to. Almost all his books are standalone with minor Easter eggs for those who read his previous works, but nothing crucial to understanding his stories."

Ah, that's good to know. I've only read Tigana before and didn't realize till now that most of his other books share the same universe(s).

Would you recommend any particular one as the best entry point for this world? Or if they all work equally well, which one did you think was the most heartwrenching? I'm in the mood for some tragedy (which I assumed shouldn't be hard from GGK).

The author himself recommends choosing the historical setting that you find most interesting, and I will go a step further and say that if there are several you’re interested in, consider reading the earliest published one first to enjoy the references in the latter books.

I would say most GGK books are more melancholic than tragic; however, I personally found The Sarantine Mosaic (a duology), to be the most tragic of the ones I read by him. A Brightness Long Ago comes close and might be a better pick because it’s a single book and much shorter, if you prefer that. But really, if you want poignant, you won’t have to look far when it comes to GGK!

Fadi wrote: "A Brightness Long Ago comes close and might be a better pick because it’s a single book and much shorter, if you prefer that."

I do prefer that :) A Brightness Long Ago was actually the one that looked the most tempting to me, but unfortunately my library doesn't have it at the moment. Maybe I should just stick to my first impression and wait.

Thanks a lot for the advice!