Re: Should you read a series in story order or published order?
'Depends' is my firm answer, too.
'Discworld' was my example of 'it doesn't matter'.
I don't know if you can put a 'story order' to Le Guin's 'Hainish Tales', and I haven't read enough of the 'Wizard of Earthsea' to know.
'Dune' should be read in the order published and all after the second or third jettisoned entirely.
Robertson Davies' sets of trilogies are each a better read in order, but it is not really necessary, as they work fine as stand-alone novels, and it matters not which triology you start with.
Asimov's 'Foundation Trilogy' should most definitely be read in story order, but I think that is the same as published order.
I'd say Tolkien's works should be read in story order and a great deal of the early stuff ignored entirely.
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