Jayne Ann Krentz – Arcane Society Series Reading Order

by Maryse on August 26, 2010 · 21 comments

Thanks to Louisa for this recommendation!!

I’ve put up TWO reading order guides for this one on this page (because the reading order has been somewhat debated). The first listed is as per the author as she has them listed on her website (and as per her confirmed emails to me, that you’ll see below in the comments). Some readers agree with this version. However many readers and fans of the series have stated her reading order to be confusing and have relisted them in the order they believe they *should* be read. Therefore, below the author’s reading order, I have listed the “readers” reading order. See the comments below (regarding both “sides” of these reading orders), and choose which version you think is best for you!

Here is one commenter who says the author’s reading order is correct:

“I recommend reading order as she has stated by publishing date. Often new elements and explanations are introduced that add insight into books that take place in other time periods that make more sense when read in the order they were written.
It also helps to read the Harmony world series before Dreamlight Trilogy Book 3. I made a point of reading in publishing order and found it most satisfying.”

however many readers say it isn’t right, and have offered a different reading order.

“I read all the Amanda Quick’s first, then the Jayne Ann Krentz’s second, and the Jayne Castle’s last… by the time I got to the Krentz’s editions I was able to follow the character’s ancestries, which seems to be what most of these are coming from. So, I think if you start with the Quick books first you’ll be better able to follow everything else.”

Reading order as per the author (who emailed me saying: “My website lists the books in publication order, so if you followed that you do have the correct list.”:

This is a new series of romantic-thrillers featuring the adventures of various members of The Arcane Society. The Society is an organization devoted to the study and research of the paranormal. This series will cross over into all three of my worlds: Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle.

Reading order as per the readers:

Tagged as: Jayne Ann Krentz, Jayne Castle, Looking Glass trilogy, The Arcane Society

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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

Debbie January 20, 2011 at 12:41 PM: The JAK read order is sooo not right.S/B Second Sight,Third Circle, Perfect Poison,Burning Lamp, White Lies,Sizzle & Burn, Running Hot,Fired Up, Midnight Crystal
Maryse January 20, 2011 at 12:56 PM: Hi Debbie!

Thanks for the comment!

However, as per the author herself, the reading order I have listed above is correct. Here is her website that indicates this:

http://www.jayneannkrentz.com/arcanehouse/arcanebooks.html

She also mentions in her FAQ: “The first book in the series is my Amanda Quick title, SECOND SIGHT (May 2006). The second book is my Jayne Ann Krentz title: WHITE LIES (January 2007).”

However, maybe you can shed some light as to why you say it is different, so I can make necessary adjustments or notations on this reading order guide.

Hope that helps!
Maryse February 2, 2011 at 3:25 PM: I double checked with the author and she confirms the reading order guide as originally listed above:

On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 2:16 PM, Jayne Ann Krentz wrote:

Dear Maryse:

My website lists the books in publication order, so if you followed that you do have the correct list.

she goes on to say that the reading order listed in the comments section are:

“…historicals by publication date, followed by contemporary by publication date, and finally my futuristic.”

Wishing you the best of winter.

Sincerely,

Jayne
Alexa February 11, 2011 at 5:41 PM: I believe Debbie was saying thats the reading order because that is the chronological order of when the books were set. I don’t know why Jayne decided to jump around in time like that, but if that’s what she intended, then her way is the “official” reading order.
Maryse February 11, 2011 at 7:28 PM: Yup…that makes sense. Thanks Alexa!
Michele M March 14, 2011 at 7:24 AM: Listing them in publication order vs. chronological (reading) order is confusing and makes no sense. I went to Borders to order Book 2, of The Dreamlight Trilogy, and the clerk trying to help me said I was wrong, until I showed him the reading list above. He didn’t understand the order or why she was jumping around or why she would have the books cross over each of her pen names.
Maryse March 14, 2011 at 8:25 AM: Hi Michele! My assumption is that she listed them in order of publication, because perhaps, that is the order in which she actually wrote them.

Since she seems to intend on having each book feed off of each other somewhat – perhaps recurring characters (despite the different series), then this is the order in which she intended them to be read?

I know for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s “Dark Hunter” series (her main series), if you JUST read her Dark-Hunter books, and not the “Were-Hunter” books and the “Dream-Hunter” books, you would be missing chunks, or little intros, and important “side-stories” to characters that become involved in later Dark-Hunter books.

So when we list her very long dark-hunter series, we list it in the exact order she wrote all of the books (including were, and dream hunter books), so you get the maximum effect when reading the “whole” story.

I don’t know if that makes sense to anyone who has read Jayne’s series (if reading all of her books in the order they were published might provide more of a whole story, then just reading each smaller series on their own separately)?

Is there anyone out there who has read this series in her “publication order” (as she lists it to be read) vs. the “chronological order”, that might be able to put in their two cents?
bigpallooka April 13, 2011 at 3:01 AM: With JAK it’s important that readers know how she organises her writing.
Historicals are published under the name Amanda Quick
Contemporaries are published under the name Jayne Ann Krentz
Futuristic are published under Jayne Castle.
Several other pseudonyms have been used but are not related to this series.
She has explained the original reason was due to restrictions made by publishers under contracts she signed early in her career and no doubt to assist her readers in identifying the genre of each title. I recommend reading order as she has stated by publishing date. Often new elements and explanations are introduced that add insight into books that take place in other time periods that make more sense when read in the order they were written.
It also helps to read the Harmony world series before Dreamlight Trilogy Book 3. I made a point of reading in publishing order and found it most satisfying.
Enjoy!
Kayla September 19, 2011 at 1:33 PM: I noticed you don’t have her latest book, Quicksilver by Amanda Quick on your list. You should add it for people that just recently became involved in her series and are looking for what else ties in with it.
Catherine January 26, 2012 at 6:31 AM: I agree that her reading order is messed up. the reading order should start with Second sight
third circle
perfect Poison

but after that I am not sure what comes next. I wish there was a reading order list on what should be read and in what order and not an publication list on the year they were published. This way the series would be less confusing and I wouldn’t have to go back to the other books so often to realize something.
LiissaK August 23, 2012 at 8:06 PM: I read all the Amanda Quick’s first, then the Jayne Ann Krentz’s second, and the Jayne Castle’s last… by the time I got to the Krentz’s editions I was able to follow the character’s ancestries, which seems to be what most of these are coming from. So, I think if you start with the Quick books first you’ll be better able to follow everything else.
Tracy September 24, 2012 at 2:13 AM: I strongly agree that there needs to be a reading order and not just a publishing order list. I started reading the series as she has it listed on her site and it quickly got confusing. Stories and characters are mentioned that do appear until much later in the series. Then I started reading the Amanda Quick stories first and that made much more sense. I hope I can figure out what to read after The Perfect Poison without getting totally confused again. With at least different series all mixed up, it is not easy.
Maryse September 24, 2012 at 9:46 AM: Okay, so I have decided best thing to do is list TWO reading order guides for this one. The author’s version and the reader’s version. Since I have not read this series myself, I am hoping the readers will look over the “reader” version and confirm if there needs to be any changes (considering she just recently released two books in it). Since they have just been released, I placed them both at the bottom of the reading order list, however I wonder if they might need to be moved from the end of the series (since they were just released) up to somewhere up there, in between?
Thomas Dixon November 9, 2012 at 12:26 PM: My two cents is that either reading order is fine. I followed Ms. Krentz’s order and had no difficulty. I helps that each book is really stand-alone within the A. S. framework. I read to “Burning Lamp” and then started the Harmony novels. It should be noted that, as Castle, J A K mentions Arcane as early as “Silvermaster” and a Sweetwater features in “Obsidian Prey”, which I believe is not list as one of the A. S. novels.
TenaJ December 30, 2012 at 10:54 PM: The fan reading order simply starts in the past then goes in to the present then future. Oppose to going back and forth I actually started reading Amanda Quick in the 90s so I preferred it that way and jumping into Jayne Castle is so confusing I will have to wait and read her books from the beginning because Cayons of the Night was frustrating not understanding how the world got there
Diane S. August 26, 2013 at 2:27 PM: I could be wrong, but I believe the author wrote the books by family, as opposed to time period- as in, the modern day ancestor(s) of the historical characters in the previous book.
I agree with the previous 2 posts (Thomas Dixon & TenaJ)- it’s fine to read them in publication order or in time period order, which many readers prefer.
It’s all a matter of personal preference.
kc November 18, 2013 at 9:24 PM: I have all but the last two of each trilogy in just her arcane society novels. I feel reading in any order is satisfying. I read mine, oddly enough, in this order: 2nd sight, 3rd circle, sizzle & burn, running hot, white lies, perfect poison, then the dreamlight trilogy, and finally the looking glass trilogy. no matter how you read them, they are worth the read for anyone who likes that type of story. enjoy everyone .
HelenJP May 26, 2014 at 11:31 AM: I read the books whenever I could get my hands on one and had no difficulty in following the setting of each story. I like the cross over in the time frame, it gave each story that little extra.
Misty September 1, 2014 at 10:00 AM: My mother has just finished the series, and is not very tech-savvy. She says there are some questions left unanswered in Canyons of Night, and was wondering if she is somehow missing a book, if there is a new book due soon, or if she’s just out of luck and has to dictate some fanfic to me.
Amber February 12, 2015 at 11:58 PM: This was very helpful! I have read all of these in the authors order and now I am going to read them in the order the readers liked. Thanks so much!!
Wendi September 18, 2016 at 11:02 PM: So I am trying to read the Arcane Society books by the author’s list and it is gradually making me feel crazier. I would love to read the books in a chronological order. I get that it goes historical (Amanda Quick), contemporary (Jayne Ann Krentz), future (Jayne Castle) but I have no idea which books fit where. I don’t know the reading order for each genre, and it seems from reading descriptions that there are other books that are in the same world that are separate series. Going slightly crazy…I tend to read series as a whole instead of as individual books and this is feeling unwieldy.