(urth) Best order to read Sun books?

[James Wynn]

William Ansley:
>To maximize your confusion, errr, enjoyment, I suggest that you read _The 
>Fifth Head of Cerberus_ first, before the Sun series. I don't subscribe the 
>notion that 5HoC is set in the "same universe" as the Sun books, but there 
>are very interesting thematic parallels between the two works (5HoC and the 
>Book of the Various Suns).

This is absolutely true - especially for the "Book of the Short Sun". So 
perhaps reading "Fifth Head" just before plowing into the last series could 
be useful. On the other hand, reading "Fifth Head" last of all would not be 
worse.

However, if you go the route William Ansley suggests, then I recommend 
reading the Latro novels just before starting "The Book of the Long Sun" 
since Wolfe seems there to have been appeasing creative demons that were 
left unsatisfied when Tor gently recommended another Urth book instead of 
another Latro book.

Incidentally, while I'm not sold on always reading a series by publication 
chronology, I think if one does not read the New Sun first, he will miss 
intentional references in the Silk segment that the author intended. Since 
"Short Sun"  is (a little too) difficult as it is (there! I said it!), I 
don't see any point in making it tougher.

~ Crush