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Must the Allard series be read in order?

Readers ask, “Must I read the Allard series in sequence?” My father told me the only two things one must do is pay taxes and die, although I have heard if you are rich enough one of these can be avoided. The Allard series does follow a trail, but each book can be read for itself. Most readers begin with the first book following this they usually read the others (or at least they buy them—I hope they read them). Although there is some character overlap, each is a stand-alone story with unique characters and plot. Each book begins with a scene from the present that will start the thread of the story. The opening scene of Book One: The New World begins with the modern-day discovery of an old medallion which serves as a connecting thread through all eight books.

The books are novels, each a story of a group of people in a specific era—filled with their lives, loves, tragedies, etc. You can view each and read selections on amazon at Wilmont Kreis, or click: Amazon.com Read More 
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Must the Allard Series be read in order?

Readers ask, “Must I read the Allard series in sequence?” My father told me the only two things one must do is pay taxes and die, although I have heard if you are rich enough one of these can be avoided. The Allard series does follow a trail, but each book can be read for itself. Most readers begin with the first book following this they usually read the others (or at least they buy them—I hope they read them). Although there is some character overlap, each is a stand-alone story with unique characters and plot. Each book begins with a scene from the present that will start the thread of the story. The opening scene of Book One: The New World begins with the modern-day discovery of an old medallion which serves as a connecting thread through all eight books.

The books are novels, each a story of a group of people in a specific era—filled with their lives, loves, tragedies, etc. You can view each and read selections on amazon at Wilmont Kreis, or click: Amazon.com Read More 
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Cliff Notes for the Allard Series:

—Book One: The New World: From France to Quebec. 1665-1676.
—Book Two: The Hunter: Early Quebec and Antoine Cadillac. 1679-1725.
—Book Three: Peace and War: Quebec through the French and Indian War. 1725-1761.
—Book Four: The Voyageur: Travels to the frontier and growth of Detroit. 1761-1803.
—Book Five: The City in The Wilderness: Lewis and Clark to rebuilding Detroit. 1803-1832.
—Book Six: The Medallion: Underground Railroad. 1833-1860.
—Book Seven: The Witch: Civil War to the Industrial Revolution. 1860-1892.
—Book Eight: The Chief: The automobile, Prohibition, Great Depression, two World Wars. 1895-1948.  Read More 
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Asterisks

So what about asterisks? Stories like these, based on real people in real populations tend to gather a number of characters making the cast look more like something from Dickens or Tolstoy than Elmore Leonard. These people had large families providing large numbers with the same last name and they used precious few first names resulting in many folks with identical names. Early in my research I used the asterisk to note important characters, usually a member of the family line of the story. When I began the books I knew many readers would be interested in the genealogy of the era so I persisted with the asterisk. As the audience broadened, many readers weren’t particularly interested in this and it is to them I give my apologies for the asterisk. Just realize it does help keep the main-character, Pierre*, apart from the twenty other Pierres encountered along the way.
Confused? Coming next: Cliff Notes for the Allard Series.  Read More 
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The Tales

And what stories they were!
—A young girl leaves her comfortable home, to cross the little-known ocean amid storms and pirates to a frozen wilderness and a man about which she knows nothing.
—A boy of fifteen who leaves his home forever to travel the wilderness to beyond where no white man has gone.
—That same boy as an old man who takes his son from their frontier city on the greatest adventure in American history to discover the long elusive passage to the sea only to return two years later to find their city in ashes.
—The pregnant mother of seven suddenly widowed at the age of 27 by the great plague and her struggle to survive until her mother brings a handsome young man asking her to hide fugitive slaves in her barn.
—A young farmer sent by his nation to fight a war in Europe he does not understand where he encounters a tragic love and horrors of war that send him home a changed and tormented soul.
These and many, many others provided the basics; all they needed was a little speculation and some imagination from the author.  Read More 
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