Reading Order
How to read the RESET series in order
Read RESET in numbered order, beginning with Book One, The Cost of Being Seen, releasing August 14, 2026. The prequel novella, RESET: First Contact, is optional and can be read before Book One or at any point after it.
The RESET series in order
- OptionalCompanion Novella
RESET: First Contact
Free Prequel Novella
An optional prequel set before Book One, following the decision that ends generations of silence.
- Step 2Book One
The Cost of Being Seen
Available now in Kindle and paperback.
Independently built AI systems begin reaching the same impossible conclusion, and Alex Mercer is the first person to understand what that means.
- Step 3Book Two
The Cost of Being Known
Available Now
Book One asks what happens when humanity sees something it was never supposed to see. Book Two asks what happens when it realizes it has been seen in return.
- Step 4Book Three
The Cost of Knowledge
Available for Pre-Order
Knowledge has become usable before anyone agrees who has the right to use it.
- Step 5Book Four
The Cost of Memory
Available for Pre-Order
Some truths change the future. Others change everything that came before.
- Step 6Book Five
The Cost of Survival
To Be Announced
- Step 7Book Six
The Cost of Remaining Human
To Be Announced
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FAQ
RESET reading order questions
Start with Book One, The Cost of Being Seen. It opens the series and introduces Alex Mercer. Readers who prefer to begin earlier in the timeline can read the optional prequel novella, RESET: First Contact, first.
No. RESET: First Contact is an optional companion novella set before Book One. It is free as a digital edition and also available in paperback. Reading it first adds context, and skipping it does not leave gaps in Book One.
Yes for the numbered novels. Books One through Four are read in numbered order. The only title outside that sequence is the prequel novella, RESET: First Contact, which sits before Book One in the story timeline and can be read at any point.
RESET is planned as six books. The first four titles are announced, and you can see them on the RESET series page. Books Five and Six are part of the plan and have not been titled or dated yet.
Book One, The Cost of Being Seen, is available now, and Book Two, The Cost of Being Known, was released October 2, 2026 and is available now. Book Three, The Cost of Knowledge, is available for pre-order and releases October 30, 2026. Book Four, The Cost of Memory, is available for pre-order and releases November 20, 2026.