Are the others worth reading?If I read #4 first, should I read 1,2,3 in order?
Well good luck reading #2 as it is not translated into english. But in my experience, the books are mostly self contained, with a few nods to the other books in the series. As in, the connecting glue between these books are not characters or plot threads, but the setting. All of these books are set in the same universe and that's it. Which means you can start from any book and read in almost any order. Except for Labyrinth of Dreaming Books, which is a direct actual sequel to City of Dreaming Books (IMO, that was a bad decision, since City of Dreaming Books seemed to wrap everything up nicely, which is why I haven't read it). As for whether you should read them, imo, yes, they're worth it. I'd say the worst I've read from him is the 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear, and even then, it wasn't bad, it's major flaw was that it was essentially a collection of short stories that never got proper time to develop. I'd still tell people to read it, but only after reading his better stuff.
And while I'm at it, I'll mention Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures. I like this book alot, and it was my intro to Moers, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. I mean, this book has an evil clockwork general that expresses his love for an iron maiden through torturing people within the torture machine. And somehow Moers uses this to make a statement on love and the nature of good and evil. The book is a sprawling adventure in the same vein as the odyssey.
And I love the world of Zarmonia. It's like a more adult version of Wonderland. It is whimsical and fantastical, but even in its most awe inspiring moments, the author never lets you forget the world has an edge, a dark side.
