What Is The Correct Reading Order Of The Life At The Top Novel Series?

Just got into the series and love the corporate power dynamics, but the timeline across all these stories feels tangled. Which book truly comes after 'Back to Life at the Top'?
2026-07-30 20:31:26
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7 Answers

DaxNeal
DaxNeal
Story Finder Pharmacist
Reading order? I just followed the author's own list on their social media bio. They posted a 'recommended journey' list last year when the drama adaptation was announced. It was: 1. 'Life at the Top' (Chapters 1-100), 2. 'Before the Summit' (full), 3. 'Life at the Top' (Chapters 101-250), 4. 'Glass Office' side stories, 5. 'Life at the Top' (Chapters 251-End).

That's the order I used, and it flowed perfectly. It treats the prequel as a massive, impactful flashback right at the midpoint of the main story. The character motivations in the second half of the main series hit completely differently with that fresh backstory in mind.
2026-07-31 01:25:50
1
Tess
Tess
Helpful Reader Sales
Can we talk about how the female lead's backstory is entirely locked in a side story that's only available on the author's private blog? It's infuriating. You go through the whole main novel wondering about her motivations, and the key is hidden away in some obscure corner of the internet.

This is the real reading order challenge: tracking down all the essential pieces that aren't on the big commercial platforms. Sometimes the 'correct' order involves knowing which fan-translator picked up which orphaned side story and where they posted it. It's a scavenger hunt.
2026-07-31 12:41:06
2
LeoLake
LeoLake
Plot Explainer Engineer
I've read a lot of serialized fiction, and this is a common plague. Authors write a hit, then get pressured to expand the universe before the main story is even finished, leading to timeline knots. The best thing a new reader can do is mute the noise and focus on the central through-line.

For 'Life at the Top', the through-line is the protagonist's journey from entry-level to the boardroom. Every chapter that directly advances that is part of the core. Everything else is supplemental. Read the core. If you're still hungry, the supplements are there. Don't let the tail wag the dog. The core story is strong enough to stand completely alone.
2026-07-31 16:24:17
2
BenDunn
BenDunn
Contributor Mechanic
I tried the chronological order on my second read-through. Starting with the prequel made the main character seem oddly naive in the early main story chapters, since the prequel ends with him already being pretty hardened. It created a weird character regression that wasn't intended.

Publication order exists for a reason. Authors introduce characters and concepts with the knowledge of what the reader has already learned. Jumping around the timeline disrupts that careful pacing of revelation. I strongly advocate for experiencing stories in the order they were written and released, flaws and all. It's the authentic journey.
2026-07-31 17:41:49
1
DanaKelly
DanaKelly
Book Scout Data Analyst
Wait, are we talking about the web novel that got adapted into a drama? I binged it all last month but I'm still fuzzy on the proper sequence.

I think the main story is just 'Life at the Top', but then there are a bunch of side stories and extra chapters floating around on different platforms. The official translation site lists them in a weird non-chronological order, which threw me off at first. Honestly, I ended up just reading the main serial and then seeking out the extras labeled as 'Special Chapters' and 'Character POVs' afterward, which seemed to work fine. It's one of those series where the plot is fairly linear, so you won't get totally lost even if you jump around a bit.
2026-08-03 04:21:02
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