That said, this is extremely different, much less gritty and ‘grimdark’, and much more heroic and bright in tone and feel.

The stories, I think are optional (unless you want a sense of style and writing). I’d start with Desert of Souls.

If not mistaken, the author had previously written short stories set in this world, to your knowledge, do you think one should read them before this series? Or can one just jump into the series without worry?