You shouldn't be able to do things 'out of order'. Only after having read the book and activated a Step, the messenger will be there. The quest script activates him after you have done both.
Well, maybe I had tried a step before reading the book, though I'm pretty sure I didn't - I know I didn't try activating a step *after* reading the book. Anyway, it hardly matters, as I'm sure it's my fault at some point - otherwise you'd be hearing the same thing from loads of people. Since posting my previous post, I opened the script and used the console to get me through the first section of the quest, and now it's running smoothly, it's brilliant so far. I'm especially impressed with the writing - I haven't had to read much yet (3 short books), but it's immediately a cut above most of the mod writing I've come across. In fact, it's so good that it led to a slight problem!
Spoiler When I went looking for the step-stone that leads to the Talos Bridge hideout, I was so convinced by how well the mod was written and put together that I didn't think the step-stone would be so close to the wall, because it would be so difficult to see someone stepping on it from the wall above, unless you were hanging out over the edge! Even less easy to notice being noticed. A minor point to be sure - I found it anyway.
Anyway, thanks for a great mod - not sure what happened at the beginning. I was sure I'd done a clean save the first time around, but maybe not. I've had niggling problems with a few mods recently and may have gotten confused with all the patch-bashing and load-reordering. I'm really looking forward to discovering more about it throughout the game. It was nice to finally meet the
too; too bad I had to kill him!