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Question about Prologues
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I read them. Sometimes, they give important information or background. What I wonder though is how prologues got to be so common. Books rarely used to have them, now books of all genres typically have them. Sometimes, they're useful. Sometimes, they could be skipped or worked into the text of the book.
I read prologues. I consider them part of the story. They normally tell of something that happened before the actual beginning of the story, but are still important to it. Introductions, on the other hand, I skip. I've found that they always give away part of the story, and I don't like that. I'm a story purist, you might say. I like to discover the story, not have the major points handed to me before I've even started.
I normally go back and read these when I've finished the story, and I do think that they give some insight and useful information, but not the kind that I'd want to have before reading the book.
I agree with Becky. I'm not certain of the purpose behind prologues but I always read them. I've found that they're actually helpful.
That's interesting Becky - I'm not sure I've come across an "Introduction" or maybe I have and just forgot - are there any books you can think of off the top of your head that had Introductions?
Usually books get introductions when they've been around a few years. They'll either have some writer talking about how important the book was or the actual author commenting on the book. A very interesting introduction is Anthony Burgess' intro to the current edition of A Clockwork Orange in which he talks about how the last chapter was left out of the original American edition and why it really needed to be included. Unfortunately, he gave away a lot of the book in that introduction.I prefer all commentary to be at the back of the book instead of the front.
I always read the prologue and it has never ruined the story for me. To the contrary sometimes it just gives me something to anticipate with baited breath, if you catch my drift. They can be enjoyable.
Robin wrote: "That's interesting Becky - I'm not sure I've come across an "Introduction" or maybe I have and just forgot - are there any books you can think of off the top of your head that had Introductions?"Sandi is right, it's normally an older book that has an introduction. The only fantasy book that I can think of off the top of my head with an introduction is my omnibus edition of "The Lord of the Rings". Actually, this one has a note on the text, a forward to the 2nd edition, and a prologue.
I think the kind of prologue that you are thinking of is actually contained in this book, as it introduces Hobbits to those who need a refresher, or have never read The Hobbit. It also explains the finding of the One Ring, etc. So it's not essential to the story being told, or part of it exactly (although it's part of the world being created), but is useful information nonetheless.
I am reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" right now, and there is an introduction, which I began to read (since I heard so many good things about the edition that I'm reading), but I soon found that it did give more info about the story than I like to have, so I stopped reading it. I'll revisit it when I'm done.
Robin,I'm gobsmacked to hear that some readers skip Prologues. Are you serious? To me, that's like scooping the cream off the top of an Irish coffee.
I've just read Dan Brown's "Deception Point"
Deception Point It has a Prologue. That book is a mystery/thriller, so it takes a while for the reader to make the connection, but it does set the expectation that something is very wrong.
Most James Bond films begin with the movie equivalent of a prologue.
I always write a Prologue, although my editor sometimes renames it Chapter One. For Insufficient Mating Material , my editor requested THREE Prologues. That got a bit clunky, so we ended up calling them Part One!
The first 3-to-10 pages of a work of fiction are considered the most important, and are never taken lightly by an author and her editor. The first pages set up the world and the conflict. Whether they are labeled as Chapter One, or Prologue will depend how removed they are from the body of the story... removed as in time or geography or point of view.
I love Epilogues, too. Epilogues are like the liqueur, coffee, and chocolates at the end of a really good dinner. I like to see proof that the happy ending I was promised is going to last.
Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry
Sandi,I think Prologues may have become more common because books are getting shorter. There's a big difference between having 120,000 words and 90,000 to tell a story.
Moreover, authors aren't permitted "info dumps" anymore. If you had to work the same info into a smooth flowing story, it might take more pages. Showing takes up more paper and ink than telling!
I have a prologue in all of my novels, sometimes a paragraph, sometimes a page, but not more than that. I feel a prologue should have some info that supports the story, but isn't necessary for the story to be told. Doesn't Romeo and Juliet have a prologue, "Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene"
Just out of curiosity, Robin, what makes you not like prologues?
I figure if the author puts a prologue in their story, they have something there that's intended to be read, so i always read prologues. I love prologues anyways. All of George R.R. Martin's prologues in ASoIaF always add to the story and tell a part we wouldn't normally get to read because it will use a POV that isn't in any of the normal chapters. That's just one example.
I always read the prologue. Sometimes they can give glimpses of what's gone before, like Becky said. For example, in Jordan's "Eye of the World", the book starts with a prologue showing Lews Therin in the grip of insanity, one of the Forsaken coming to taunt him, and then the formation of the Dragonmount. For me, when I learned that the male half of saidin was tainted, it really gave a clear picture of just what that taint did. It's all well and good for Rand and the reader to be told "Male channelers go crazy", but in "Eye of the World", right in the beginning, you have SEEN a mad channeler! It gives it an entirely new insight, and import that would not have been there had we learned of it more like a history lesson. Ever since, I read all prologues.
Becky wrote: "Just out of curiosity, Robin, what makes you not like prologues? "I feel like it is sort of a "lazy" way to tell me something. If there is something that "I need to know" then work it into the main line body of the story. A good example is Mistborn (although it had a prologue there is nothing in it that could not be skipped) .... but there was an "incident" that happened back in time that the reader needed to know about. The author could have "prologued" that but instead it was worked in through the story first as snippets at the top of each chapter then through the plot and characters. If I had learned about the "Lord Ruler" in a prologue it would not have been nearly as good.
-- Wife of fantasy author Michael J. Sullivan: The Crown Conspiracy| Avempartha (04/09)
Robin wrote: "Becky wrote: "Just out of curiosity, Robin, what makes you not like prologues? "I feel like it is sort of a "lazy" way to tell me something. If there is something that "I need to know" then wo..."
Well, I think in that case it depends on what is being "prologued". In the case of Mistborn, using the Blurbs at the top of each chapter as a prologue would have given too much away too soon. I think it would have severely detracted from the build-up in the rest of the book.
I absolutely read the prologue. many necessary facts are included in the prologue.I don't feel that it's a lazy way, I feel that it's a way to give us the information "first hand" instead of the main characters of the books discussing events in history.
I think that Sanderson was very inventive in using the blurbs! And you are correct, had he given us that in the prologue it would have given way too much away.
I don't think that prologues are lazy at all. Granted, some are better done than others, just as some books are better than others, but like Kahlen said, prologues are a way to show vs tell. Even if that is being lazy though, as a reader, I don't mind. If the story is good, including the prologue, that's all that matters to me. I keep thinking of the prologue in Eragon. In it, we're shown the Shade and a band of Urgals, the ambush the Shade sets up that kills two elves and captures a third (after said 3rd elf managed to magic the object that the Shade wants away in a hurry). It also shows how evil and spiteful the Shade is so that we know what we're eventually going to be dealing with later- he sets the entire forest on fire and leaves it to burn.
This information could be worked into the story (and further detail is given later), but I'd rather see it, and have it grab my interest than find out about it later by someone's retelling.
I guess it's a matter of preference, like everything else, but I don't mind prologues at all.
Robert wrote: "Robin wrote: "Becky wrote: "Just out of curiosity, Robin, what makes you not like prologues? "I feel like it is sort of a "lazy" way to tell me something. If there is something that "I need to k..."
Oh I agree I WOULD NOT want to see the blurbs as a prologue - my point was the way Sanderson did it was a good way of doing it WITHOUT putting that in a prologue.
I used to not read the prologues, but now I find sometimes it helps you to know what is actually going on in the story, so now I always read them, and the epilogues too.
I always read prologues, as I feel I should read anything the writer thinks I need to see, but I agree with Robin that I find prologues are very often a lazy means of dumping information, especially in fantasy. If the history of the ancient-important-happening was sprinkled throughout, as the people in that world know it, it would feel a lot more immersive and realistic to me. If anything could/should be viewed as a chapter one, then it isn't a prologue and shouldn't be there (just make it a chapter one, or sprinkle it in). As for that mid-ground of origin stories (prince smuggled from castle at birth and raised in the country, dragon egg smuggled from castle and hidden in the forest, etc), I find those plot 'twists' predictable enough that I don't see a need to be told such things in advance.
Just my thoughts.
Assuming a prologue is actually a prologue (and not an introduction or foreword) and it is used properly by the author, then it should be read since the author has put it at the beginning of his work for a reason. That reason is that the information contained in it doesn't quite fit as part of the actual story, but is essential information--sometimes essential to understanding what happens in the very first chapter. As for epilogues, the same logic applies to them (only in setting the reader straight on what happens after the main storyline).The downfall of much modern SF&F writing in this regard is that authors have taken to using them more often as disguised infodumps -- although information must be passed to the reader in a prologue or epilogue, it should still have a strong tie to the story and not be an abbreviated history of the author's world/universe.
So, in answer the original question, yes. I always read them.
Well said Jim, that about sums it up for me!
I'm wondering if sometimes these prologues aren't also used as hooks or teasers. I know that information about the story appears on the dustcovers of hardbacks and rear cover of paperbacks, but I usually read either the prologue or part of the first chapter, usually 5 to 10 pages, to see if it peaks my interest. It also allows me to get a better idea of the style of writing contained in the book.
THe way I see it, those and epilogues are part of the story and therefore I read them. Often there is useful information there.
I think that if done well, prologues shouldn't be skipped. The thing is, and maybe the reason I find it difficult to start with books, often writers put too much information in a prologue. I'm a thorough person and can't stand it if I miss something. That sometimes (in case of infodump) means I feel like needing to read a prologue twice. That's why I'm not a big fan of 'world histories' as prologues, more of small bits at the beginning of a chapter which give some in-depth information (e.g. Farseer trilogy).
I never skipped prologues, until just once recently. I feel that they are an important part of the story and should never be skipped, but after having tried to read the prologue in The Eye of the World I was so confused and frustrated that I just had to skip it. I didn't feel too good about it, and I'm having thoughts about going back and pushing myself through it. Anybody else having this problem, not just with this book in particular?
I had a problem understanding the prologue in Eye of the World as well, but I pushed through it. I went back and read it again later (after a few books in the series at some point). It didn't make sense at first, but I knew it would later..
I always read them, it sets the stage for what's to come. I guess that same info can be put elsewhere in the book, but if the author puts in a prologue, I'm going to read it.
I've read and re-read the prologue from Eye of the World countless times. And I always read everything, including the copyright pages and the backcover (especially if it's a map). Sometimes, if there's a glossary or appendix, I'll "cheat" and read it first and often refer to it during the reading of the story.
While I was reading Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension I also read Brandon's annotations (they are online at his website) which were helpful and insightful.
Another extra-story item I've read and re-read countless times are the appendices to The Lord of the Ring. I almost prefer to re-read them than to re-read the story.
Jon wrote: And I always read everything, including the copyright pages and the backcover (especially if it's a map). Sometimes, if there's a glossary or appendix, I'll "cheat" and read it first and often refer to it during the reading of the story.Wow, Jon, same here with the exception of the appendix, I'll save that for afterwards, but everything else, I read first. Sort of sets the tone, gets me in the mood of the book.
I included a prologue in Sons of Avalon Merlin's Prophecy...and I would never consider myself a Lazy Writer, or consider it Lazy Writing to add a prologue...nor was the prologue intended to be information dump...like most prologues, it was an important part of the storytelling.Granted, my prologue could have been the first chapter, but the event took place five years before the opening chapter...thus, it “felt” like it needed to have its own section...a prelude to the main story.
The majority of prologues jumpstart a plot...mine did.
Not all novels require a prologue, nor do all authors feel that his or her specific story needs an introduction...however, some author’s instinctively know that a prologue is a vital part of the tale.
So, it is only logical, that if you plunked down your hard earned dollars to purchase a book, and you are investing your valuable time to read the book, that you would read the book from cover to cover.
That is the beauty of writing, there are no set guidelines of how a story must start, or end.
I definitely see prologues as a part of the story and if they're used, that's how the author wanted me to experience his or her story and I would never skip it. But, just like the overall novel, a prologue can be well-executed or poorly-executed. Just because some authors use them as a way to be lazy and/or as an information dump doesn't make them a bad thing as a whole. To me it's just part of the overall package and I tend to judge that package instead of component pieces of it. So, a poorly-done prologue can cast an entire novel in a negative light from page one.
When there is a prologue I certainly do read them. I do think they are "over used" and I prefer a book that doesn't have them.
What an interesting discussion - and a wonderful set of viewpoints, with intense love/hate relationships over prologues.As with any tool, so much depends on whether they are done well, or poorly.
I always read prologues - but this topic brought up a recap of my feelings, over the course of many books. Some prologues sharpened a tale to a wondrous edge. Some, I slogged with impatience.
What's emerged: I love a prologue at the start of a multi-book series, if it's snapshot brief, dramatic, and lends a poignant insight that lays out the map for the story, or provides an over-arching sense of the series as a whole. In the hands of a skilled talespinner, it lends me the sense the author has grounded their idea, and that the weave of the books is solidly in hand, well aimed, and designed with a tight resolution. The best prologue poses a stirring question that the series itself will answer with powerful insight.
The sloggers - ones that dryly sum up eons of history, and read like a text, and go on for pages. Those do make me squirm. If they list events or outline conflicts without the emotional engagement lent by a meaningful character, or end without posing a succinct hook, or "what if" that the tale itself will endeavor to answer, I find the approach tedious. If the story requires that detailed a background to interact with the characters - I'd prefer a more inventive presentation at the start.
In conclusion to what rumbled up, as I read here, I think, sometimes, what's shoved into a lengthy prologue might do better as an "appendix" to reference after, or during, a read, to avoid the steep bump at the front.
The fun part is the exceptions. Like "never say never" I end up laughing, when I end up tripping over my own rules and hard line opinions. I think the very best prologues are invisible - they blend so well, they aren't an issue.
Hello Everyone,Fascinating discussion on prologues. I struggled with the idea of what to call the first chapter in my novel, The Golden Cord, Book One of the Iron Dragon Series which came out in 2008. The prologue takes place five years before the rest of the book. It's a fast paced chapter with lots happening and described a major event that colors the main character's life forever. I decided to call it a prologue because of the time gap.
However, now I wish I had just "named" the prologue "The Thornclaw Forest," rather than calling it a "prologue" because some people just hate the idea of prologues.This discussion only cements my feelings on the subject. I don't think I'll ever call the beginning of my books a prologue ever again because of the possibility of a reader deciding not to read it because of the word: Prologue.
Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series
May 2009
I read every single bit of book that the author gives me. Prologue, epilogue, dictionary, index, whatever. When I was reading Piers Anthony, I even read his "this is what is going on in my life" bits at the end of each book. Obviously, I can be somewhat obsessive, but my thought is that I want to know what the author feels is important to the story. I form my opinions of the story's meaning, and how the story fits in my worldview, but any extra bit that might give me a clue as to how the author felt the story can be interpreted is a greatly appreciated resource for me.
Nathan Bransford is a Literary Agent that has a pretty interesting blog that I follow. He posted this recently so I thought it was on topic for this discussion so I'm repeating it here.http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2...
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Along with vampires in my Inbox, I've also noticed an explosion of prologues in partials. I also get quite a lot of questions about whether prologues are necessary, whether agents frown or smile at them, whether they should be included in partial requests. So consider this a post on all things prologue.
What is a prologue? Typically it is 3-5 pages of introductory material that is written while the author is procrastinating from writing a more difficult section of the book.
Ah, I'm kidding.
The most common question I get about prologues: are prologues necessary? Personally I think the easiest litmus test is to take out the prologue and see if your book still makes sense.
If you can take out a prologue and the entire plot still makes perfect sense, chances are the prologue was written to "set the mood". But here's the thing about mood-setting: most of the time you can set the mood when the actual story begins. Do you really need to set the mood with a separate prologue? Really? Really really?
Sometimes the answer to those four reallys is: "yes, really." Or the prologue is to be used as a framing device around the plot or to introduce a crucial scene in the backstory that will impact the main plot. So okay, prologue time.
What makes a good one?
Short, self-contained, comprehensible.
The reader knows full well while reading a prologue that the real story is waiting. A prologue makes a reader start a book twice, because it doesn't always involve the protagonist, and starting a book is hard because it takes mental energy to immerse oneself in a world. You're asking more of a reader, so they'll want to make sure it's worth it.
As for the more nuts and bolts concern of whether it should be included in partials sent to agents: yes. It should.
I want to see the first 30 pages as you want me to send them to the editor. If that involves a prologue... let's see it.
Do you like when authors use prologues? What makes good ones work?
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I really liked the prologue in Mistborn: The Final Empire.....it set the stage and gave us a good first look at Kelsier in action....he reminds me of a cross between Kvothe and a young Obi-Wan......Anyway, it was a great intro to the novel, and the biggest bonus of all: it didn't confuse the tar out of me....
I think that Prologue can add to a story if well done. Either a scene that occurs in the past, OR a scene that occurs in the future with some ambiguity that you then lead up to and have to work out as you read along. I like the feeling of putting together the pieces, before something is explicitly spelled out. When they give hints that help build a sense of mystery and make the reader feel like a sleuth. That's the kind of prologue I really like :) 
I have a prologue in my book, but it is necessary to the story. However, most publishers and agents encourage writers to look at a prologue and determine if it is information that could be left out or if it could be Chapter 1 rather than a prologue. I have noticed that more and more books have prologues though, despite agents and publishers disapproval. As for when I'm reading, I always read the prologue. I've found that if I skip them I miss information that is vital to the story.
Chris wrote: "I really liked the prologue in Mistborn: The Final Empire.....it set the stage and gave us a good first look at Kelsier in action....he reminds me of a cross between Kvothe and a young Obi-Wan........"I agree with Chris in that I liked the prologue in Mistborn - but it really wasn't a prologue in the "traditional sense". I'm not sure why this wasn't just "chapter 1".
Robin wrote: I agree with Chris in that I liked the prologue in Mistborn - but it really wasn't a prologue in the "traditional sense". I'm not sure why this wasn't just "chapter 1"."I think it's because the story is really about Vin. Kelsier starts off as a major character, but it's really Vin's story and Kelsier is secondary. Plus, most of the action in Mistborn takes place in the city. The prologue serves to set the scene about what's happening in the larger world.
Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Fellowship of the Ring (other topics)Sons of Avalon: Merlin's Prophecy (other topics)
Avempartha (other topics)
Insufficient Mating Material (other topics)
Deception Point (other topics)
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It seems like Prologues are very popular in the fantasy books I've read recently. Personally I don't like them and was wondering how others feel about them.
Even though I don't like them I do read them but I was discussing this with my husband and daughter - across the room from me while I type this and they both said they skip them.
Was wondering what others do about them...