Prologues That Work
Posted by annastan on November 23rd, 2009. Filed under: Books, Craft.The general consensus out there about prologues tends to be: avoid them like the plague! Personally, I don’t mind prologues, but often when I come across them, they don’t really seem essential to the story. Every once in a while, though, I think they can really work.
One example of a strong prologue is in Fire by Kristin Cashore. This prequel to Graceling starts off with a prologue about a character from the first book who appears in the second book; because he’s important but somewhat removed from Fire’s story, putting his backstory in prologue form works well. The prologue helps link the two books but also keeps Fire’s story central.
Another prologue I think works exceeding well is in Ice by Sarah Beth Durst. Hm, notice a title trend? You can read it here (just scroll down a few pages). Overall I believe the prologue works because:
a) It’s short.
b) It needs to be told in prologue form because the main character is much younger than she is in the rest of the book.
c) It’s directly related to what happens next.
Prologues tend to get in trouble when they go on for too long and include too much information that’s hard to follow. Also, when the relationship of the prologue to the rest of the text isn’t obvious, we tend to forget about the prologue completely because it doesn’t seem important to the story. But in the case of Ice, the prologue is very much a part of the narrative, and it makes us curious to know more.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:06 pm
One of my favorite books in the world, “Birth of the Firebringer” (by Meredith Ann Pierce) has a lovely prologue that sets up the world short and sweet. The best part is that it’s a mystery as to who’s dictating it…at least until the end. So. Dang. Lovely.
But that “Ice” prologue is great, too! Can’t wait to read it…
November 24th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Hi Marie! I haven’t read Pierce’s book, but I’m curious to check it out. I’m adding it to my reading list.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I’m partial to prologues anyway, but I think the other reason the prologue from Ice works is the great hook. The first paragraph sucks you right in. Then the last paragraph seals it. Who can’t read on?
November 24th, 2009 at 6:44 am
I think you’re right, Andrea. I like that the prologue draws you in right away and lets you know that you’re in a place where fairy tales exist. It’s so exciting to find such a strong prologue!
November 24th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I read the prologue for “Ice” and now I am intrigued to read the whole thing. I guess it worked!
I agree that the brevity of the prologue really helps pack that extra punch, but the other thing is — we aren’t introduced to too many characters (with too many strange names) at once. I hate it when books introduce several characters in the prologue that immediately disappear, only for them to reappear in some distant chapter later (or not at all).
November 24th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Very true! I find that especially in fantasy, prologues tend to be littered with names of characters and places that can get really overwhelming. Since we get them completely out of context, often it does nothing but confuse the reader. Short, sweet, and simple works for me!