# Poll: How often do you read prologues?



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

All things considered, how often do you read prologues? Thanks for voting!


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I voted about 50% of the time.  I skim them or start to read to see if they're just boring back story, and if they're not I read them.

Vicki


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I don't think I've ever skipped a prologue or epilogue.  I treat them like any other chapter of the book.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Always. I think of them as part of the book; a chapter that's unnumbered, most often because it's outside the main timeline.

Introductions, on the other hand, especially if written by someone else, I'll often leave till afterwards - mainly because they're inclined to have spoilers!


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I always read the prologue. I just treat it as the beginning of the book. I'm kind of compulsive about going to the cover and starting there. If you don't do that, you would usually miss the prologue because the e-books usually start on the first page chapter.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Shayne Parkinson said:


> Always. I think of them as part of the book; a chapter that's unnumbered, most often because it's outside the main timeline.
> 
> Introductions, on the other hand, especially if written by someone else, I'll often leave till afterwards - mainly because they're inclined to have spoilers!


What Shayne said, with the possible very rare exception where it's book in a series and the prologue is just a recap of the story so far, in which case I may or may not just skim it to confirm that's all it is (or I may read it if I need a refresher). But generally I consider an actual prologue to be chapter 1, even if it's not named that way (as opposed to prefaces and introductions, which I may or may not read, depending on how interesting they seem when I start reading them).

PS: For Kindle authors, if you have a prologue, please make sure the "start" marker in the Kindle edition is at the start of the prologue, not the start of Chapter 1. I don't remember which book it was, but I didn't even realize it had a prologue until I'd already been reading a bit and then checked the table of contents for some reason or other.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

It never occurred to me not to read them -- they're part of the story.



NogDog said:


> PS: For Kindle authors, if you have a prologue, please make sure the "start" marker in the Kindle edition is at the start of the prologue, not the start of Chapter 1. I don't remember which book it was, but I didn't even realize it had a prologue until I'd already been reading a bit and then checked the table of contents for some reason or other.


Yep, I've had the same experience. (I'm also tearing up at seeing the changed avatar.)


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## Remi Michaud (Apr 24, 2011)

Always. To me, it's like eating the ice cream but throwing away the cone.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

MichelleR said:


> It never occurred to me not to read them -- they're part of the story.


Ditto.

I always go to the cover of the books on the Kindle. I hate the way they start at Chapter 1.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> It never occurred to me not to read them -- they're part of the story.
> 
> Yep, I've had the same experience. (I'm also tearing up at seeing the changed avatar.)


Don't worry, Noggin will return soon. I just needed a bit of a break.


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## Gastro Detective (Feb 17, 2011)

Never.

Forewords are worse. They make me angry. It's as if they are insulting the reader from the get-go (Let me put this masterpiece in context for you so you-simpleton-can understand).

I have seen Q&As with the author post facto. Those I like.


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## KJ Kron (Mar 24, 2011)

I always read the prologue - usually they are short and grab my attention. Occasionally I'll read one and not get into it so I'll skip the rest of it and start chapter one.  I find it interesting that the style often varies from the rest of the book - for better or worse.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Always read them. The author puts the prologue there for a reason.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Always Always Always


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Always read them. The author puts the prologue there for a reason.


I agree. I always read them.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

If it is there. I read it in the order the author put it in.  Occasionally I will skip after I have read a while if it is just thank yous, but very rarely.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I can't remember ever skipping one. I may quit on the book at that stage if the prologue doesn't hold my interest, but I start at the beginning and read to the end. (With paper books I always took a peek at the ending before reading and would read a couple of paragraphs in the middle to decide whether or not to get the book, but the Kindle has cured me of that.)


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

Always!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I always read a prologue however if it's boring I may just skim it. Anyone who skips say the prologue to _Game of Thrones_ is just cheating themselves.


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## gina1230 (Nov 29, 2009)

I always read the prologues.  It helps me decide whether I'm in a mood to read a particular book.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I start at the cover and go fro there,


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## Keith B. Darrell (Apr 27, 2011)

I'm obsessive-compulsive, so I read the prologue, the introduction, foreword, and even the acknowledgments. But you can't go by me; I also read the credits that scroll at the end of movies, lol.


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## David M. Baum (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm also one who always reads the prologue, epilogue, acknowledgments and whatever else there is. 

I assume that the prologue is important to the story, otherwise the author wouldn't write it. Sometimes that's not the case, and it oftenis an indication that the writing is not up to par. But I'm a pretty forgiving reader, I guess, and hate to put down what I've started.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

MichelleR said:


> It never occurred to me not to read them -- they're part of the story.


Same here. Honestly, half the time, I don't even notice the chapter titles anyway so I don't even notice if there is a prologue or not.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Keith B. Darrell said:


> But you can't go by me; I also read the credits that scroll at the end of movies, lol.


As do I. And always read the prologues. And epilogs... and the footnotes...

Betsy


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I don't know why they aren't just titled "chapter 1".


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

...it never occurred to me that people didnt read prologues.....


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I always read the prologue. If the author put it there, it's there for a reason and I don't want to miss anything important.


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

Keith B. Darrell said:


> I'm obsessive-compulsive, so I read the prologue, the introduction, foreword, and even the acknowledgments. But you can't go by me; I also read the credits that scroll at the end of movies, lol.


Same here.
And as for staying through the credits, I do that because I never know when there's some extra scene at the end of the credits.


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

I always read prologues so I was surprised when one of my writing teachers said to drop the one for my second novel.  The one thing I cannot resist in a book is a map~ I love maps on the end sheets.


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## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

My high school English teacher always instructed us to skip the prolouge or introduction in our books.  Now days, it seems like many books have a prologue that is part of the story, and more often than not I don't know why it's a prologue instead of Chapter One.


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## Marcin Wrona (Apr 28, 2011)

Always. I may get annoyed if I feel it's unnecessary, and I may put the book down if its prologue is just an infodump, but I won't skip it.

The best prologues are those that set the scene in a way that wouldn't make sense as a Chapter 1 (if, for instance, the prologue is told from the point of view of a character other than the protagonist), and perhaps set up some foreshadowing and a sense of the themes at play.

Martin's _Game of Thrones_, for instance, has a prologue in this vein, and one that sets up a bit of supernatural horror. It's effective and evocative, and reads like a self-contained short story rather than a chapter of a greater work. I suspect it proved important in keeping interest going through the rather long and rather slow - and decidedly un-supernatural - beginning, by hinting at what was to come.


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## teeitup (Nov 1, 2008)

I also always read them.  I feel like it may contain something important that will be helpful somewhere in the book.  I don't know why Kindle doesn't just start the book at the cover (I guess that's just me remembering when movies always used to open with a beautiful title scene).  Now, they often start the movie with a lengthy scene and then maybe work in the title (huh?)


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I always read the prologues. I mean, if I'm going to read a book then I'm going to read a book. And prologues can include important information, often kicking a story off in a way that otherwise wouldn't make sense. I find epilogues to be a bigger pain, often useless other than to throw in a little "and this is how they all lived ever after" information, but I'll read them.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I almost always read prologues because I'm afraid I'll miss something important to the story if I skip them.


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## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

tim290280 said:


> I don't know why they aren't just titled "chapter 1".


In my case usually because I feel like that short hook is too short to be a chapter. Not that there is any particular rule on how long a chapter should be but that's just me.

Good to know that most people read prologues. I do to. Now forewords forget it. Never.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

I never understood the prejudice against prologues.  There's nothing wrong with them as long as it's relevant to the story, hooks the reader and does all that other stuff the first few pages of a book are meant to do. So what if it's called a prologue and not chapter 1?  My agent used to tell me to cut them out when I put one in because editors didn't like them.  Of course I did as I was told.  Those books never sold to editors but are doing pretty well as indie ebooks (still minus their prologues)


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I used to buy paperbacks, and I read all the blurbs at the beginning, the author's list of "Thanks" to people who helped, any foreward or prologue. I read every inch of those books. Now I am annoyed that the kindle skips to Chapter One so I go back to the cover and page forward to make sure I didn't miss anything.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

CJArcher said:


> I never understood the prejudice against prologues. There's nothing wrong with them as long as it's relevant to the story, hooks the reader and does all that other stuff the first few pages of a book are meant to do. So what if it's called a prologue and not chapter 1? My agent used to tell me to cut them out when I put one in because editors didn't like them. Of course I did as I was told. Those books never sold to editors but are doing pretty well as indie ebooks (still minus their prologues)


I'm wondering if at least some of the "never" people here are confusing prologues with prefaces, forwards, introductions, and any other "front matter" that are not part of the actual story, whereas a prologue is? I'm sure prologues can be misused just like any other literary technique or device, but I've read plenty of novels where the prologue was useful, interesting, and more or less essential to the story.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Never anymore.

When I was a slush reader, I discovered that nearly every single SFF prologue ever written is just a way for the author to be a) clever b) coy and/or c) ram a bunch of back story down everyone's throats.

Since I started to want to reject people just based on their prologues, I started skipping ahead and reading chapter 1. I'd eventually go back and read the prologue and never found I needed what was in the prologue. So I started doing it with books. Same thing.

My only exception are Star Trek novels, because the prologue is generally used to tie in the other books in case you've missed them or moments in the series that you may have forgotten. Other than that? Nope.


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## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

I'm of the opinion that prologues should just be labeled chapter 1. I always read them.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Katie Salidas said:


> I'm of the opinion that prologues should just be labeled chapter 1. I always read them.


I've read epic fantasy novels where the prologue was freaking labeled into chapters. It made me weep.


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## Gail M Baugniet (Apr 12, 2011)

I always read the prologue or a portion of it. The author apparently had a reason to include the information at the beginning of the story and I'm curious to know what role this will play in the story. If it becomes too dragged out, I may skip over portions and return later if it appears I've missed important information. Sometimes it might have been better if an author had incorporated the prologue into the body of the story, but I still anticipate something good upfront when I see a prologue listed.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I always read prologues. I don't mind if they are backstory. David Eddings Belgariad had a Prologue that was a very cheesy  legend about how the Orb was stolen. But I like myths; I enjoyed it. In fact, just as with Game of Thrones, I found the Prologue made a good promise that the story would involve fantasy elements when that wasn't as obvious from the slower first chapter.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Keith B. Darrell said:


> I'm obsessive-compulsive, so I read the prologue, the introduction, foreword, and even the acknowledgments. But you can't go by me; I also read the credits that scroll at the end of movies, lol.


Not just you. I figure that the author wrote the prologue for a reason and that it's an important part of the story. I would no more skip the prologue than skip a random chapter in the middle of the book.


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## emalvick (Sep 14, 2010)

I tend to read Prologues all the time now, but I answered "In Most Cases" because there have been instances where I haven't read the prologue and I am not sure what would differentiate those first two voting options anyway (Almost Always vs. In Most Cases).  Cases that I skip a prologue usually involve series or related books.  In those cases, prologues often recap a previous story, so I skip them.  Occasionally, I'll read them after the book or even if something isn't making sense.  Most other times, I read them.  

I'm not sure why they aren't chapters.  I also have mixed feelings.  If they are that important to a story they should be a chapter.  Otherwise, I feel like an author naming that section a prologue is stating it is optional.  That being said, 95% of the time I read them.  I do skip Epilogues more often, usually depending on how much I liked the book to begin with.


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## Keith Robinson (Apr 29, 2011)

I *always* read prologues, and don't understand why this question keeps coming up. If the author put it there, then it should be read as part of the story. Now, whether it's interesting or not depends on the author... but any reader who automatically skips the prologue just because of some personal preference must have a screw loose!  That's like buying a DVD and automatically skipping the bit before the opening credits. Why would you do that?



tim290280 said:


> I don't know why they aren't just titled "chapter 1".


My own prologues are outside the normal flow of the story. My novels are written in the third person but from one character's point of view throughout, and the prologue is always from someone else's point of view, usually sometime before the story starts in Chapter One. It sets the scene and establishes a bit of intriguing story that will be revisited later on from the main character's pov. It's hoped that the reader will enjoy recognizing the scene as they approach it from a different perspective.

Prologues have been around for millions of years () and it seems odd that anyone would claim them to be unnecessary. Admittedly there are some prologues that are bolted on at the front end just so the author can use the word "prologue" and seem like a clever, masterful storyteller... but, in general, I think prologues are useful and usually pretty artful.

Also, prologues exist in movies and TV shows. Take just about every TV show, eg. Criminal Minds, House, Medium. They all start with a short and exciting scene that sucks you right in. In the case of Medium (now sadly gone forever), the scene might be from ten years earlier, a nasty murder that is somehow connected to a more recent one, so the reader thinks "Ah!" when something happens that relates back to that earlier scene. Probably in all cases the prologue is optional, but I still don't understand why a reader/viewer would want to skip it.

The same applies to epilogues, which I also like. I'm the sort of person who likes things to be wrapped up nicely. I *want* to know what happened to the characters years later, and I especially don't like it when authors leave it vague and tell me to make up my mind. Hey, I committed hours to reading your book and I expect you to fill in the blanks for me, thankyouverymuch!

Keith


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## Michelle Muto (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm one of those people who enjoys them. I know there are a lot of people who don't like them at all.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I rarely read them.  If the. Book was exceptional, I might go looking for a prologue or epilogue, most mostly nope.

And I dislike authors who start an ebook at the cover.  I bought an Indy book the other day and after 14 page turns I still wasn't at ch 1, so I moved on to my next read.  Personally, I think they use this stuff as filler when there isn't enough substance to their novel.


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## KerylR (Dec 28, 2010)

I've noticed a few sorts of prologues:

A:  The novel starts slowly and something needs to set the tone and grab the reader.  

B:  It's an EPIC story and needs some place to tell back story.  Usually, but not always fantasy here.  I've seen this in family saga historical fiction. (Yes John Jakes, I'm pointing at you!)  

C:  Something really important happened before the "story" began.  

D:  Something really important happens to someone outside the main characters.  For example: the beginning of every CSI where they find the body.  If they were novels, those would be prologues.)

None of these are chapter one, because none of these really are the "story."  They add to the plot and provide context, but they're outside the plot.

As for skipping them, I just don't get that.  Or maybe I should say, in a book where I'd happily read any other chapter, I don't get skipping the prologue.  If it's already a bad book, skipping the prologue may be a way to cut down on the pain a bit.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

KindleChickie said:


> And I dislike authors who start an ebook at the cover.


That confounds me so, I don't know what to think. 

On the serious side, I originally did not include covers at the beginnings of my e-books, then I started getting negative reviews and tons of e-mails (some not very nice) telling me I was ripping readers off by not including the covers. So I started adding my covers.

I guess it just goes to show you can't please everyone.


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## Katy (Dec 16, 2010)

Always! I'm glad to see that so many people here do read them always. If you're going to read the book, you start at the beginning.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

An appetizer enhances the meal.....


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

I not only read prologues, I like covers.


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## Doug DePew (Mar 26, 2011)

I always read the prologue. It's part of the book. 

They're often an extremely important part of the book, actually.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A Prologue can contain important clues to the character and the action, and the voice of the author. Cannot be missed. If the author writes a Prologue, and it is boring, how can you expect the rest of the novel to be good? I mean, it's possible, word of mouth could tell me a book is good, but I would take a chance on the Prologue in any case. They don't have to be boring.

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Harry Craig (Apr 29, 2011)

I hate prologues.  I skip them often but then feel bad because I may be missing out on a plot detail.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

darkbow said:


> That confounds me so, I don't know what to think.
> 
> On the serious side, I originally did not include covers at the beginnings of my e-books, then I started getting negative reviews and tons of e-mails (some not very nice) telling me I was ripping readers off by not including the covers. So I started adding my covers.
> 
> I guess it just goes to show you can't please everyone.


Sorry, I know my thinking is different. But it annoys me to have to click thru a bunch of pages full of stuff I don't care about just to start my read. It starts off on bad footing for me, makes me feel like the author does not value my time.


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## Marc Johnson (Feb 25, 2011)

I always read them. I never finished the first book in the Wheel of Time series, but I thought the prologue was excellent. I also have a prologue. It's short as I think most prologues should be.


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## bashfulreader (Jan 29, 2011)

Keith B. Darrell said:


> I'm obsessive-compulsive, so I read the prologue, the introduction, foreword, and even the acknowledgments. But you can't go by me; I also read the credits that scroll at the end of movies, lol.


You know, I never thought of it that way, but I think you're right - this is probably another manifestation of my obsessive-compulsive tendencies. While I do think the prologues should be considered part of the story, that doesn't explain why I absolutely have to start at the cover, and read every little acknowledgment... and read the credits on movies. Although I'm slowly getting better about giving up on bad books. (It's very hard to "not finish" something - OCD again? - but with so many choices waiting to be read on my Kindle, it's easier to accept that some books aren't worth my time.)


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

(From Matt)

I read everything in a book because I don't want to miss anything that might be important. That being said, I don't believe prologues or epilogues are always necessary. I believe that the information stated in a prologue can be worked into the story itself without having to spoonfeed the reader. JMO.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I always read them. There is usually some good, important scene there. Not always, but usually.


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## Erin Zarro (Apr 30, 2011)

I always read Prologues.  They're part of the book.  


Cheers,
E.


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## Keair (Apr 18, 2011)

I always read a prologue because it has been my experience that most times there is information that is important to the story in those first couple of pages. As a writer, I know that I wouldn't waste my time writing a prologue unless it had something juicy or important in it. Most of the time, I don't write prologues at all but the one time I did it was a part that, if you missed it, you wouldn't quite get the importance of the rest of the story. Now, Nora Roberts is probably the author I read who has the most books with prologues that I can think of and many times her's have background info on the characters that would be difficult to write into the book. Sometimes they bore me, sometimes I become intriqued, but I always read them.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

This is a fascinating conversation.  It seems that there is some ambiguity about the difference between Prologues, Forewards and Introductions.  I'm no longer certain that I use the word "prologue" correctly (at least in its classical meaning).  I looked the word "prologue" up and found some pretty interesting things I did not know.  

1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms)
a.  the prefatory lines introducing a play or speech
b.  the actor speaking these lines

2. a preliminary act or event

3. (Music / Classical Music) (in early opera)
a.  an introductory scene in which a narrator summarizes the main action of the work
b.  a brief independent play preceding the opera, esp one in honour of a patron

It seems that the word comes from theater, and definitions 1 and 3 refer to what amounts to an "introduction" or "Foreward" by today's standards.  Which causes a problem because, by today's standards anyway, the two are not the same thing.  I have always thought of "prologue" in literature as the second definition.  A preliminary act or event.  Ie... a bit of action that is vital to the story, but doesn't quite fit with the flow of the main body.

Let's say, for example - "Long ago the Baron So-and So was murdered in his castle, and his ghost is said to haunt the moors, etc."  In a novel about a hard-drinking detective solving a modern mystery involving that legend, an opening scene with the actual Baron getting murdered in 1750, might be very important, but wouldn't fit with the flow of the story.  So it goes before Chapter 1 as a Prologue.  It should give important/vital information and be interesting in and of itself.

That's what the word means to me when it appears in a novel.  And I always read them.  I hope everybody else does too, because my book has a prologue, and if you skip it, you wont understand what's going on.

I generally skip introductions and forewards and come back to them later, because they often come in more famous texts and feature opinion or some other information outside the body of the story which I'd rather not hear until after I read the book myself.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

It boggles my mind how many people I know who skip over the prologues and epilogues of books! I was involved in a writing group, and one member dropped her critique of my work simply because she doesn't like prologues and epilogues! The way I look at it, I read the prologue as chapter .5, and if there's an epilogue, skipping it often has you missing out on the wrapup of the book, or even worse, the precursor to the next book!
I read prologue, epilogue, and every chapter in between.  And usually any foreword or afterword that might be included!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I always read them. Why on earth would you not? It's the beginning of the book - for me, ignoring it would be like starting half way through chapter one.


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## Cheryl Bradshaw Author (Apr 13, 2011)

I am so grateful for this question! I had a fellow author who is quite well known tell me that he thought readers never read them anymore - phew!


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

I wonder how many here who say they never read prologues actually skipped the introductory "prologue" (the opening crawl: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . )to the original Star Wars. If they didn't they missed the whole setup for the story. The same goes with books containing prologues. They are there for a reason. Skip them and you run the risk of just not "getting" the story . . . if they're done correctly.


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## TheRaymondMRose (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm a sucker for prologues and epilogues.  They are kind-of voyeuristic, if you think about it.  Not really the main part of the story... Just some insight.

My favorite was the British version of Gaiman's Neverwhere.  It had two prologues.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

The lesson here for authors seems to be: in order to get the greatest number of readers to read your prologue, don't call it a prologue. Just stick it at the beginning of Chapter 1, then stick in one of those "* * *" separators or whatever you want to use, and then continue with the "start" of the story.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Cheryl Bradshaw said:


> I am so grateful for this question! I had a fellow author who is quite well known tell me that he thought readers never read them anymore - phew!


Though according to our unscientific poll, 15% of readers don't always read prologues. And we have a lot of writers and hardcore readers here, so I would guess that the actual number is probably higher than 15%.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

I always read proplogues, but I read books cover to cover, acknowledgements, dedication, everything. My only problem with prologues is if they become repetitive and go on for too long. I prefer them under ten pages, and I do think they should be written only if necessary. So far, I've never found a good reason to write one in my books.

Debra


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

NogDog said:


> The lesson here for authors seems to be: in order to get the greatest number of readers to read your prologue, don't call it a prologue. Just stick it at the beginning of Chapter 1, then stick in one of those "* * *" separators or whatever you want to use, and then continue with the "start" of the story.


I know! I'm kind of shocked by the whole conversation. I had no idea that people felt this way about prologues. I guess I better put my idea for an "all prologue" series on hold.


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## Ray Rhamey author (Jan 6, 2011)

Unless it's short enough to fit on one page, I'm prone to skipping prologues. I edit book-length fiction and critique novel openings on my Flogging the Quill blog, and almost always the prologues I see aren't a good, compelling start to a story.


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

Well, let me ask this of the other authors here. It's not exactly off topic, but if we need to start a new thread for the question, let me know and I will. But what do we actually hope to accomplish with our prologues and epilogues? As I said in my previous post, I read them every time, but it's obvious from my personal experiences and from some of the answers here that some folks don't care for them.

In the case of mine, the prologue sets the stage, and takes place in the present day. It's two and a half pages, and introduces one of the major driving characters of the series, as well as giving some hints as to the nature of the book. Is it absolutely necessary? I would say not absolutely necessary, but without it, some events in the first few and last few chapters of the book would be harder to follow. Yes, I could have put the prologue as the beginning of the first chapter, but it didn't feel right there. It's a completely different setting and POV.

As for my epilogue, it's absolutely not necessary to the story. However, it is entertaining, and gives a satisfying conclusion that I think would be missed without it.

So, that's my question. What are we trying to accomplish, and would we be happy accomplishing it without our prologues and epilogues?


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## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

Always. I am a little OCD, esp when it comes to books.  I always read from cover to cover.  Don't want to miss a thing.  I paid for it and by gosh I am gonna get my moneys worth LOL.


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## Keith Robinson (Apr 29, 2011)

Ray Rhamey said:


> Unless it's short enough to fit on one page, I'm prone to skipping prologues. I edit book-length fiction and critique novel openings on my Flogging the Quill blog, and almost always the prologues I see aren't a good, compelling start to a story.


I totally agree that whatever comes first (prologue, chapter one, etc) should be compelling, but it seems to me that a prologue would (in most cases) be MORE compelling that many opening chapters. Going back to TV shows, which are really good examples, imagine if you ditched the opening scene where someone is murdered or whatever (the prologue). Imagine if you started the show with the usual characters coming in to work, getting their coffee, and so on (chapter one). It wouldn't be very exciting. The compelling hook is always the prologue, and I find it's often the same with books.

Without the prologue, I don't think all stories can realistically start off "compelling" in the sense of a riveting first page that has a potential buyer hooked. Take a good ghost story, which I believe are best when they have slow, atmospheric builds, with completely mundane things happening in the first few chapters. In a way, the prologue would allow the author to add that compelling hook (a gruesome 100-year-old murder or whatever) without compromising the story's slow build and the main character's introduction to what he will slowly realize is a haunted house.

In contrast, I often find that first chapters start out "falsely exciting" because the author feels a need to get the reader hooked, even though the hook might not have anything to do with the story itself. Like starting out with a private investigator up to his neck in trouble, which he quickly resolves in the first chapter and then is able to get on with the actual story. So in that sense, it's this first chapter that might be the bit worth skipping!


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## Keith Robinson (Apr 29, 2011)

gatehouseauthor said:


> ...What are we trying to accomplish, and would we be happy accomplishing it without our prologues and epilogues?


I freely admit that the prologue of the first book in my own series is not essential at all. It's only a page though, so I think it's harmless, and it literally ends on a cliffhanger (the woman jumps off the cliff, hehe). It's invokes more of a "what the heck--?" than anything else, and is perhaps a bit of a hook. The first chapter starts in a "compelling" way so the prologue isn't entirely necessary, but about two-thirds of the way through the book the reader ties the unfolding events back to that cliff-jumping scene. Not essential to the story, but kind of fun for the reader.

The prologue in the second book is almost chapter-length, and not _essential_ essential but definitely useful in explaining a few things to readers before the story begins, but more entertaining/interesting than simply dropping a load of exposition in the first few chapters.

The prologues in the third and as-yet-unfinished fourth books are definitely useful, and I would say essential. These are chapter-length but written from different POVs and a decade or more in the past -- definitely not part of the main story, especially since the novels in this series are written entirely from one POV throughout. The prologues allow me (the author) to explore the story from a different angle, which I hope you (the reader) finds interesting.

I haven't written any epilogues yet, but personally like them very much and always read them.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

In a TV show, the first scene is called a teaser. Even if it's not a murder mystery, it sets up the situation and makes people want to watch more. I do know the old fashioned fantasy series prologue that tells you the history of the Kingdom of Blarfastia and how the Evil One was banished a thousand years ago but I think that sort of thing isn't done much any more. A prologue should be a teaser.


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## David M. Baum (Apr 21, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> Though according to our unscientific poll, 15% of readers don't always read prologues. And we have a lot of writers and hardcore readers here, so I would guess that the actual number is probably higher than 15%.


What is interesting here is that when I was following blogs of agents, the majority of agents seemed to have an anti-prologue stance. I guess there can be a significant gap between what agents (and publishers?) demand, and what readers want.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I adore prologues. I don't necessarily write them  but I love them when I run across them in a book. I've seen some done really, really well that added a lot to the story. One novel (I forget the name, but it had Rose in it) had a very brief prologue about an incident between two children--a little girl and a boy. Then, about 1/2 through the story, you realize that the hero is the boy and when we meet the woman, we realize that that one incident from the way past set up a relationship between the two that existed even today and was directly responsible for the problems they were now having.

It was brilliant.

It would not have worked as part of the story, but it's existence added a profound level of understanding and depth to the book.


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## amandamay83 (Apr 11, 2011)

It never ocurred to me that skipping the prologue was an option  

I have learned to be cautious in reading introductions, though, especially for older books.  I ruined part of Peyton Place for myself by reading the intro.


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## Amy Lunderman (Mar 9, 2011)

I agree. I always have to read the prologues, it's like a story summary and sets the feel of things.


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## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

I always read the prologue as to me it would be like deciding not to read the first chapter. Now, I will admit that I don't like the 'false or gimmicky' prologues that seem to be popping up a lot. If the only reason for the prologue is to add a 'hook' because there isn't any conflict or tension in chapter one then the first chapter needs to be worked on. I dislike it when the book starts off with an intense scene and then slows down to a crawl and the incident in the prologue doesn't even matter until chapters later.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Figure writer put a prologue there for a reason, most of the time it comes into play later in the story.


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## Todd Young (May 2, 2011)

A prologue is part of the book. It's not something to skip, but then, I don't skip anything when I read. I read every word. The only thing I don't read are introductions, though I might read them when I've finished the book.


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## Guest (May 5, 2011)

I always read prologues. I tend to think the writer put them there for a reason, although a pet peeve of mine is when the prologue has very little to do with the story, for example, it turns out to be a disconnected dream sequence that does not foreshadow anything or affect the characters.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

VH Folland said:


> I always read prologues. I tend to think the writer put them there for a reason, although a pet peeve of mine is when the prologue has very little to do with the story, for example, it turns out to be a disconnected dream sequence that does not foreshadow anything or affect the characters.


I agree 100% with this post. I absolutly _abhor_ prologues that are dreams!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> In a TV show, the first scene is called a teaser. Even if it's not a murder mystery, it sets up the situation and makes people want to watch more. I do know the old fashioned fantasy series prologue that tells you the history of the Kingdom of Blarfastia and how the Evil One was banished a thousand years ago but I think that sort of thing isn't done much any more. A prologue should be a teaser.


That's it, then! You should just start naming that section "Teaser", followed by Chapter One, etc...


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## gatehouseauthor (Apr 22, 2011)

"Teaser" sounds a little informal... how about we call it "Things That Happen Before The Main Part Of The Story That Help Set The Stage For The Events That Follow".  And the epilogue can be "Things That Happen After The Main Story Wraps, But That Are Still Important To The Sense Of Completion A Reader Feels After Reading The Book". Those'll fit in about the same space at the top of the page, right?


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