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Ian Nettleton's avatar

Love this post, Anna. Great examples. And I agree - prologues can be brilliant at reeling the reader in. I always remember the prologue to Salem's Lot, set two years after the main events - two scared people on the run from something, and mention of the ghost town in Maine. And I reckon Donna Tartt put in the prologue to The Secret History because the first chapter lacks momentum. Looking forward to more posts!

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Jo Candiano's avatar

Well now you're making me want to watch season 1 again... I don't mind prologues. In fact, I quite like them for the reasons you write about. They are a taster. However, the prologues you see in speculative fiction are terrible. They yell at the reader: THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT EXPLAINS SO MUCH DONT MISS THIS. Too needy.

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