So What Are you Reading?: Generations

[SurfingtheInterweb]

I, Claudius by Robert Graves! Then will read Hyperion

 

[I am not Herbert]

I, Claudius by Robert Graves! Then will read Hyperion

Although I quite enjoyed Graves' book, I, Claudius is one of the very few books I've read in which I thought the adaptation was richer than the book itself. One of the all-time greats. (In fairness, the adaptation covers both I, Claudius and Claudius the God).

 

[Smiley]

My current reading is pretty delightful. In the Enterprise books, I still like A Choice of Futures and its celebration of cooperation and diplomacy over saber-rattling and warfare.

I have a minor question about Tower of Babel. What goes into the decision to make the first section a prologue versus just calling it Chapter 1? This book's prologue read like a regular chapter of the Rise of the Federation series to me.

I am also loving my reread of Star Wars: Dark Disciple.

 

[Christopher]

I have a minor question about Tower of Babel. What goes into the decision to make the first section a prologue versus just calling it Chapter 1? This book's prologue read like a regular chapter of the Rise of the Federation series to me.

It was because the events of the prologue happened months earlier than the main body of the novel and were distinct situations that set the stage for the story that followed, establishing the
astropolitical situation and issues that would catalyze the main story. That's usually what a prologue is, I think -- Wikipedia defines it as "an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information."

I've heard that some readers think of prologues as optional and skip over them, but that makes no sense. The prologue wouldn't be there if it weren't a significant part of the story; it's just that the story is structured in such a way that some of the groundwork is laid before the main plot kicks in. Think of Raiders of the Lost Ark -- the prologue adventure in the Hovitos temple establishes who Indiana Jones is, his skill with a whip, his rivalry with Belloq, his hatred of snakes, etc., so that you know all that stuff going into the main story about the Ark. The prologue informs the main story that follows, so it's as essential as the rest.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Think of it in film terms as the part that comes before you see the movie titles appear on the screen.

Beverly Lewis's Amish books differentiate the prologue from the rest of the book by writing it in the first person, then the rest of the book in the third person.

In some cases, prologues are shorter than regular chapters, and may follow a character who has died by the time the main story opens, or who hasn't been born yet.

 

[KRAD]

Every time someone says they skip the prologue, I ask if they also go into the movie five minutes after it starts.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

And as it happens, I did miss the first few minutes of Nemesis. Though not intentionally, I assure you.