The Way of Kings Pt. 2: The Action-Packed Prologue

As I've said before, The Way of Kings is a book not for the faint of heart. With four different beginnings, it can be confusing. Yet, I believe Sanderson had a purpose behind those four beginnings, and each provides something new to the story. Readers understand something particular from each chapter that they wouldn't otherwise have had Sanderson cut three of them. Let's continue with our exploration of the beginning of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson with the prologue.

The Prologue

The prologue follows Szeth, a man banished from his homeland and hired by a newly discovered people, the Parshendi. He attempts to assassinate the King of Kholinar, using magic to complete his task. With an action-packed beginning, readers get a feel for the type of action, fighting, and magic they will be exposed to in the book. The action is intense and complicated, but not gory, suggesting that while there will be characters that die and get hurt, it will not be a horror-type of violence. Yet, the fighting between the characters will require some attention, as in the prologue Szeth and the King spar in unfamiliar ways with unfamiliar weapons. If a reader is going to understand the action of the fighting sequence, they may need to take more care that they understand where each character is, how they move, and where they are in the setting as there is a lot more movement than in the prelude chapter.

The prologue also displays the hard magic system that will be a focal point of the story. The magic on this world is largely physics-based in that Szeth uses his abilities to affect the gravity of his person and to stick things together. As he fights the King, his internal dialogue explains the basics of the magic without going into it too heavily. But readers will understand enough about how the magic works from the prologue that when the magic comes up again later in the story, they will make connections between what the main character can do and what Szeth can do. These types of explanations could not have been included in the prelude or in chapter one because the characters are either incapable or unaware that such magic exists.

Another reason that the prologue is separated from the prelude and first chapters could be that it is setting up the time period in which the story takes place. On the title page for Part One, after the prelude but before the prologue, readers learn that the events of the prologue take place 4,500 years later. This suggests to the reader that the scale of the story they're about to read is massive, spanning several generations and the history of the world. Additionally, the differences between the two periods of time are more prevalent. Yes, the setting is different, but the knowledge the characters possess is also different. Kalak in the prelude references "thunderclasts," "Surgebinders," and "Dustbringers," but none of these things are mentioned in the prologue.

Summary

The prologue of the book does much for the beginning of the story, namely, gives readers an understanding of what the action will be like throughout the rest of the book, shows the complex magic system, and provides the scope of time that the story will cover. Each one of these elements is an important factor to help prepare the reader for the journey they are about to embark on. But for creative writers, what can we take away from this unique beginning?

Because the prologue of The Way of Kings may not be the first section a reader comes in contact with, there must be something to grab the reader and convince them to stay rather than put the book down. The action of the scene and the magic, I believe, do just that. There must be a balance between the slow and fast moments of the story, so with the slower prelude, it is natural to then write a heavier prologue with a lot of fast-paced action. Readers may be thinking after the prelude that they have no idea what is going on, but in the prologue, they are more grounded in the new fantasy world because the worldbuilding and magic system are explained more.

What does this mean for our writing? Be aware of how your readers may respond to the chapters they read. If the goal of a chapter is to give small amounts of information, encouraging readers to ask questions about what is happening, remember to give them some answers soon after. The slower prelude has readers wondering about different creatures, battles that they didn't see, and who these characters are, while the faster prologue shows and tells readers about the world, magic, and characters. The prologue does this without leaving too much in the dark. Sure, readers still have questions about why Szeth has powers others do not, why the other characters haven't seen such magic, or why Szeth is killing the king in the first place. However, because readers are given answers to plenty of other questions in the prologue, they are more likely to continue reading.

So, allow room for your readers to ask questions, but don't leave them in the dark too long that they become frustrated.