Prologues, Yay or Nay?

Ask a dozen writers whether prologues belong in modern novels and you’ll get a dozen different answers—many of them loud and polarising.

Some literary agents openly admit they skip them. They’ve seen too many slow world-building lectures, disconnected flashbacks, and “teaser scenes” that never quite earn their place. Writing forums are full of warnings telling authors to ditch the prologue and jump straight into chapter one.

Readers aren’t united either. Plenty of them love a well-executed prologue—something short, atmospheric, and clearly tied to the main story. However, there’s a vocal group that skips them on principle. Some say they feel like homework, others worry they’ll spoil the book before it even begins. A surprising number will happily admit: “If it’s long or confusing, I’ll jump right past it.”

And yet, despite all this debate, prologues never truly go out of fashion. Fantasy sagas, crime thrillers, and psychological mysteries continue to use them to great effect. Universities and literary scholars don’t treat them as trendy or outdated at all—they view them as part of a novel’s “paratext,” a deliberate threshold that shapes how readers enter the story. In academic terms, it’s less about fashion and more about function: what does the prologue do?

That’s the real key. Modern readers will forgive (and even love) a prologue when it can’t exist anywhere else—when it offers a moment outside the main timeline, a viewpoint that illuminates the story, or a dark spark that sets the tone before chapter one lands.

It’s no secret that my own fiction often opens with a prologue. I use them the way some people use a matchstick: a quick strike of heat before the fire takes hold. They let me hint at danger, whisper secrets, and plant questions. If used with purpose—and kept lean—a prologue isn’t an outdated relic at all. It’s an invitation.

I’m also aware of the first-page shopper. Chapter one doesn’t always have the sizzle to fry that steak. I want a bonfire to singe eyelashes from 100 paces and then invite them over to share a story.