So Prologues Are Bad

In your case, very few of those things seem like the sort of issues that could be resolved by a prologue, or indeed need an infodump.

The codes of manners and conduct that prevail in your setting can be shown quite easily by people following those codes, the reader will soon catch on that this is how people behave in this setting. Powers are trickier, in that you want to establish the rules early so that it never feels cheap, but if you are determined to avoid an info-dump you could try a training session, like Brandon Sanderson often uses.

 

I'm generally against the use of prologues. It's just that I find myself merely trying to get through them and rarely remember them later. I'm in the camp that says, "No prologues!" (if there is a camp). But if the book is good, I won't hold the fact that it uses a prologue against it.

If you absolutely need a prologue to establish clarity for your setting, I'd suggest trying to imagine a scene or scenario for it that hits all the potentially confusing parts and that you can write in such a way as to tie it into your plot.

For example, without knowing anything about your book, imagine a set of complex powers and social rules (kind of like you've stated), and then consider making the prologue a scene set at some sort of coliseum or sporting match, with two or three spectators watching a match and discussing upcoming matches while negotiating some sort of trade deal or conspiring to commit a crime in-between comments about the match. It could be a naturalistic sort of "infodump" if handled right.* It'd have to relate directly to your plot in addition to ... setting the setting.

Now, that sort of scene might be totally wrong for your particular book, but I think you get the general idea?

*Edit: I mean, imagine a scenario in which the characters would have a reason to be discussing various powers, trading stats etc. It's like fantasy football or else like a comic book convention in which the convention goers get into a debate over match-ups between various superheroes—who would win? That sort of thing.

 

I didn't realize people didn't enjoy prologues. I love them when they fit, and in fantasy it usually fits. If done right, it adds a dimension of time to a story, or a sense of grandeur. Sometimes they're written a bit more poetically than the rest of the book, and to me I like starting a story off with a quick little poem of sorts, or a pre-story story. As long as it's short, I generally like them. Sometimes they're not good, and that's usually when it feels like it's just there for exposition. But I don't dislike them because they're prologues.

 

Prologues are just fine under the right circumstances... info dumps are bad no matter what, they do happen, but to say I need a prologue to info dump is a seriously iffy situation. They tend to be lazy writing on the part of even good writers. I picked up a book the other day and the prologue tried to give history and blah blah, I just skipped it, guarantee I don't need a lick of that blah blah.

The best use of a prologue is to show the inciting event, that thing that changes everything, gets the ball rolling, when the main character is not present for the event. Then we get Chapter 1 with the MC and we're off to the races. So, if the prologue is a starting gun, I'm down with that.

In your situation, write the story first, see if you weave in the info dump throughout and then decide if you still need a prologue that will make people like me groan.

 

Hm... what if the prologue is done in the style of a separate, seemingly-unrelated short story, to introduce or set up aspects of the setting?

 

But... the original book did have an info-dump prologue regarding the hobbits.

 

I fully agree that showing how these things work is preferable than a prologue. If need be, though, you might preface each chapter with short 'quotes' - no more than two or three sentences - that describe this system. Said quotes could come from famous speeches, textbooks, street slang, or personal recollections. I have seen this method used to great effect in multiple fantasy/SF novels.

 

Bad prologues are bad. Good prologues are good.

Prologues are a tool. Learn to use the tool effectively and it will serve you well.

 

It's about what a prologue is, I think. Its NOT an info dump. Its not some vague, confusing thing that requires the waterboarding the author to understand. Its a way to focus the plot (especially if the first bit of your book might only gradually introduce the conflict) and give readers a taste.

 

It's pretty funny that I should find this thread mere minutes after having just penned my own prologue.

I do find prologues to be important, if done right. They need to actually contribute something to the story, and not just be some sort of one shot that does very little for the plot of the book. A Song of Ice and Fire does this beautifully. Each novel in the series opens with a prologue, and while it may seem at first that the prologue doesn't fit into the story, it's later revealed to be one of the most important parts to the tale.

My book is written in the form of a journal, more specifically, a memoir. The prologue is the main character kind of introducing himself and telling the reader basically what they should expect from the narrative. It isn't even very long. Just about half of the front side of some notebook paper. But it does what it needs to do, which is get the reader familiar with the character before embarking on the long journey ahead.

 

I have a very similar setup with 'Labyrinth: Journal.' The prologue shows the journal coming into the possession of a character (with problems of his own.) The rest of the book, barring the epilogue, is the journal.