Well it’s nice SOMEONE in the cosmos understands my unspoken indignities.

As writers, we hear all the time that we’ve got to hook readers in just the first few pages or else. We’ve got to hook agents in the first few pages or else.

Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.
JEFF GERKE, THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES

This month I snagged from the New Release shelf:

The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey

NOTE: In the podcast, I refer to book 1 of this trilogy as The Captive’s War, but that is the trilogy title. Book 1 is called The Mercy of Gods.

So a huge disclaimer here: I grabbed the second book of a trilogy, which means we are NOT going to see much foundation work in the opening pages. We’ll have to hit the ground running, and like it!

Frankly, though, that’s okay. It was nice to get into some science fiction for a change, and Corey’s got a lovely style to his voice. The first couple of pages aren’t a prologue per se–more like an historical tidbit akin to all the histories of Paul Moadib that begin the chapters of Dune. That historical bit is only a few paragraphs, but it’s almost lyrical in its sadness about a dying world, how it’s seen in the crops, fish, and lost voices of the elders. It’s a relatable moment: any reader could sense what this would feel like in their culture. Any culture has its feelings about end-times. And this book begins with that bit of foreboding. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, either–after a few paragraphs, we move on to the proper first chapter.

Now the first couple of pages are all these snippets of librarian records. I was amused by just how many librarians there are–my kind of alien society, I guess. 🙂 I gather that these records allude to things from the first book, so I can’t really judge their merits. To Corey’s credit, though, the next few pages bring readers up to speed on important past events, such as the failed human rebellion against their alien overlords–and that our human protagonist, Dafyd, was on the side of the aliens.

Why? That I can’t glean from these opening pages, but I have a feeling Book 1 (The Mercy of Gods) or subsequent pages of Book 2 will tell us.

Overall, Corey’s got an accessible style, one that balances relatable detail with the unrelatable alien world. If you’re looking to jump Earth for a while, Corey’s trilogy is sure to lose you among the stars.

Let’s see what next month’s find will teach us, shall we?

Coming up is our first trip to summer camp–I can hardly wait! And this is a trip where we want the lightning to find us…

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!