Based off recent additions to my reading log, I would say the recent ones I've been reading have had really good beginnings. Maybe not always because they have lovely hooks, but because the pacing was good or because they introduced the topic/theme(s) of the story really well (including Spawn despite its many struggles in other parts of the writing department). But if I had to name some favorites: -The original Getter Robo (Starts off with violence that seems senseless at first but then ends up establishing our main protagonist's personality and the overarching themes of the story) -Sonic The Comic (Just does a good job establishing the worldbuild/lore and the protagonist's personality) -Most of the Junji Ito manga I've read (I also think the art itself is a good introduction to his twisted worlds. A Father's Love has a very strong opening) -The Killing Joke (it's cold, it's silent, it tells you what's going on, you understand the tone and mood. All without any exposition) -In general I think a lot of the horror/dark/creepy stuff I like tends to have very strong beginnings (but you HAVE to have strong beginnings in stories like that since you're trying to ease them into the anxiety filled atmosphere of death). There's probably more but this is off the top of my head.
I am not someone who really enjoys finishing a book out of the hope that it gets more interesting? I drop stuff that seems unpleasant within the first few chapters. Hell the times I've tried to hold out often blew up in my face and I felt I had wasted my time and should've tapped out the moment I realized I wasn't enjoy it at the start.
If I get spoiled and discover it heads into a direction I like then MAYBE I might return to it. But for me the beginning is super important for giving me a good reason to want to keep reading. And I probably wouldn't rec that book to someone on the basis of "it gets better, you just have to be patient." To me that has always felt more like an excuse for boring/poor begginings, personally.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2025-05-02 12:39 pm (UTC)Based off recent additions to my reading log, I would say the recent ones I've been reading have had really good beginnings. Maybe not always because they have lovely hooks, but because the pacing was good or because they introduced the topic/theme(s) of the story really well (including Spawn despite its many struggles in other parts of the writing department). But if I had to name some favorites:
-The original Getter Robo (Starts off with violence that seems senseless at first but then ends up establishing our main protagonist's personality and the overarching themes of the story)
-Sonic The Comic (Just does a good job establishing the worldbuild/lore and the protagonist's personality)
-Most of the Junji Ito manga I've read (I also think the art itself is a good introduction to his twisted worlds. A Father's Love has a very strong opening)
-The Killing Joke (it's cold, it's silent, it tells you what's going on, you understand the tone and mood. All without any exposition)
-In general I think a lot of the horror/dark/creepy stuff I like tends to have very strong beginnings (but you HAVE to have strong beginnings in stories like that since you're trying to ease them into the anxiety filled atmosphere of death).
There's probably more but this is off the top of my head.
I am not someone who really enjoys finishing a book out of the hope that it gets more interesting? I drop stuff that seems unpleasant within the first few chapters. Hell the times I've tried to hold out often blew up in my face and I felt I had wasted my time and should've tapped out the moment I realized I wasn't enjoy it at the start.
If I get spoiled and discover it heads into a direction I like then MAYBE I might return to it. But for me the beginning is super important for giving me a good reason to want to keep reading. And I probably wouldn't rec that book to someone on the basis of "it gets better, you just have to be patient." To me that has always felt more like an excuse for boring/poor begginings, personally.