Hey peeps!

If you remember, last blog post I talked about the opening chapter of Fourth Wing to see if it contained all three requirements for an epic opening. Think of it as an exercise to talk about amazing writing because Fourth Wing had everything a great opening should have!

THIS WEEK I dove into another uber-popular novel: Unsouled by Will Wight.

Will his opening chapter pass my test? Will it be just as captivating as Fourth Wing?

Well…

Oops – the First Chapter of Unsouled is Actually a Prologue!

That’s right! Will Wight’s epic series says “chapter 1,” but it’s actually a prologue. If you don’t believe me, let me lay out my evidence.

1. It’s written in a different tense. Chapter 1 is written in “present tense” while the rest of the book is written in “past tense.”
2. It covers the span of 8 years. The rest of the book does not have narrative drift where time zips by–it’s unique to the first chapter only.
3. There is a bizarre bookend to the chapter (where is both starts and ends with a robotic statement about making reports). We learn later this is a fate power, but in the context of narrative storytelling, this is the only chapter that has it, separating it from the rest.

BECAUSE chapter 1 is a prologue, it doesn’t really fit in with my test to see if it has all the ingredients to “have a good hook.”

So what’re we going to do about this?

Well, I’m going to say that chapter 1 WAS the prologue and move on to chapter 2, LOL

BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, let me point out my favorite sentence of chapter 1, and all the hooks that can be found there.

It’s traditionally considered bad luck to tell children what to expect on the day of their test, but his mother considers ignorance a greater threat than misfortune.

Unsouled, Chapter 1

The Prologue Has a Lot of Character

Lindon as a main character really has two likeable traits showcased in chapter 1 (the secret prologue). He’s an underdog, and he’s got a lot of perseverance.

When Lindon is eight, everyone in his town is given a hand bath soul test to see which of the four paths in life they’ll take. To Lindon’s horror, he is “unsouled” and fits into none of these. Apparently, this has never happened before (though the book says people fail and come back next year? Not entirely sure what that looks like, but we’ll glance over that).

The rest of the prologue just watches (over the course of 8 years) as Lindon tries EVERYTHING to pass this water-soul test. He tries to work extra hard, he tries to cheat, he tries to plead–but nothing works. He is forever “unsouled,” and a shameful burden to his family.

It’s a fun little premise, but if you personally don’t engage with that, there’s nothing else in the chapter to hook you. Wight is banking on your desire to see an underdog rise to the top! And it’ll totally happen, just starting in chapter 2.

So, without any more delays, let’s examine the real opening of the book, and see if Wight peppers his chapter with all the ingredients for success!

Requirement #1: Is there at least one hook?

Does Unsouled give you a “hook” (an unanswered question) that is pivotal to the overall story within chapter 1 (2)?

Will Wight might’ve had a quieter prologue, but chapter 2 comes at you with a really fun hook!

Will Lindon get to eat a spirit-fruit? Will that finally solve all of his problems!?

You see, Lindon has concocted a new way to gain power: eating a special spirit-fruit. He spends three days searching for the right tree, and just before he gets his fruit, a rival bully punches the tree into oblivion.

And then a tree ghost springs to life and starts THRASHING AROUND (as one does, naturally). Lindon, super clever, gets the ghost fruit, and the body of the normal fruit (but he also gets a broken arm in the process) and then takes both to his mother who slaps them back together with her magical powers, leaving them with one whole fruit that contains GLORIOUS SPIRIT ENERGY!

But who will eat the fruit?

That’s the cliffhanger at the end of chapter 2.

Brilliant.

Requirement #2: Does the main character have at least one likeable trait?

Does Lindon display at least one likeable quality in the first chapter?

Lindon, my boi, is so dedicated to overcoming his unsouled title that this man is willing to fight the ghost of a tree. That’s some perseverance!

Lindon also outwits the ghost of a tree (trapping it, basically) which is another likeable trait: quick thinking!

Chapter 2 also continues the theme of the underdog, because some random jackass just showed up to not only harass Lindon, but also illegal kill a super cool fox, and then punch a tree to death. That’s the worst kind of bully! Lindon has to put up with all that, and he does for the sake of that glorious spirit-fruit.

Hurray!

Requirement #3: Are the villains mentioned or at least hinted at?

Does Unsouled mention the villain(s), or at least hint at the villain(s), within chapter 1 (2)?

Will Wight plays an interesting card here. Unlike in Fourth Wing, that was THROWING the answers at you left and right, Wight only mentions shame and dishonor as the general “villains” of the scenario. If Lindon was “normal,” then he wouldn’t be in these situations, and the desperate need to fit in is what drives him forward.

I could also say the bully was the villain, but that is more circumstantial. (Spoiler alert: the bully doesn’t stick around much, lol)

So, I would say that dishonor and shame are our “villains” until some other ones make their presence known.

In Conclusion…

In all seriousness, Unsouled by Will Wight promises a lot. It promises this will be a story of a man overcoming–a lot of things, really–and if that resonates with you, the hooks Wight wrote will rope you in hard.

I knew this was going to be a fun story the moment a tree spawned a ghost. Now that’s my kind of spirit world!

Join me next week when I break down the prologue to The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson! ❤

Until then–have fun, peeps!

Shami