Why do authors do this?

[Anonymous No.4816627]

>Pick up the first book of The Black Company
>Read the first page
>Author lists multiple areas and happenings in the world, dropping names of places, things, and people that have yet to be introduced.
>In the first page

Nope. Fucking NOPE. I will never read a book where the author just assumes we can read his mind where he pulls shit out of his ass to fap to while he's almost asleep.

Why do they do this? It doesn't make any sense. You don't inform the reader, you make them feel lost, you make them feel like they missed something, and it's just really not fun to read.

AS WE TRAVEL PAST THE GRAND FORK WHERE THE FLAPAGS SHOW THEIR BELLIES, THE HORFORT WAS SHINING AND THE PLAGURATE WAS SEEN BELOW. OF COURSE THAT WAS THE SITE OF THE GREAT SMATTERING, AND FEW ROLLYLOGS WERE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE STORY.

See? Anyone can do this stupid bullshit.

[Anonymous No.4816644]

HEIL OP

HEIL HITLER

KILL THE ROLLYLOGS

DWARFLAND SIEGT ON ALLEN FRONTEN

[Anonymous No.4816667]

you pick it up as you go

[Anonymous No.4816697]

I think the idea is to make it feel like the world is a living, existing universe that the protagonist and the events in the book are only a small part of. You just started reading the book, but the world has existed long before, the protagonist has lived in it his whole life, and when you put down the book or finish it, the world continues to exist.

My guess is that it's just a misguided reaction to how most poorly written fantasy has the world directly revolve around the protagonist, like a JRPG or something. The dumb author probably thought that if he makes it clear 'this world is real! you're not the center!' it'll solve everything and place him above all the 'worse' writers who place too much value on the protag. But it's not the convention that's the problem, it's the author who uses them. I don't know, I usually try to avoid reading brain dead dog shit.

[Anonymous No.4816714]

>>4816697
>If I don't like it it's brain dead dog shit
I too also only read masters of literature, as "science fiction" and "fantasy" are pure escapism and completely silly. I tip my fedora.

[Anonymous No.4816717]

To pique the interest of curious readers and so the author can expand upon it later.

What are you doing reading ASOIAF if you're bored by that sort of stuff?

[Anonymous No.4816725]

>>4816714

>implying fedora tippers don't just read science fiction and fantasy and claim actual literature to be elitist
>implying you're not just a sensitive fedora tipper

[Anonymous No.4816734]

>>4816714
Not really, I've read a lot of Clarke, Gibson, Lem, PKD, Burroughs and Ballard. I like them. I don't care about genre, but shit is shit, there's no way around it.

[Anonymous No.4816736]

>>4816717
I love good science fiction and fantasy.
There are like, 5 books in each category that are "good".

[Anonymous No.4816737]

I hate made-up words for stuff. I hate info-dumps, long descriptions, and namedropping. I hate when a book starts with a damned map and character listing. I shouldn't need a goddamned map and world geneology just to follow your story!

I'm a sucker for anything with a sword, though. Goddamn, I love me some swords. So I have to muck through the cheap-fantasy slush piles. I drop 9 out of 10.

The first page should be pretty, I think. Free, loose, telling me what the story is about, not just what country and the current war and who fathered who. Give me something that I can care about.

[Anonymous No.4816768]

It'supposed to get you interested in all the other cool things the world contains but you don't understand yet. I personally love when books don't explain these things but let you put the pieces together as you go.

Granted, it shouldn't be done so early in a book.

[Anonymous No.4816795]

>>4816736
Care to list them?

[Anonymous No.4816810]

I agree it's rather annoying, like in LoTR, but that shouldn't turn you off of a good book.

On a related note, shit makes a lot more sense after reading Silmarillion.

[Anonymous No.4817749]

>>4816737
you sound like a god damn pleb in need of serious spoonfeeding.

[Anonymous No.4817765]

Every sentence adds something to the story and the author obviously knows you haven't been given any exposition yet

obviously this means the writer has given you enough information to understand everything you need to know.

I'm shocked you can't figure that out

[Anonymous No.4818505]

>>4816627
a faggot you are, for not understanding such glorious masterpieces

[Anonymous No.4818514]

>>4816627
pleb

[Anonymous No.4818520]

>>4817749
I agree with him, most of that shit adds next to nothing to the story and just takes up space. All these wannabe Tolkien faggots go full sperg with their imaginary worlds but forgot they have to know how to write first.

I'm so glad I purged that shit from my own writing early in the game too.