If you were reading a classic for the first time, for instance: Penguin Classics: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, would you read the 40 page introduction? If you did read that introduction, would you be surprised to find it contains spoilers for several major plot points? Do we suppose the gang at Penguin assume anyone reading this edition already knows the story fairly well? (I knew about half the things I was spoiled for).

I loved the introduction for Moby Dick. It mostly focused on Melville's experiences with whaling and I don't recall if it spoiled me for anything I didn't already know.

I'm a bit pissed now that the few things I didn't alredy know about Frankenstein will no longer be surprises.

Always read the introduction after you've read the book if you don't want to be spoiled. I tell my kidlets that all the time. Think of them as critical essays about the book rather than an intro to the author, generally. I think most introductions should actually be Afterwords.

Laga, I do assume that intros or prefaces to a classic novel are going to be a form of lit crit for the novel.

Now, if an intro or preface for a newer novel contained spoilers, I'd be pissed -- general rule, if an intro is more than two pages, it's a critical essay and probably will contain spoilers.

(I LOVE prefaces, intros and footnotes. Especially footnotes for a biography. You can find the JUICIEST stuff there! I also always read a bibliography. I R GEEK.)

ETA -- English teacher x-post! Hee!

As per usual, I am Erin.

One word of warning--it's basically one long story broken into five books, and each one ends on a mega cliffhanger.

So it does eventually end? I got the first for free at ComicCon and liked it enough that I bought the 2nd. I bought the 3rd thinking that it would wrap a trilogy, but then saw on Amazon there were more, got a little ticked at the constant stream of cliffhangers with no real resolution, and got accidentally spoiled about Mack getting caught in the sexual thrall of one of the fae and put the third aside in disgust/disdain. It does redeem itself?

Pix, I have never heard of the category "urban fantasy." What is it? Should I just google?

I learn something new every day.

Urban fantasy is a huge genre subset -- it can incorporate traditional elements of fantasy, but usually in a modern setting.

Often, it has a female protagonist. The Wikipedia definition is actually pretty good.

Urban Fantasy. It's one of my favorite genres when done well. If you're new to it, I'd suggest starting with Patricia Briggs' Moon Called or Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking.

Epic, yes, it ends in epic fashion (no pun intended) with the fifth book. I read them all in a row, so I didn't get frustrated, but I can see how you would be if you didn't have access to them. The first book was meh compared to the rest, IMO.

Maybe I'll give them another shot. I only read the first one, and was underwhelmed.

BTW, I took one for the team Wednesday, and read the last Auel book. Basically, it's 800 pages of anthropology and herb lore cut-and-pasted from earlier texts and then 200 pages of lukewarm plot.

Ayla and Jondalar only do the prehistoric mambo a couple of times, so there's that. Like Lana's parents are still DED, Jondalar's penis is still the size of New York.

OH NOES A SPOILER!!

If you are a completist, like me, read it, but don't worry about waiting for it in paperback or at the library. You won't laugh, you won't cry, but it will finally be DONE.

My sister was reading Jane Eyre for the first time, and she said that a bunch of the footnotes in the edition she had spoiled the ending, like by saying that some comment foreshadowed something that would happen later.