Prologue Summary

The time is October, one week before Halloween. October is compared to other months from the point of view of a young boy. For instance, September is bad because school starts, but June is the best, because summer is just beginning. Sounds, sights, and smells of previous Octobers are remembered, as well as the yearly anticipation of Halloween. During one "strange wild dark long year" Halloween comes early. The two main characters, James Nightshade and William Holloway, are introduced. Both boys are close to their fourteenth birthdays, being born one day apart.

Prologue Analysis

In a single page, the main framework of the story is set up for the reader. It takes place in October, with two thirteen-year-old boys as the main protagonists; the point of view is that of the boys. It is clear that something life changing happens to them during...