Foreword
I begin each of my books with a Foreword that gives a different voice to the story. Sometimes it is the voice of the council, sometimes the planet speaks for herself. Objective and removed, it is the voice of observation. I use this to give the readers information they may need to follow the story. I do my best to keep it brief and to the point. Among a few other structural points of contention, the Foreword is a part my editor would love to have me drop.
I happen to like it because it saves me from tasking one of my characters to impart the information. What do you think? Do you read the foreword or skip it? Does it add to the book or not? Feedback is welcome.