Epigraphs are like little appetizers to the great entrée of a story. They illuminate important aspects of the story, and they get us headed in the right direction.
Epigraph:
If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans.
–Stephen Hawking
What's up with the epigraph?
Nothing will give your science fiction novel weight quite like a quote from a theoretical physicist. Stephen Hawking isn't just a brilliant scientist—he's also a household name.
Here, he speculates that aliens might be hostile towards humans. The author borrowed Hawking's real-life words to make the whole idea of an alien apocalypse seem less outlandish. Stock your bunkers, Shmoopers.