I feel, if your speculative fiction tale is set in an unusual world then you can't start with the inciting incident and hope the reader to keep up.
What I feel works, is to show what is at stake for the protagonist though. Some scene ahead of the inciting incident that shows what the protagonist cares about, what he/she is about to lose, what she/he wants more than anything. I think you have to show what every day is for the protagonist before you whip the tablecloth out from under her/him.
For Katniss in Hunger Games, it started off showing her world and those she loved including her little sister and showed her hunter skills and slight rebellion and even hinted at the inciting incident. Then when her little sister is chosen, we already know that Katniss is the kind of girl who would step in and we know she has a chance.
In the Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd shows his relationship with his dog and the underlying fear of the other men and the fear at keeping the thoughts he hears secret. There is a simmering violent undercurrent in that community except with the men who raised him. He wants to keep them safe. They want to keep him safe. And we are not surprised to see it fall apart.