 |
List by Danielle
This was a really fun list to make. I could only remember a couple of books with great opening lines, so I got to go through my whole library, rereading first pages, remembering who drew me in the first time and who, (*cough* Martin *cough*,) can't write a hook. And I actually ended up with far more than 10. Still, I mostly narrowed it down to these opening lines:
1. "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning." - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
2. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense." - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
3. "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
4. "I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the army." - Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5. “Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.” - Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
7. "Locke Lamora stood on the pier in Tal Verrar with the hot wind of a burning ship at his back and the cold bite of a loaded crossbow's bolt at his neck." - Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
8. "Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face." - Watchmen by Alan Moore
9. "So there I was, tied to an altar made from out-dated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil librarians." - Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
10. (tie) "That fool of a fairy, Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me." - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
And, one bonus ending. I'll admit, I'm a bit biased, because I actually got this one tattooed on my shoulder.
1. "The blazing white star fell down the sky of dusk in Illinois. 'Make a wish,' said his mother. 'Make a wish.'" - Kaleidoscope by Ray Bradbury
What are your favorite beginnings or endings of books? What draws you in/makes you need the next in the series?
I chose the first Harry Potter too lol
ReplyDeleteHere is my TTT
http://hauntedgravebooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/top-ten-tuesday-best-book-starts-and.html
It's a fantastic start. I toyed with putting it at number one, but Wheel of Time is special to me. I like your list, several books I've been meaning to check out!
DeleteSo many books on your list that I haven't read but you've made me curious about. The only ones I recognize are Daughter of Smoke and Bone - would've included that if I had participated - and HP - definitely would've included and also seems to be in everyone's TTT this week! Lol, I take it you're not a fan of George R. R. Martin's work? Or at least his openings. I like the ones you've chosen that have wry humor (Scalzi, Moore, Sanderson) or an instant spark of empathy (Mistborn). I have the entire Mistborn trilogy thanks to a graduation present and really should start reading those books...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Martin's work, and actually figured he'd be a shoe-in with the Ned/deserter scene, but I forgot about the prologue. Which is fine, but it doesn't have that immediate "whoa" moment. And Wheel of Time has a great first paragraph, but I had to try three times to get through the first 100 pages. I think fantasy's tricky because with the world building, it's hard to get a punchy beginning while still establishing the rules.
DeleteI can't recommend Mistborn highly enough. The first book is one of the most perfect fantasy novels I've read.