Unforgettable Opening Paragraphs

[Vain]

I know - I'm having some fun in Sky's absence hoping it will not be noticed upon the return of M'Lord

With all these obviously excellent books running around, I have an idea brewing in my head - but as with all things that brew in my head, I tend to mull it over to death before hitting the accelerator

[caamora]

I'm surprised none of you stated the obvious:

In the Beginning.......

Even if you aren't much of a christian, the Bible is one awesome literary creation.

All of the other books I haven't read. SRD was the only Sci/fi fantasy author I liked. Also, who mentioned Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett? That is one of my favorite books by my favorite author! I highly recommend it!

[Michael Giantfriend]

1. "It is possible that I already had some presentiment of my future"

2. "Boris Johnson stepped lightly and automatically off the outermost strip of the groundlevel glideway and onto the sidewalk lip"

Not too sure. #1 sounds like Phillip K Dick, but probably isn't.
I think #2 might be Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" Again, not 100%.

-------------------------------------------------------

"The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended."
Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey

"Saturday, June the 13th. And Robert Caligari is going to die today."
Tom Baker: The Boy Who Kicked Pigs

I'm impressed! Have you read "The Boy Who Kicks Pigs" then? Tom Baker is a sick genius!

[Vain]

1. Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
2. Agent of Chaos - Norman Spinrad

Haven't read but plan on doing so

[hansen]

What's your favorite,mind grabbing opening line in a book? My favorite is Ken Folletts' Pillars of the Earth -- "The small boys came early to the hanging"!! Catches you right there! Any others ?

not quite an opening line, but none the less memorable "how do you take from a man who has lost everything?, give him back something broken" ( Possibly not deadly accurate but the best my memory can muster)

[danlo]

Wow Vain u do read some impressive books! If u like Spinrad and Wolfe u'll love Zindell...hansen that must b from TWL! This is very ez:

The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash thet bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky.

Name the book rather than the author! Same Tom Baker who played Dr. Who?

[Vain]

Alas danlo ! I fear that recent years have left me ina void insofar as reading is concerned. I'm slowly getting back to it though

I've always enjoyed Spinrad, Aldiss, MZB, Van Vogt, Wolfe, Moorcock, and a number of others that don't come to mind at present.

TCTC was the first multi-book series I read though. From there I reading The many coloured land series (Julian May) and then Gene Wolfe's Sword of the Conilliator etc series. I even named my black cat Severian in honour of the torturer

[danlo]

Wow u just named 2 more authors that lend 2 appreciation of Zindell: VanVogt and Aldiss--actually there is a Aldiss story, about a lone spaceman almost becoming so totally "as one" w/the nuerologics of his spacecraft that he almost goes mad, that may have inspired Neverness-- and many have compared Zindell 2 Wolfe very favorably! You of all readers would totally enjoy Zindell!

[Vain]

I'll be adding Zindell to my "look for" list when I next go book hunting.

I tried find the last book of the Gap series - This day all Gods die but have not been successful. Next stop = Amazon

[Ryzel]

I have to admit that I do not get more than the absolutely most famous of these opening lines. I do not really pay much attention to opening lines, mostly because I had to read all the way to "The Celebration of Spring" before Lord Foul's Bane became impossible to put down. Based on this I now always read a few chapters of a book before deciding if it is worth my effort continuing.

Now that is not to say that I have not read any books with good opening lines. Anybody know these:

"Who is John Galt?" (hint: This is not SF or fantasy)

Memories haunted the Ghostwood, brittle as the twigs that splintered like tiny bones under Mark's boots.

[Damelon]

"Who is John Galt?" (hint: This is not SF or fantasy)

Atlas Shrugged - A book which I only got about 250 pages into before I got sidetracked. On my list to read all the way through though.

[danlo]

my quote is from A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin!

[The Leper Fairy]

Ooh... Anyone know where this came from:

This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.

I love that book... it's so great! Anyone know?

[Lord Mhoram]

Sounds vaguely familiar...

[The Leper Fairy]

I will give you a hint and try out this spoiler thing at the same time...

Spoiler

"As you wish"

if that's not enough how's this one...

Spoiler

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die."

If no one gets this I will be terribly sad! I love this book/movie.

[[Syl]]

Have fun storming the castle.

[The Leper Fairy]

No more rhymes now, I mean it!!!

I'm not a wench, I'm your wife!

[The Leper Fairy]

OoOoOoh... I thought of one more...

"You mean, you put down your rock, and I put down my sword, and we try to kill each other like civilized people?"

[birdandbear]

Thought this was a great opening line when I was a kid.

"King Constantine IX of Regia had been killed three times and was bored with it."

[Worm of Despite]

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."