favorite first sentences

The first lines of a book are important. They are what draw you in and make you want to read past the cover. Some first sentences are world renowned, others are less well known. These happen to be 7 of my favorites.

(This picture shows the books I have at hand. The missing two are in storage and an ebook, respectively.)

#7 - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: "The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm."

Not as well known as others, this sentence, however, foreshadows all the "storms" to come. 

#6 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien: "In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit."

As a child, I knew precisely where a hobbit lived. Why he wanted to live there, that's what drew me in. 

#5 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Besides A Tale of Two Cities, this might be the most well-known first sentence ever. And it describes the story perfectly. 

#4 - Paper Towns by John Green: "The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle."

Vague enough not to expose the plot right away but hopeful enough to keep you reading. 

#3 - Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

I remember laughing out loud the first time I ever read this and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. 

#2 - Peter Pan by JM Barrie: "All children, except one, grow up."

This might be my favorite childhood book, ever, and this line is the essence of the plot. Plus the whole book is just so beautifully written. 

#1 - The Gunslinger by Stephen King: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

This is definitely my favorite first sentence of any story I've ever read. I think I will always be able to call it to mind. It's quick and to the point and draws you into a book that feels like it's already in the middle of a story. And in some ways, it is.