Random Fridays, hosted by Awkwardly Emma, has the list of top favorite opening lines today, and I must try to narrow down my favorites. I can't put them in order, but I will list ones I love. And I'll be limiting it to fantasy, for the sake of cutting down my options.
Have you ever watched an immortal die? You, who have slain countless fey folk, tell me if you dare...- Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Yes, its not the first line of the prologue, but it's the first lines of the first chapter.)
In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit. - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Once there was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrub, and he almost deserved it. -Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (I'd forgotten about this one, until I saw it on another list.)
That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. -Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Taran wanted to make a sword; but Col, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes. - The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. - Eragon by Christopher Paloni (Granted, not my favorite book, that line gave me chills.)
I know I am leaving out or forgetting some truly, truly wonderful lines. But these are ones that come to mind today! :D
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4 comments:
Ooh, I like this! I would have to say my favorite starting line is... from the Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo: 'This story begins within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse.' And the first two lines from The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin: 'The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east. Strange!' They're both quirky and fun beginnings to great books.
Excellent first line choices!
The top three are the best lines in my humble opinion. I always smile to think how The Hobbit's first line came out of the blue, on the blank page of a student's paper!
Fun choices! I like that you included Ella Enchanted. Thank you for participating!
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