best opening lines in fantasy books

“Eleven-year-old Darwen Arkwright has spent his whole life in a tiny town in England. Our guide to the greatest opening lines of novels in the English language, from Jane Austen to James Joyce Robert McCrum Sat 28 Apr 2012 19.01 EDT First … An atmospheric and intrigue-filled novel of dead gods, buried histories, and a mysterious, protean city--from one of America's most acclaimed young fantasy writers. But in my arms she was always Lolita.” – Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” – Charles Dickens, David Copperfield “It was love at first sight” – Joseph Heller, Catch-22 —Nikki VanRy. It’s time to make some tea and read this enjoyably gnomic tome. 3. We’ll look at examples from some of the best books in history and try to apply their techniques to our stories. Use these as a springboard, even if you end up changing the first line in your final draft. The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. The world is broken. There are only pieces and grief. Depending on the story, the fruit of grief is vengeance or justice or hardened resolve.The pieces must be gathered and flames kindled before I'm reforged. The Blade Itself is overflowing with gritty humor, irony, and a world populated full of villains and anti-heroes who you can’t help but root for. From No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Written by Alex Khlopenko. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons. Lord of Light. It’s the line that sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Some of these top rated fantasy titles are classics that helped establish the genre itself while many are from brave new voices writing in what is undoubtedly a new golden age of fantasy. Here are the some of the best opening lines in dystopian literature. Evil Dark Lord tries to recover his dignity, his power, and his lands when an arch-foe transports him to a small town, into the body of a thirteen-year-old boy. Opening lines create an emotional connection with readers. Cassie Porter's family has always pushed her to be an agent for Veritas, the agency responsible for policing nearly all aspects of life for witches living side by side with "regulars. Fantasy Writing Prompts for Creative Fiction, Novels, Short Stories, Screenplays and More These writing prompts are open to your own interpretation and imagination. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. 13 June 2011. All in a line. What is the best opening line of a book? She was Dolores on the dotted line. A heavenly shade of blue was always in her eyes and her innocent smile captured the hearts of many. The scenery is described perfectly and i was immediately immersed in the story after reading the first page. But life at the most elite military school—the Sinegard—isn’t easy for a dark-skinned peasant girl from Rooster Province. There is nothing like opening (or tabbing) to the first page of a fantasy novel you’ve just picked up and reading a first line that jolts you like a stab of lightening. If a bookstore browser flips to the first page and reads the opening line, he or she should want to immediately sit down in the middle of the aisle and keep reading. Always a party favourite in lists of first lines, and for good reason. As The Dark Tower series isn't quite old enough to warrant classic status, I'll try to avoid any spoilers here and simply say that the full turn King takes in his fantasy series is brave, poetic and beautiful. But as I combed through, adding countless books to my TBR pile, I realized something. Sometimes all it takes is a stellar opening line (or paragraph!) to get us hooked on a book; and so we’re bringing you twenty of our favorites. 2.) “Dear Friend, I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have. Fans of fantasy, science fiction, horror, alt history, and more can all find a home with us. Death. The last line of a book is the final thought a work leaves us with, and often provides even more clues about an author’s themes or a story’s impact. Life in lower class as offspring of a notorious thief was simple for the Quartar daughters until accidental mishaps with the other classes of society turn their dirt poor lives around for worse and better. Of the top five most commonly selected lines (users were given three options per match), only two of those lines were high-performing. Angels? Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is about two magicians and a very practical magic that is nonetheless highly enchanting to read about. "He Walks with Dragons" takes place when what was, what is, and what shall be were one in the same. Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight is a wonderful, wonderful read, and is a sci-fi book disguised as a fantasy, not a fantasy book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is placed too low on this list, The Fellowship of the Ring is placed too high, Eragon and The Golden Compass deserve no mention on any list that calls itself "Best Fantasy Novels of all time", and here's why. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The first line tells the reader so much information with just three words – a plot point that is a wonderfully dramatic moment for the story and characterization – the distance of the book's protagonist, Meursault, from the woman who bore him. Opening lines are important, or so I hear (though I've also heard they're overrated, and it's really all about the first paragraph or first page or plying the editor with booze). I write savage vampires, snarky angels, and epic battles! Best. Enter Mare Barrow, from the squalid region known as the Stilts who has a blood type that might just mix things up and transform her stilted life into something greater than she could have ever dreamed of. Click here to receive your two FREE fantasy stories! The Top 10 Best Closing Lines in Fantasy. 10. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Reading Champion V, Worldbuilders, Mod Emeritus. 8. 3. Random First Line Prompts. So, what are your favorite opening lines? BAHAHA oh Eustace you little shit. Lest anyone should suppose that I am a cuckoo’s child, got on the wrong side of a blanket by lusty peasant stock and sold into indenture in a shortfallen season, I may say that I am House-born and reared in the Night Court proper, for all the good it did me. is an exciting world-hopping adventure dedicated to “The ones who dream of stranger worlds.” this is a splendid tome worth your hard earned ducats and far more important than what you are watching on TV or reading right now. "I love you too, but my time with you has passed." What they didn’t account for was the Red Guard. – The Awakening by Nora Roberts 2. Fantasy is an established genre with a lot of amazing voices telling enthralling and thrilling tales comprised of swashbuckling, mischievous, and amazing characters. My favorite from her list is “It was a slow Sunday afternoon, the kind Walden loved," from Ken Follet's The Man from St. Petersburg. It's the most perfectly chosen opening line I've ever read. Being a smuggler he is no stranger to danger which is good because meeting the cut-purse Delilah Bard introduces him to more than he can bargain with. This first sentence straddles that fine line between "creepy" and "oh my god I'm putting this book down right now and not reading any more ever." Opening lines provide entertainment, often via humor. I already know I'm rooting for Locke and why and also know that him being in that situation must have QUITE the phenomenally disastrous backstory. YA fantasy is fantasy written for a young adult audience (12 to 18 years of age). Many are purposely open-ended to give you a lot of flexibility for the way they are used. We are history relived and that is all, without end that is all. “The story of a 10-year-old boy whose imaginary friend helps him cope with a family crisis.” (School Library Journal) Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A. J. Hartley. But how do they do it? “In science fiction there is only a handful of books that stretch the mind—and this is one of them.”—Arthur C. Clarke In a moving story of sacrifice and triumph, human scientists establish a relationship with intelligent ... And it always seems to be around 2am the next day where you have to be at work or have that important test to take. There are many books where the opening paragraph alone has sold me on the entire book, but there are even better opening paragraphs that are simply a pleasure to go back and read again and again just because of the author's use of language and his or her ability to provoke the reader with clear ideas or questions. The book has everything a a great fantasy book needs: a young, neglected boy with a secret destiny, evil sorcerers, centaurs, unicorns, an enchanted school, goblins for bankers (too close to the mark maybe), and of course companions. An invigorating departure in what can be an overly tropy space, Kushiel’s Dart is about the death of an old world and the exhilarating birth of a new one. Because Brent Weeks keeps calling him a “Wetboy.”. An betrayal will free an ancient god bent on destroying and enslaving everyone. “First sentences are doors to worlds,” wrote Ursula Le Guin in her essay The Fisherwoman’s Daughter. When children return from their magical quests in other worlds they are often forever changed and matured beyond their years (and sometimes beyond human limitations). Maybe more than a little. David Eddings. It's blunt and not particularly eloquent - which I find highly appropriate - and it sure makes it clear that a) we're not in Kansas anymore and b) this is the kind of world where selling your womb is a thing. ( Log Out /  - Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S.Lewis. Some people notice the gorgeous cover first and give it a shot. Or the fact that Mare is fighting on their behalf—and potentially against her better half. Each year, San Jose State University's English department sponsors the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, named for Victorian novelist Edward George … Here are some of the best in literature. Like all good fiction, it needs to hook you, jolt you into the story and establish the tone. Without a doubt one of the greatest fantasy epics of all time, The Dragonbone Chair influenced and is lauded by such fantasy masters as George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss, and fans have come to cherish it for its worldbuilding and canonical fantasy elements. Worlds. What sort of ideas can you use to inject a fist full of Bruce Lee punchiness to your opening lines? – The Hero, The Sword and the Dragons by Craig Halloran 3. Here are Two of My Favourite First Lines from my own series. Chapter 1. I’m a music fanatic and paranormal anti-hero addict. Whether you come for the innocent farm boy with a destiny to fulfil, stay a little longer to visit a tavern along with feuding dwarves and elves, and finally seek out the black-clad anti-hero and his poisoned blade with the prophecy to sabotage, the characters of these books are all enviable, relatable, and even repulsive. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. What is the best opening line in a fantasy book you've read? Ravens! Others prefer reading the summary on the back cover of a book and deciding if it sounds interesting enough. A thrilling debut with a familiar Harry Potter riff and yet so memorably unique that it offers up an unprecedented reading experience. Kell is the prince of Red London who spends his time delivering messages to the other royals of the other Londons. I love, love, love the premise of this novel—its like a reverse Harry Potter. Today's topic in our #BestReadOf2020 is best first lines. The Raven Cycle Book One. Envious of her best friends lavish lifestyle, a young woman wonders how different her life would be if she had an opportunity to change her past. Top 5 Books with the Best Opening Lines. Kelsier survived and escaped the darkest and most brutal prison in the realm. Home. 4.) You know you’re in for something good when you get the feels from the start! A heartwarming and jovial tale of True Love and high adventure, The Princess Bride is a fantasy cult classic packed with swordplay, romance, and revenge. Door is on a mission to find the evil agents who slaughtered her family and if Richard is to ever return home to the “London Above” he will need to help her. Hope. You’d think it would: two terrified girls in the middle of nowhere, cowering together, eyes bulging at the gun in his hand. Readers Favorite 2017 Award for Dystopian Literary Titan award 2020 This is the large print edition of The Severaine, with a larger font / typeface for easier reading. But the most important thing that she could never have seen coming is the need to solve a series of murders to save her own life. Having that in mind, we've rounded up the first lines of some of the world's most famous books, and they stand as excellent examples of how a short sentence or two can set the tone for an entire story - and define its legacy for decades to come. Start with the first novel—The Wheel of Time—where you will meet Rand Al’Thor, Perrin Aybara, and Mat Cauthon. It should be mysterious and compelling, either poetic or shockingly abrupt. It’s the author’s first invitation into a world of their own creation. 1984, George Orwell “It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Orwell’s seminal opening to 1984 captures everything – the oppressive, bizarre, unwelcoming, and distorted quality of “Big Brother’s” dystopian future world. When a man you know to be of sound mind tells you his recently deceased mother has just tried to climb in his bedroom window and eat him, you only have two basic options. A bad opening line can be the downfall of a writer, too – thanks to his famously terrible opening to Paul Clifford, ‘It was a dark and stormy night…’, Edward Bulwer-Lytton now has a fiction contest for terrible first lines named after him! When Tristian Throne thinks that scooping up a fallen star will win the icy heart of Victoria, he embarks beyond the wall of his small village to the magical world of Faerie. Written in Gaiman’s wry and avuncular fireside style, Stardust is a charming fantasy book brimful of wonder, genuine adventure, and love. Best Crime Novel Opening Paragraphs. As we’re talking first lines, here’s a sneak peek at the first line of VAMPIRE DEVIL (out now on pre-order): I reign over a valley of feathers and bones: death, the End, destroyer. Topics. In a world where the seasons can last for many years, things are beginning to change. The debut novel of former army machine gunner Kevin Powers, the book was listed as one of The New York Times' 100 Most Notable Books of 2012 and also picked up the Guardian First Book … Redolent of Renaissance Venice, this book is so great because you are running with the city’s underworld, with Locke Lamora and his gang pulling off heist after heist, cussing and drinking all the while.  It’s all fun and games until someone drowns someone else in horse piss. In her analysis, she shares what she considers eight of the best opening lines in fiction. Lucy and Edmund, accompanied by their peevish cousin Eustace, sail to the land of Narnia where Eustace is temporarily transformed into a green dragon because of his selfish behavior and skepticism. Reprint. 35,000 first printing. 'It started in mud, as many things do.' "" Jeffrey Small author of "The Breath of God" and "The Jericho Deception" ""The Protectors Diaries provide page-turning reads, but these books are much more than a great fantasy/thriller series. Weeks also invented a name for the instrument of retribution, the “Night Angel,” but still decided to call his magnificent and gifted assassins “Wetboys,” which sounds less like a dealer of death and more like someone who wets the bed in his 30s. A Darker Shade of Magic. Listen then, to these words carried on that breath. Here were the most frequently used lines: 1. The first line should tell the reader what to expect in terms of language, plot and character. That's where editors and literary agents generally get going, .. And so, rather than withhold, I decided to share all the treasures I uncovered. First sentences, of course, have different functions—to amuse, to frighten, to mystify—and the mechanics a writer uses to achieve this connection vary from genre to genre. There are plenty of other fantasy plot generators and plot twist generators to provide more bursts of inspiration. Tag: best fantasy book opening lines. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, Sabaa Tahir, Tomi Adeyemi, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. The world building is deep and often mentioned alongside Tolkien’s, and is complemented and at times overshadowed by the Erikson’s prose which sparkles with wit and is overfull of philosophical intrigue. Author: ... Take your pick with the best sci-fi books. Sure, everyone is concerned about first impressions…but what about last ones? Dreaming Dangerously is a book I would recommend to anyone to read... the Author is skilled. -Dominique,Goodreads.com It really just blew me away how much I loved reading this book. Chani, Goodreads.com I loved Dreaming Dangerously. 4. View RosemaryAnnJohns’s profile on Facebook, View rosemaryjohns1’s profile on Pinterest, View www.linkedin.com/in/rosemaryajohns’s profile on LinkedIn, Rosemary A Johns’ Best Book Yet, Live! Full of wit and not to be missed, you need to read this now. You can smell his breath, take his pulse, an check his pupil’s to see if he’s ingested anything nasty, or you can believe him. 0 Comments Read Now . Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. When you’re writing your next page-turning fantasy novel, a good first line can get the creative ideas flowing. Cheeky and charming, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a smirking reprieve to the towering tomes of other fantasy books.

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