A great opening line is 'All children, except one, grow up.' from J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. This line is simple yet very effective. It makes the reader wonder about that one special child and why they don't grow up like the others. It also gives a sense of mystery and the promise of an adventure.
One of the best is 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' from George Orwell's '1984'. It immediately sets an off - kilter, dystopian mood.
One more notable opening line could be 'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.' from 'The Great Gatsby'. This line makes the reader curious about what that advice was and why it has been on the narrator's mind for so long. It gives a sense of a story that has been brewing in the narrator's head for a while.
The opening line 'The man who bought my soul already owned my body.' is quite a great horror opening. It throws you right into a disturbing situation. It makes you question how someone could have their body and soul in such a compromised state. It's a line that grabs your attention and drags you into a world of horror and the unknown.
In 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, the line 'When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.' is great. It's simple yet it creates a sense of unease and makes you wonder about the character's situation and the world they live in. It draws you in right away as you start to question why the bed is cold and what might be wrong.
In 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens, the opening line 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' is very famous. It creates a sense of contrast and mystery, making the reader wonder what the two different situations are and how they are related, which draws them into the complex world of the French Revolution that Dickens is about to unfold.
One of the best opening lines is from 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien: 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.' It immediately creates a sense of mystery and makes you wonder about this 'hobbit' creature. It's simple yet so effective in drawing the reader into the world of Middle - earth.
One of the best opening lines is from 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'. This line immediately sets a tone of contrast and complexity, making the reader wonder about the two different states of the times.
The opening line of 'A Game of Thrones' by George R.R. Martin, 'We should start back,' Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. This line sets a mood of unease and danger right from the start. It makes the reader curious about who Gared is, why they are in the woods, and what the impending darkness might bring.
One of the best could be 'It was a dark and stormy night, and the captain knew they were in for a rough journey.' It immediately sets a mood of danger and adventure.