What novels have the best opening lines or opening paragraphs?

Tsahi Shemesh
  1. “I’m pretty much fucked. That’s my considered opinion. Fucked.” – The Martian.
  2. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” – Pride and Prejudice.
  3. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
  4. “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.” – Lolita.
  5. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” – A Tale Of Two Cities.
  6. “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” – Anna Karenina.
  7. “It was a pleasure to burn.” – Fahrenheit 451.
  8. “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” – The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

My favourite is probably no. 2, because the book suggestively disagrees with the notion, and I love it.

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