Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.
Here are some tips on writing a first line
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel
Week #34 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
First published: October 12, 1979
Here's what the story is about: Arthur Dent awakens to discover that the local planning council is trying to demolish his house to build a bypass. He lies down in front of the bulldozer to stop it. His friend Ford Prefect convinces the lead bureaucrat to lie down in Arthur's place so that he can take Arthur to the local pub. The construction crew begins demolishing the house anyway, but are interrupted by the sudden arrival of a fleet of spaceships. The Vogons announce that they have come to demolish Earth to make way for a hyperspace expressway. Ford and Arthur survive by hitching a ride on the spaceship.
First line/paragraph:
Far Out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.
This appears to be omniscient voice. The reader is introduced to a “small unregarded yellow sun” which is located in “uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm” of a galaxy. Which we soon learn is our own galaxy and sun, letting us know this story will be funny and irreverent. We don't know the protagonist yet, or anything about the plot, but as a reader, I'm intrigued by a humorous story about planet earth. I would read further, to see if the story lives up to its beginning, which it does and I loved this book!
Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!
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